Easy recipes that even the most sleep deprived moms can make

The recipes are listed starting with the ones that take the shortest amount of time to prepare.

Tomato soup with basil

Servings: 1-2
Time to prepare: 3 minutes

• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 can water
• Basil

Mix soup and water in a medium glass or plastic bowl. Microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Sprinkle dried or fresh basil on top and serve.

Grilled cheese, ham, and tomato sandwiches

Servings: 1
Time to prepare: 5 minutes

• 2 slices of bread
• Enough cheese to cover sandwich (sliced or shredded, whatever flavor you have. I prefer mild cheddar cheese sliced to about 1/8" thick.)
• 2 slices of ham
• 2 slices of a tomato

Place cheese on one slice of bread and place the ham on the other slice of the bread. Put in toaster oven for one medium darkness toasting cycle, or until cheese melts. Then, put the tomato slices on the cheese and put the bread with ham on top of the other piece of bread.

Baked Potatoes Deluxe

Servings: 2
Time to prepare: 10 minutes

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 can of chili
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper

Scrub the potatoes and poke several times with a fork. Microwave on high for five minutes. Rotate and microwave on high for 2-4 more minutes. Meanwhile, heat up the chili on the stove. When the potatoes are done, cut them open and put butter, chili, salt and pepper on them. Serve immediately.

Apple, raisin, cinnamon pancakes

Servings: 4
Time to prepare: 10 minutes

• 1 1/2 cup pancake mix
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 apple diced to 1/4" cubes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Optional: butter
• Optional: warmed syrup

Blend pancake mix and water with a whisk. Batter will be lumpy. Add the next three ingredients and mix until combined. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a lightly greased skillet that has been preheated to 375 degrees, or medium heat. Cook pancakes for about one minute on each side or until golden brown, turning only once. While still warm, top with butter and syrup.

If you feel really ambitious, you can make some eggs to go with the pancakes. Here is how you make my favorite kind of eggs:

Take one or two eggs for each person. Crack them into a skillet and add about two tablespoons of water for each egg. (Go ahead and estimate the water amount.) When the egg turns white, flip it over and cook until it the yolk looks as hard as you want. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Chicken spaghetti

Servings: 4
Time to prepare: 20 minutes

• 4 chicken tenderloins
• About 15 oz of spaghetti sauce
• About a 1" ring of spaghetti noodles
• Water

Fill a 4 or 5 quart pan up about 2/3rds of the way with water. Cover with a lid and cook on high heat until it boils. When it boils, add the spaghetti noodles and allow to cook according to the package, usually about 9-11 minutes. Drain noodles and add a small amount of olive oil to the noodles so they don't stick together.

Meanwhile, place the chicken tenderloins in a deep skillet. Add the spaghetti sauce over the chicken and set to medium high. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and cover with a lid. Flip the chicken pieces after 10 minutes and cover. Before serving, cut into the thickest part of a chicken piece. If it isn't completely white, cook it longer.