Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

1 lb sirloin trimmed and sliced into thin pieces (since I have small children I go ahead and slice the meat into bite sized pieces)
1 lb of broccoli flowerets cut into bite small pieces
8 oz can of sliced water chestnuts (it's in the recipe so I feel obligated to jot this down, but we skip this ingredient when we make it)

Stir Fry Mix Ingredients
1 can chicken broth
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup of orange juice (plan ahead and have waffles for breakfast so you have some orange juice ready)
3 Tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

In a large skillet, saute broccoli and beef on med-high for 2 minutes. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour stir fry mixture over broccoli and sirloin and stir constantly until thickened. If the broccoli needs more time to cook you can re-cover the pot and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve over steamed rice.

**I am going to mark this recipe a pantry meal since most of the ingredients are easy to keep on hand. The exception is the broccoli, but you can get around this by keeping a bag of broccoli flowerets in the freezer. Cook the sirloin by itself, microwave the broccoli and then combine the two components with the sauce. Carry on with the directions above.

White Chicken Chili

This is something that we have discovered recently but has quickly become a family favorite.

Ingredients
1 Rotissere Chicken (buy at the grocery store, bring home and have your husband or significant other pick all the meat off the carcass and toss the nasty looking remains...at least that is what I do)

1 onion chopped
2 cans chicken broth
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 cans great northern beans, drained
1 can corn, drained

Heat a soup pot and drop the chopped onions into the bottom to begin cooking. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Add the chicken. You can use extra chicken stock here to make the soup the consistency you want, make it stretch further or to make sure there is enough moisture if by chance you end up with an unusually large chicken. If you add extra broth adjust the seasonings accordingly (especially the cumin). Let the soup simmer for a bit...everything in this recipe is precooked so if you are in a hurry this can be served as soon as all the ingredients are warmed through. If you need more time to prepare additional components to the meal or to set the table you can leave this simmering away to meet your needs. We serve this soup with homemade cornbread and honey butter (another family favorite.)

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

1 bottle of Salsa

1 can chicken broth

1 can tomato sauce

1 can chunked chicken

1 can corn

1 can black beans (if your salsa doesn’t have them)

A couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Heat to boiling and then simmer until ready to serve.

Serve over tortilla chips and top with cheese and sour cream.

These are large cans and bottles, although this recipe is very forgiving and I just dump in what I have. Sometimes I will add petite diced tomatoes to give it a little extra nutrient or an extra can of corn. This is just fine immediately, but it also really good the next day.

Baked Potato Soup

Approx. 10 med. baked potatoes

2/3 c. butter

2/3 c. flour

3 c. milk

3 c. chicken broth

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 green onions or 1/2 sauteed onion

12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 c. shredded cheese

1 c. sour cream

1. Cut potatoes in half, scoop out pulp and put in small bowl.

2. Melt butter in large kettle, add flour. Gradually stir in milk and

chicken broth. Continue to stir until smooth, thickened and bubbly.

3. Stir in potato pulp, salt, pepper, and 3/4 of onions, bacon and cheese.

Cook until heated. Stir in sour cream.

4. Transfer to slow cooker set on low. Top with remaining onions, bacon

and cheese.

** The cheese and sour cream are optional, and you can substitute ham for

the bacon. Enjoy!

Marinated Flank Steak

This is the recipe I grew up with....and Jason LOVES it it so I guess it is pretty good...It is kinda like a teriyaki marinade

1 1/2-2 1/2 lb flank steak
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 TBSP honey
2 TBSP vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ginger
5 green onions chopped

Mix ingredients. Place steak in a 9x13 pan. Pour marinade over meat and marinate at least 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. BBQ and enjoy!

Pistachio Lime Chicken

We made this for dinner recently and I was thinking about it, this is the meal my 7 year old request more than anything else (including eating out or pizza night in) We eat this for her birthday, anytime she goes out of town and when she returns. It is also a fun family meal because the kids can help shell the pistachios while you get the chicken cooking. (my 2 year old even helps shell pistachios!)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves minced
2 limes juiced
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 pistachio nuts coarsly chopped
1 pound linguini cooked al dente (you can add 2 tbsp butter to the cooked noodles if you don't want them to stick)

The recipe calls for cutting the chicken into strips but I cube it so that it is already bite sized for the kiddos. In a large frying pan put 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil, heat over medium until butter melts. Add chicken and cook through. When chicken is almost cooked through add the garlic. Give it a minute to heat the garlic, but be careful not to burn. Remove chicken from the frying pan and set aside. Add pistachio nuts to the frying pan and stir until lightly toasted. Stir in lime juice and pepper then add the chicken back to the pan and stir to coat. Serve the chicken over the noodles.

I keep a bottle of lime juice in the fridge so I don't have to worry about finding fresh limes when I make this. If you do this and keep extra pistachios around then you will almost always have what you need on hand to make this.
My girls are 9 and 4 and they both love this so it kid approved.