by Hannah Kampen

Created on: January 16, 2009   Last Updated: December 09, 2010

Do you have time every day to prepare a home cooked meal for your loved ones? Who does? Here are some recipes for quick meals - 20 minutes or less. Here's a tip, too: cut your preparation time by using frozen vegetables, meats that are prepared, sauces, and mixes. (Although these may not be the best choice for a money conserving family!)

Pizza Fingers with Marinara Sauce (you know the kids will love this recipe)

1/3 cup Shake N' Bake Extra crispy seasoned coating mix
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (or buy a block and grate it yourself)
1 Tbsp. oregano leaves, dried
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into thirds (long ways)
1 jar spaghetti (or marinara) sauce, cold or warm
2 cups steamed vegetables (steamed helps to keep vitamins, better for your kids)
8 soft breadsticks (you can add cheese or garlic on top to suit your tastes).

Preheat your oven to 400F. Put the Shake N' Bake mixture, grated Parmesan, and oregano into a plastic bag; shake well to mix.

Place the chicken breast strips into the plastic bag and shake, roll, toss, any way you can think of to get that coating around the meat evenly. Take the strips out and place them side by side in a 15x10x1 inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. (Sometimes this size pan is not readily available to you - rest assured, as I don't think it's going to hurt to use a different pan. Just keep an eye on the cooking time as it could change.)

Bake for 20 minutes (or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Be sure to check this, as improperly prepared/cooked meat can lead to possible illness.) Serve the "pizza" sticks with breadsticks, the steamed vegetables, and marinara sauce and watch them disappear!

Stir-fry Chicken with Vegetables and Rice

If you can buy pre-sliced chicken for this, go for it! (You can use beef, chicken or pork, but note that chicken is the leanest meat.) It cuts the preparation time down if it's already half prepared when you get it. Coat a large skillet (preferably a wok) with cooking spray. Set your oven burner for about medium to medium high heat. Toss the meat in with stir-fry sauce (or if you're feeling a little antsy, try teriyaki sauce or even lemon juice with garlic) and cook until almost done; this may also be a good time to put instant rice on the stove to cook. Add frozen vegetables (fresh vegetables work, too, but take longer to prepare) and more of the sauce you chose; cook until chicken is done and vegetables are tender. Serve with rice and watch a wonderful meal, with little effort,

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