This giveaway is now closed. The winners are Syndi, Amy, Leah, Jenevra, Jenn, LeeAnn, Katherine, Toiling Ant, Lauren, and Charissa – congratulations!
Next up is a great new ebook called “A Month of Meals.” Jamie Ussher has written a fabulous, easy to read compilation of everything you’d need to feed your family for an entire month.
Jamie uncomplicates the entire process by breaking down every little thing you might need, from recipes to ingredients. First, she explains why healthy eating is so important, that reading the ingredients instead of the calorie count matters more for long-term health. To be honest, reading this meant, to me, that her recipes are quality and dependable. I can trust that everything in this ebook has passed the health test.
Yours truly, at my neighborhood farmer’s market.
All the recipes are easily organized, and they are so easy. She also includes recipes for side dishes that tie in with the main dishes, recipes for salad dressings and mixes, and provides a simple plan that breaks down when to do it all.
Also included are weekly grocery lists, lists of healthy foods, tips for getting kids to eat healthier, and a guide for helping you keep track of your nutritional intake.
Jamie then ends with a reminder about world hunger, and how living simply and eating well means positively impacting the world’s hungry. I love that she ends on this note.
Seriously, readers, this is a fabulous ebook, chock full of useful information and practical ideas. If you like reading Simple Mom, then you’ll like this ebook! I plan on using her ideas in my own home.
Cherries in season at my market.
Ten readers will win a copy of A Month of Meals! This ebook is currently on sale at $6.95 – it normally retails for $19.95.
Here’s How To Win:
1. Leave a comment on this post, answering this question – What’s your standby family meal on a busy day?
2. To get a second entry – and a second entry on all the giveaways this week – subscribe to the Simple Mom feed and email me the movie quote at the bottom of any post in your feed reader or email inbox (there is only one quote for all the giveaways). Send it to simplemomblog (at) gmail (dot) com, and put the quote directly in the subject line. The body of the email won’t be read. And you only need to email me the quote once in order to get a second entry for all the week’s giveaways.
3. Finally, to get a third entry, post or tweet about this giveaway – if you use the URL of this post, I’ll receive it – no need to email me.
This giveaway will end this Friday, January 30 at noon EST. I hope you win!
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Quick dinner -pancakes from homemade mix or spagetti. This book sounds wonderful! Is there a link to buy it if I don’t win it?
Our old quickie standby is sloppy joes. Everyone likes it and it is super quick. But I could SURE use some new stuff!
Tuna-Pasta Salad or Spaghetti
Kristen M.´s last blog post…Works For Me: Cheap & Easy Kid’s Storage Solution
Our go-to meal is Black Bean-Quinoa Quesadillas, or Billy’s special quesadillas as they are known at our house. Cook up some quinoa (takes 10 minutes), put a whole grain tortilla in front of each child and have them put black beans, quinoa and cheese on half of the circle. Cook. Serve with broccoli or green beans and salsa. Yum. And easy.
Trish´s last blog post…The One About the Lard-Ass Quilt
One of my favorite standbys is homemade pizza. I can whip up the dough with my Kitchenaid in a jiffy and I keep shredded cheese and turkey pepperoni on hand all the time.
50s Housewife´s last blog post…Make a Mosiac
Sorry…pizza delivery.
baked chicken…stick in the oven and in one hour–it’s ready! put some raw veggies and potatoes in the bottom and the whole meal is ready to go.
Nicole´s last blog post…Everyday…Redeemed
Spagetti and garlic bread. I have everything on hand in a pinch.
Ashley´s last blog post…Welcome, Bloggy Giveaways Carnival!
homemade pizza- spinach, mushrooms, turkey pepperoni, wheat germ, cornmeal, mozzarella– yum!
kate´s last blog post…Sadly Proving My Thoughts & Feelings
Our standby meal is about to change (Ted now can’t have gluten, dairy or egg. oy.) Usually it’s been baked potatoes with chili & cheese. I always have a can of organic chili in the cupboard that I add random things to, based on what we have in the house. As long as there’s cheese on top, the kids will eat it. With Ted’s new restrictions, it’s looking more like chili over rice or quinoa etc. Not too bad.
Ellen´s last blog post…Big Ski Day
Frozen pizza or quick pasta.
Jenn´s last blog post…Coffee Anyone?
Pasta with cream cheese, sour cream, or plain yogourt (this is a stand-by, right?) with a big dash of pesto mixed in. My toddlers love it, but it looks and smells grown-up.
This ebook looks GREAT! Our favorite standby meal is “beanie bean burritos” (named by my 4 year old, and the meal of choice for him and my 6 year old!)
My standby is spaghetti. I always have the ingredients on hand, and it is super simple to make.
My standby meal is my grandma’s recipe for spaghetti carbonara. With just spaghetti, eggs, parmesan cheese and bacon it makes a filling main dish. Plus, it’s really easy and pretty fast to put together.
Frozen ravioli. My daughter will always eat it, so no fits at meal time.
Pasta with a sauce with lots of veggies OR rice and scrambled eggs.
Our stand-bys are spaghetti, sans meat, and salad or green beans; and burritos with all the trimmings. We wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if we ran out of tortillas or tomato paste.
Tiff @ The Faery Inn´s last blog post…Couplathings
Spaghetti. That is always what we fall back on when there is no time (or money) for anything else. It is a staple!
Oh, I so need this! Our stand by meal is sandwiches, usually peanut butter and jelly…. sad, I know!
ThereO´s last blog post…Book Review – The Tale of Despereaux
Teriyaki chicken or tacos is always a no brainer for me.
Our family stand by meal is spaghetti and meatballs with sourdough toast. Those are all staples in my house and I can never be without them. Or chicken pot pie. There is always a frozen pie crust in my freezer and I have canned chicken in the pantry with my food storage.
Our stand-by meal is pasta with marinara. Fast, cheap, but kinda boring.
Megan´s last blog post…I surrender
Nothing new here- it’s spaghetti for my family, as well.
Jennifer´s last blog post…Schlosser Designs: Tutorial Tuesday – Valentines Treasures
definitely spaghetti and jar sauce!!
Our standby meal is burritos, bean mostly with some cheese and taco bell sauce. We always have fat free refried beans, cheese and a few jars of taco bell sauce on hand so it’s easy. We eat it often. This is why I NEED to win this one. For sure.
My old fallback is turkey chili in the crock pot. I can make it without thinking and it is great for leftovers for a really busy week. Can we say Chili Pie?
Our standby supper time meal for busy nights is breakfast… either home made waffles, pancakes, biscuits and eggs.
Thanks for the chance to win this e-book; it sounds great!
MaryBeth´s last blog post…Up to Speed
Some sort of pasta dish. Homemade macaroni and cheese with whole wheat penne, spaghetti, something like that.
Wow a monthly menu! I make a menu for 1-2 weeks and it takes me hours! I would love to win this. If I don’t win I will surely go and buy it. Our go to meal if the fridge is empty is usually tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Everyone loves it and it’s not takeout or pizza.
Ashley @ mrs007.com´s last blog post…I am going to eat her for lunch!
The book sounds fantastic! I’ve been trying to get better about planning meals ahead, but our standby is breakfast for dinner (usually an omelet). Truthfully, though, we often eat out when we either haven’t planned ahead or are not in the mood for whatever lurks in the fridge.
Elaine´s last blog post…Literacy Thursday, Itsy Bitsy Spider
maybe ham, beans,& cornbread? this ebook looks great!
jennifer´s last blog post…Ike is here!
Quesadillas all the way!
Robin Baker´s last blog post…Sit Still!
Pasta or pizza.
One of our favorite standby meals is pizza. I freeze my fresh dough and always have some kind of sauce, cheese and toppings on hand. Its quick, easy and everyone loves it.
My standby meal is probably salsa chicken. Chicken, sprinkled with taco seasoning, covered in salsa and then cheese & baked. Super quick, super easy, everyone likes it and I can turn the leftovers into chicken tacos or enchiladas.
Michelle G´s last blog post…The Princess & Her Carriage
I’m Korean so we always have rice and some side dishes hanging out in the fridge for standbys
Mexicali Rice is our FAVORITE standby, easy meal – ground beef, tomato sauce, instant rice, taco seasoning … voila’ super easy, super good.
Alysa Clark´s last blog post…Irritable
tacos!
courtney´s last blog post…ugh
My standby is always a ‘breakfast night’ of scrambled eggs w/ veggies & cheese in them, toast & orange juice to drink.
I love this idea!
We have 3 stand by meals at our house depending on when I shopped. Bean and Cheese Burritos (we assemble these ourselves – not the frozen version) . Meatless speghetti. Cottage Cheese Pancakes (equal parts cottage cheese, eggs, & baking mix)
Ours is spaghetti or tacos.
Christy@MercyEveryMorning´s last blog post…Storm update
Chicken Chili
breakfast food! pancakes, eggs, etc…
Hamburgers are usually a favorite meal at our house and carry on with a Saturday night family tradition. Would love to have a copy of the book as I have been trying to become more organized in my kitchen.
Pasta w/olive oil, garlic, and whatever veggies are available.
Our standby meal is usually Rice, Broccoli, Chicken, and Cheese. It’s tasty, not too bad for you, and quick to make. Cook Rice, Chicken, Steam the Broccoli . . . place rice on plate to make a bed, cover in broccoli and chicken, sprinkle with cheese that now melts…. mmmm.
Definitely spaghetti. It’s yummy and cheap and easy and fast!….and everyone likes it!
Eryn´s last blog post…Relief
Eggs!
BFD! Eggs, bacon and biscuits (if we’ve got them in the freezer).
Soup and sandwiches all the way. This tends to happen more often than we would prefer…
Our standby meal is spaghetti with sauce. It’s easy, and NOBODY in my family complains about it (tough to find a meal like that around here!)
We’re so bad. Our emergency meal often comes from the freezer, which is usually a potted pie. Sometimes we do better and its warmed up leftover frozen soup or chili from the freezer instead.
Annette´s last blog post…I learned something new today
Our busy night planned-ahead meal is anything in the crockpot. Our busy night not planned ahead meal is scrambled eggs.
Our standby meal is usually spaghetti (or whatever pasta is in the pantry) and some meatballs from the freezer. My husband also makes some killer waffles, and those are easy because we usually always have the ingredients on hand!
Frozen pizza or if DH isn’t home, cereal for me and the kids. See, I really NEED this! LOL!!!
Katherine´s last blog post…My Helpful Little One
Cereal, frozen pizza, or scrambled eggs and tortillas.
Take and bake pizza if there’s $$$ in the budget or eggs and rice.
Our standby is either spaghetti, or rice and canned black beans.
Sarah´s last blog post…My Smiley Girl
black beans, rice, and shredded cheddar on top…. or wheat pancakes…
i need help! pick me!
randel hambrick´s last blog post……the craziness of life…
Spaghetti or frozen pizza
Definitely pasta. Throw some whole wheat spaghetti in a pot of boiling water, heat up and season a can or two of crushed tomatoes and slap some garlic bread in the oven and I’m done. Easy-peasy.
Spaghetti with meat sauce. Although, my husband recently told me he doesn’t really like pasta. Wh-wh-what?!?!
Allison (Dog Mom)´s last blog post…Wordless Wednesday
Definitely eggs. It helps that the boys love them.
Aimee´s last blog post…Foodie Facebook: Michele
Oh dear reading all these posts I have come to realize that I have a go to meal just about every night!! Mon-chili, Tues-pizza, Weds-Pancakes (aka breakfast foods) Thurs- Sandwiches/soup, Fri- Left overs…. etc, I must get out of this rut!! HELP!!!
Nikki´s last blog post…More Ice Pics
I can almost always make grilled cheese sandwiches and heat up a can of soup, and it’s such a comforting meal. When even that is too much work there is usually an Amy’s Organics pizza in the freezer for emergency purposes.
Pasta Alfredo from Cooking Light. Fast, easy, and yummy.
Tomatoe Mac – nothing more than pasta, canned tomato, a little onion and some tomato sauce. Quick, cheap and the perfect standby.
Autumnesf´s last blog post…Autumn Asks: What Would Be Your Imporant Reminders For Mom?
HASH and EGGS I take a can of chickpeas, or white beans or a potato cubed and boiled, a kielbasa if I have one, cubed up, a box of frozen spinach or fresh if I have it, onions, garlic, cooked in a hot skillet with olive oil salt pepper and paprika. Top it with poached eggs. It’s healthy, delicious, uses whatever I’ve got and FAST!
Laura´s last blog post…New In The Shop
Tomato soup & grilled cheese. Easy & yummy.
Spaghetti. Does it get any easier?
Amy @ Literacy Launchpad´s last blog post…I’m up for a reading challenge!
Pizza: We keep homemade wheat dough rounds in the freezer, and top them with whatever we have on hand. The kids will eat *anything* on pizza. It takes about 20 minutes, half of which is waiting for the pizzas to get out of the oven.
i rotate 5 weeks of meal plans, so every day is always planned for. 3 or so meals of the week are guaranteed to generate leftovers, which we typically use for lunches, but those are also our standby meal if a day gets too busy
on the off-chance we don’t have leftovers or groceries and need something fast, i’ll pick up some fresh fish from the store, and we always have healthy veggie sides in the freezer (those are my compromise between super-healthy/fresh and convenience foods). in 10 minutes, i can broil the fish and microwave the veggies and have a healthy meal ready that everyone loves.
amber´s last blog post…Product Spotlight: Winter Relief Facial
Our backup meal is Mac and Cheese with ground beef!
liz´s last blog post…What I learned this week: Be thankful for what is done
Anything with my homemade tomato sauce!
Bean and rice burritos are the quickest and easiest meal. It makes so much too that there are always leftover for lunches.
My standby dinner is tuna mac…I fry garlic, add canned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, hot sauce and frozen peas. Mix with pasta (usually fusilli) – top with cheese and bake in the oven. This takes around half an hour – and is relatively healthy (especially if the pasta is wholewheat). And I always have the ingredients at home.
Ella´s last blog post…Win a Reusable Grocery Bag
http://digiscrappinlizzie.blogspot.com/2009/01/head-on-over-to-simple-mom-for-awesome.html
liz´s last blog post…What I learned this week: Be thankful for what is done
For years my ‘decide at the last minute – what’s for dinner?’ meal has been spaghetti with a tossed salad. I have always kept ground beef, jarred sauce and a box of noodles on hand…just…in…case. It’s kind of funny because my family rarely had spaghetti while I was growing up — it was definitely an ‘exotic’ meal…lol!
Lisha´s last blog post…teriyaki chicken thighs with shitake ginger soup and bamboo rice
Bean/cheese quesadillas, green salad with salmon, or openface tuna melts.
Sadly, it’s frozen pizza.
Adrienne´s last blog post…Cooking with Costco
refried beans, sharp cheddar, & corn in a tortilla cooked in canola oil with salsa added afterwards
Mostly I know when my busy days will be and try to cook in advance. I will make a big pot of risotto, or soup, or chili then we can just pull leftovers out of the fridge
Pizza for us.
scrambled eggs and some biscuits if there are any in the freezer. Or a quiche made with odds and ends of leftovers with the eggs. yum!
Speghetti… always speghetti. Or cereal (sheepish).
Cathy´s last blog post…A Week in The Life
tacos or pasta with either ground beef or chicken
Our favorite go to meal for crisis cooking is spaghetti with jar sauce. Easy, peasy and everyone likes it.
Kim´s last blog post…This ‘n that
I normally standby Macoroni and eggs for kids.
Dominique´s last blog post…Talking about Respect (Part 2)
My favorite stand-by meal would be grilled chicken served with Uncle Ben’s brown rice (in a microwaveable steam bag), and a bag of frozen vegetable steamers. Quick, fairly healthy, and very little clean-up.
Spaghetti with a fresh salad and breadsticks
Cheese & black bean quesedillas. Its my 22 month olds favourite food!
This sounds awesome! I am due in 9 weeks with #3 and am planning on meal planning for a month in prep for that. When all else fails here we whip up some waffles. The kids eat and don’t complain and since they are made from scratch I know what is in them. We almost always throw some frozed (thawed) fruit with them too.
What a great ebook…and those CHERRIES! oh my gosh!
Our standby meal….hum….pasta w/ sauce or butter or whatever we’ve got. ♥
Tara B.´s last blog post…Wordless Wednesday ♥ Happy Birthday Babies!
Tacos
Would love a chance to win this great-sounding book… 
pasta with marinara and steamed frozen vegetables…just had it tonight!
Standby meal…. well, it used to be fritattas (probably because I really like saying fritattas) but since one of my kids decided that he likes eggs, zucchini, onions and cheese etc. separately but not together now I am back to chicken divan (chicken and broccoli casserole with a touch of curry).
Our standby meal is breakfast for dinner. Usually breakfast burritos or eggs and toast with fruit.
I have a few: Pancakes, burritos, or quesadillas. If I have tortillas made, it’s one of the latter two, otherwise it’s pancakes! We’ve also been making breakfast burritos for dinner, lately. Yum!
My standby meal is pasta (generally it’s medium shells) with homemade tomato sauce, covered in mozzerella. Fastest thing I can cook and everyone’s favorite, so it’s always a win-win for me.
Wendy´s last blog post…What Happens in the Kitchen, Stays in the Kitchen
Mine would be roasted chicken. I’ll cook a whole chicken with wedged veggies like potatoes & carrots – all in one pan. Easy clean up!
Fast prep time, and usually left overs.
Otherwise, like most here, good old spaghetti. It’s great to keep a portion in the freezer for when you need it.
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