OT - What's for dinner?

hedgewick · 04-17-2006, 09:38 AM

Ok ladies and gentleman, I'm sick of eating the same stuff all the time. I feel like all I cook is spaghetti, chicken and Mac & cheese, and those box kit meals that are easy but probably not good for you. So, what are your favorite EASY meals. I've got a 4 year old son who is not terribly picky (LOVES veggies!) but is allergic to nuts so I have to be carefull of that. My husband isn't too picky either.

I'm heading to the grocery soon. Any ideas? Thanks!

aylaanne · 04-17-2006, 02:52 PM

I like to make beef stew--it doesn't take long but it lasts in the fridge for a good week (providing it doesn't get eaten by then). I also like to make spinach quiche. Spinach is a great vegetable and it goes well in all kinds of mix-ups.

If you have the time and inclination, learn how to make a cheese sauce from scratch. It doesn't take much longer than a powdered cheese sauce, but it has fewer preservatives and you can use whatever kind of cheese you want. I love making cheese sauces to put over a mix-up of a meat, a starch, and a vegetable--usually spinach or broccoli.

If you want some specific recipes I can send some to you. PM or email me.

Cristy · 04-17-2006, 03:01 PM

I know it takes time to do this but check out allrecipes.com sometime. I spend almost as much time there as I do here and I've never found a bad recipe. Almost everything I cook comes from that site.

I make a lot of soups from scratch and I love to make homemade chicken dumplins (you can make a quick version using homestyle canned biscuits as your dumplins). I'm a big fan of salad so I don't have a problem getting in my veggies...We grill a lot of meat since dh has a gas grill on the deck.

Jan in CA · 04-17-2006, 03:03 PM

Hmm...we had chicken tacos the other night that were yummy!

bjc1050 · 04-17-2006, 05:45 PM

Quesadillas (Mexican grilled cheese sandwiches). You can add cooked chicken breast if you like or just use cheese. Serve them with chili or salad.

Some of my favorite recipe sites are:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/
http://www.campbellkitchen.com/default.aspx
http://www.mccormick.com/index.cfm

hedgewick · 04-17-2006, 07:00 PM

mmm... this all sounds really great! I love watching the food network but it always looks too time consuming or complex. My son (age 4) loves Rachel Ray! She's his "girlfriend"! I like her too and her show is the only one I can really see using the recipes unless it's a special holiday or something. Of course, I'm a stay at home mom so I don't really have an excuse not to make something good for dinner every night. I like the salad idea. All 3 of us like spinich so we may use that in our meals more.

Hallegold · 04-17-2006, 07:32 PM

I love Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals cookbook. The recipes are easy to do and easy to understand. AND they really do take just 30 minutes to prepare.

Her books are well worth the investment. I got my copy at Costco (Sam's Club also has them).

candicane · 04-17-2006, 07:43 PM

Check out www.eatingwell.com Look under recipes for Healthy in a Hurry.

I have had a subscription to this magazine for a couple of years and have made many tasty meals. Some call for odd ingredients, but I usually just subsitute something else.

Candice

JLC · 04-17-2006, 07:51 PM

I've found a lot of recipes on allrecipes.com and they are all pretty good. My kids eat pasta with butter and parmesan cheese and mac & cheese quite a bit because I have 2 VERY picky eaters. I'm so tired of getting home from work at 4:30, rushing to get a decent meal on the table, just to have them refuse to eat it. If anyone has any recipes for picky kids, I'd love them!!

cheesiesmom · 04-17-2006, 07:56 PM

one of my fave receipes (especially with left over chicken or turkey) is a stirfry. I use frozen chopped veggies of any sort (those frozen blends are nice or if I'm so inclined and have stuff around the house use fresh) stir fry them with what ever protein (shellfish, chicken (cooked or fresh), l-o turkey, pork, beef, my DD loves tofu) add a little soy, some canned chicken or beef or vegetable broth thickened with a couple of tbsps of cornstarch, serve over steamed rice. I just make my rice in a pan on the stove. I don't need anymore gadgets; I'm trying to simplify.

Sometimes, depending on the veggies I skip the soy, use some white wine, make sure there's a little tomato and mushroom in it and serve it with pasta and sprinkle parmasen cheese. Voila, Italian tonight.

Surprisingly, my kids used to love this; they ate lots a veggies and loved the rice or pasta. With a little inventiveness, you could probably serve it several nights in a row. Just change around the veggies. Obviously, this is better if you have fresh veggies, but the frozen are good too.