Ingredients:
1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into nuggets
1/8 cup milk
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/8 cup ranch dressing
1/4 tsp. paprika

Preheat oven to 375º.  Mix milk and ranch dressing in a small bowl.  Combine bread crumbs and paprika on a shallow plate.   Coat chicken with ranch mixture then roll in crumb mixture.  Place chicken on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Bake about 15 - 20 minutes;  flipping half way through.

Side Dish Suggestion:

Crispy Oven Fries

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425º.  Microwave potatoes for about 5 minutes.  Let cool slightly then cut potatoes into wedges.  Drizzle potatoes with oil, sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.  Bake until crispy and browned (about 30 - 40 minutes).

Ingredients:
2 - 3 cups of grated cheese (any variety but things like cheddar and colby-jack work great)
14 oz can enchilada sauce
1/4 cup onion, diced
8 - 10 corn tortillas
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375º.  Spray small skillet with cooking spray.  Lightly heat the tortillas on both sides until softened.  Spoon a light layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Sprinkle cheese and onion inside tortillas and roll tightly.  Arrange rolled tortillas in pan, pour remaining sauce over, and sprinkle with cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes (until cheese melts).

Side Dish Suggestion:

Easy Guacamole
(serve with corn chips)

Ingredients:
2 very ripe avocados
1/2 small onion, chopped very finely (add more onion if you like spicier guacamole)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

Peel and mash the avocados to desired consistency.  Mix in remaining ingredients (add the lime in slowly and only use as much as needed to make creamy).  Let guacamole chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Ingredients:
10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. olive oil (vegetable oil can also be used)
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (canned or fresh)

In large bowl, mix 1/4 of the soup, ground beef, bread crumbs, onion and eggs.  Shape firmly into 6 patties.  In a 10" skillet over medium-high heat, cook patties in hot oil until browned on both sides.  Remove patties from skillet and drain fat.  In same skillet combine soup and mushrooms.  Heat to boiling.  Return patties to skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until patties are no longer pink.  Stir sauce occasionally.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
6 medium-sized potatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup heavy cream (can substitute 1/2 - 1 cup of milk)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cube potatoes.  Put in large pan with enough water to cover potatoes.  Boil then reduce heat, cover and let boil for about 20 - 30 minutes (check often for doneness).  Drain water then put potatoes in a large bowl.   In a small pan, melt butter then saute garlic in it.   Add garlic mixture and other remaining ingredients to the potatoes and mash until desired consistency.

]]> tag:familymealplan.net,2008-07-21:ada684ad-fff8-46ee-bf7e-af9a2d658c82 Family Meal Plan 2008-07-24T19:54:50Z 2008-07-21T21:51:00Z There is no "right" way to enjoy a meal as a family.  Time spent together can be as structured or laid back as your family requires.  Here are some ideas to get your family involved in the family table/ family meal time:

* Turn off the TV and turn on some music.  Dinner is a great time to give a new music style a try.  Let each family member choose the type of music for a different night.  Several years ago I read a study that showed children were calmer and used better manners when classical music was played at mealtime.  That might be worth trying if you have children who are overwhelmed at sitting at the table for meals.

* Make dinner, or even breakfast, extra special by eating by candlelight.  Some families I know pick one night each week to have a fancy dinner.  Though the food served may be something common, they dress in their nicest (yes, even Dad might need to wear a tie!), light candles, play classical music, and use the china and good silverware.

* Let your child (or children) plan the menu for at least one night each month.  Make it extra educational by having them research new recipes, find out the nutritional content and figure the cost of the meal.  If you have more than one child, let them take turns supervising the process and making final choices.  I give gentle guidelines regarding the types of things the meal needs to have (but the final meal decisions are theirs).  Or give them a main ingredient that needs to be used.  You will probably be surprised at the recipes they come up with to use that ingredient. 

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