When I hear the most frequent dinnertime complaints weelicious moms’ have, one of their biggest issues is lack of time. I totally get it. It’s tough trying to get a balanced, nutritious meal on the dinner table when you only have a limited amount of time in which to make it. That is why whenever I need an easy-to-prepare meal I can be sure the whole family will love, I get out my crock pot. From prep to clean up, it is the biggest time saving appliance I own. I’d actually marry it if my husband wasn’t already in the picture.

This Veggie Lasagna is one of my biggest recent crock pot success stories and it only took me a few minutes to put the whole thing together. No sautéing or stove-watching required. Just chop your veggies, mix the cheeses and layer everything into the pot. By the time you get home from picking up the kids at school and an afternoon of errands, this delicious dinner will be waiting for you — just take the lid off and serve.

You may not want to marry your crock pot, but you might consider it after tasting this lasagna.

Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna (Serves 6-8)

2 Cups Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Mushrooms and/or Spinach
1 15 oz Container Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Large Egg
1 25 oz Jar Pasta Sauce
1 Box Lasagna Noodles (uncooked)
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1. Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop.
2. Place the ricotta, parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic powder, salt and egg in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a crock pot.
4. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, covering the entire surface, breaking the noodles to fit the pot.
5. Layer half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, followed by 1 cup of the chopped vegetables and then one cup of mozzarella cheese.
6. Repeat with another layer of noodles, followed by the remaining ricotta mixture and the chopped vegetables.
7. Pour the remaining pasta sauce on top of the lasagna and top with the remaining cup of the grated cheese.
8. Cook on low for 4 hours.
9. Serve.

Don’t rub your eyes when you look at the dish pictured above. That is in fact calamari you see and yes, it’s here on weelicious. Now you’re probably thinking:

a. What IS calamari? (Answer: squid.)
b. How the heck do I cook it? (Answer: it’s one of the easier types of fish to prepare.)
c. There’s NO way my kid will ever eat it. (Answer: Don’t be too sure about that.)

Trust me, the recipes that show up on weelicious are never some type of challenge that I offer parents to try and get kids to eat a host of foods they’re never going to enjoy. Quite the opposite, in fact. I have a 2 year old who constantly surprises me with her love of the most unexpected dishes to prove it. The first time Chloe tried calamari we were at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. I had ordered the grilled calamari and she scarfed every last piece of it off of my plate. Minutes after it was all gone she was screaming at the top of her lungs, “MORE CALAMARI!!! “The people at the table next to us looked over as if we were C-R-A-Z-Y! We now hear this familiar refrain from Chloe almost every time we are at a restaurant (whether they serve calamari or not!). Her demands for it became so frequent, I started making it at home and you’d be amazed by how quickly this child can put it away.

To remind you again, we’re talking here about calamari, not chocolate cake or vanilla ice cream, but they way my whole family enjoys it now, you’d think I was offering dessert.

If you’ve never tried calamari before, it’s time to give it a try because this unbelievably easy-to-make recipe is packed with protein and flavor, is inexpensive and unbelievably scrumptious no matter how old you are!

Calamari Rings (Serves 2-3)

1 Lb Calamari
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 Cup Sherry Wine
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1. Rinse, drain and pat calamari dry.
2. Cut calamari into rings and pat dry again with a paper towel to remove as much excess liquid as possible.
3. Heat a large skillet over high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and immediately add the calamari rings sautéing for 2 minutes.
4. Remove calamari to a bowl.
5. Add the minced garlic, sherry wine, salt and lemon juice to the same skillet over high heat and allow to boil for 1 minute.
5. Add the calamari back into the sherry lemon sauce to heat through for 20 seconds.
6. Serve.

With school and busy schedules revving up again, the need for fast dinners that you can pull off AND everyone will love is even greater. I get tons of requests for recipes from readers every week — both here on weelicious and on Facebook — but for some reason, one that I’ve been getting a lot of demand for lately is chicken paprikash.

Often you’ll find recipes for this classic Hungarian dish swimming in a heavy cream sauce, but by adding just a little more sherry wine than most recipes normally call for and then boiling it down until the sauce starts to thicken, a dollop of sour cream is all you need to make a healthier version that is just as luscious as what you remember tasting as a kid. And while this dish may seem too fancy to be fast and easy, trust me, it is.

Chicken Paprikash (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
2 Cups Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Small Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tsp Paprika Powder
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Lb Chicken Breast or Tenders, rinsed & cubed into bite-size pieces
3/4 Cup Sherry Wine
3/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Sour Cream*

1. Heat oil in a medium size sauté pan over medium heat and sauté onions for 3 minutes. Add the mushroom, garlic, paprika and salt, and continue to sauté for 3 more minutes.
2. Add the cubed chicken and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the sherry and water. Bring liquid to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half.
4. Turn heat off, add the sour cream and stir to combine.
5. Serve over pasta or rice.

* You can also use low fat sour cream

Every Sunday, our first order of business at the farmers’ market is to go see Marilyn and Eileen, known to us (and pretty much everyone else who loves them) as the “fish ladies”. The fish ladies seem to sell every variety of the freshest seafood under the sun, and while we always try to sample a wide array of the fish they bring, from jumbo shrimp to calamari to red snapper, our most frequent pick is their exquisite wild salmon.

I vary the preparation of my salmon from time to time, but this one is by far the most popular with my kids. It features tons of olives (Chloe’s favorite) and a yogurt dip on the side which Kenya has been known to drink straight from the bowl.

This recipe may look like a very adult way to prepare this omega-3 packed fish, but it’s actually quite simple and packed with flavors that will appeal to everyone in your house.

Roast Mediterranean Salmon (Serves 4)

1 1/2 lb. Salmon Fillets
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Kalamata Olives, sliced
1/2 Cup Fennel Bulb, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Fresh Dill, chopped
1 Small Onion, thinly sliced
1 Lemon, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place salmon skin-side down on a greased, foil lined baking sheet.
3. Brush each salmon fillet with olive oil and evenly top with the salt, olives, fennel, dill, onion and lemon slices.
4. Roast for 15 minutes.
5. Serve with sauce.

Lemon & Dill Dipping Sauce (makes 1/2 cup)

1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
2 Tsp Fresh Dill or 1 Tsp Dried Dill
Pinch of Salt

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Serve.

As much as I love when my kids eat all of my cooking, I get a secret thrill when I look at the table after dinner and see that we have leftovers. Knowing that I’m not going to have to cook from scratch the following night or have to create something completely new to put in my little ones’ lunch boxes the next day makes a mom’s life just a little easier. And in my house — I’m happy to say — we have leftovers a lot. Yes, even on pizza night when you would think that not even one last bite would remain, we’ve got some slices for the fridge.

As delicious as a cold slice of pizza can be the next day, I like these Pizza Balls even better. The portioning is smaller than a big slice of pizza and they’re easy (and fun) for little hands to hold. I also find them a bit less messy than slices that can drip cheese and sauce everywhere. When these pizza balls are piping hot, the little spheres pull apart to reveal gooey melted cheese and whatever toppings you can think of to put inside. They’re great for dinner, to put in the lunchbox or even for when you need an afternoon snack that will sate your kids without stuffing them before dinner. Just one of the Pizza Balls will totally hit the spot, and yes, no matter how good they are, there will probably be leftovers!

Pizza Balls (makes 16 balls)

1 16 oz Pkg White or Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
3/4 Cup Broccoli Florets, cooked & chopped*
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese, grated

Additions: chicken, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, pepperoni, pineapple, ham — the sky’s the limit

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Bring pizza dough to room temperature and divide into 16 even pieces.
3. In a separate bowl combine the broccoli (or whatever addition you choose), mozzarella and pizza sauce.
4. Roll out each piece of dough into a round, about 3 inches wide, and place 1 tbsp of the cheese mixture in the center.
5. Take the edges of the dough and bring them to the center, pinching along the edges to make sure they stick together, then roll into a ball.
6. Place the ball, sealed side down, in a greased pie plate and repeat these steps making the rest of the balls.
7. Brush each ball with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
9. Serve.

* You can substitute the broccoli for any additions you desire.

For kids who can’t have gluten in their diet, not being able to have things like pasta can be a bit of a bummer. But there’s no need to be completely deprived of all the fun when they can enjoy easy-to-prepare, gluten-free dishes like these Stir-Fried Chinese Brown Rice Noodles. Long strands of noodles mixed with a slightly sweet sauce and assorted asian veggies make the perfect dish for a family dinner or even school lunch the next day!

Stir-Fried Chinese Brown Rice Noodles (Serves 4-6)

1/2 Package Brown Rice Noodle (about 7 oz)
2 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce or Braggs Amino Acids
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Cold Water
1 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tsp Ginger, minced
1 Cup Fresh Snow Peas, chopped
1 Lb Large Raw Shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen shrimp that I
defrosted)
1 Cup Carrots, grated
1 14-15 oz Can Baby Corn, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds, optional

1. Take 1/2 package of rice noodles, break in half, and cook according to package directions.
2. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, cold water and set aside.
3. Heat a wok or a large sauté pan over medium/high heat with oil and add the garlic, ginger, snow peas and shrimp, and sauté for 2 minutes stirring continuously.
4. Add the carrots and baby corn and cook for another minute stirring continuously or until the shrimp are cooked through and pink.
5. Create a well in the center of the wok or pan and pour in the soy sauce mixture and heat for 20 seconds or until sauce starts to thicken.
6. Add the drained rice noodles to the pan, stir-fry for another minute or until noodles, shrimp and vegetables are coated with the sauce and heated through.
7. Serve.

This is my third dish from the “Pasta Passport” recipes I developed for Parents Magazine — and it’s also one of my favorites! I have such vivid memories of my mother making a similar dish when I was a kid, pouring the warm sauce over spaghetti and topping it with grated parmesan cheese. Her sauce would simmer for hours, filling our house with the smell of fresh herbs, garlic and tomatoes. My brother and I mispronounced it “Pa-Scetti” and my kids call it as “bo-lo-nase”. Whatever you decide to call it, you’ll be happy when the entire family is calling it “delicious”!

Fettuccine Bolognese (Serves 4)

1 Medium Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 lb Lean Ground Turkey Meat
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Large Carrot, grated
16 oz Can Chopped Tomatoes with juice
1 Tbsp Italian Herbs
3 Tbsps Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Pkg Fettuccine, cut in half

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onions and sauté for 4 minutes.
2. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
3. Add ground lean turkey meat and salt and continue to cook for 4 minutes or until cooked through, using a wooden spoon to break apart the meat and stirring continuously.
4. Add carrots, chopped tomatoes (with its juice), Italian herbs and tomato paste and stir to combine.
5. Partially cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Add Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
7. Cook for an additional 20 minutes uncovered, until the mixture thickens and the liquid reduces.
8. During the last 20 minutes of cooking the sauce, bring a pot of water to a boil, cook noodles according to package directions and drain.
9. Serve Bolognese sauce over cooked noodles.

* Sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container

Here’s another dish from my “Pasta Passport” recipe spread for Parents Magazine. If you’ve been shy in the past about trying recipes with an ethnic twist, this is one that will change that forever. It’s so simple to make and the creamy low-fat coconut milk mixed with the curry, ginger, cilantro and just a squeeze of lime makes this dish quite special. Your family will love you for it!

Thai Curry Cellophane Noodles (Serves 4)

1/2 Pkg Cellophane Noodles (aka Bean Thread Noodles)
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Cup Light Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
2 Scallions, chopped
2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Curry Powder
1 lb Medium Shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. In a bowl combine cornstarch and coconut milk and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat, add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add red bell pepper, garlic, ginger, scallions, salt and curry powder, and sauté another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes, continuously stirring.
6. Create a well in the center of the wok or pan, pour in the coconut mixture, lime juice and cilantro, and heat for 30 seconds or until mixture starts to thicken up. Then, stir to coat all the ingredients.
7. Add the drained noodles and stir for another minute or until noodles are coated with the sauce and heated through.
8. Serve.

Every few months I create recipes for Parents Magazine (my essential read for parents of young kids — each issue since I was pregnant has resided on my night stand and I read them all cover to cover). For the June 2011 issue I developed the recipes for “Pasta Passport — Nutritious Noodle Dishes From Around the Word”, and “visited” Thailand, China, Mexico, Japan and Italy. This Mexican Vermicelli was my south of the border inspired entry.

I love noodle dishes because with just a few simple ingredients you can produce a seemingly exotic family meal that’s easy to throw together and doesn’t cut into your time or budget. And since Kenya and Chloe will inhale any type of noodle that’s long and slurp-able, it’s they’re never a hard sell for me. Bon Voyage!

Mexican Vermicelli (Serves 4)

1/2 Pkg Vermicelli, cut in half
1- 16 oz Jar Mild Chunky Salsa
2 Cups Cooked Chicken, cubed (about 2 chicken breasts)
1 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
1 Cup Mexican Cheese Blend, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook vermicelli according to package directions.
3. Drain and rinse noodles under cold water and place in a large bowl.
4. Add salsa, chicken, cilantro, and 3/4 cup of cheese to the noodles and toss to combine.
5. Place noodle mixture into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish and top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.
6. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
7. Cool and serve.

To me, summertime means burger time! I like to switch it up and get away from the usual beef burgers and instead try something different like these BBQ Chicken Burgers. If you have visions of a meal time mess, fear not. Since you add your favorite BBQ sauce into the mixture in this recipe, the burgers take on all the tangy, sweet and spicy flavor without it dripping all over you and your kids’ fingers and clothes while you eat.

The next time you’re having a party or family gathering whip up a batch of these burgers and look around at all the happy (and clean) faces!

BBQ Chicken Burger (makes 8 mini burgers or 4 regular size burgers)

2 Tbsp Oil, divided
1 Small Onion, diced
1 lb. Ground Chicken Breast
2 Tbsp BBQ Sauce (your favorite), plus additional for serving
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
4 Jack or Mozzarella Cheese Slices
Burger Buns
Accompaniments: additional bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté the onions for 4 minutes or until tender and set aside to cool.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sautéed onions, ground chicken, BBQ sauce, salt, and onion and garlic powder. Evenly divide the mixture and shape into patties.
3. Heat remaining tbsp of oil in a pan and cook the patties for 3 minutes on each side.
4. Place 1 slice of cheese on each patty during the last minute of cooking and allow to melt.
4. Place burgers on buns and top with desired accompaniments.
5. Serve.