Back to School: After School Snacks, 20 Minute Meals and $500

back to school

When the kids go back to school, I tend to stock my freezer full of ready made products.  You know, the ones that take minutes to cook or heat up?  I do this because A) The kids are usually starving right after school and supper isn’t ready until 6 and B) back to school usually means I’m the one helping with most of the chores here on the ranch instead of the kiddos, well, because they’re at school!  That means my time will get eaten up by chores, the little cowpoke (since the kids won’t be around to help watch), and trips to and from school helping out.

I love to cook from scratch and do it often but there are times when the kids need something fast to hold them through until supper or sometimes we need a meal in less than 30 minutes because we’re headed to town or school function.

Something I buy are Hot Pockets, Fully Cooked Chicken, and Stouffer’s Easy Express Skillet meals.  I’m obsessed with the Stouffer’s lasagna but don’t always have time to cook the family version of it so the express meals come in handy!

We have two freezers, one big one for our beef and other stuff and our top freezer on our fridge. This is where the quick foods are easily accessible.

freezer

As you can see, it’s not very well organized. I’ve got veggies on bottom, hot pockets, chicken, Popsicles and bacon on top.  My other freezer holds the Stouffer goods because well, obviously I can’t fit much else in here!

Here is one of my 20 minute meals using the Stouffer’s Easy Express Meals. First, I use Easy Express Skillets Grilled Chicken & Vegetables.  It has the vegetables already in it but I still need one more filler. Since these meals literally only take 20 minutes, I need something that takes the same amount or less.  That’s where biscuits come in!  Bread is always a great filler and I’ve got a recipe that takes 20 min or less.

Carnation Evaporated milk

BISCUITS!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 c. flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 2 Tbl. sugar
  • 1/2 c. butter
  • 3/4 c. Carnation Evaporated Milk

PREPARATION:

Mix dry ingredients.  Add butter, milk and form into soft dough.  Do not over knead!  Pat into a ungreased 6×6 pan.  I use a pie pan myself so you can use whatever.  Cut into serving size portions before you cook.  Bake at 400′ for 15 to 20 minutes or until done and golden brown.

$500 Walmart Gift Card

I usually make my giveaways pretty simple, and while this one is still simple, it requires a bit more thought than the others I’ve done in the past.  Hey, it’s $500, if you wanna the chance to win something big like that, it’s gonna take a bit more work!

TO ENTER

nestle

Leave a comment here with a recipe using one of these Nestle products that would be great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack:

  • Carnation Evaporated Milk
  • Nestle Raisinets
  • Haagen Dazs Ice Cream (any flavor)
  • Nestle Coffee-Mate Creamer (any flavor)

ONLY ONE RECIPE COMMENT PER PERSON! Put a little effort into the recipe folks. Please don’t be lazy;)  I’d like to try some of the recipes myself!  In fact, those of you who are saying, ice cream between two cookies, etc–WILL NOT COUNT!!!  Geez!

Additional/Optional ways to enter, leaving each one in a separate comment:

  • Twitter the giveaway, including a link back here and my handle, @ACowboysWife -1 entry
  • Share on facebook or similar social networking site and leave a comment telling me. -1 entry
  • Create a Whrrl story using photos of your recipe and I’ll give you an additional (include link to story)-25 entries!

FINE PRINT

This giveaway is sponsored by Nestle.  Giveaway closes on August 18th at about 10pm CST.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Print

Comments

  1. Auriette says:

    Microwave a ham and cheese HOT POCKET until it’s warm enough to chop up. Put it in a skillet, add two BEATEN EGGS and half a cup of LEFTOVER FRENCH FRIES. Stir until the eggs are cooked and everything is thoroughly warmed through. Makes a great breakfast for two people, and it’s a great way to use leftover fries.

  2. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #1

  3. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #2

  4. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #3

  5. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #4

  6. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #5

  7. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #6

  8. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #7

  9. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #8

  10. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #9

  11. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #10

  12. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #11

  13. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #12

  14. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #13

  15. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #14

  16. Tiffany says:

    I made oatmeal raisinet cookies and uploaded my story on whrrl!!
    http://whrrl.com/e/fZQrI

    Entry #15

  17. Simone says:

    1/2 cup of vanilla bean Hagan Daaz ice cream
    1/2 cup of frozen berries or peaches
    1/2 cup of yogurt (I prefer Stoneyfield Farms Banilla)

    Blend and serve. This smoothie has been my staple breakfast and afternoon snack for years. I also add a scoop of “fiber” in the form of a supplement. Thanks! thebubbledies(at)gmail(dot)com

  18. Chrysa says:

    Raisinet Biscuits

    2 C flour
    1/2 C Raisinets
    2 Tbsp Sugar
    3 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp salt
    1/3 C oil
    2/3 C milk

    Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Put the oil in a small boil, add the milk, but do NOT mix together. More liquid into dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Knead a couple of times (I just used a spatula, not my hands) to form it into a ball. Divide into 10-12 pieces and slightly flatten into biscuit shapes and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until very lightly browned.

  19. Brian E. says:

    Thanks for the giveaway…. Better than a cupcake, I give you the Raisinets-oat bran muffin !!!

    Raisinets-oat bran muffins

    1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 cups bran cereal (I like kelloggs all-bran)
    1 1/4 cups skim milk
    1 egg
    1/4 cup applesauce

    1/2 to 3/4 cup Raisinets

    1. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

    2. In large mixing bowl, combine BRAN cereal and milk. Let stand a few minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg and applesauce. Beat well. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined.

    Fold in Raisinets.

    Pour evenly into twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups coated with cooking spray.

    3. Bake at 400° F about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

  20. checkers says:

    Curried Chicken surprise
    Ingredients A
    1/2 chicken (cut into pieces)
    2 potatoes (peeled and cut into pieces)
    1/2 cup oil
    60g chicken curry powder or about 1/8 (add in ½ cup water and mix well)
    2 onions (peeled and sliced)
    2 lemon grass (cut into 2-inch lengths)
    2 cups water
    1/2 cup of coconut milk
    1/2 cup evaporated milk
    4 teaspoons salt
    1/2 teaspoon sugar
    Some curry leaves

    Ingredients B
    5 cloves garlic
    10 cloves shallot
    3 stalks lemon grass

    Method:
    1. Cut potatoes into pieces and deep fry them until golden brown. Set aside

    2. Combine all Ingredient B in a blender and blend well.

    3. Heat up cooking oil, add in Ingredients B and stir-fry with low heat until fragrant.

    4. Add in onions, lemon grass, curry powder and have a few quick stirs.

    5. Add in chicken, potatoes and water. Cover up and cook until the chicken pieces are thoroughly cooked.

    6. Add coconut milk, evaporated milk, sugar, salt and cook until the curry boils. Add curry leaves into the curry, do a quick stir, dish out and serve hot.

  21. Nadine L says:

    This is a recipe for the Mommy’s. we need an afternoon snack too.

    2 oz. instant Coffee powder
    2 cups boiling water
    1 cup Sugar
    4 qts. Milk
    2 qts. Haagen Dazs Chocolate ice cream
    2 qts. Haagen Dazs Vanilla ice cream
    1 container Whipped Cream

    Directions:

    Combine coffee powder, water and sugar in bowl; mix well. Chill. Blend in Milk, Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream. ( you can hand blend, but I like it best in a Blender) Pour in a glass. Top with whipped topping. Put remainder in large airtight container in freezer.

    iheartsweeping@aol.com

  22. sarah says:

    Ricenet Pudding

    1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk

    1-1/3 cups water

    1/2 cup long-grain rice

    2 eggs

    1/3 cup granulated sugar

    1/4 tsp cinnamon

    1/2 cup raisinets

    1 tsp vanilla

    In heavy saucepan, combine evaporated milk, water and rice; cook, stirring, until boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently.

    In small bowl, beat together eggs, sugar and cinnamon; stir into hot rice mixture. Stir in raisinets. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Serve warm or cool.

  23. sarah says:

    I tweeted you!

  24. sarah says:

    I shared on Facebook–scrwlucy

  25. sarah says:

    I created a story–http://whrrl.com/e/fZQ54

  26. Deborah R says:

    OK – here’s one of my sweet desserts – Leftover Rice Pudding

    1. Make sure you have leftover rice by cooking an extra cup of rice. :D

    2. Add the cooked rice, 1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup sugar to a buttered crock pot.

    3. Cook on lowest setting for a few hours.

    4. Allow to cool for half an hour.

    5. Stir in one box of Nestle Raisinets.

    6. Ladle into bowls; top with one small scoop of Haagen Dazs Ice Cream – I like to use Dulce de Leche, but everyone else likes Vanilla.

  27. bridget says:

    I would make a yummy trail mix with Raisinets, walnuts and dried cranberries.

  28. Susan Smith says:

    Triple Berry Smoothie
    1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
    1 container (6 or 8 oz.) berry-flavored lowfat yogurt
    1/2 cup fresh blueberries
    1/2 cup fresh raspberries
    1/2 cup fresh strawberry halves or blackberries
    2 to 3 tablespoons honey
    1 tray ice cubes

    Place evaporated milk, yogurt, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and honey in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Strain to remove seeds. Serve over ice.

  29. kathy pease says:

    Italian Meatballs AND Peppers

    * 1 lb Ground turkey
    * 1/4 c Minced onion
    * 1 ts Italian seasoning
    * 1/4 ts Salt
    * 1 tb Olive oil
    * 1 c Cubed red pepper
    * 1 c Cubed yellow pepper
    * 1 c Mushroom thickly sliced
    * 1 Clove garlic; minced
    * 1 Chicken flavor bouillon cube
    * 1 cn Carnation Evaporated milk
    * 4 ts All purpose flour
    * 2 c Hot cooked rice mixed with 3
    * Italian parsley sprigs;

    In large bowl, combine turkey, onion, Italian seasoning, and salt. Form into 16 meatballs. In 10 inch non-stick skillet, heat oil. Over medium high heat, brown meatballs; reduce heat and cook approximately 15 minutes or until done. Remove meatballs and keep warm. Using drippings in skillet, saute peppers, mushrooms and garlic with bouillon cube for 2 to 3 minutes. In small bowl, gradually whisk evaporated milk into flour.

    Add to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens slightly. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until peppers are tender, stirring occasionally. Add meatballs; heat. Serve over cooked parsley-rice. Garnish with Italian parsley, if desired. Recipe by: Carnation

  30. kathy pease says:
  31. kathy pease says:
  32. ktanjatk says:

    CHOCOLATE BANANA COCONUT CREPES

    - Crepes Batter:
    Ingredients (for about 15 crepes):
    2 cups Flour
    2 1/2 cups Whole Milk
    4 Eggs
    2 tbsp. Butter (melted)
    Pinch of Salt
    1-2 teaspoon French Vanilla Nestle Coffee-Mate Creamer
    Vegetable Oil (for pan)

    1. Sift flour and mix with salt in a bowl.
    2. Make a well and pour in eggs. Stir well.
    3. Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface.
    4. Stir in Butter and Creamer

    1. Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe the pan evenly. Keep paper towel at hand while preparing crepes, in case you want to give it another wipe.
    2. Pour in 2 – 3 tbsp. of batter and quickly move pan around, so that batter spreads evenly, covering the whole surface with a thin layer.
    3. Let cook for about 1 minute. Then, flip with a metal spatula, and cook other side for about 30 seconds.

    Repeat these steps until you are out of batter, stacking cooked crepes on a plate. Yum!

    - Filling:
    8 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or your favorite high quality dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content)
    1 cup Crème Fraîche (or heavy cream)
    3-4 Bananas
    1/3 cup Shredded Coconut
    Haagen Dazs Chocolate or Vanilla Ice-Cream

    Break chocolate into small pieces. Melt the chocolate and then add cream, stir well, and remove from heat. Place Crepes on individual plates. Line one half of each crepe with chocolate, and then banana slices. Then fold empty half over. Pour more chocolate on top and sprinkle with coconut. Add a scoop of ice cream. Serve right away.

    Bon Apetite!

  33. ktanjatk says:
  34. ktanjatk says:

    shared on FB: ktanjatk tk

  35. katiea says:

    OK. Here goes… this is my DH’s favorite dish…

    Boil 2 lbs. of chicken breasts until cooked thru
    At the same time, make 2 packages of stovetop stuffing
    Cut chicken into 1″ chunks (size is personal taste)
    In a large cassarole dish, mix chicken chunks with 1 lb box uncooked (dry) cavatapi noodles (your choice on noodles too)
    Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 can cream of chicken soup and about 1 can of water (will depend on the size of your dish)
    take the stovetop which you cooked earlier and spread it over the whole thing like a paste.
    Add about 1lb (or more to taste) of shredded cheddar cheese on top of everything.
    Bake it for 15-20 minutes at 350.

    Presto, the most delicious and only somewhat unhealthy dish ever! Like I said, its DH’s favorite and I end up making it at least once every few weeks. The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you can adjust almost anything in it to your own specific tastes or portion sizes.

    Thanks so much for the contest! I totally intend on trying a few of these recipes too!

  36. Anne G says:

    Here’s a candy recipe I like since it has oatmeal and is low fat.

    * 2 cups sugar
    * 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
    * 1/2 cup Carnation evaporated low-fat (2 percent) milk
    * 1/2 cup margarine
    * 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
    * 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

    In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, evaporated milk, and margarine. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

    Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Add rolled oats, and coconut and mix well. Drop by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

  37. Renee Weiner says:

    COFFEE SYRUP
    (Makes 1 cup)
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1/2 cup water
    1 tablespoon NESCAFÉ CLÁSICO Pure Instant Coffee Granules
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Serve over
    Haagen Dazs Ice Cream (any flavor)
    COMBINE sugar, water and coffee granules in medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens. Remove from heat; add vanilla extract.
    Haagen Dazs Ice Cream (any flavor)

  38. 1 and 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded (or medium, if you prefer)
    1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese shredded
    1/2 cup of asiago cheese shredded
    1 medium onion, peeled and diced
    1 cup of elbow noodles
    5 large potatoes diced (not too small)
    2 and 1/2 cups of fresh milk
    1 can of carnation evaporated milk
    2 tbsp flour
    1 tbsp butter

    You can cook your elbow noodles and potatoes, separately, as you normally would – just boil until soft – strain, washing with cold water so they will not stick together. Sautee onions.

    In a large pot, blend/whisk together flour and butter until creamy. Add fresh and condensed milk, whisking continuously as you add onions, potatoes, noodles and all three cheeses. Be sure you stir or whisk continuously to avoid burning. Allow cheese to melt, add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 15-20 minutes after all of the cheese melts and soup thickens. Set aside and let soup cool for a bit before serving.

    An alternative to this would be to add a few pieces of cooked, cripsy bacon – chopped.

  39. Janet says:

    BAKED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY GRAVY

    1 (3 lb.) fryer or you can use just breasts or legs and thighs
    1 stick butter
    lg. can Carnation Evaporated milk
    Flour
    A little salt and pepper as desired.

    Shake chicken in paper bag with flour. Melt butter in baking dish in oven. Remove and lay chicken, skin side up, in dish with butter. Pour milk over all and a little water. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, adding a little water as needed. Turn chicken over during baking.
    Serve with rice. This cream gravy is very good.