Meal Planning with Mindie: Top 5 Must Haves on the Grocery List

By Mindie Hilton

So many times I think Mother's and Father's run to the drive thru to pick up something greasy for dinner thinking they don't have time for a home cooked meal. Good home cooked meals don't have to take a lot of time. Trust me, as a mother to two energetic young boys, I don't have a lot of free time on my hands, especially when your two year old sui chef likes to "help" in the kitchen. The majority of my home cooked meals are prepared in less then 30 minutes and don't sacrife on taste. 

This week I would like to talk about items that you will always find in my fridge or pantry. Products that not only save me time and money in the kitchen but that I find to be most versatile. If you don't have time to plan out a month or even a weeks worth of menus, then consider having these items in stock for a quick family meal at home.

Here are my top five must haves on the grocery list that will have you saying hello express lane at the check out. All of these opinions are my own. I have not been compensated in any way to promote any of these products. I am only sharing what I have found to make my time spent in the kitchen more enjoyable.

1) Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Creme, is a new product that you simply must try. Available in four varieties, these spoonable cremes can pull together a gourmet meal in minutes. For example take the Savory Garlic variety, add it to some cooked pasta, steamed broccoli, and grilled chicken for a complete meal. The cooking creme has the perfect balance of seasoning, so no time spent trying to get everything flavored just right. You will also save money, not having to buy all the ingredients needed to recreate this creamy flavorful sauce on your own. For a ton of free recipes with Philadelphia Cooking Creme head to the Real Women of Philadelphia website hosted by Paula Deen for their RWOP Cooking Creme Creations.  You will find many free wonderful recipes there, including several of my own.

2) Rotisserie Chicken, often found on sale at many grocery stores, can save you time and money. Already seasoned and roasted, no need to heat the oven on a busy hot Summer week night. Roasted chicken can be served so many ways. In my house, we often chop our favorite deli roasted chicken into bite size pieces and serve it over a large fresh green salad for a quick light Summer meal. For another quick dinner meal, we will take our rotisserie chicken and serve it with a side of black beans, warm flour tortillas, shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh salsa. Garnish with a wedge of lime and you will be picturing a beautiful sunset in Santa Fe all from your own dining room table. The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to a deli market whole cooked chicken since it is typically seasoned mildly and can be utilized in so many dishes.

3) Can I get an Amen to canned biscuits! Canned biscuits, crescent rolls, and pizza dough are always on my shopping list. Even my grandmothers would vouch for how tasty a canned dough can be. I consider myself to be a fairly skilled baker, my homemade biscuits and pizza dough are very good, but considering the time and energy they take to make, the canned ready to bake dough is what I fall back on. Not only will they save you time and money but they truly are versatile. They can be used for more then just a side dish, from appetizers, entrees, and desserts here are a few of my favorite personal recipes.

For a zesty easy appetizer, try using canned biscuits with only six other ingredients, to make my Mini Santa Fe Gorditas 

With store bought crescent dough you can make a Beautiful Bacon Egg & Cheese Breakfast Wreath, that is both easy and impressive. This is a perfect entree for a Sunday brunch, and only requires four ingredients!

Those same canned crescents can be turned into an incredible dessert too, like my Iced PB & J Wreath. Only five ingredients for this homemade treat.

4) Canned and jarred tomato products are a must on my shopping list. First off, when you look at the price of fresh tomatoes, there is no question you will be saving not only time but money with these gems. I particularly love the organic varieties in tomato based pasta sauces, since they tend to be lower in sodium and allow me to control the salt content of my dishes. You can find no salt added diced canned tomatoes that are seasoned with your classic Italian spices of basil, garlic, and oregano. Why spend more money and time making your own when you don't have too. I have even seen fine chefs on television talk about the value of canned tomatoes since they truly are harvested and packed at their prime. I particularly love the Hunts brand that is free of artificial ingredients and preservatives. If you want to dice, season, and roast your own tomatoes be my guest. I will continue to use this pantry staple for quick spaghetti dinners, topping my meatloaves, and for easy soups. For example, with only seven ingredients, and in about 5 minutes, you could make my Mini Pepperoni Ravioli Soup. This soup is loaded with flavor not only from canned diced tomatoes packed with basil, garlic, and oregano but with Philadelphia Cooking Creme Italian Cheese & Herb.

5) Store bought cake mixes, breads, and cookie doughs could not be left off my list of the 5 must haves in your shopping cart. Why buy a boxed cake mix or cookie dough when you can make your own, well for starters it will save you time and money, and in my opinion you won't sacrifice on flavor. I hate to admit it, but boxed cake mixes tend to be more moist then the cakes I make from scratch. Well you might say that seems very inhospitable serving your guest a cake from a box, but here is the trick, use these products as a base for something incredible. For example, you can use a store bought cookie dough as a crust in a cheesecake as I did with my Strawberry Sugar Cookie Cheesecake!

 

Store bought sugar cookie dough made my Bananas Foster Whoopie Cookie Pie possible.

Or turn a store bought cake mix into no cake at all with these incredible Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Whoopie Cookies!

Well what a sweet way to end my day with you all. I sure hope you enjoy these recipes and find my top five not to miss on your shopping list items helpful. Planning home cooked meals at home doesn't have to be complicated when you have some tips and tricks up your sleeve.

Bio: When Mindie May Hilton isn't chasing after her two rambunctious little boys, she is blogging at  Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo, sharing recipes, crafting, and designing for her shop TLC Creations.   She graduated from CSUB with a major in Liberal Studies and minored in Fine Arts. She recently took second place in a recipe video cooking contest held by Johnsonville sausage, competing with almost 1500 other chefs. You can find one of her latest recipes published in a new cook book in association with Kraft foods and Paula Deen for the Real Women of Philadelphia.