Recipe(tried): An example meal and a few more tips... Grilled Steaks with Scalloped Potatoes

Last night, we grilled steaks seasoned with garlic salt and worchestershire sauce (when you don't have time to marinate this is great)

I didn't have time to cook scalloped potatoes for 1 hour so I cubed 4 or 5 medium potatoes, cooked them covered in the microwave with a tiny bit of water, until just tender. At the same time I used a regular sauce recipe on the stovetop (Better Homes cookbook) and added 3 pieces of crumbled bacon I microwaved while the sauce was cooking. Threw it all together and it was really pretty quick and not a bite was leftover.

We also had whole kernal corn (I confess I used store bought, canned with some seasonings I added), Salad (I keep lettuce prepared on hand in tupperware), and Peaches (I grabbed from the freezer to thaw that morning)

Some tips too: I now buy a lot of chicken tenders in the 4 - 5 lb bags to bake with a favorite coating or fry, THEY COOK FASTER, and you can grab them when you don't know what to cook.

I cook all my ground meat in the microwave, less mess and just stir and drain periodically.

Keep homemade rolls in the freezer, make a bunch and go ahead and cook them until lightly brown then pop them in the oven for just a few minutes.

Definitely use your crockpot. Cook chicken breasts over night on low for recipes you need diced chicken for the next day. I posted a basic vegetable beef soup on the tried and true board that you could prepare the meat & veggies at night and then put in the crockpot and cook on low all day the next morning.

One more thing from experience, I was afraid to spend to much at the grocer and found myself running to pick up this & that constantly then I realized I was killing myself. Solution, my dear husband & I began shopping together and we both discovered how much it really costs to eat our preferred lifestyle (no one gets upset about spending too much money. I always keep cream of... soups on hand, bread crumbs, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, ... you get the idea, and meat in the freezer.

Believe me you will learn quickly. After 5 years I am still learning (like the potatoes experiment last night) Good luck!