Dinner in a Flash Challenge

As a busy mom with an equally busy family, it's a challenge is to get a nutritious dinner on the table in the brief time when everyone's schedule allows you to come together as a family. For us, today's schedule is particularly hectic.

• School 8am - 3pm
• Taekwondo 3:30pm - 4:45pm
• Scout meeting 6:30pm - 7:30pm

By the time we get home from shuttling kids everywhere, there will be less than an hour to eat dinner as a family before some of us are off to the next activity. I am so THANKFUL (A) this is not a daily occurrence and (B) I'm a SAHM so I can get started on dinner earlier than when I worked outside the home. Not wanting to spend my day in the kitchen, I have a few strategies to help the busiest moms get dinner on the table in no time flat!

1. Crockpot is my miracle appliance! Even if you forget to thaw something the night before, you can cook many frozen meats in the crockpot on low heat anywhere from 8 to 10 hours. Toss in a couple of cups of liquid (water, juice, tea, wine, etc), salt, pepper, maybe a cream of something soup and a clove or two of garlic. Whaa laa! A perfect main course is waiting for you when you get home. Heat some frozen veggies and use some of your crockpot liquid to cook up a bit of rice for a wonderfully healthy flavorful dinner in no time flat.
2. Go Italian! Most pasta's cook in under 10 minutes. While the pasta's cooking warm a jar pasta sauce or canned diced tomatoes with chiles and some frozen cooked shrimp or other cooked meat. Drain your pasta, toss it all together and garnish with some shredded cheese and chopped fresh herbs. Toast white or wheat bread, smear with a bit of flavored butter and enjoy.
3. Utilize leftovers & seasoning packs! Shred left over meat from the night before and add taco, burrito, sloppy joe or other seasoning packs for fast meal. Turn a side salad into a main course by topping with the flavored meat. Stretch your meat leftovers by mixing in cooked rice or mashed beans.

Tonight's dinner in a flash challenge will be met with shredded leftover steak over yummy pasta and sauce!

Head over to Twittermoms to read other dinner in a flash strategies and enter to win a Samsung refrigerator.