Family Friendly Meals
By Susan and Michelle, Co-Founders of www.youvegotsupper.com

When it comes to dinner, some families want it easy, some want it quick, others want it cheap, and more frequently, our members have said, “Give it to us healthy.” We get it. Our meals should be easy, quick, cheap and healthy! Some slant more one way than the other. Which leads us to this fact. If you are eating at home, versus scrambling around at the last minute trying to figure out the mealtime plan, then you are way ahead of the game. Eating at home versus take out/eating out is such a clear winning strategy for families looking for easy, quick, cheap and healthy. That is the winning answer for most families.

An article in US News & World Report had this to say: Trans fats are clearly on their way out. They’ll be nearly gone in five years. But there’s a catch: The FDA labeling rule applies only to food sold in stores; it does not apply to restaurants, bakeries, and deli counters. So it’s more than likely that you’re still eating trans fats when you eat out. And eating out you are. In 1970, Americans spent just 26 percent of their total food budget eating away from home; in 2002, the number was 46 percent. Home cooking. The solution is obvious: Eat at home more!

Here are a few family friendly recipes to get you started on a delicious home-cooked meal tonight:

Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Heat 2 tbsp peanut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 lb ground chicken, 6 thinly sliced green onions and 2 tsp cornstarch. Cook, while breaking the chicken up into pieces, until the chicken is no longer pink. Add ½ cup chopped water chestnuts, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp minced ginger, and 1 tbsp oyster sauce and cook for two more minutes. Spoon a heaping spoonful into the center of each bibb lettuce leaf. Serves 4.

Penne a la Vodka

Melt ½ cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 4 oz prosciutto, torn, and saute in pan until lightly colored. Add 1/3 cup vodka and stir until evaporated. Stir in 1 ½ cups marinara sauce and ½ cup heavy whipping cream. Simmer uncovered for 8 – 10 minutes. Cook 8 oz penne according to directions and drain. Pour vodka sauce over pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Pork Tenderloin with Jezebel Sauce

Cook 1 ½ lb pork tenderloin in the oven at 425 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until 155 degrees. Mix ½ cup apple jelly, ½ cup orange marmalade, and ½ cup brown mustard with horseradish in a sauce pan and warm over low heat. Slice pork and serve topped with sauce. Serves 6.

Barbecued Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

Cut 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Cook in a large skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add ½ cup chopped yellow onion and 1 tsp minced garlic and cook until the chicken is no longer pink (about 5 minutes). Add 15 oz. drained and rinsed black beans and 1/3 cup barbecue sauce. Reduce heat and stir to coat the chicken with the barbecue sauce. Sprinkle with ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese and heat for 2 to 3 more minutes without stirring. Heat 4 large tortillas in microwave. Spoon chicken mixture in center of tortilla. Add sour cream (and cooked white rice if desired) and roll up burrito-style. Serves 4.

Spicy Shrimp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Simmer 3 slices cooked and crumbled bacon, 1/3 lb butter, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 ½ tsp chili powder, ¼ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp pepper, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning, ½ tsp tabasco and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice in a large skillet for 5 minutes. Place mixture in a casserole dish. Add 2 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Serve shrimp and sauce over angel hair pasta or white rice. Serves 4.

Give Back To Ovarian Cancer Research

Take a minute to give back. Go to Kelly Ripa’s Cake Off For A Cause http://www.kelly-confidential.com/rd/0003/ from February 10th to the 19th. Why? Because Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for every vote cast in the Cake Off. You will also get great tips on baking from Kelly and the Cake Boss himself. And don’t forget to enter to win yourself an Electrolux Induction Range