Help me feed my in laws

[Anonymous]

ILs are coming for 4 days and meals are always really stressful. I can’t ask them what they want because they will say “oh whatever you make will be fine” and DH just waits until everyone is hungry to start throwing out restaurant ideas. They don’t like the same food that my kids like and MIL doesn’t like eating out at all.
I’ve decided I need to have 7 meals planned for at home. I’ll make the kids separate meals since ILs don’t eat spice and like really plain food and my kids do not.

They will eat only American food (including Italian American food, but not authentic Italian food). They won’t eat rice or things like couscous.

So far I have:

- hot dogs
- hamburgers
- chicken Alfredo
- cold cuts for sandwiches
- possibly grilled chicken breast but not sure about sides. Once I tried serving them asparagus but they had never eaten it and it didn’t go over well.

And that is all I could come up with. What else is a meal I can make? DH is no help. I’m not American and am not that familiar with old fashioned American dishes (new American cuisine is great, but not ILs style).

[Anonymous]

Pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, corn on the cob, coleslaw? Or even just chips if they’re really picky? You can make the pork ahead of time and they can also have the leftovers easily on another day for lunch or whatever.

[Anonymous]

No rice? That's a curveball. Never eaten asparaus? Oh boy. These are two pretty standard meat and potato type staples.

What about a flank steak (or other type) with potatoes, carrots and dinner rolls?

BBQ grilled chicken with corn, watermelon, side salad and dinner roll?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ILs are coming for 4 days and meals are always really stressful. I can’t ask them what they want because they will say “oh whatever you make will be fine” and DH just waits until everyone is hungry to start throwing out restaurant ideas. They don’t like the same food that my kids like and MIL doesn’t like eating out at all.
I’ve decided I need to have 7 meals planned for at home. I’ll make the kids separate meals since ILs don’t eat spice and like really plain food and my kids do not.

They will eat only American food (including Italian American food, but not authentic Italian food). They won’t eat rice or things like couscous.

So far I have:

- hot dogs
- hamburgers
- chicken Alfredo
- cold cuts for sandwiches
- possibly grilled chicken breast but not sure about sides. Once I tried serving them asparagus but they had never eaten it and it didn’t go over well.

And that is all I could come up with. What else is a meal I can make? DH is no help. I’m not American and am not that familiar with old fashioned American dishes (new American cuisine is great, but not ILs style).

Kind of wondering if this is real?

At any rate: pot roast, breakfast for dinner, mac and cheese, pasta with bottled sauce, tacos, American-style goulash. Sides for grilled chicken: potato salad, mac salad, green salad, french fries, roasted potatoes, sauteed spinach.

[Anonymous]

Caesar salad with protein add on
Chicken or tuna salad
Cheese platter
A seafood dish - salmon or some fish they will eat with basic sides
Steak with basic sides

Basic sides
- baked potato
- spinach
- broccoli

Just look up a super basic, boring American restaurant with a boring menu and pull from there.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Perfect! I am adding pulled pork sandwiches with chips and grilled steak/chicken with corn and carrots (they’re bound to eat one of those, right?)

[Anonymous]

Meatloaf
Ham with carrots, mashed potatoes and bread rolls
Pork chops
Chicken Pot Pie

[Anonymous]

OP again - how did I not think of Mac and cheese?! Will make a huge batch of that.

[Anonymous]

Taco bar, this is what I do with my picky in laws

Grilled chicken, black beans
Tortillas and taco shells
Diced tomatoes and salsa
Shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole

Everyone puts together their own plates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taco bar, this is what I do with my picky in laws

Grilled chicken, black beans
Tortillas and taco shells
Diced tomatoes and salsa
Shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole

Everyone puts together their own plates

And shredded romaine!

Tortilla chips.

[Anonymous]

I just hosted my parents, who eat healthy. Way too healthy. For days it was nothing but lettuce, broccoli, boiled eggs, a bit of white chicken, and complaining about seeing too much pasta, rice and potatoes on the table. Not on their plate! On the table, for the others, like my two hungry teenagers.

Parents. What can you do?!

[Anonymous]

Baked chicken thighs
tater tots
spaghetti and jarred plain sauce

[Anonymous]

Mashed potatoes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, corn on the cob, coleslaw? Or even just chips if they’re really picky? You can make the pork ahead of time and they can also have the leftovers easily on another day for lunch or whatever.

+1 Or set a pork tenderloin in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots, and serve it sliced.

[Anonymous]

Premade lasagna. Rana is really good (refrigerated, not frozen). My family eats it with garlic bread and salad.