We're in a food rut! What are your go-to meals?

[Anonymous]

Help me branch out! We're totally in a food rut. Our tried and true meals are spaghetti & meatballs, tacos, black beans and rice, baked fish, breakfast for dinner (eggs & bacon) and friday night homemade pizza. Kids aren't big on sauces or lasagna/ziti type casseroles, so simple preparations work best for them, but having something for DH and I to jazz it up with would be interesting.

Please, inspire me. I like to cook, so involved dishes aren't bad if they last for more than one meal!

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I'll let my kid pick out something random at the grocery store. Then I figure out later what to make with it.

He saw kale one day and wanted to try it. I steamed it and tossed it with bacon. One time, he picked out beets--a swing and a miss. I still like him to be adventurous.

I also look at cookbooks with him that have pictures and let him pick out something that looks interesting to him.

[Anonymous]

Chicken "cutlets" -

Bread chicken tenderloin meat (I dip it in egg first and I add lots of Italian seasoning to the breading)

Fry on both sides in olive oil (I bought a splatter guard at Safeway). Takes about 7 minutes each side, medium to medium high heat.

Serve with ketchup. Its like chicken tenders.

[Anonymous]

I love PP's idea about letting her kids pick out a random ingredient.

Here are a few suggestions -

Try fish tacos if you don't already - our kids love tilapia rolled up in soft tacos with avocado. My husband and I add cabbage, cilantro, salsa, and a sauce made by mixing some canned chipotle peppers with plain yogurt.

Huevos rancheros - kind of a combination of your bean & rice and breakfast for dinner.

Fritatas if your kids like eggs - adaptable and easy.

Shrimp has also been a surprise hit around here lately. I'll saute some in garlic and olive oil and serve with rice and some sort of stirfried veggie.

I really like this fried rice recipe too. I'll add whatever veggies I have and often tofu, chick peas, or leftover meat.
http://miserablebliss.ca/blog/2007/02/06/curried-fried-rice/

[Anonymous]

Chicken. All can be served with your favorite grain and vegetable side:

1. Parmesan chicken - 1 c up parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning (I used McCormick Perfect Pinch salt-free). Wet chicken breasts, coat with seasoned cheese and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or so until done.

2. Salsa chicken - http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=197691.

3. Classic continental chicken. Chicken medallions (you can use chicken tenders to make this easier). Brown butter. Brown chicken in butter. Add chopped or chiffonade of basil. When done, squeeze 1/4 to 1/2 lemon over the chicken. Also works great with Salmon, but you have to be gentle cooking the salmon and it cooks faster.

All are under 1/2 hour recipes.

Beef:

Shephard's pie. I make mashed potatoes on the weekend. Then just brown beef (I add Onion soup mix to the beef), put on the bottom of pie plate or baking dish, cover with frozen carrots and peas mix (I usually microwave them about 3 minutes so that I don't need to bake the final dish as long). Cover with mashed potatoes, bake until the potatoes are browned about 20-30 minutes.

Mac & Beef: Brown beef in Dutch oven with olive oil (if you use less fatty beef, you can omit if you use fattier ground beef) chopped onion and minced garlic. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and al dente macaroni. Should be very thick and not too liquidy. Add grated parmesan or romano cheese. Cook stirring occasionally. Nice variation of spaghetti and meatballs, but served as a one-pot dish. I make the pasta, pour out and use the same Dutch oven for making the final product, so that the only other dish I need is the collander.

Beef stew. Night before, brown beef, with onions and garlic. Cube potatoes. Dice carrots. Can all be tossed in the same tupperware or ziploc bag. Morning, toss prepped mixture, water, canned tomatoes, and soy sauce into a crock pot. Cook on low all day. When you come home, make some egg noodles and serve.

[Anonymous]

Quesadillas - we keep them simple - bacon, cheese, & corn. If I have some leftover chicken, I use that instead of the bacon.

[Anonymous]

My go tos:
Baked teriyaki chicken wings or drums
Steamed ground pork with preserved veggies
Spareribs in black bean sauce
Ravioli with pesto sauce
Ground beef and eggplant in black bean sauce

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My go tos:
Baked teriyaki chicken wings or drums
Steamed ground pork with preserved veggies
Spareribs in black bean sauce
Ravioli with pesto sauce
Ground beef and eggplant in black bean sauce

Can I come over dinner.

[Anonymous]

Sloppy joes. If you like cooking, skip the mix and flavor it yourself--you'll get rid of the chemicals and preservatives, and can tinker to taste. I like to chop up zucchini or summer squash and carrots very fine, and add them to the meat along with chopped garlic and onion. (Brown the meat first, set aside; fry the veggies till a little soft, then add the meat back.) Then add your own flavorings. I use thyme, chili powder, ketchup, and worcestershire.

[Anonymous]

+1 on the fish tacos, frittata, and shepherd's pie.

[Anonymous]

DS loves crispy kale.

Remove the stems, rip or chop into bite-size pieces (or, for the lacinato ("dino") kale, just remove from the stems lengthwise, leaving long strips). Toss in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and massage with your hands to soften a little. Then spread in a single layer on baking sheets (either lightly oiled, or better yet, lined w/parchment paper). Bake at 325 for 9-10 minutes; flip; bake for another 6-7 minutes till crispy. Watch carefully to keep from burning. After removing from oven, salt and serve. (If you used the parchment paper, you can pick it up by the corners and use it to "pour" the crisps into a big bowl.)

[Anonymous]

Hey, we have really similar go to dishes!

I will add tofu fried rice (with a scrambled egg), chili and cornbread (slow cooker), grilled steak and grilled veggies with baked potato, and veggie burgers with sweet potato fries.

[Anonymous]

Chicken pockets. Mix some cooked diced chicken with cream cheese and whatever herbs you like and some shredded cheddar. Stuff a couple tablespoons of this in Crescent roll dough and fold it up so it's a little pocket and bake them.

I make a delicious chicken and rice that everyone asks me the recipe for. Warning: It's not fancy, but it is delicious. In a baking dish, lay down some chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper. Lay Swiss cheese slices on top of them. (If you dislike Swiss use whatever white cheese, but the Swiss is very mild in this dish.) Mix a can of cream of chicken soup with 3/4 cup white wine to thin it out (or, if you don't keep wine on hand, chicken stock or milk) and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle dried stuffing mix over the top, then drizzle a couple tbsp of melted butter over that to keep it from drying out. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes (depending on how thick your breasts were) and serve over rice.

[Anonymous]

We grill chicken, steak and pork chops a lot. Serve with a vegetable and rice.

Fried rice or stirfried vegetables
Ham steak, mac n cheese and peas

[Anonymous]

Chicken "Scaloppine" (I'm not sure this is the correct name, but it's what we call it).

lightly dust thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts with flour, saute in olive oil and a little garlic in a pan.

when browned, add a cup of organic chicken broth and the juice of 1 lemon. Season the way you like. (We do garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary or thyme).

Simmer covered until tender. Serve with the sauce over rice or pasta.