Hiking - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Ideas For Family Fun

What about going on a family hike together and then having easy dinner recipes at the scenic location of your choice? It's just starting to cool off from the heat of the day and it's a great time to get some exercise outdoors. Taking a nice walk to your dinner location will give everyone a good appetite for dinner.

Choose a location that is a good match for the age and fitness level of your family. Drive to a scenic trailhead and hike until you find a great spot to spread out and eat. Even a walk to a local park can be fun. They usually have picnic tables and playground equipment for the little ones to play on. If you're lucky enough to live near the ocean or a lake, take a hike along the water's edge. Walking in sand is great exercise.

What you need:

1) Good hiking shoes for everyone. It's no fun if someone's feet are hurting.

2) Sunscreen - even though it might not be super hot, the sun can still burn.

3) Bug spray - if appropriate for your area.

4) Drinks - plenty of water for everyone and other beverages if you want to carry them.

5) Portable cooler to tote your dinner.

6) Jackets in case it gets cool on the way back.

7) A blanket or beach towels to sit on when you get there.

8) The family dog, leash, poop bags, portable water dish, water and treats.

9) The family, with a spirit for adventure (or as good of attitudes as can be mustered if you have teens).

10) Food! Bring wraps for dinner, trail mix for the road, cookies for dessert, chocolate bars (if they get melty, dip the cookies in them - yum).

Vegetarian Roasted Portobello Wraps

Quick, delicious, and portable. Take these wraps to picnic at the park, ball field or beach.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thickly sliced
1 Tb Olive oil
1 Tsp Garlic - minced
4 Flour tortillas - burrito size
1 pkg Red pepper hummus - 7 oz
4 Oz Goat cheese, crumbled
1 Romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 Sweet onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss sliced portobellos with olive oil and garlic to coat. Arrange on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet, and bake 15 to 20 minutes until softened. Sprinkle with salt.

Microwave tortillas briefly to soften. Spread each tortilla with hummus; top with mushroom slices, romaine, onion, and goat cheese. Roll up, and serve.

Ham Wraps with Brie and Papaya

Easy to take for lunch, or to eat on the go. Great addition to you lunch time routine!

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 ea Flour tortillas - 8 inch, warmed
4 Tb Honey
8 Oz Brie
12 Ham slices - thin
1 C Papaya, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1 C Watercress leaves

Instructions

Lay tortillas out on a flat surface and spread 1 tablespoon of honey over the tortilla. Top the honey with 1/4 of the Brie, spreading with a knife. Top Brie with 1/4 of the ham slices, papaya slices and watercress. Make an even line down the middle of each tortilla. Roll up and serve.

Julie Languille Mom, step-mom, foster mom and adoptive mom and owner of Dinners In A Flash [http://www.dinnersinaflash.com]

Easy Dinner Recipes, Menus and Meal Planning for Busy Families

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Nascar Tailgating - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Ideas For Family Fun

Everybody loves Nascar racing, it's a great family sport enjoyed by fans of all ages. Why not pack up the family and some easy dinner recipes for tailgating and enjoy some great family time together. Don't forget to wear the colors of your favorite driver. Here are some great tailgating recipe ideas you can use at Nascar, or at a football game or any other party where you have access to a grill. The flavors here are big and bold, but the recipes are easy. Purists might go early and get those deep red rings from low and slow cooking of ribs or brisket. Those are divine, but a lengthy time commitment. Here are some easier recipes that can be finished in a flash. That might help save on beer consumption. Or it might not. (grin)
Bacon and Cheddar Bratwurst
This is a great grilled meal for father's day or a tailgate party where flavors are big and diet is a four letter word. Yummy though!!!
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 Bratwursts
1/4 lb Cheddar cheese, sliced in strips
4 Slices of bacon
4 Hot dog buns
Bratwurst condiments - mustard - sauerkraut - minced onion
Instructions
Soak toothpicks in water for 30 minutes.
Preheat BBQ or grill for indirect cooking.
Slice the brats lengthwise but not completely through to make a pocket to hold the cheese. Stuff brats with cheese and wrap with bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
Grill brats, cheese side up, over indirect heat for 20 minutes until hot throughout and bacon is crisp.
Serve in buns, toasted (optional) with condiments on the side.
Shrimp Kabobs with Pineapple
Easy to put together and so fun and colorful. Great flavor and kids love them.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Cooking spray
Metal or wooden skewers
1 1/4 lb Large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 C Pineapple - fresh or canned in juice, cubed
1 Red onion -large, cut into 2 inch chunks
2 Tb Hoisin sauce
3/4 C Chicken or vegetable stock - low sodium
1/4 C Dark rum
2 Tsp Cornstarch
Instructions
Soak skewers in water if wooden. Turn on outside grill to medium high heat, and if using a stove top griddle spray with cooking spray and preheat over medium high heat. Prepare skewers by alternating shrimp, pineapple, and onion. After the skewers are assembled brush all sides with hoisin sauce. Place the skewers on the grill or pan and cook about 5 minutes, turning frequently. Shrimp should be bright pink and cooked through. In a small saucepan whisk together the broth, rum and cornstarch. Set the pan over medium high heat and simmer until sauce thickens about 3 minutes. Stir frequently. Drizzle the sauce over the skewers just before serving or put sauce on table for dipping.
Easy Three Bean Salad
Great accompaniment to any meal. Will stay in the refrigerator for up to one week in a tight lidded container.
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 Can Kidney beans - 15 oz, rinsed and drained
1 Can Black beans - 15 oz, drained and rinsed
1 Can Chickpeas - 15 oz, drained and rinsed
1/2 C Parsley - fresh, chopped
1/4 C Olive oil
1/4 C Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Combine all ingredients and toss. Cover and chill.
Julie Languille
Mom, step-mom, foster mom and adoptive mom and owner of Dinners In A Flash [http://www.dinnersinaflash.com]
Easy Dinner Recipes, Menus and Meal Planning for Busy Families
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7 Cheap Easy Dinners and Recipes

Grocery's are a huge part of most families monthly expenses. In most households the grocery bill is the second highest bill other than the rent or the mortgage. Here are delicious quick easy recipes for a weeks worth of meals for about $50.00. A great way to save more money is to shop grocery sales and cater your meals around them. Save even more by grocery shopping with a list and using coupons.
Monday: American Chop Suey 1 box of pasta $1.00, 1 26.5 oz Can of Hunts tomato sauce in a can $1.00, 1 lb of ground turkey 2.00, 1 8 oz bag of fresh Parmesan cheese 2.50 Boil pasta and drain, cook and drain ground turkey, add tomato sauce and pasta to cooked ground turkey and heat through serve topped lightly with Parmesan cheese. Total Cost $6.50
Tuesday: 6lb bag of Tyson boneless skinless chicken breasts individual packaged approx 24 6 meals cost ($14.00 at BJ's) Costs $2.40 per meal (3 meals for next week) 1 can of cream of chicken soup $1.69, 1 box of bagged brown rice 6 packets in it Cost $.50 (Cost $3.00 you will have bags left over for next week) favorite 1 lb bag of frozen veggies $1.50(you can save move by using can or ripened veggies I just prefer frozen) Place Chicken in a 13x9 pan and cover with cream of chicken soup mixture made to cans directions Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Serve chicken over rice with sauce and veggies on the side. Total Cost $6.09
Wednesday: 1 chicken Caesar salad 1 head of your favorite lettuce Costs $2.00, 1 cucumber Cost $.50, 2 tomatoes costs $2.00, 1 bottle of favorite salad dressing Cost $1.50 4 chicken breasts $2.40 1 carrot (salad will make 2 meals) Rip half a head of lettuce leaves in put into 4 individual bowls use 1/2 a cucumber, 1 tomato, shred 1 carrot and place in bowls top each bowl with 1 grilled and sliced chicken breast topped lightly with shredded Parmesan cheese Total Cost $8.40
Thursday: Sloppy Joes 1lb of ground beef Costs $2.50, 1 26.5 oz can of Hunts tomato sauce garlic and onion Costs $1.00, 1 6 or 8 pack of Hamburger rolls $1.89 Cook and drain ground beef add tomato sauce and heat thoroughly serve in hamburger rolls with salad Total Cost $5.39
Friday: 1 1 1/2 -2lb London broil cost $4.00, 1 5lb bag of potatoes Cost $3.00 use 5-7, 1 can of Campbell's mushroom and garlic cream soup cost $1.69, use 8 carrots from lunch. Mix soup as per direction plus 1/4 can of water place beef, quarter potatoes and carrots, pour soup over top of all ingredients in baking pan and bake for 60-90 minutes until beef starts to fall apart. Don't let it dry out cover with foil if needed. Total Cost $8.69
Saturday: 1 1lb canned ham cost $3.00, 5-7 potatoes, 1 1lb bag of frozen broccoli Cost $1.50 (you can save move by using can or ripened veggies I just prefer frozen), 1 can of cream of cheddar soup Cost 1.79, chunk ham and place in baking dish quarter potatoes, add frozen broccoli and top with cheddar soup mixed per instructions on can add a quarter can more water if needed bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until potatoes are soft, lightly sprinkle with any leftover Parmesan cheese. Total Cost $6.29
Sunday: 4 boneless chicken breast Cost $2.40, grilled with barbecue sauce Cost $1.29, 1 zucchini Cost $1.00, 5-7 potatoes, 1 green pepper costs $1.00, 4 ears of fresh corn on the cob Cost $2.00,1 bag of brown rice Cost $.50. Grill veggies and serve over the cooked brown rice with grilled chicken. Total Cost $8.19
I know these days people are trying to make every penny count. Hopefully these recipes will help stretch your dollar. I work at home and this is one way we have cut our grocery bill by just eating simple home cooked food.
Laurie Karras
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Having Weekly Family Dinners

The dinner table can be one of the best places to bring your family together. Eating a nice home cooked meal with your whole family is a wonderful experience, and can bring great discussion, or humor to everyone attending. My family has a wonderful pasta dinner every Sunday night. My mother spends all day preparing her sauce, meatballs, and whatever else it takes to create her masterpiece. After hours of preparing it's finally done. The family gathers at the dinner table and begins the feast. On Sundays we always sit at the dinner table. Your asking, where else would you sit? Well, during the week we have an island counter top which we eat our meals at. The island is simply more convenient, and easy to use for my mother when she's cooking. For our Sunday feast, we always set the dinner table, and sit at the table together to eat our meal.

I look forward to every Sunday for a number of reasons. The main reason being I love to eat, and I love to eat pasta more than anything. We are an Italian family and we all enjoy a fabulous pasta dinner every week. Besides the eating part of our feast, I enjoy joining my family and starting conversation. It's not often you get to sit down with your whole family at once for an extended period of time. Being able to talk to my all my brothers at once is pretty cool. I got three brothers, and having them all there at once can be quite exciting. Asking one brother one thing can lead to a fun conversation, or sometimes a ruthless argument. Overall it's a fun experience and you get to learn a lot about your siblings, and/or parents.

My brothers all attend school, and two of them work full time jobs, theres just no time to spend time with them. Having a weekly dinner is a very exciting aspect of our family. No matter what is happening that week, I know that the upcoming Sunday I will see my whole family whether it's at our dinner table, or simply out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants. Not everyone can make it every Sunday, but that's understandable and we forgive them. Most Sunday's we have the whole family attending, including my grandma, who I feel is the most important person at the dinner table.

My grandma, who we call "nuni" or "nonna" which is Italian for grandmother. Our nonna came over from Italy over 50 years ago on a boat, and has never been the same since. I love talking to her at the dinner table about the old times in the old country. She teaches us some cool things about cooking, and just being Italian in general. Sometimes my nunna will teach us some Italian phrases, or secrets to different things that she's learned over in Italy. I love comparing her different ways to go about doing certain things to the way we do certain things over here in America, it's very interesting.

One of the coolest things I've learned from my grandmother is how to make homemade pasta. My grandmother grew up in a village in Sicily, and was taught to produce her own pasta noodles when it came to their family feasts. Learning how to make my own homemade pasta was easily one of the coolest things I've learned from here. I currently attend the University of New Hampshire for Culinary Arts, and cooking happens to be my passion. Having my grandma around is so awesome, and I learn a lot from her every day. She taught me the basics of using a Pasta Machine, and how to make my own pasta from scratch. After a few hours of preparing our noodles, our product was done. I had produced enough pasta for weeks! We ate the homemade pasta later that night and it was fantastic. May not taste like it was store bought, but it definitely tastes homemade, and delicious.

The moral of the article is to make more people aware of the power of food, whether your preparing it or eating it. Take advantage of your family dinners, who knows how much longer you'll have with them. Whether you sit and enjoy the presence, or strike a conversation with your family members, a family dinner is a great way to gather the family each week.

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One-Dish Dinners Take a Bite Out of Daily Dinner Prep Stress

For many of us, this is the busiest, most hectic, and stressful time of year. Halloween is over, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas are on the horizon. We have gifts to purchase and wrap, parties to host and attend, travel plans, work deadlines, and church activities on top of our normal everyday activities and duties.
In order to make the season enjoyable and reduce the amount of stress that I feel as a mother of two young children, I always look for quick and easy dinner time meals that will taste good and satisfy my family, while keeping my workload to a minimum. One of the best solutions that I have found is to look for recipes that have only a few easy- to-find ingredients, that can be made hours (or days ahead of time.) One dish meals (not necessarily traditional casserole recipes) are easy and have been my saving grace in that they are less complicated to make and serve. Not only is preparation more simplified, but getting a one dish meal from the oven to the table is much easier, as well. A delicious meat and pasta dish served with a lovely green salad is all everyone needs on a busy weeknight.
This pasta pronto, one-dish wonder, that I found in the December 2011 edition of Cuisine at Home is sure to delight children and adults, alike. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, so the pasta takes on additional deep rich flavors while the sauce thickens from the starchiness of the pasta. In this type of dish, Cuisine at Home recommends using short-shaped pasta like penne, because they cook more evenly, and starting with a bold-flavored sauce. A richer more flavorful sauce can stand up to the additional liquid that needs to be added to cook the pasta.
One Dish Sausage & Penne Ragu

• 12 oz. bulk Italian sausage
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 Tbs. each minced garlic and tomato paste
• 2 tsp. each dried oregano and dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 cup dry red wine, divided
• 1- 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1tsp. sugar
• 1 cup water
• 8 oz. dry penne pasta
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced
• chopped fresh basil

Brown sausage in a large saute pan in oil over medium-high heat, 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and onion, cooking until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, oregano, dried basil, and pepper flakes; saute until fragrant, 1 minute.
Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup wine, increase heat to high and cook until liquid nearly evaporates. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, simmer until thickened, 5-8 minutes. Stir in water and remaining 3/4 cup wine, then add pasta. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender and sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler with rack 6" from the element.
Divide pasta among 6 individual oven safe dishes, like the Fiestaware 4 1/2" diameter ramekins and arrange on a baking sheet. Top each dish with cheese; broil until cheese is bubbly, 2-3 minutes. Garnish each serving with fresh basil and enjoy!
Sarah is the modern day renaissance woman. Living and teaching in Japan and also fluent in Spanish, Sarah has been exposed to cultures across the globe. She has a degree in Marketing, but most of all, Sarah is a mom to a growing family and uses the kitchen as the central hub of gatherings with family and friends. She's a writer for http://www.myamericankitchen.com and frequently writes a daily blog.
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Freezing Food - Plan B for Easy Dinners

The freezer compartment belongs to the most important accessories of my kitchen. It keeps me a happy housewife. On any given day I have 3 or 4 frozen meals tucked away. When I don't feel like cooking for whatever reason, I take out a meal and dinner is done. I don't remember my mother using frozen food. She never put ready cooked meals into the freezer: This space was dedicated to ice creams. The capacity of my mother's freezer compartment was limited and she had to cook every day. I remember her asking desperately: "What do I cook today? Give me an idea!" If I run out of ideas, I open my freezer and study the contents.

Beware of freezer burn

There are only a few rules to follow when freezing food: One thing to avoid is the so-called freezer burn. When food is not properly wrapped, it looses moisture in the freezer. It can absorb or transfer smells from other frozen foods. It is rather simple to avoid freezer burn: Use special food grade plastic bags with a zip or press seal or containers made for this purpose. When using freezer bags, be sure to remove as much air as possible before closing. When you want to freeze liquids in containers, for example fish stock or pasta sauce, keep some head room for expansion.

Label frozen packages

Write the name of the dish and the date of freezing with permanent marker. Frozen food changes appearance and you might forget what you have stored. One time, I thought I was thawing tomato sauce for pasta, when in fact I had pulled out fish soup - labeling prevents similar mistakes. I try not to keep anything longer than 2 months in my freezer.

Never put anything warm into your freezer. Food to be frozen should have room temperature or - even better - be cooled to fridge temperature. The outer edges of a warm dish will freeze quickly while the inside may not cool in time to avoid spoilage.

Freezing meat:

Sometimes I see a nice piece of fresh meat at the supermarket, but I don't really need it straight away. When I reach home I clean the meat, wrap it tightly into cling film and freeze it.

Mostly I freeze prepared foods like meat balls, chicken nuggets or goulash. I fill meat with sauce into plastic containers. I spread meat balls and other small pieces on a tray and freeze them, until they are hard. Then I place them into freezer bags, squeeze out excess air, label and store them. In this way the items do not stick together. You can take out as many as you need at a time. It is not necessary to thaw these meats before frying or baking them. You can put them straight away from the freezer into the pan or the oven.

Freezing vegetables:

Seasonal vegetables like Brussels sprouts or asparagus can be frozen after blanching. Clean the vegetables and remove any unwanted stalks and leaves, then cut them into bite size pieces. Without blanching many vegetables lose color and flavor when frozen straight away. To blanch vegetables, boil water in a pot and place a bowl of ice water next to it. Put a handful of vegetables for a couple of minutes into the boiling water, and then transfer them to the ice water. Pat dry, package and freeze them. Most vegetables require around 3 minutes blanching. Brussels sprouts need about 5 minutes.

Freezing herbs:

I stock a variety of rare herbs in my freezer compartment. Frozen herbs are not good for decorating food, but they keep the taste. It is perfectly fine to use frozen herbs in sauces and salad dressings. As always, packaging is most important. I own many small containers for freezing herbs. When I find herbs in the market I take them home and immediately wash them well. After chopping I fill them into containers and stash them in the freezer. Only sage does not need chopping before freezing, because you don't eat the leaves.

The author Kornelia Santoro manages a website called 'Kornelia's Kitchen', http://www.mediterraneancooking.in. This website focuses on Mediterranean cuisine and provides free recipes which are easy and fast to execute. She addresses all the needs of busy mothers and fathers who want to feed their families in a healthy way without spending hours daily in the kitchen.

One section of the website contains information about the nutritional value of ingredients. Articles about freezing food, kitchen design and weight loss without diet help organizing your kitchen for happy cooking experiences. 'Nothing equals home cooking when you want to keep your family healthy', says Kornelia. 'Chemicals in industrial food and bad fatty acids from restaurant fare are largely responsible for widespread overweight today.' She promotes the use of healthy fats like olive and coconut oil and butter. Living in India with a limited supply of ingredients has forced her to experiment with classical Mediterranean recipes. The result are easy, yet delicious dishes with ingredients you find everywhere on the planet.

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Family Dinners After Divorce

Divorce can be such a difficult time for everyone, especially children. It's confusing for children to transition from having easy access to both parents to rarely seeing them in the same place at the same time.
Scheduling family dinners on a regular basis after the separation or divorce can ease the confusion for children. My ex and I did this when we got divorced over 20 years ago and the kids have actually thanked us many times since for making the effort.
We actually started the family dinners as a way to ease the kids (and maybe us) into the separation, but they continued long after we had moved on and into new relationships. Every Thursday, my ex would pick up groceries and come over after work for dinner. Even as the kids got older and more involved socially, they rarely skipped the Thursday family dinners.
The great thing about the family dinners was that they allowed the kids to feel connected as a family even though we were no longer living together. They also diminished the conflict they felt when their dad and I moved into new relationships. They could see that we were okay with the new situation so they felt more comfortable with it. They knew that there was no need for them to guard what they said to each of us because they could see that we were open with each other.
In addition to the weekly family dinners, we also spent holidays, the children's birthdays, and special occasions together (along with our new significant others).
Parental team work is especially important as children move through their teenage years. When our children were teens, their dad and I drew on the good working relationship that we maintained through our family dinners and special occasions. We were able to present a united front for the children and guide them through challenging issues as they arose.
My children are now grown, with families of their own. The interesting thing is that I've recently learned that those family dinners so many years ago were not only good for our children, but made a positive impression on their friends, some of whom are now facing their own divorces. Having seen the family dinner work so well for our family, they want to follow a similar path.
Try it in your family!
Mary A. Wollard, JD, is an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator with over 20 years experience in solving the legal issues of divorce, parenting (custody), marital property and support. In addition to helping families through mediation and arbitration, Ms. Wollard provides parenting coordination and decision-making services to families when on-going conflict prevents them from fully implementing their parenting plan after divorce. Visit http://www.cofamilysolutions.com/downloads.htm for free downloadable worksheets you can use to organize your family's transition.
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