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One of the essential tools for a busy mom is a crock pot. Especially when all you want to do is make a bunch of chocolate chip cookies, sit back and eat them all, instead of spending hours to make dinner for your family… You can bake a million cookies while this chunky, beefy concoction cooks to perfection! So yeah, I’d say that’s a very good reason to get yourself a slow cooker, if you don’t already have one! I actually have two, and sometimes I make dinner in the large one while I have dessert cooking in the other one!

This recipe makes 6-8 servings, but if you have a big pot, you can easily double it.  Set-it and forget-it, and let it cook all day while you can have your hands available for work, exercise (or really, just baking those cookies). You can also add any additional vegetables of your choice, as long as you add a little extra beef stock. Oh, how I love simple and easy dinners!

This meal has been one of my family’s favorites for years, and I’m sure it will stay that way forever. With a few little tweaks (add different veggies and spices) you can make it taste fresh and new each time.

Recipe and photo courtesy of 12 Tomatoes.

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Quick tip: Did you know tomato paste also comes in tubes, like toothpaste? They are great for recipes like this that only need a small amount.

Hey, who doesn’t like a good taco or burrito, every now and then, but sometimes, particularly during the cooler months, a hearty soup just hits the spot better. This Beefy Mexican Rice Soup brings all of that great Mexican-style flavor in a form that’s great for warming you up on a cold but busy midweek night. It’s exactly what you need when you don’t have the time to spend your whole day in the kitchen!

I have a “Mexican night” at home regularly, but it can take a little creativity to keep things fresh. This is a great recipe for fall and winter, and how can you beat something that makes this much and is ready in an hour and fifteen minutes? This soup is a cinch to make and it is guaranteed to become a family favorite. Plus, we all know how soups only get better after a day or two, so make sure you have enough for leftovers!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Tastes of Lizzy T’s

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Quick tip: Add some of your favorite grated cheese on top.

I think that there might be about as many ways to make great pork chops as to make a tasty chicken dish. This recipe involves a bit of stove-top cooking and a bit of baking in the oven to yield a dish that is savory, earthy, moist, and with just the right amount of soft tartness to draw out the other flavors. This French Onion Pork Chop recipe is a relatively quick and simple way to bring a gourmet meal to your dinner table. It’s great savory flavor, ready in under an hour.

One of my dear cousins is so in love with this dish that he always calls me before he travels to meet us. I can hear it over the phone that he wants to ask me to make this for dinner, but he’s too embarrassed to do so… Until I ask if there’s a favorite dish he’d like to have while visiting us. It’s always this one!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Kudos Kitchen

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Quick tip: If you’re not too fond of Swiss cheese, use your favorite cheese instead!

This Honey Pepper Beef Stir Fry makes for a great Asian sweet and savory dish. It’s an easy recipe, rather amenable to adjustments according to your tastes, and you can have it ready rather quickly. Those 15-minute recipes can make life so much easier, particularly at the end of a hectic weekday. This one gives you a nice flavor vacation in addition to being quick and simple to put together.

Though delicious as is, this recipe is a rather basic one. Of course, you can throw in most any veggies you’d like, if you want them in there. Sugar snap peas and sliced water chestnuts come to mind. Some string beans or thinly sliced carrots would work well, too. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Chunky Chef

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Quick tip: Leftovers make a tasty sandwich the next day!

The Italians know how to cook far more than just beef. There are plenty of good ways that they cook chicken, too. This One-Pan Chicken Risotto is creamy and savory, gives you about all the veggies that you could possibly want in one meal, and can be prepped and cooked in about 45 minutes.

Getting through the middle of the week can be a real challenge, particularly if you have a couple of school-aged mouths to feed and don’t want to scrimp on dinner but don’t have the time (or energy) to be in the kitchen all day, either.  I bring you a one-pot meal chock full of tasty and healthy vegetables that makes about eight servings super-quick, meaning that the usual family of four will have plenty of leftovers (and you will have far less to clean up).

Recipe and photo courtesy of 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: You can substitute any meat if chicken isn’t your favorite.