Simple Recipe Ideas for Family...

My daughter (4 1/2) has recently discovered that she likes "tuna mac & cheese" She helps make it, so I think that makes it fun too.

I fix a box of Velveeta Shells & Cheese according to it's directions. Then I add in a can of tuna. Then I add about half a can of peas that I heat up in the microwave. Voila! Tuna mac & cheese! lol

You could add in a different veggie instead of peas if you wanted. I've also made it by just fixing 2 packages of Easy Mac instead of the Velveeta Shells & Cheese. Daughter loved it either way!

Ah, the dinner rut. It's so hard to get out of it! We like green salads with penne pasta in it along with some grilled or baked chicken tossed in (with tomato, carrots, cucumbers). You can add parmesan and red onions also if you like. Everyone in our house devours it. Taco salads are good also. You can let each person put their own together (chips, meat, cheese, tomatoes, cukes, corn, sour cream, guacamole, salsa (my youngers like ketchup instead), black beans, whatever you like). If you let your daughter choose what she puts on it from what you have prepared, she's more likely to eat it. Also, we marinade chicken with teryaki sauce and grill it. Then, serve with garlic/butter noodles and green beans. Big hit. We make our home version of Chipolte, which is so yummy. I just googled recipes for that and got a good one. Roasts are very easy and good. I use the Pioneer Woman's recipe with GREAT success. It turns out perfect every time, which is a huge bonus. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/perfect-pot-ro...
Actually, while you are there, look up other recipes. I make a lot of hers, and we've never been disappointed. They are not difficult, don't require lots of weird ingredients, and always satisfy the family. Enjoy!

I have a busy household with both my husband and I working full-time taking care of our 5 year old and 19 month old. I was in a rut cooking the same things cause I had a routine of ease with them. But we got tired of eating the same things. My husband bought me a mi book and it was a life saver. Here is the link below. They have hundreds of recipes on there that are quick. It's really cool in video form on a little thing that looks like a book. Sounds daunting but if I can fit it my life anyone can. I also use the cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. My oldest loves picking our recipes from there. Good Luck!

http://www.mibook.com/

http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/

My kids love what we call "Beef & Rice". Super simple. We brown some hamburger, drain the fat and set aside. Then start the cooking process on a box of beef flavored rice. When you add the water, put the hamburger in and simmer. Serve with your favorite vegetable. Our kids are picky and this is something they ask for!

invest in a crock pot! they're $10 -$20 and worth every penny. they also have crock pot cookbooks. just throw food in and it's done by supper time. my old stand-by is pork or beef roast with potatoes and carrots, just a little water, and seasoning. but there's plenty more that can be made in it. otherwise i try to find a day where i can make extra food then freeze for later when i don't want to cook. can't get pasta to freeze well, tho. tater tot casserole is easy and includes those important veggies. i use frozen chicken patties and packets of country gravy to make chicken fried chicken. there have been times when i just broke up a head of lettuce, put out a bunch of cut veggies and toppings and we made our own salads. sounds boring and slacking on my part but it's easy, quick, and healthy. i could go on but i'm hoping to get ideas myself as i feel i am also in a cooking rut. my husband is actually pickier than my daughter. congrats on the new baby!

S. m

Stir fry is alway easy - frozen veggies (or Udon/Ramen Noodles) with your choice of chicken, tofu of meat. Breakfast for dinner - omelettes, eggs and salami, scrambled eggs with chopped bacon/sausage and cheese.
Crock-pots! Make a whole chicken and save the leftovers for sandwiches, BBQ, chicken salads.

Whatever you are making now, you can also double the recipes and freeze them in separate containers to defrost whenever and save you from cooking later on.

Pizza casserole is a favorite in our house (noodles covered in pizza toppings...yum!)! We also love enchilada bake, lasagna, meatloaf, onion chicken, mexican soup, etc. All of these can either be made ahead of time, frozen, and recooked, or are crock pot meals. If any of them sound good to you, please feel free to PM me for the recipe (I just really didn't want to have to write all of them down if you weren't interested, but if you are, I would be happy to give them to you)!

I get into the same rut as well... I've done some online searches and found many places that have "simple" or "easy" recipes as well as fast or leave it / forget it recipes.
My favorite is http://www.mealsmatter.org/ - you can register and have a login on this one, and then you can mark recipes you want to try, add them to your "online cookbook", search by ingredient, prep-time, type of cooking (stove, crockpot, grill etc). It also has a place for you to add your own recipes so you can have them all in one location and not have books taking up space in the kitchen.
http://simplyrecipes.com/ - is another one I use, it has some really good recipes on it.
I've also just put in a google search simple __ recipe - where the blank is the main ingredient - pork, chicken or whatever I have on hand.

Good luck!

The BEST thing I did before my son was born was make up a HUGE batch of individual meat loaves (your favorite recipe cooked in a muffin pan) and put in the freezer for after he was born. (and this way it's REAL easy ti leave any objectionable ingredients out of part of the batch)

A GREAT site for meal ideas is www.5dollardinners.com