mommy meals

I had one of my first memorable mommy meal moments this week. You know what mommy meals are. Those evenings when you get to about 5 o'clock and either what you planned to make isn't going to happen due to time or you just had a crazy busy day and didn't plan at all or both. So what you end up doing is scouring the fridge and cabinets and coming up with something quick and easy. I'm almost positive that shepherd's pie and such things originated from a night like that. Sometimes you get a big hit that becomes a family tradition and sometimes you get raspberry vinaigrette chicken (sorry mom, you know it is true and has become the measure of a truly bad meal...at least that and the sweet potato filled oranges are your only two meal mishaps in the almost 30 years of my life). This week I had one of those times. I tried to be so organized and make up a weekly menu but when I went to WalMart they didn't have ground beef, so that meant the only other place to get it was to go to the large market, buy a cut of beef and have it ground myself. Well with no helper and a sick bunch I just didn't get in a second trip to the market so the spaghetti and meatballs that I had planned weren't going to happen. I thought about doing plain spaghetti but as I scanned the fridge I saw some things that needed to get eaten. Hmmm....here comes the mommy meal. I ended up combining some cut up chicken, rice, green chili with chicken sauce (I have no idea where it came from, most likely from someone cleaning out their cabinets when heading back to the States), a little milk to make it creamy and a packet of taco seasoning. It wasn't the best or most nutritious (note: I usually try to incorporate a green vegetable) meal I've ever made but not totally inedible either. Plus the boys like almost anything that has rice so they didn't really care. It filled our bellies and some nights that is the most important thing. Anybody out there make a mommy meal that has become a family favorite? I'm always looking for new ideas!