1 Week of Easy Dinner Meals (even your kids will like)

I know how hard it is to get dinner on the table especially when there are practices, church nights, and just plain trying to make it through the evening. Below are five easy dinner ideas that can make it to the table quickly and even your kids will like them. Trust me, my kids do and they can be rather picky!

Night 1

Creamy Lemon Shrimp Pasta

8 oz. angel hair pasta
1/2 to 1 lb. of already cooked deveined and shelled shrimp (whatever size is cheapest)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 lemon
olive oil or canola oil
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to directions on package. In large skillet heat oil. Drop finally minced clove of garlic and let sautee for a minute. Don't let the garlic overcook. Combine zest of lemon and juice of lemon, heavy whipping cream in with garlic. Heat up mixture but do not bring to boil. Add shrimp and warm through. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta and toss. Serve with simple salad.
Serves 4
Night 2

Crockpot Cowboy Casserole

1 lb ground hamburger
1 tspn oregano
1 tspn garlic salt
1 can 28 oz. enchilada sauce
1 lb tomatillos
olive oil or canola oil
1/2 med. onion chopped
2 gloves garlic
1 cup cornmeal
2 tblspns sugar
1 1/2 tspn salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a skillet warm oil. Add onions and garlic and let them sautee for one minute. Add ground hamburger, oregano, and garlic salt. Cook meat until all the meat is brown. Drain off any fat. Cut the tomatillos into small bite size pieces. In large crockpot add meat mixture and tomatillos. Cover with enchilada sauce. Cook in crockpot on low for 2-3 hours.
Next turn crockpot up to highest setting. Bring two cups of water to a boil. Add salt and sugar to boiling water then cornmeal. Cook at a boil stirring constantly for 1 minute, will get VERY thick. Then take a large spoon and drop cornmeal dumplings into the crockpot, on top of the enchilada and meat mixture.
Cover and let cook for 1/2 hour. Now add cheese to top and again place the lid on top of the crockpot until cheese melts. Serve.
Serves 4-6

Night 3

Sheppard's Pie

Instant Mashed potatoes - prepared by package instructions
1 lb ground hamburger
1 tsp. garlic salt
canned corn - drained
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 onion
2 carrots
olive oil or canola oil

Preheat oven @ 400 degrees

Dice onion and carrots into like sizes. Preheat oil. Add carrots and onion. Cook till onions are translucent. Add hamburger. Season with garlic salt. Break up hamburger and brown until cooked all through out.
In 8X8 baking dish layer potatoes first, hamburger mixture 2nd, corn third, and cover with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. For super fast stick under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Night 4

Baked Tilapia

4 tilapia fish steaks
onion
1 lemon
garlic clove
2 tblspns butter
salt and pepper

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees

Cut onion into thing rings and lay at the bottom of 8X13 casserole dish. Lay fish on top of onions. salt and pepper to taste. divide butter into for portions and lay 1 portion on top of each piece of fish. cut lemon into thin slices and lay two on each piece of fish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Fish will flake easily with a for when done. Serves 4. Serve with some easy lipton rice and a bag of prepared steam able veggies found in the frozen section @ the store.

Night 5

Homemade Mac & Cheese

Prepare this earlier in the day and pop in the oven when your ready to eat.

Elbow Macaroni - 1 lb
16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese - shredded
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
2 slices of cooked bacon strips cut or tore into small pieces
1 cup of milk
3 tblspns butter
3 tblspns flour
1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Prepare macaroni according to package directions. In large pot (5 qts.) melt butter on med. heat, then add flour, whisking to incorpate into butter. Let cook for about a minute to take raw flour taste out. While whisking briskly slowly add in milk, whisk until the mixture is smooth. Turn heat down to med. low heat and season with salt and pepper. Mixture will thicken, do not let it come to boil. you will know it is ready when you stick a spoon in it and the spoon is coated in the mixture and does not drip off. Add cheddar into the milk mixture and let melt. Now add the pasta to the cheese and milk and toss. Pour into a 8X13 casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs, asiago cheese, and bacon. Cook for 20 minutes, bread crumbs and cheese on top should be golden brown. Serves 6.