Well Gals, our preschool starts next Wednesday! I'm so excited and finally, after weeks and weeks of endless hours and lots of hard work I think we are ready!!

I am going to start planning a weekly menu for our dinners. I'm going to have to be very organized to keep our family eating healthy and homemade dinners during the school year.

I need some ideas of some yummy and relatively easy Family dinners. I am in a rut of the same old things and would love to have some new ideas! Let's share some ideas and everyone can get some new dinner ideas for the new school year!!

Also, I'm researching the internet today for some new ideas too, if you have any good websites you use, share those too!

TIA!

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Kelly,
I shared this site A Year of CrockPotting a few weeks ago. Made a bunch of things from there that have been really yummy.
I've got a bunch of recipes I can post tonight when I'm not at work. I love to make your Cauliflower Cheese Soup with some nice bread for a quick meal! I make it at least once a month in the fall/winter/spring!!

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I also use this site Quick Easy Recipes, Slow Cooker Recipes Blog | Ordering Disorder - Work It, Mom! written by Chris from Notes from the Trenches — fighting the war on tantrums since 1994 . With seven kids you have to know it's quick and easy!

I've been resourcing the website Lisa posted above (A year of crockpotting).
Last night I made taco salad.
Bag of good lettuce, bag of shredded carrots, bell pepper, can of garbanzo beans, and I cooked up ground beef & added salsa to it.
threw it together & it was nummy.

Tonight is crazy! I have a WIC appt, kids get out at 2:15 and 3:10pm
Ant has soccer at 4:30-6. Adi has soccer from 6-7 and church starts at 7pm.
So I have chicken breasts w/ a big can of diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, fresh basil from the garden & cooked bacon in the crock.
We will eat it w/ rice.

Kelly, I want your cauliflower recipe Lisa referenced above. :please

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Kelley--are you looking for quick and easy recipes or just whatever recipes, so you can shop ahead and create your menu plan?

I do the menu plan for 2 weeks at a time.
Then I only have to go do my big grocery trips every 2 weeks.
And inbetween if we run out of milk or bread, I just have hubby pick it up for me, so I'm not tempted by all the "good deals" LOL

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HOUSEPLANTGIRL
Wife to my highschool sweetie for 12 years
Mommy to "Little Man" (10-my Tween!)
"Angel Amanda" (stillborn)
"Baby Bean" (miscarried)
"Lil Miss Sassy Pants" (almost 4)
"Mr. Squishey" (18 months)
and PREGNANT!!

Thanks for starting this Kelley! Now that I have started working, I am going to need some things that I could do quickly. It will help that I should be home by 3:30 everyday but quicky & easy stuff would really help!

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Steph, really just anything I am looking for menu ideas. Of course some quick and easy recipes and ingredients on hand will be a must!

Melissa, I'll have to find that recipe, it's been a long time since I fixed that. Lisa--if you have it handy could you post it?? Thanks!

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Here it is: I sometimes use broccoli or a mix of the two and it's really good too!

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
Cooking Time: 4-6 hr

2 cups chicken broth
2 8-ounce packages frozen cauliflower
1 medium stalk celery cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium carrot cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional and for phase 2)
1 small onion cut into eighths
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup low-fat milk
1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
Throw all ingredients except milk and cheese into a crock-pot and cook on low until vegetables are very tender, about 4-6 hours.
Carefully pour mixture into work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade or into blender container. Cover and process until smooth. Or, if you like it a little lumpy and bumpy like I do, use a potato masher and have at it in the crock-pot itself — mash to your heart's delight.
Place your cauliflower mixture into a saucepan; stir in milk and cheese. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and mixture is hot.

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