S/O of Easy Meals (LONG)

[Anonymous]

Some additional ideas for easy meals (not necessarily TNT so I decided to create a new thread). Mostly taken from magazines over the past eight years (read: pre-kids). I hope this helps provide some additional inspiration and ideas!

QUICK EASY MEAL IDEAS

Asian beef patties. Mix ground beef with grated ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Shape into small patties and cook through. Serve on lettuce cups with shredded carrots and Asian dressing.

Asian flank steak with brown rice. Marinate steak in ½ cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp grated ginger, 2 tsp minced garlic and ¼ tsp sesame oil.

Baked ziti and salad. Toss cooked ziti with pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella in a casserole dish. Toss with more mozzarella and parmesan. Bake until cheese melts.

Beef & veggie stir fry with brown rice.

Broiled pork chops, buttered new potatoes, zucchini

Brown ground lamb, add diced zucchini, chopped onion and canned diced tomatoes; simmer until zucchini is done; serve with couscous

Burgers and hot dogs, macaroni salad and coleslaw. Add chopped red bell pepper to store-bought macaroni salad and fresh sliced apples or mangoes to coleslaw to freshen them up.

Chicken Caprese with orzo. Toss cubed mozzarella, chopped tomatoes and fresh basil with EVOO, lemon juice, and serve over cooked breaded chicken.

Chicken cutlets, couscous, sautéed vegetables.

Chicken fried rice. Sauté sliced mushrooms and peas, add chicken and rice with soy sauce. Heat through and add chopped scallions.

Chicken paella, tomato and cucumber salad. Stir cubed cooked chicken, sliced chorizo and frozen peas into a Spanish rice mix before cooking.

Chicken Quesadillas. Sandwich shredded chicken and cheese between two tortillas. Panfry in a little EVOO turning once until cheese melts

Chicken soup with breadsticks. Add chopped onions, carrots and celery to broth; bring to a boil, cover and simmer until veggies are tender. Add cooked chicken and pasta, boiling until noodles are done.

Chicken tenders, onion rings and corn. Brush chicken with orange marmalade and season with chili powder.

Cook chicken cutlets seasoned with pepper and cumin; top with salsa and drained canned corn; top with cilantro

Cut BLSL chicken into cubes; bring masala sauce to a simmer, add chicken; serve with rice and broccoli

Cut turkey tenderloin into slices; heat in skillet and remove; sauté sliced mushrooms; stir in sherry and creamy Portobello mushroom soup; server over turkey with rice

Dip boneless pork chop in egg and crumbs; cook in skillet; spoon marinara sauce over and top with mozzarella slice; broil

Gazpacho. Mix 2 cups spicy tomato juice, 2 diced tomatoes and ½ cup each bell pepper and cucumber in food processor.


Grilled ham Reuben sandwiches with salad.

Grilled London broil, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. Cook peeled garlic with potatoes and mash as usual.

Low fat kielbasa brushed with honey mustard and broiled. Sauté onions and serve with mashed potatoes

Mac and Cheese with Ham and Broccoli. Stir into cooked pasta.

Mexican cheddar wagon wheels. Add ¾ cup chunky salsa and 1 can drained corn to cooked pasta. Top with cilantro.

Middle Eastern burgers, cucumber and tomato salad. Season ground beef with cumin, S&P and form patties. Panfry then place in pitas; drizzle with plain yogurt seasoned with cumin and salt.

Moo Shu pork with steamed vegetables. Cut pork in 1-in. strips, warm in bottle of hoisin sauce; sprinkle with sliced scallions; roll in lettuce lined flour tortillas.

Pan-fried steak with mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower and red peppers. Toss cauliflower florets and red pepper with EVOO, S&P and cook for 15 minutes at 450 degrees

Pasta tossed with cheddar cheese sauce, salsa, and drained canned corn; top with cilantro

Pasta with veggies and garlic bread. Cook pasta; reserve ¼ cup cooking liquid. Sauté sliced mushrooms and asparagus in OO with minced garlic. Toss with pasta, reserved liquid and chopped parsley.

Pork cutlets in strips; add coleslaw and hoisin sauce to coat; sprinkle with cashews and scallions; serve with tortillas

Pork fried rice with broccoli. Sauté sliced mushrooms and peas in a little EVOO until tender. Stir in cooked rice, shredded pork, scramble eggs and soy sauce; heat. Stir in chopped scallions.

Prepare garlic couscous; sauté onion, shredded carrots, raisins, cumin and crushed red pepper; stir in cooked chicken and couscous; top with sliced almonds

Quesadilla: layer sliced deli turkey breast, drained corn, sliced red onion and cheese; top with another tortilla; turn once; serve with sour cream and salsa

Roast beef sandwiches with tomato soup. Sauté sliced green peppers and onions until tender. Assemble sandwich with slices of roast beef, peppers and onions, and shredded cheddar. Bake until cheese melts.

Roast chicken breasts with baked potatoes and cauliflower. Marinate chicken with EVOO, lemon juice, oregano and garlic before baking.

Roast chicken, basmati rice and roasted asparagus.

Roast turkey breast, potato wedges and tomato salad. Cut potatoes in wedges. Toss with oil, salt and crushed rosemary. Roast in pan with turkey.

Rotisserie chicken with mashed cauliflower and asparagus. Cook cauliflower florets and chunks of potatoes in water until tender. Drain and mash with low fat milk, butter and S&P

Sausage and Onion/Pepper Subs with Green Salad. Split sausages and cook; sauté sliced green peppers and onions, serve on bread with heated marinara sauce

Sauté sliced onions and apples until tender, add rinsed sauerkraut and simmer until hot; broil bratwurst links and serve with sauerkraut mixture

Sauté sliced onions; add frozen mini-pierogis and sliced kielbasa; stir in rinsed sauerkraut

Season pork cutlets with ground ginger, S&P; sauté and remove; add drained canned sliced peaches and mango chutney; stir until hot; serve over cutlets with rice

Sirloin steak with garlic mashed potatoes. Cook peeled garlic cloves in water with potatoes. Drain and mash with EVOO.

Skirt steak rubbed with seasoning, pan fried and served with mashed potatoes

Sloppy Joes and pickle salad. Make sloppy Joes from a mix using lean turkey. Toss sliced cucumbers and radishes with juice from bottled pickle jar sweetened with a touch of sugar.

Spaghetti with turkey meat sauce and garlic bread.

Stir fry frozen corn/pepper blend; add southwestern egg beaters cooking until edges set; sprinkle with cheese and broil

Thin-crust pizza with broccoli and tomatoes. Serve with arugula salad.

Tomato soup with Parmesan toast.

Tomato soup, wild mushroom, leek and cheddar omelets with French bread. Add eggs to sautéed wild mushrooms and leeks and scramble. Top with cheese.

Toss chicken tenders with hot sauce; broil until cooked; serve with celery sticks and dip

Turkey burgers with fries and coleslaw (or green salad). Mix turkey with 1 tbsp Dijon mustard before shaping

Turkey piccata with roasted potatoes and green salad. Sauté turkey cutlets in EVOO and remove from skillet. Add ¼ cup lemon juice and 2 tbsp butter; stir to melt and serve over cutlets.

Turkey, apple and cheddar Panini with coleslaw. Spread apple butter on sliced whole-grain bread. Top with sliced deli turkey, applies and cheddar. Grill or toast until cheese melts.

Veggie and cheese omelets with fried potato patties. Mix mashed potatoes with a beaten egg and sliced scallions. Form patties, dredge in flour and pan-fry in EEVO 5 minutes per side.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, but this is useless without recipes.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for taking the time to post this! I'm going to print this out!!

[Anonymous]

So do your kids pick out the vegetables?

[Anonymous]

I think there is enough info there it go on..thanks!

[Anonymous]

OP here. ... like I originally posted these were meal ideas I collected over time from a lot of sources but also pretty much pre-kid... I think there is a lot to work with here and thought I'd pass along some ideas for those looking for inspiration. No ulterior motive, promise. ; )

[Anonymous]

I'm going to make the Asian flank steak for Sunday dinner. Thanks.

BTW, how long and at what temp do you generally cook the flank steak, and do you sear it on the stove before putting in oven?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. ... like I originally posted these were meal ideas I collected over time from a lot of sources but also pretty much pre-kid... I think there is a lot to work with here and thought I'd pass along some ideas for those looking for inspiration. No ulterior motive, promise. ; )

THANKS OP! These are great ideas. I always need ideas and inspirations. Recipes are easy to find or make up. Saved your list to my meal ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to make the Asian flank steak for Sunday dinner. Thanks.

BTW, how long and at what temp do you generally cook the flank steak, and do you sear it on the stove before putting in oven?

Not OP, but have made flank steak many, many times. It's best on the grill, but if you need to do it on the stove here's some good directions
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quick_and_easy_pan_fried_flank_steak/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to make the Asian flank steak for Sunday dinner. Thanks.

BTW, how long and at what temp do you generally cook the flank steak, and do you sear it on the stove before putting in oven?

Not OP, but have made flank steak many, many times. It's best on the grill, but if you need to do it on the stove here's some good directions
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quick_and_easy_pan_fried_flank_steak/

OP here -- Flank steak is best done on the grill to medium rare, let it rest then slice on the grain. Let us know how the recipe goes for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So do your kids pick out the vegetables?

OP here: not sure the context of the question... do my kids pick out veggies to include in their meals or do they not eat the veggies included in their meals?

They are usually pretty good about eating what's on their plates (especially when we have company, are out visiting family or at school -- cough, childcare) but no we don't let them decide what veggies to eat. They are 3.5 and 1.5 years, BTW.

[Anonymous]

I make the Asian burgers with ground chicken or turkey. Tastes just like the inside of dumplings.