Easy Meals

Since Ian has been working so much, often through dinners (and bedtimes for that matter), I haven't been doing nearly as much cooking for me and the kids. But on those nights where I do feel I owe them a meal which includes items from at least two of the food groups. The past two nights I've come up with some yummy, easy meals that I thought I'd share! (Not that they're all that healthy....well one might be since it is made of primarily veggies. But the other. Well, it's quick, easy, and the kids enjoyed it.)

#1 - Homemade Veggie Soup (aka E.A.S.Y. Soup)
Ingredients: cans of veggies (you can totally use whatever is on hand in your pantry - this time I used one can of mixed veggies, one can of diced potatoes, one can of chopped spinach, one can of black eyed peas, one can of petite diced tomatoes, one small can of tomato sauce); 3 cups of water; 2 beef bouillon cubes; 1 cup leftover diced ham (any leftover meat works well, or just have it vegetarian style!); seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic salt, one bay leaf)... that's about it! Other times, I've added rice or orzo for some extra umph.
Directions: My favorite method is in the crockpot (of course) but yesterday, I threw everything in my big pot, brought it to a boil (mainly to dissolve the bouillon cubes), and then left it on to simmer while we walked to the pond to feed the ducks, and drove to Chick-fil-A to take Ian something. The kids LOVED it, and of course Cayman wanted half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to have with his soup. Oh yeah, and some cheez-its crumbled in!

#2 - Croissant Dogs
Ingredients: one can of refrigerated croissants, 4 bun length hotdogs cut in half lengthwise or slices of ham, 3-4 slices of cheese
Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Roll the hotdogs with two or three thin slices of cheese in the croissants. Or using the ham slices, do the same thing. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until croissants are golden and cheese is melted.