What's for Dinner? - Chicago,IL

I make the arugula, watermelon and feta cheese salad (Ina Garten); it is so delicious-serve it with something grilled-like fish tacos!

For pulled pork, I just cook a pork shoulder in the slow cooker with BBQ sauce (usually Sweet Baby Ray's) all day, then spoon more BBQ sauce on it when it's in the bun.

If you like salmon, cedar-planked salmon on the grill is always good. You can find a lot of good salmon recipes (different flavored marinades, etc.) on-line, like at allrecipes.com. We like grilled tuna steaks too.

Sometimes we'll just do sushi because it doesn't involve cooking or heating anything up at all!

Pork shoulder roast- cook in apple juice 10 hrs. Shred pork add your favorite BBQ sauce.

Breakfast - we do this once a week for the summer.

BLT- sandwhiches.

I am with you for the food slum, we have eaten out twice this week which is rare for us.

Steaks on the grill, marinated in Bulgogi sauce.

The kids will be having turkey burgers (the Bubba brand from the frozen food section.)

Grilled asparagus, bell peppers, and onions.

I might try to grill sweet potatoes too, but I've never done it, so it might be interesting.

This week I have done Salmon wrapped in foil...

Salmon
In a medium bowl, mix.. chopped tomatoes (I used 2.. you can also used drained diced tomatoes from the can, Italian seasonings to taste (I used fresh basil and rosemary) garlic, touch of olive oil and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix together well.

On large piece of foil, spray lightly with Pam, put salmon on the foil, salt/pepper to taste. Put tomato mixture on top, seal the edges to enclose the salmon tightly with a little room for steam. This can all be done about 6 hours ahead of time and when done earlier, the flavors do mix better. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes until done. This could be done on a grill as well.

I am not a low cooker person but I do have a pulled pork that is great in the slow cooker. I take a pork shoulder, season with pork run really well, put in crock pot, add a little sauce to it.. I use KC or Sweet baby Ray crock all day. Pulls apart great for sandwiches, add more sauce as needed.

Last night I stuffed manicotti.. It is a favorite here with my homemade marinara that I keep on hand at all times. I also cooked a couple of hot Italian sausages and garlic toast to go with it.

Enjoy, I look forward to getting some new ideas from this post as well!!

I made awesome turkey burgers the other day that my super picky kids gobbled up. Take 1lb ground turkey, add some sea salt and then grate up so Gruyere cheese (about 2/3 of a cup) and mix in. Form into patties and fry in olive oil.

Made this last week and this week. Super yummy! Just use thin cut chicken. It cooks in no time. We had it with rice and a salad.

The fresh, clean taste of Lemon Chicken is good served all year round. Lemon does a much for chicken as it does for fish as you'll see with this recipe. The lemon shines through and highlights the other flavors in this dish as well.

The best part about this Lemon Chicken recipe is that it's ready in under 30 minutes, and it can also be easily doubled to feed more.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 4 ounces each), tenderloins removed and pounded to an even thickness (see Recipe Notes below)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus mor for garnish
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Preparation:
1. On a sheet of wax paper or in a shallow dish, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat each breast with the mixture, shaking off the excess.

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and no longer pink in the center. Remove to a serving platter.

3. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring to scrape up any browned bits in the pan, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced slightly. Stir in the capers and parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve right away with lemon slices and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Hi,
Last night we had salmon cooked on the grill with grilled zucchini and eggplant. The night before we had fettuccine Alfredo with salad. The night before that we had steak and pork chops on the grill with spinach and baked potato.
Tonight we will have burgers and dogs on the grill with salad and chips. I might make a pasta salad, too, but I'm not sure yet.
On Sunday we had beer can chicken on the grill with salad, rice, and sautéed mushrooms - it was yummy!

Last night my husband baked chicken and steamed broccoli and corn - I went to bed early because I was tired and not hungry, but the house smelled great!

Tonight it will probably be sandwiches, we have a Zumbathon to attend :).

I use my BIL's recipe for pulled pork BBQ and it is amazing!! So simple too. I do a dry rub of pepper, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. I put the pork shoulder in the crock pot, and pour Rootbeer over it. Let it cook on low for 8 hours. Then I drain the liquid and shred the pork, place it back in the semi-clean crock pot. I use Sweet Baby Ray's original BBQ sauce and add in some more garlic powder and a little bit of mustard. It is AMAZING. Takes all of 20 minutes prep time also :).

In the crock pot I also make my homemade spaghetti sauce - courtesy of my sister! 1 large can of tomato sace, 1 small can of crushed tomatoes (or maybe it is opposite, the jars are just at home). I saute an onion in olive oil with fresh garlic and basil. I also bake hot italian sausage and then cut that up. Mix all of that in a crock pot (the sausage, onions/garlic, and two cans of tomatoes). I simmer that on low for 4 hours and it's awesome. My kids LOVE it over bow-tie pasta. * My husband is not a huge fan, he says it is to tomato-y for him, but the rest of us love it so I still make it.

Other quick dinner ideas:
tacos
fajitas
sloppy joes
hamburgers/hot dogs on the grill
stir-fry
taco's in a pasta shell

Well last night I realized the only meat I had on hand was chicken and I am SO sick of chicken! So I looked at what else I had and ended up making fresh steamed spinach, crispy fried potatoes and poached eggs. I served it layered, bed of spinach, topped with a scoop of potatoes and an egg on top. It was yummy!
I'm going shopping later today and plan to get some salmon and talapia. We love salmon grilled with a simple soy glaze, and the tilapia makes for great fish tacos. I'm also going to try spinach strawberry smoothies which I had on vacation this week, sooo good, I hope they come out as good at home.
Oh, and my kids have really been into chili lately. That's easy to make in the crockpot. We like to eat it "taco salad" style, on a bed of tortilla or corn chips with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc.

I made the easiest pulled pork a few weeks ago.

Just get a 2-3 lb pork loin roast and put it in the crock pot with one large, diced onion. Pour one bottle of beer over it. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. When done, it will shred up. Put it on sandwich rolls with BBQ sauce. Awesome!

For my quick, not wanting to stand over a hot stove meals:

I cheat w/the pulled pork sandwiches I make. I use a pre-made kit.

I grill apple sausages. Served w/potato salad (pre-made).

Taco salad

Grilled chicken breast w/bbq sauce, grilled corn on the cob, salad.

Grilled steak (sm portions) & grilled veggies.

Rotisserie chicken (p/u from store when in a pinch).

Grilled burgers

Breakfast for dinner

Breakfast burritos (scrambled eggs, shredded cheddar cheese & hot sauce).

taco ranch chicken
made in slow cooker

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package hidden valley ranch dry mix
1 package dry taco seasoning (generic is fine)
1 carton or 2 cans chicken broth(generic is fine)

put chicken, dry mixes and broth in slow cooker. cook on low for about 5 hours turning chicken once or twice. (we like a lot of juice so its ok that it looks like the chicken is swimming in it lol) let it cook for about 5 hours, pull chicken out and lay on a jelly roll pan or cake pan something with sides to trap any juice. use 2 forks and shred chicken. put back into crock pot with other juice. stir it up good and leave for about another hour.

serve on taco shells with your favorite seasonings. or use it in hamburger buns with a blob of cheese and lettuce. (plain is good also)

or
instead of shredding just slice into slices and serve that way. my kids love this. the old people at our last party raved about it.

the left overs make excellent chicken enchiladas. or a great casserole

Tacos tonight. (Early baseball game)
Put pork in crockpot w/ quartered onion, no liquid.
Low 8 hours.
Drain any liquid.
Shred w/ 2 forks.
Mix 2/3 BBQ sauce & 1/3 apricot preserves.
Pour over meat, mix, heat addl 15-20 min.

We are having grilled chicken topped with balsamic portobello mushrooms, quinoa, and green beans with basil and cherry tomatoes or a broccoli grape salad.

Our favorite meals:
Barbecue chicken pizza with red onion and cilantro
Fish tacos with slaw and spicy yogurt sauce
Cobb Salad
Chicken and biscuits (plus a big salad to help soothe our consciences!)
Homemade baked chicken strips, curried rice, and cut veggies or a salad.
Burgers with apple slaw and blue cheese is a meal that took me by surprise. The combination is SOOOOO delicious!

We don't eat pulled pork, but I have a shredded beef sandwich recipe that is very, very good.

Edit* I just scrolled down and looked at the other answers. My evening meal is now changed. Thanks Mommy of 1 for the recipe! :)

I have a delicious spicy black bean and veggie burger recipe that's to die for. If anyone wants it let me know.

I like allrecipes.com for ideas. I signed up for their free recipes and they e-mail me one e-mail per day.

For a pulled pork recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southern-Pulled-Pork/Detail....

This recipe uses liquid smoke. For smoked flavor I use my grill. I put a boston butt roast in an aluminum (disposable) pan on the top of a metal trivet. I season the roast with a dry rub and place it on my grill. I fill the pan with water up to the top of the trivet. I use mesquite chunks for smoke flavor (I like it so much better than liquid smoke). I add water when the pan gets low. I smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Then if the bone won't slip out with a slight tug, I put the roast in a crock pot for 4 more hours. Then the bone will slip out. I use a fork to shred the roast, pulling off the fat when I come to it. I add one 18 oz bottle of BBQ sauce and stir. Then I add some more BBQ sauce make it juicy and soft. The water in the pan is added to the pork roast because it has some pork juices and smoke flavor and really enhances the flavor of the pulled pork. I cooked a 10 lb boston butt roast and used two 18 oz bottles of BBQ sauce. I also put several servings in plastic containers and put it in my freezer. They tasted great a month or more later.

Other recipe: one pound of noodles, boiled until cooked, but firm, not soft. 1/2 cup mayonnaise or one cup of alfredo sauce, one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup to one cup of bacon bits, one lid of Kirkland brand (Costco) "Organic no salt seasoning", add garlic (crushed or granules) to your taste. One tablespoon of balsamic or red wine vinegar. Two cups of artichoke hearts cut in half or quarters (Kirkland, "Artichoke Hearts marinated in oil"). Stir and serve. Serve hot or cold. I tasted this as a sample in Costco. You can add diced chicken for more substance and flavor. I was really amazed at how good it tasted. As you boil the noodles, you can add the other ingredients to a mixing bowl so all this takes is the time it takes to boil the noodles. Real quick, real tasty, real simple.

Good luck to you and yours.