Being Creative When There's No Time!

So today started with taking Matthew and myself to the Dr.. Matt has several "conditions" that make him prone to lung infections and he has once again developed pnemonia. So, after the Dr. we made another trip to the pharmacy and then back home for a busy day of breathing treatments and other meds. Needless to say, there hasn't been alot of time for creativity today.

I've volunteered to provide the brownies for this weekends youth retreat so you can be sure there will be some chocolate later this week! I'm excited to share my zuchinni brownies with you. This summer we had the pleasure of having all my sibs, my parents and all the grandkids to the house for a whole weekend. Yes, we all survived and these brownies were a hit! I think we made two extra batches because we ran out so soon.

The whole crazy gang August 2009

So six came tonight and David called to say he was headed home...umm....long silence...I haven't even started dinner. I had thawed a pork loin that I bought on sale earlier this month so at least I knew where I was starting :) Here's what I ended up with.

For the meat I just sliced it into 1" chops and seasoned it on both sides with some Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt. I placed them on my heavy griddle and placed them in my oven at 450. After about 15 minutes on each side they were cooked to perfection and super tender! Quick Tip: the larger piece of meat will slice easier if you do it while it's slightly frozen still!

Okay, so here's where the creative part comes in. I needed a side dish and I needed it fast. I'm not a big fan of side dishes in a box because there are so many added ingredients and they can really be very costly. I grabbed about 1/2 cup of frozen diced peppers and put them in a hot pan with 1 T of butter and 3 minced garlic cloves. I cooked them until they were soft and then added what I had left of my instant whole grain rice and some instant white rice (total about 2 cups), two chicken boulion cubes and about 3 1/2 cups of water. I brought everything to a simmer for about fifteen minutes. I did add some salt and pepper to taste. When the rice was cooked through I gave it a taste and it was missing some kick so I took a peek in my fridge and the banana peppers started calling to me.....I added about 3-4 T of sliced banana pepper rings to the whole concoction and let it simmer for about 3 more minutes. It turned out great! We have this game we play at the table...guess the secret ingredient...it took everyone about 5 guesses before the figured it out!

When it comes to veggies, sometimes you just can't beat a quick can of carrots. I drained them, drizzled some honey over the top of them and gave them a quick spin in the microwave. My kids love them this way, and this way only....and it's healthier than adding butter and a bunch of brown sugar.

Just to note, in order to save myself time (and money) I purchased a bunch of assorted peppers at my local market this fall (entire bags for like $3.00). I brought them home, chopped them all up and froze them on a cookie sheet on my quick freeze shelf. After they were frozen I transferred them into freezer bags in one cup packages. Some of the packages I mixed the green, red, yellow and sweet peppers together. I love these little packages because on nights like tonight I just grab the bag, bang it on the counter to break it up a bit and throw what I need into the skillet.

Well, although I'm not the thirty minute diva, when Dave walked through the door at 6:35, dinner was on the table and he was none the wiser (well, until he read this :)) I'm off to load the dishwasher and start some more laundry. Eight o clock beckons another breathing treatment and then hopefully an uneventful night! Sweet Dreams Everyone!

Until we eat again,

Simply FAB