I keep thinking my life is going to slow down and I am going to get my family on a lovely schedule. I am not sure if I hang on to this vision because I am optimistic or delusional. While I would love to have orderly evenings with plenty of time to cook three course meals, it isn’t happening. So on busy nights I content myself with feeding my family “Real Fast Food” – meals that are made of real ingredients and that come together faster than the local pizza company can deliver pizza.

If I make time on one day to Batch Grill or Batch Broil some chicken, it allows me to put together a satisfying salad in a short amount of time. I also wash my greens as soon as I bring them in from the garden or home from the store, so I don’t have to waste precious minutes washing and drying veggies with four pair of starving eyes staring at me.

This recipe is great for repurposing leftover Orange Sesame Chicken!

Summer finally arrived and all of my cool weather crops reacted to the heat by bolting. One nice thing about spinach when it bolts is that the leaves along the flower stalk are flat making them a great substitute for noodles in lasagna:

I overlap the spinach leaves to create a layer. If you only have curled spinach leaves you can flatten them out a bit by making small tears in the curves. But I don’t worry about laying them perfectly flat since they are on the bottom layer; all the other veggies and cheese will flatten them out.

I include cooking the squash and the other veggies (except for the spinach) in the prep time. Sauteing the vegetables in advance helps them release some of the water. Since this recipe does not have pasta, you don’t have anything to absorb the excess fluids. For this reason, I also use a thick spaghetti sauce. If your favorite sauce is not thick, let it simmer while you prep the other ingredients to cook off some of the fluids.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the long ingredient list. I like to use lots of vegetables and herbs because I have them in abundance and because they add flavor. Please don’t feel tied to the list either. If you don’t have fresh herbs, substitute half as much dried herbs. Make use of what you have available and substitute the ingredients that are fugal for you to cook with.

Oh please. Please.

Please, for all that is good and right in this world. Please, make these.

When I asked for spinach recipes last week, I had this one in the back of my mind to try as I asked.  Last summer when on vacation with my family, I made for them a similar recipe that used sun dried tomatoes, spinach pesto, mozzarella, stuffed/rolled in the same way.Very similar to this one from Kristia!

As I was writing up the “calling all spinach recipes” last week, I remembered the meal that I made for them and wondered if I could pull it off for $5. I went digging…found a tomato in the fridge (that Steve must have bought last week when I was out of town…as I don’t recall buying one!) (I’ll have to ask him about that one…as he rarely goes to the grocery store!)

I came close!

The How-To

Cook and drain the spinach. Drain well. Press out the liquid. Squeeze out the liquid.

Or else you’ll be having Runny Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Saute. And cook off the liquid that the tomatoes release.

Meanwhile, pound out the chicken breasts.

And lay into a baking dish that is small enough that the stuffed chicken breasts fit snugly.

Spoon in the spinach tomato mixture.  Use a slotted spoon.

Again, you don’t want to have Runny Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Add some shredded mozzarella cheese.

(I used dairy and soy free mozzarella slices. So the boys could enjoy this!)

(At the moment, Ryan, Charlie, Tyler and I are dairy free. And Tyler is soy free.)

Roll up the chicken, spoon any extra spinach tomato mixture around the stuffed chicken.

Bake.

Make tomato sauce for topping while baking. Spoon the tomato sauce over top.

Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy!

Updated: I added a Mr. Linky…so bloggers, feel free to link up your recipes

Yeah.

So.

Um.

Well…..

It seems that I have more spinach on hand that I thought!

I went scavanging (is that a word?) for some chicken in the deep freezer this past weekend…and ended up doing a little reorganizing, while I was at it.

(Nevermind the frostbitten fingers.)

I discovered that I had several other boxes of frozen spinach hiding underneath the baskets that sit at the top of the freezer.  And while it’d be easy to serve it up as a quick and simple side dish…it’d be way more fun to do something else.  I recently made some tasty Spinach Meatballs.  And I’ve got an Italian Wedding Soup on the menu for January. (Yes…we are halfway through the month and I haven’t published my meal plan for January. It’s coming. I think.)

But I want to do something else with it…And I want you to help me by sending your favorite spinach recipes!

Feel free to leave them in the comments or email them. I greatly appreciate it!!!

Look at these green babies simmering in homemade spaghetti sauce. After rummaging through the freezer and pantry last week, I discovered that I had everything on hand for these Spinach Meatballs.  A reader mentioned them on Facebook recently, and I had to make them.

I was really worried that the boys wouldn’t eat the meatballs because they had “green stuff” in them, but it turned out to be useless worry.  All 3 of the boys gobbled them up. Hopefully your little ones will too!

A two dish, one plate dinner for ya!

Prepare the spinach and drain it. Drain it good. (Well, I mean.) I used the bottom of a measuring cup to press out the liquid.

In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, spinach, bread crumbs, egg and garlic cloves.

Form into 1 inch meatballs.

In a large skillet, add the olive oil and brown the meatballs on all sides.

Once browned, set them aside on a plate and drain any excess grease.

Prep sauce ingredients. Crush the garlic. Rinse the fresh herbs, pat dry and run your knife through them.

In the same skillet that you browned the meatballs, add the canned tomatoes with the liquid.

Stir in the tomato paste plus 1 cans worth of water.

Stir in the fresh herbs, garlic and salt and pepper.

Place the meatballs back into the skillet with the sauce.  Spoon the sauce over the top and cover.  Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Serve over noodles.

A one plate dinner. A delicious one plate dinner. A kid-friendly one plate dinner. A mom-approved one plate dinner.  Enjoy!

Spinach Meatballs with Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz box frozen spinach, cooked and well drained ($.25) Sale price and coupon
• 1 lb. ground beef ($1.59)
• 1 cup homemade bread crumbs ($.25)
• 1 egg ($.10)
• 2 garlic cloves ($.10)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil ($.20)
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning ($.24) Sale, store promotion and coupon
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste ($.19) Sale plus $1 Muir Glen coupon
• 2 garlic cloves ($.10)
• Parsley, oregano and rosemary from the garden
• Salt and pepper to taste
• About 3/4 lb. whole wheat spaghetti ($.38) On sale with coupon for $.50/lb.

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, spinach, bread crumbs, egg and garlic cloves. Form into 1 inch meatballs.
2. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and brown the meatballs on all sides. Once browned, set them aside on a plate and drain any excess grease.
3. Crush the garlic. Rinse the fresh herbs, pat dry and run your knife through them. In the same skillet that you browned the meatballs, add the canned tomatoes with the liquid.  Add the tomato paste plus one cans worth of water. Stir in the spices, garlic and salt and pepper.
4. Place the browned meatballs back into the skillet with the sauce. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Serve Spinach Meatballs over noodles.

Cost $3.48

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Picked a bunch of cherry-type tomatoes from the garden…opened the fridge to figure out what to do with them…and the $2 box of spinach practically fell of the shelf.  When that kind of thing happens, I take it as a sign…

And here’s the result…

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered (from the garden)
1/2 lb spinach ($2)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add fresh crushed garlic and let it sizzle for about 3o seconds.

Add the quartered tomatoes and saute with the garlic for 2-3 minutes.

When you see the juices begin to brown in the skillet, add about 1/4 cup of water to deglaze, and then steam the spinach.

Let the water bubble up, then quickly stuff the spinach into the skillet.  Stir a few times and then cover as soon as it has wilted down enough.  Let cook over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Stir after a minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm as a side dish.

Cost $2.20

Every had one of those super productive days…only to forget one very important thing on your to-do list.

That thing: Make dinner.

Eeps!  That’s what happened to me tonight.  I scurried around all day, catching up on Mt. Washmore (yes, we have been home for 10 days and I still haven’t caught up on laundry from the Savvy Blogging Summit!), helping the boys with a new puzzle and reading their new book to them approximately 18 times, answering emails, making important behind-the-scenes decisions, picking up little pieces of fuzz from the floor that Tyler seems to be so attracted to these days, watering the garden, building tents and forts with sheets, chairs and couch cushions, send out a few tweets, maybe a facebook status update…

So I look up at the clock…5:25.

What?!?  How’d that happen?!

Thankfully, I had some diced grilled chicken in the freezer, some cooked turkey bacon in the freezer, along with a box of frozen spinach.  And in the time that it took to cook the pasta, I had the chicken, bacon and spinach thawed, warmed and ready to toss with the pasta.  I even had a second to grab some fresh basil, oregano and thyme from the garden…just enough to give the additional umph to the pasta!

So what’s missing from this here florentine pasta…a cream sauce! I went for the lower cal (and easier) drizzle of olive oil.   And I’m glad I did!

Loved the light-ness of the dish, the flavor boost from the garden herbs, and the smokiness of the grilled chicken. Now, enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta noodles, such as mostacchioli, rotini, medium shells ($.92)
2 cups grilled, diced chicken ($1.50)
4 slices turkey bacon, chopped ($.25) Used $1.50 coupon with sale price
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes ($.16)
1 box frozen spinach ($.50) $1 sale plus coupon
Fresh basil, oregano, thyme from the garden
2 Tbsp olive oil ($.20)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Cook bacon and chicken, if necessary.

3. Cook the spinach according to package instructions.

4. Wash and chop basil, oregano and thyme from the garden.

5. Toss all the ingredients together with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve Chicken and Bacon Florentine (without the cheese) Pasta.

Need more than this one-dish meal? Add a garden salad.

Got a plethora of tomatoes from the garden? Use those instead of canned.

Want a creamier pasta? Thin some sour cream with some milk and replace that with the olive oil.

Cost $3.53

Grilled Mushrooms and Onions atop a Grilled Burger.

Yes, please!

Drizzle a little steak sauce over the top.

Scrumdidily-umptious!

Ingredients

1.5 lb ground beef ($2.23)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($.05)
1 small white onion ($.40)
1 pint mushrooms, sliced ($.99) Bought on Manager’s Special
3 Tbsp Marsala cooking wine ($.25)
Few dashes of salt and pepper
Drizzles of steak sauce ($.10)
Grilled Garlic Bread ($.60)
Box frozen spinach ($.50) Bought on sale for $1 with coupon

Directions

Prepare the burger patties by mixing together the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce.  Add a little salt and pepper and then press into patties.

Wash and slice the mushrooms.

Slice the onions into half ring strips.

Place the mushrooms and onion slices into a mixing bowl and toss with Marsala cooking wine and some salt and pepper.

Place the mushrooms and onions into the grill basket and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, or until onions turn opaque and mushrooms begin to turn golden/brown.

Grill the burgers alongside the mushrooms.

Prepare the Grilled Garlic Bread.

Cook the spinach as directed on the box.

Serve Grilled Mushroom Burgers with Grilled Garlic Bread and Spinach.

Cost $5.02

Alrighty friends…here is the Grilled Salsa Chicken that I intended on posting last night.  But my day just didn’t play out as I thought it would and I did not get a chance in the early evening to get it all together!

A big thanks to Steve for photographing some of the pictures below. You might notice that 2 hands are in the photographs, and I don’t quite trust Ryan with my camera yet!

Speaking of moms having 3 hands, I read this quote the other day…

“If evolution were true, then why don’t mothers have 3 arms?!?”  Amen!!!

*ahem* Back to the Grilled Salsa Chicken.

You can’t go wrong with this one!  Especially with $.99/lb bone-in chicken thighs!!!

Ingredients
2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs ($2)
1 cup salsa ($.50) Bought when on sale with coupon and store promotion!
1 teaspoon chili powder ($.05)
1 teaspoon ground cumin ($.05)
1 teaspoon garlic powder ($.05)
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 cup brown rice ($.40)
1 box frozen spinach ($.50)

Directions

So recently we had the Baked Black Bean and Salsa Chicken. And then I made it again last Saturday. And then I made it for some friends who just had their first baby. So the salsa jars were looking like this!  But that’s the perfect amount for this recipe.

1 cup-ish.

Toss the garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Separate the skin from the thigh.

And spoon in some seasonings.

(Steve is still taking the photographs, despite the fact that my other hand is free.)

So I am handling raw chicken here, but you might be interested to know that I really don’t like raw chicken. Or chicken feet.  I used to be a “BS snob.” I much prefer to just drop it straight from the package into the baking dish or slow cooker and cover it with something and cook it.

BUT, this was so tasty, I’d be willing to handle raw poultry and  make it again!

Spoon in some salsa. Repeat for all the chicken thighs that you’ll be grilling.

Sprinkle any remaining seasonings on top of the chicken thighs.

Spread any remaining salsa into the bottom of a shallow dish or baking dish and let the chicken sit on top of the salsa, so the underside of the chicken marinates and takes on a bit of the salsa flavor.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Grill.

Until cooked through.

Devour.

Cook rice and frozen spinach as directed on packages.

Serve Salsa Chicken with rice and spinach.

Cost $

I’ve been waiting. And waiting. And waiting…to try this pasta!  I l-o-n-g time ago, I made some Spinach Pesto from the garden.  And it’s been patiently waiting in the freezer for me.  To eat it!

*I wish I had not waited until now!*

The  reason I’ve been waiting…I didn’t think the boys would go for “green pasta” for dinner.  They like green foods. Broccoli, peas, green beans…they love those.  But green “stuff” on pasta.  I’d rather not “waste” it on a dinner they wouldn’t eat or enjoy.

The boys are spending the night with grandma (while I work on some projects), so tonight is perfect!

Steve and I thoroughly enjoyed this dinner!!!

(We each had 2 bowls and still had enough for lunch leftovers!)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts ($1.75)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
Salt and pepper
1 box penne pasta ($.50) Sale + coupon!
About 1/2 cup homemade pesto from the garden ($.75)
2 cups frozen carrots ($.80)

Directions
1. Place chicken breasts in shallow dish and drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes. Grill until cooked through. Dice.

2. Cook pasta as directed on package instructions. Drain and rinse.

3. Toss pasta with pesto and grilled chicken.
4. Cook carrots as directed on package.
5. Serve Grilled Chicken Spinach Pesto Pasta with Carrots.

Cost $3.83