Tag Archives | kid friendly

Who Doesn’t Love Fried Chicken?

By on May 17, 2011 in Making Dinner

Well- besides my vegan friend- who doesn’t love fried chicken?

For subscribers to The Organized Cook, Ranch Fried Chicken is what’s on the menu this week and it’s a family favorite for me.

Ranch Fried Chicken by The Organized Cook

Ranch Fried Chicken by The Organized Cook

Doing something as simple as adding ranch dressing mix to the flour coating can make a classic meal like fried chicken something to talk about.  This week’s menu is all about the classics:

The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan

Kid Favorites

This week’s menu is both healthy and kid friendly with items like fried chicken, quesadillas and pot pie.  Making dinnertime fun for kids is the trick I find to help get them out of ruts.  Dress up chili with bowls of fun things for them to garnish:

Kid Friendly Chili by The Organized Cook

Kid Friendly Chili

Shredded Cheese The Organized Cook

Garnish Chili with Shredded Cheese

Goldfish Crackers The Organized Cook

Whole Grain Goldfish Crackers

 

And, for all you vegetarians out there…. stuffed pasta shells.

Helping Hands In The Kitchen

Stuffed Pasta Shells is another perfect meal that’s easy for kids to help.  My girls love to help me in the kitchen, and sometimes it feels like more work finding something for them to do.  At 7 and 5-years old, stuffing pasta shells with cheese mixture is easy and fun.  I enjoy sharing my passion for cooking with them.

Stuffed Pasta Shell by The Organized Cook

Stuffed Pasta Shell by The Organized Cook

Stuffed Pasta Shell by The Organized Cook

Stuffed Pasta Shell by The Organized Cook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reincarnating The Leftover

What to do…. what to do… with that leftover fried chicken.  Using a simple technique I like to call “reincarnating the leftover“, that leftover Ranch Fried Chicken- with a little help from my good friend, frozen puff pastry- is now reincarnated into Chicken Pot Pie.  Every time I say or hear “chicken pot pie”, I either hear that chicken from the movie Chicken Run say (in Brittish accent), “I don’t want to be a pie.”  Or, I (depending on who is around) immediately say, “chicken pot pie and I don’t care”…. I’m not sure why, but I can’t help it.

Chicken Pot Pie by The Organized Cook

Chicken Pot Pie by The Organized Cook

Saving Money on Family Dinners

This week’s Weekly Meal Plan will only cost you about $90 in groceries- that’s without sales or coupons.  I would love to hear back from my readers who cooked this week’s menu about how much they spent on groceries with this week’s shopping list.  Just leave a comment below, or email me at toni@tonispilsbury.com, or on Facebook.

 

Subscribe to The Organized Cook

It’s not too late to get this week’s Weekly Meal Plan.  Subscribe now to The Organized Cook.  Remember, you can cancel at any time, but you won’t want to- it’s that good.

The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan

 

 

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Still Chilly? Try Toni’s Chili.

By on March 8, 2011 in Making Dinner

Chili is one of those dishes that just doesn’t seem to go well with Spring and Summer.  It’s the same as wearing your white strappy sandles in January- it doesn’t “go”.

Spring is almost here.  So, this may be our last chance to enjoy this heart-warming meal.

Kid Friendly

I’m always looking for ways to make any meal fun for kids.  This dinner makes it easy- try whole-grain fish crackers and shredded cheese in fun bowls for kids to “dress up” their chili.

Hearty Tip

Ground sirloin instead of ground beef makes a big difference to this hearty chili- with a combination of kidney, cannellini and pinto beans, this meal is sure to keep your family warm.

 

The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan Subscription

Toni’s chili recipe is on the menu in The Organized Cook.  Sign up now to receive these time and money-saving Weekly Meal Plans.

Take “back” the family dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Helping Hands

By on January 10, 2011 in Saving Time

My love for cooking has rubbed off on my girls (ages 4 and 6); they are my sous chefs.  The only thing is that the more they help me, the more independent they want to be in the kitchen.

I’ve always included them in cooking and baking since they were about two years old.  It’s easy to find things for them to do: stirring, pouring, spreading, etc.  Before they were out of diapers they both knew how to crack an egg.  So, I’m always looking for new ways for them to help.  And, when it used to be more of a drain on my time to include them, it’s now turned into a time saver for me.

Now, when I make Italian, Cassidy insists on making her “famous salad”.  If any of you are worried about how I could possibly let my six-year old slice a tomato or chop a carrot safely, in order to meet her demands to do this task independently, I found “kid friendly” knives from Gerber that actually work for her…. a bit messy, but they work. 

Share in the experience of family meal preparation by letting children help.  Small hands are perfect for tearing lettuce for salads, rolling meatballs and setting the table with napkins and flatware.  Older children can help by peeling vegetables, mixing marinades and assembling garlic breads or pizzas.  Not only is this a good way to spend time with your kids, it’s also a great learning experience for children.

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