30 Days 30 Min. 30 Meals

Do you ever come near the end of a busy day and wonder, "What's for dinner?"  I did for a Very long time! I’m about Home life, family and friends. I needed time to be able to enjoy life without the stress of cooking. I learned very quickly that life is about Organization. Once I started Organizing my grocery list the rest was History…. I had a friend totally baffled by the dinners I make especially when I tell her everything ONLY takes 30 min. Don’t get me wrong it didn’t happen overnight…..There was a LONG period in Ralph and I’s relationship that I made Rice, chicken and corn every day!!! I knew we needed to change things up and I wanted to incorporate Fresh Herbs and Vegetables to a Variety of different things in our meals. One night after Another Bland Dinner….I sat down with a 30 minute Rachel Ray cookbook and a few other cookbooks along with a dream dinner’s menu (which is basically organizing the food, but in someone else’s kitchen). I made a Grocery list for 30 meals, including all fresh herbs, spices, meats and vegetables. I made a spread sheet online for the month and balanced out all my meals, on Sunday I spend the day organizing everything, I love Zip Lock Bags, everything is labeled, cut up and mixed if needed and put in either the freezer or fridge. That night I put 7 meals in the Plastic bin in my refrigerator and all the fresh vegetables in another bin. When everything is organized it works very efficiently. When I get home from work, I’m able to whip up Amazingly Nutritious meals for Ralph and I in 30 min or Less!!  I think it is very important to not have to worry about what we will have for dinner, or spend hours in the kitchen and waste precious “family time” We love to sit down and enjoy dinner and not have it be stressful. I can’t believe the amount of extra time I have to do the things I love!! I made it my Mission to take a picture of every meal I made for the month of May just to show her the Variety of foods that can be made in 30 min!!! I hope you Enjoy….. We sure did!!!! <3       Chicken Masala with Mushrooms & Garlic Mashed Potatoes       Creamy Chicken Chipotle Ravioli,  Cheese filled ravioli (which I like to buy Rozzano’s Organic Spinich & Cheese) mixed with strips of tender chicken and our creamy, smokey chipotle marinara and pesto sauce are accented with sweet, sun dried tomatoes and red peppers with roasted corn. Spice to taste. Cooks stovetop in just 15 minutes.  Breakfast for Dinner is always a favorite in our house :)      Tuscan Turkey Medallions,  Bacon wrapped turkey medallions, Rubbed with a savory pesto of sundried tomatoes, rosemary and balsamic vinegar, they are healthy, moist and delicious, whether grilled or broiled. .      Nine Layer Lasagna, Nine layers of tender lasagna ribbons, Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, with a delicious filling of sliced mushrooms and spinach all baked together in a rich marinara sauce and seasonings. I made this on Sunday and put it in the Fridge, had Ralph throw it in the oven when he got home, I got home at 6:30 and Dinner was served! We served it with Garlic Bread, Which was served with sliced fresh garlic & melted butterw/ asparagus. Baked the last 10 min of cook time. This meal did take 45 min to cook (but was only the push of a Button!!)       Pesto Chicken French Bread, A delightful combination of basil pesto and cream cheese, topped with chicken, artichokes, green onion and parsley. Bake this until golden and bubbly in about 30 minutes       Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Grecian Rosemary Vegetables,   Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and a hint of herbs encrust an all-natural chicken breasts. Marinated for flavor, then baked until crisp on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Paired with a vegetable blend.