I'm a terrible meal planner.  I admit this.  It's just conceptually difficult for me.  I mean seriously, I can't think about dinner for Tuesday, on Monday.  How do I know what I'm going to feel like eating a day in advance. 

Preposterous. 

Apparently though, that's what all the cool moms are doing.  They take meats out of the freezer the night before or early in the morning with ideas of what they will prepare for their family when the evening comes.

Me?

I usually decide what I want to make on the drive home and stop at the store for the ingredients I need.  Not the most efficient, or cost effective method, but it’s the only way I know how to get dinner on the table in 30 to 60 minutes when I've failed to defrost anything.

This was me yesterday evening after picking up the boys.  I knew nothing was defrosted and I had an idea of what I wanted.  So off to the store I went, boys in tow.    I knew I wanted pasta, at least we had that, so I just needed the stuff to make my parmesan cheese sauce and the meats to go along with it to make my pasta with parmesan cream sauce.

What you'll need:

2 1/2 cups rigotoni or penne pasta

About 4 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese

6 oz light cream

4 oz milk

1/2 cup fresh spinack

2 tbsps butter

Salt

Black pepper

1 tsp basil

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 clove of garlic

4 small chicken tenders

3 slices of prosciutto

2 1/2 cups  shrimp

In a large pot boil 4 cups of water and a dash of salt.  Add in pasta once the water is boiling.  Occasionally stir pasta to make sure it doesn't stick together.

In a deep sauce pan melt about half a tbsp of butter.  Add light cream, milk, and parmesan cheese.  Whisk  until the cheese is melted.  Add black pepper, a pinch of salt (to taste), and basil.  Continue to whisk ingredients together and let cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

The pasta should be done after about 12 minutes.  Remove from heat and strain.

In a sauté pan heat butter.  Dice garlic finely and toss into heated butter.  Slice chicken into 1 inch long thin strips and add into pan.  Once chicken is nicely browned, pull prosciutto into pieces and add in with the chicken. Toss chicken and prosciutto then remove from pan and add in with the sauce. 

Using the same pan turn the fire on high and add in the shrimp and smoked paprika (you can also use a little more butter to prevent the shrimp from sticking to the pan).  Once the shrimp turns pink on both sides remove from pan and add into the sauce.  Before turning the sauté pan off toss in the spinach with a little more butter (only if the pan needs it).  Remove the spinach from heat once done.

Add pasta and spinach to sauce.  Mix all ingredients together until all pasta shells are covered with sauce. 

Now it's time to eat.

Come on and link up your own recipe (this can be a new recipe or something new, you decide).