Category: culinary fun

I’ve been enjoying my gig as a recipe reviewer on the Shared Tastes Panel for ReadySetEat.com sooo much in general, but one of the specific reasons is that I’ve really discovered some new recipes that my picky children will actually eat. And enjoy. Well, last night I made this recipe for BBQ Chicken Salad and Joshua just went crazy over it!

He kept telling me over and over that it was “the best dinner ever” and he asked me to make it again the next day (which I did not do, because I was out of Hunt’s Petite Diced tomatoes, or I would’ve)! It’s made with Banquet breaded chicken tenders, and I thought to myself when I was getting ready to prepare it, that it really didn’t seem like a very adult meal.  BUT I loved it as much as Joshua did!  And so did Bobby! It was absolutely deeelicious. Sophie even ate parts of it without fussing about it, and she is soooo picky.  She eats mainly peanut butter & crackers and fruit (barely enough to stay alive).  But she actually liked it, although I did have to force her to eat the lettuce. 🙂  I will say, the recipe calls for Ranch dressing and I don’t “do” Ranch, so I omitted that, but if you like Ranch then by all means make the recipe as listed.  But do it soon!  It’s too good to wait!

Now, even though I LOVED the BBQ Chicken Salad, I proved myself capable of making something more sophisticated as well.  That’s right, I made EGGPLANT, baby!! Baked Eggplant Parmesan to be exact!  This was the first time I’ve ever even purchased an eggplant and I was extremely skeptical of my ability on this one but the recipe was SUPER EASY and it tasted great!  Bobby and I were both quite impressed with my efforts.

Finally, I have to mention one other recipe that I adored this month.  I *may* have given myself a few pats on the back for this one: Quick Sweet and Sour Pork. I have three words to describe this recipe: YUM, YUM, and YUM!  It was so good, I really can’t wait to make it again!  Both kids also ate this one, even picky Sophie really liked the La Choy Sweet & Sour sauce on her pineapple.

I’ve loved these recipes but I’ve also loved how ReadySetEat.com not only gives you the recipes, but the complete nutrition information, the convenient Recipe Box so you can always find your faves, and the sale item locator so you can see which items in your chosen recipes are on sale at a grocery store near you.  It really has made meal planning so much more easy and so much more FUN for me, and introduced our household to a good new variety of foods.  If you haven’t checked it out yet, GO DO IT!!  Yes, I am being pushy about this  – because it’s a great resource!  Go check it out and then come back and tell me which recipes look good to you!

_____________

I am being compensated for my duties on the Shared Tastes Panel.  All opinions on the recipes, as well as the reviews on ReadySetEat.com, are my own.

You’re gonna thank me for this post! Seriously, I swear.  I made four great recipes this month as part of my duties on the Shared Tastes Panel for ReadySetEat.com.  They were all WONDERFUL but there were two in particular that I want you to go make immediately.  First, you might want to stop at the store and get some ingredients.  And since ReadySetEat.com is aweeesome it will tell you at which of your local stores you can find the ingredients on sale!  But anyhoo, here’s what you need to make FIRST:

Gingered Chicken Salad!

This was the easiest meal to make that I’ve reviewed so far, AND it was AM.AZ.ING. Also, it’s served cold so it was perfect for this rather irritating HEAT WAVE we’ve had these past few weeks! Here’s what you do: Mix canned chicken with mayo and LaChoy Orange-Ginger marinade, dump on top of cole slaw mix, snip a few green onions on top. YUM, YUM, YUM! Bobby and I both had seconds and we both gave it a big FIVE STARS! I will definitely make this again SOON. Next time though I think I will crock pot the chicken overnight and shred it because I am cheap and that is what I always do for chicken salad.

The next recipe you will want to put on your menu plan for this week is the Italian Chicken-Zucchini skillet.  My CHILDREN ate this. My four- and seven-year-olds, who barely eat enough to stay alive, and then eat mostly peanut butter and fruit, ATE THIS!  And they liked it!  It is so tasty with chicken, zucchini, peppers, pasta, and yummy seasoned Hunt’s tomatoes.  (I adore the Hunt’s with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano!)  It cooked up pretty quickly and was easy to clean-up. The leftovers were great the next day too.

Finally, I couldn’t resist sharing this one with you also. Turns out I really, really LOVE zucchini! Who knew? This is an awesome meatless dish, the Zucchini, Black Bean and rice skillet. Sometimes I just don’t feel like preparing meat and this will be a great, easy, go-to dish for those nights! Tons of veggies and protein from the black beans, and it was sooooo good!

Those were my fave recipes from ReadySetEat.com this month! Log on to save them to your recipe box, find out nutrition information, and see where you can get the ingredients on sale. Then make them and THEN, after you enjoy them immensely, sit down and write me a thank-you note. 🙂 Enjoy!

______________________

I am being compensated for my role on the ReadySetEat Shared Tastes Panel.  The reviews and opinions are all mine.

I must say I had a very fun time making all my ReadySetEat recipes this month!  I liked ’em so much there were three I wanted to tell you about.  The first, pictured above is the Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwich.  Umm…hands down one of the easiest and best-tasting recipes I have ever made in my life. It’s a slow-cooker recipe also so it gets bonus points in my book! I made it for Fathers Day dinner and let’s just say Bobby was very pleased!  We had the leftovers the next day also and they were just as tasty as the first go-round.  Seeeriously, you gotta make this one!

The second recipe I loved was the Ravioli Lasagna.  Partially because it’s made with good ol’ Chef Boyardee Ravioli!  Now I can be a bit juvenile in my tastes and I love. Chef Boyardee. Ravioli.  As a matter of fact, when I was still working I used to take it to work for lunch all the time!  Mmmmm!  Anyways, turns out it makes a mean main ingredient in this lasagna as well.  It was so easy to make, just add in some tomatoes, spinach, cottage cheese, and whammo – it tastes like a million bucks!  And smelled divine baking, I couldn’t wait for it to be done.

Finally, my third fave recipe from this month is this Minestrone Pasta Salad.   What a great summer salad!  It didn’t take long at all to make and it was so flavorful and healthy!  It’s made with kidney beans, zucchini, carrots, seasoned Hunt’s tomatoes, lite italian dressing, and parmesan cheese as well as pasta of course.  I love the crunch of the veggies in contrast with the pasta and kidney beans.  And the flavor is SO yummy.  Definitely a salad to share with others this summer!

So those are some of my latest ReadySetEat favorites – and I love that I can save them in my recipe box and come back to them time and time again!  With the site’s great features, I can also find out where the ingredients are on sale near me and get the full nuritional value of each recipe.  It couldn’t be any easier! What recipes are you trying out this summer?

___________________

I am being compensated for my work on the ReadySetEat Shared Tastes Panel.  All opinions about the recipes are my own.