Help- Hamburger Helper no more!

try my taco bake. It's quick and easy. Plus, use the crumbled left over tortilla chips left in the bottom of he bag. Cook ground beef as you would for tacos, pour over chips, cover with cheese and bake. Top with your favorite taco toppings. This is easier to handle than tacos and my kids always liked it.

Make friends with your crockpot. Don't have one? Get one. It is one of the easiest ways to prepare good, healthy, inexpensive food without having to spend much time prepping it or tending to it. One great thing to do with a crockpot is to cook veggies such as potatoes, carrots and onions; once the mixture is nearing completion, mix in powdered cheese (available by the packet online or in some stores; or you can rob your mac 'n' cheese stash). Trust me, the results are good. You can even do cakes in crockpots. I don't use my crockpots these days since I am cooking for one; however, when I have a group to cook for again, I will be firing them up!

There are lots of ways to go. Here is some help. Grilled Bulls-eye Juice Grilled Bulls-eye For each serving, butter one slice of bread. Cut large circle out of the middle. Place bread in hot skillet or on hot griddle. Place one egg (can be beaten if you prefer scrambled eggs) in center. Cook until egg is set on both sides. Lunch ? D Meatball Subs Beverage Of Choice Meatball Subs 1 lb ground beef ? cup bread crumbs 1 egg 1 tsp seasoned salt or herb seasoning mix 1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce grated mozzarella cheese hoagie buns Mix together ground beef, bread crumbs, egg and seasoning. Shape into 1 ? inch sized balls. Brown in skillet over medium heat. Add in spaghetti sauce and heat thoroughly. Spoon meatballs and sauce onto split rolls, sprinkle with cheese and serve You can find more help here: www.expertvillage.com/video-series/952_meal-time-instructions.htm

How about a stir fry with either steak or chicken, whichever your family prefers. You can buy the frozen bags of mixed veggies- there are different ones to choose from. My favorite has red and green peppers, carrots and broccoli. Or you can cut up the veggies yourself and choose whatever ones your family likes. The steak is pretty inexpensive, the thin braising steaks. Fry them in a pan and add a little water to make them tender, then cut them up into bite size pieces, add the veggies and a little more water and cook on medium low until the veggies are soft. There are lots of flavors of stir fry sauce to choose from, or sometimes I just use a little soy sauce. I serve it over rice and my son (21 months old) loves it. Chicken is the same procedure, you can buy the kind that is already cut up, which is a little more expensive, or even use leftovers from bone-in chicken. You could also make baked macaroni and cheese and either add ham, ground beef or veggies. Chicken pot pie is good too- some frozen peas and corn, cubed potatoes and cubed chicken in a roasting pan with a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of chicken broth- bake on about 350-375 for about 1 hour or until potatoes are tender.

I know of an easy delicious recipie for chicken. Just lay the chicken, any kind of cut up parts that you like, even boneless is ok. Sprinkle it with seasoned salt, use alot, and bake till it's done. You can turn it over and season the other side as well if you like, but it's not necessary. My kids love chicken cooked this way. Also home made alfredo is easy and cheap to make. Make a cream sauce by using about a half a stick of butter, add milk and parmesan cheese, thicken with a mixture of flour and water. Boil your noodles in another pot, when they are done, drain them and add them to the cream sauce, adding more grated cheese. I hope you enjoy these.