We get that everyone has busy lives, but that should never mean that you should not eat right because of that. There are so many easy home cooked meals that you can make. It is possible for everyone to cook healthy meals, they just need to know how to do it.
Easy Side Dishes to Make
As you may know, a side dish can really make the meal that you are creating pop. There are so many endless possibilities when it comes to side dishes, which is half the reason why they are so fun! You are always going to want to have at least one good complimentary side dish to go along with your home cooked meal.
Steamed Vegetables
Vegetables would have to be my “go to” side dish. Not only are they easy to make, but it is also very fast and healthy too! Some vegetables that are really easy to cook and taste amazing are carrots, broccoli, leafy greens, asparagus, green beans and artichokes.
Potatoes
There are so many different ways to cook a potato, the possibilities are endless! This is another great side dish because potatoes are fast and easy and there is a lot of different things to do with them in your own home.
Mashed potatoes is an all time classic and is personally my favorite way to eat a potato. You can also serve them as baked potatoes, potatoes au gratin, potato wedges or even french fries! Remember to always be creative and have fun when you are making home cooked meals!
How to Oven Roast Meats
Oven roasting meat is a very useful skill to be able to know how to do. You can use this method on various types meats and it will make your meat taste exquisite.
For this process, you should be using cuts of meat that are 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches thick
Then you must season to taste before cooking using:
-Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. After this you will place the meat of your choice on a rack in a shallow pan
If you are cooking a steak, set the timer to 14 minutes, this will give you a nice medium rare
If you are cooking something smaller such as burgers, just 10 minutes will do. This is also for cooking to medium rare, if you want your meat more well done, keep it in the oven for a couple more minutes (depending on how you like it cooked).
After it is cooked to your liking, take it out of the oven and let it sit and rest for about 10 minutes. This is so that the meat is able to cool, but beware. When letting the meat rest, make sure that you are consistent with the resting time because the meat is still cooking while it sits there and this will affect the doneness.
After this, it is now time to cut the meat. Slice the meat with an electric knife to 1/4 inch slices
Now you are finished! Enjoy your oven roasted meat. This is definitely a special, and easy home cooked meal that you can use on lots of different meat!
Home Made Chicken A’la King
This recipe serves 6 people. If you are cooking for less than that, simply just split the recipe in half
For the broth you will need:
-1 and 1/2 pounds of breasts of chicken (with bones and skins), 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Place all of these ingredients into a pot and then cover it with water
Cook for one hour on medium boil to simmer, covered
Next will be the “a’la king” part. For this the ingredients you will need will be:
-1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Take out a small pyrex bowl and toss in all of the ingredients above. Cook over low heat while you are stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Once this happens you must remove it from the heat and transfer it to a large pan.
Next, you will slowly stir in:
-2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of heavy cream
Now you will bring this to a boil over low heat while stirring constantly. It is extremely important that you keep on stirring during this whole process for the best results. Boil for one minute
Next add:
-2 cups of diced cooked chicken and 4 cups of frozen peas and carrots (chopped up)
Continue cooking until the meat is heated through. This will usually take about 10 minutes
Now you are all done! Serve it in a puff pastry or over toast works as well.
Easy Dessert Recipies
Summer Chocolate Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
For the bottom layer of the cake you will need:
-1 and 1/2 cups of flour, 1 and 1/2 sticks of butter and 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts
First melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Mix in the flour and walnuts. Then you will press that into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan evenly. Place it in the oven for 15 mins and then after it is out make sure to let it cool for at least 1 hour.
The next set of ingredients that you will need are:
8 ounces of cream cheese, 1 cup of confectioners (powdered) sugar, 1 large tub of Cool Whip, 2 packages of small instant chocolate pudding, 3 cups of milk
Mix the cream cheese in with the confectioners sugar in a large bowl. Then add half of the Cool Whip. Stir together with a wooden spoon and then spread over the crust
Next you will add pudding to the milk and then beat with a mixer until it is thick. Spoon over the cream cheese layer in the pan. After that you will put the remaining Cool Whip on top and then garnish the top with additional walnuts
You are done! Enjoy a fun decorative dessert which is lovely to enjoy after an easy, home cooked meal
Apple Crisp
For this recipe you will need:
-4 cups of sliced apples, 1/3 cup of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of salt, 3/4 cup of sifted flour, 1 cup of sugar
First you must preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Then mix the apples with the melted butter in a pan
Next, mix the remaining ingredients (cinnamon, salt, sifted flour, sugar) together in a mixing bow. Once evenly mixed together, sprinkle over the apples
Place the pan in the oven for 40 minutes. Once the time is up, let it cool for a couple minutes and it is ready to serve (Goes very good with some vanilla ice cream).
