What Are You Eating in Your House?

We had crab cakes, creamed spinach and fruit. Okay, a little eclectic, but it works. We always have quinoa or couscous on hand, salad, and fruit so we just pick a veg and a main dish. Lately DH and I have gotten into baking veggies with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

When one of my grandsons was little and wouldn't eat veggies his mom asked me 'how long can someone go without eating veggies?' to which I replied 'so far 22 yrs'. We laughed because I was referring to one of her siblings who wasn't a big veggie eater for the first 22 yrs.

I’m forever on the lookout for easy recipes for my family. I came across a way to plan ahead on what to make. I just started to do it so I haven’t put it in place yet, but maybe it will help you or someone else that sees this.

What you do is write out a list of every dinner your family likes and will eat. I was able to come up with about 40. Then you write the name of each one on the front of an index card: spaghetti, tacos, meatloaf, roast, chili, tuna casserole, pork chops…etc. Then on the back of the card, write down the sides that go with it AND the MAIN ingredients you need. So spaghetti on the front then corn, garlic bread, salad on the back along with noodles, sauce, hamburger, etc.

Then what you do is go through your index cards and pick out what you want to eat for the next week or two. Look on the back of each and write out a grocery list of what you need, after you check the fridge, freezer and pantry first. This way you are seeing all your favorites and picking out ones you haven’t had in a while AND you can check to see if you already have the ingredients. So a little planning ahead and you should be able to know what you are making and rotate enough that you are not eating the same 5 things over and over but still eating what you know your family will like. I also plan to throw in a new recipe maybe every 2 weeks just for more variety.

If it works for dinner I may do it for breakfast and lunches as well since the kids will be home for the summer and I'm home every day. Good luck.

too much sugar, apparently, at least that's what my scales tell me. :(
oh wait, that's the late at night when my brain shuts down thing.
broccoli and carrot casserole. butternut squash in a startling variety of forms (i was in a rut until i implored for ideas on my facebook page- now i'm wishing i had more of the dang things.) nice roasted chicken is always a hit. crock pot chili. pork and apples. stuffed baked potatoes. pumped-up grilled cheese sammiches. black bean burgers. marinated grilled carrot 'hot dogs.' those fancy chicken and apple sausages from costco. fried eggs on half a bagel.
and we have a big salad every night.
i should probably just stop with the salad.
:X khairete
S.

Our menu this week:

Monday - Roast w/potatoes and carrots (crockpot)
Tuesday - Ham and cornbread casserole (used leftover ham from Christmas)
Wednesday - Beef Stroganoff (used left over beef juice and gravy from roast)
Thursday - Meatloaf w/mashed potatoes and corn (will use left over spaghetti sauce from Sunday to top)
Friday - Baked Chicken Tacos
Saturday - Chicken Noodle Soup (will use left over chicken I didn't use in tacos)
Sunday - leftovers/kids choice. If I still have leftovers, I tend to make a chili or casserole I can "hide" them in to use them up. I also pack leftovers for lunches every day.

Many of my meals are planned according to other meals I have made - we almost always have stroganoff within a few days after having roast to utilize the drippings/gravy, and if I am going to make rotisserie chicken, I am going to make two rather than one. I try not to waste anything, and try to save time wherever I can! Good luck!

As a working mom my focus is on stripped down, simple home cooking. We are not fans of cooked ahead meals or left overs so each night I cook. Hence, meals on the table in about thirty minutes with only a handful of ingredients is my ideal. We eat a lot of chicken. I buy whole chickens and either boil them whole or cut them up to bake them in pieces. From the boiled chicken I get stock and shredded chicken which translates to soups, enchiladas, mac and cheese with additions (chicken, bacon, veggies, etc.), etc. I boil the chicken on the weekends and go from there.

My standby cooking approach for most meals is baking, though. I like the speed and hands off nature of baking. For the baked chicken I serve with rice, pasta, couscous, etc. Alternatively I will get chicken tenders and do baked chicken bites or tenders. Again I serve that with rice, pasta, couscous, etc. Baked pork chops are another quick one. Brown on the stove on one side and then flip, moving to the oven to finish cooking. I treat these meals like chicken so the same sides are up for grabs.

I can get a cut up whole chicken baked and on the table in 45 minutes. I can tailor the seasoning of the pieces to cater to the kids’ milder preferences or go heavy, spicy for the adults. Baked chicken bites are thirty minutes start to finish; I tend to season those with herbs de Provence in the bread crumbs but I can vary the seasoning to suit a mood. While the chicken is going, I have time to cook rice or another side with minimal effort. The rice is jasmine, basmati, saffron or wild rice mix. I add flavored olive oils, coconut milk or diced flavored tomatoes to add variety. If I am feeling ambitious, I can sauté some veggies to add to the mix as well (mushrooms, onions, garlic, shallot, bell pepper, etc.). My kids tend to favor mac and cheese and it is not a hill I am dying on so they eat a lot of it. I have also been known to do quick pan sauces from the baked chicken bits. Those sauces are wide open for variety.

When I am feeling totally lazy, for the kids I make breakfast (eggs, pancakes, cereal, yogurt, French toast sandwiches, etc.) or quesadillas (cheese only). For the adults I make homemade ramen soup type dishes.

I don’t do meal planning but I keep all my staples on hand to do anything on any given night. Good luck on getting out of the rut.

For several nights, we had 'sloppy lentils', a slow-cooker recipe I found in a cookbook. It's basically brown lentils cooked with the seasonings of Sloppy Joe (tomatoes, onions, chili powder, mustard, a little sugar). It goes on any kind of bread and offers the protein and density of a traditional comfort food along with being veggie-based (and easy!). Steamed veggies also go over well (broccoli, etc), and we also love sweet potatoes roasted in the jackets in foil. Chopped roots (beets, turnips, carrots, etc) roasted in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt are great too, though my kids haven't taken to them.

Tonight I made pan roasted chicken thighs seasoned with paprika, salt, pepper, and some other spices. On the side I made a cheesy rice casserole. Green salad and a bowl of fresh fruit to pick on afterwards. Yesterday was pizza night. The night before, I made shrimp scampi over penne. Day before that, we had oven roasted salmon with a yogurt dill sauce, cucumber vinaigrette and rice. I'm totally craving a burger, so tomorrow night, when I take my niece and daughter out to dinner at Ruby's Diner, I'm getting one!

I hate cooking, so the easier the meal, the higher the chance of me making it. If a recipe has more than 6 ingredients, I tend to move on.

Roast chicken, turkey, beef or pork with mashed potatoes and gravy. Pan fried or baked fish, such as pickerel, tilapia, cod or salmon with rice. Chicken pieces or pork tenderloin with lemon roasted potatoes. Ham and scalloped potatoes. Stuffed peppers. Perogies, cabbage rolls and garlic sausage. Grilled steak or pork chops with baked potatoes. Chili or stew with fresh bread/buns. Lasagna with garlic toast. French toast, pancakes, frittata, egg Mcmuffins or omelettes with bacon, sausage and hash browns. Hot dogs, burgers or sloppy joes with French fries.

Frozen meatballs in a crock pot on warm all day with either of the following for sauce:
1 jar grape jelly and 1 jar chili sauce
or
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

For the first, you can eat them alone. YUM. And kids LOVE this.

For the second, boil some egg noodles on the side, and pour on top for the meal.

Either way, simple and delicious.

Updated

Frozen meatballs in a crock pot on warm all day with either of the following for sauce:
1 jar grape jelly and 1 jar chili sauce
or
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

For the first, you can eat them alone. YUM. And kids LOVE this.

For the second, boil some egg noodles on the side, and pour on top for the meal.

Either way, simple and delicious.

Last night I tried something totally new and it was awesome and simple. Parsnips and carrots.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and peel the carrots and parsnips. Cut them lengthwise (jullienne). Throw them in a bowl and toss with some olive oil (3 tablespoons full) spread parsnips and carrots onto a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until tender flip them over after 10 minutes.

After cooking season with sea salt, cracked pepper and dill.

The parsnips when cooked this way look like french fries but taste so much better. I will definitely make this again.

We eat a lot of beans. I make a pot of pinto beans and mash them. Then we have several days of burritos, tostadas, nachos; I make some taco meat to go with the beans and we have soft tacos one night (with or without the beans). Sometimes we add chicken for fajitas. We also like black beans. We aren't big meat eaters, so beans are something of a staple in our house.

homemade baked chicken nuggets and baked potatoes with a veggie
rotisserie chicken with buttered noodles and a veggie
breaded baked pork chops and quinoa and cheese (like mac-n-cheese but with quinoa instead of noodles) with a veggie
grilled pork chops with potato wedges and a veggie.
chicken stirfry with rice and veggies
tacos night
burger and fry night (either pork burgers or hamburgers)
chicken alfredo on noodles with a veggie
chicken spaghetti (or a beefy meat sauce) on noodles with a veggie
chicken Parmesan on noodles with a veggie (or we make it vegan and do eggplant parm on spaghetti squash)
grilled chicken, baked chicken, steak, a roast or ham served with mashed potatoes or seasoned rice and a veggie
chili or cheddar bacon potato soup for the days when we need a hardy lunch (that could be used as a dinner if need be
bacon, eggs and pancakes or waffles night
and homemade pizza
just to name a few of the different meals that i make for my family.

We usually do some sort of Zatarans meal with chicken breast diced into it once a week.
Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya, Black Beans and Rice, Dirty Rice (we use ground turkey instead of beef).
When we do the Caribbean Rice besides chicken I add a can of chunky pineapple too.

We use to do more pasta but I got bored with it.
I like a lot of soups but my guys don't care for soup very much.

We need to do chili sometime.
I'll make white chili (ground turkey and chicken) when my husband's out of town (he won't eat it).

Sometimes sandwiches for supper is all we have time for.
I like ham and Swiss on rye (or pumpernickel) with mayo and Dijon mustard - it's great cold or from the panini press.

We had meatloaf this week - everyone in our family loves that.

Last night we had baked fish - it's really so easy, just put the fish (I buy tilapia loins) into tin foil pouches with some olive oil and your spices of choice, bake for 20 min. Since each piece of fish bakes in its own pouch, I let each person customize - I can make mine a little spicy while the kids' fish has some italian spices.

When I'm organized enough, I like to throw a small roast in the crock pot with veggies for pot roast.

When I'm not organized, baked chicken is easy and less than an hour to pull together beginning to end starting with frozen chicken breasts I always have in the freezer - thaw in water, bread with seasoned bread crumbs, and bake for 40 min. Then microwave some veggies to go with it.

Tonight, to be totally honest, it's going to be fast food because I have to go from work to pick up the kids at after school program to activities all back to back until 7:30PM. (I know that's not what you are looking for, I'm just throwing a little bit of reality into the idealistic "cook home made meals for my family every night" responses)

My kids like buttered noodles too. I compromise by having them as a side, and they don't get seconds on noodles until they've eaten the main dish.

This week has been, Pot roast, pizza/date night, roast beef, Bean soup, and Swiss Steak. My FIL raises some cattle and just sent us part of a side so we have been beef heavy this week. Other favs are chicken and dumplings, chicken tacos, beef stroganoff, pork roast in a crock pot (makes great pork BBQ next night), baked breaded pork chops, baked potatoes (with broccoli and cheese when we are feeling healthy or chicken strips and gravy when we aren't), and Taco salad.

Night before last, we had shrimp etouffee and a salad made with romaine, spinach, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado, dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and parmesan.

Last night was whole wheat pasta topped with stir-fried vegetables (broccoli, squash, water chestnuts, baby corn, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, onion, celery, bell pepper).

Tonight will be tilapia pan-seared in garlic butter, roasted brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.

Tomorrow night will be chicken stew over rice.

For us, most recently we've had quesadillas, roast chicken with broccoli & wild rice, hissin' chicken (legs with a spice rub - baked) with cauliflower & couscous, Big Fat Salad (we just set out a ton of different options & everyone makes their own - kinda like at a buffet), pot o' beans (pinto beans with a ham bone that was saved from our Christmas ham - slow simmered all day), vegetarian chili, & tonight will be homemade pizza since it's our family movie night.
Looking over this, there doesn't seem to be any beef which is not normally the case. I just happen to be abstaining from meats & sweets for a while so that kinda skews the menu a bit.
Hope you get out of the food rut soon! That's never fun.
Grace & peace in abundance :-)

Chicken tikka masala cooked in a crockpot. Rotisserie chicken with a side of rice pilaf and corn on the cob. Meatballs with pasta. Veg chili.

We do a chicken stir fry. Teriyaki style with rice. Kids like it - all of them, which is why. My husband makes it so it's pretty basic. Just recipe he kind of made up.

We do wraps (?) I guess you call them. My kids all like them. Those tortilla type wraps and we either do chicken or hamburger (kids' favorites) with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc. and kids roll them up. Popular here.

We do a lot of pasta. I make my own tomato sauce (easy recipe I got off Annies' Eats), and then I do alfredo sometimes.

I do one cheeseburger casserole dish (in skillet) a week. Just hamburger, cheese and tomato soup, macaroni, and water). That with a salad - they all eat (except for one).

Pizza - we get those Naan (?) breads and each kid makes their own - super easy. They love that.

Sausages - husband does on barbecue. Mild Italian for kids usually. Salad.

I do typical shake and bake too - pork chops or we do chicken legs, etc.

Roast on weekends.

Those little hams. My kids love those.

I feel like I'm stuck in a rut sometimes too. The problem is my kids love our rut and don't want to change. I do look up recipes and like to learn new things every now and then. Overall we like to eat these dinners:
Roast chicken night (with rice, a veggie dish, or salad)
Enchiladas (often I use leftover roast chicken)
Chicken soup (with leftover chicken. I boil the carcass with veggies for 3 or more hours to make the stock. The kids love chicken noodle soup although I will also make bean and veggie soup, chicken kale soup, wild rice soup, tortilla soup, etc)
Stuffed shells with a creamy marinara sauce. The kids like a brown sugar/soy sauce marinade for the salmon.
Grilled salmon, a veggie or salad, a starch.
If there are leftovers I make salmon cakes (like crab cakes) another night
Or salmon pasta with a pesto sauce, green beans, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil
Tacos/burrito night
Pork loin, mashed potatoes, veggie or salad. I do a spice rub and usually grill it
Chili in the crockpot served with corn bread
Chicken parmesan. I pound chicken breasts, bread them, and saute them till golden brown. I serve with a big green salad with a homemade lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
Sometimes (rarely) we grill steaks or I cook a beef roast in the crockpot.
Baby back ribs with bbq sauce, baked potatoes, salad
Sauted pork chops. I saute them with onion and mushrooms and a little white wine.
Jambalaya
Lentil soup with bread and salad
Polish sausage cut into small rounds. Saute with onions and thin cut potatoes. Yum!
Stir fry made with whatever leftover meat.
BBQ chicken, corn casserole, and a salad
Hamburgers.
Now I'm really hungry

Tacos with guacamole on the side with chips