Anonymous wrote:Here's what I did which has been a revelation and may work for you depending on how old your kids are. At the end of last year, I got fed up with trying to menu plan healthy meals that I thought would be liked but never were. So I bought a white board with the days of the week on it that sticks to my stainless fridge (but is easily removable) and told my (high school aged) kids that if they planned the next week's meals by Friday I would "approve" whatever is reasonable (healthy, time to make, etc.) on Saturday and then they needed to see what ingredients we needed from the grocery store and add them to our list by Saturday at 3pm. So they either pick things they'd had before or research recipes and save them for me. All I have to do is prepare the meal which I don't mind doing, especially because I don't get complaints. Also, since everything is on the white board, I'm not repeatedly asked what's for dinner.

The only adjustment I've made is that there was some sibling squabbling over meal selection when one child planned the whole week and the other didn't get to plan any meals that week. So I purchased a second white board and they seem to have worked out an alternating rotation between themselves.

Great idea PP! Will adopt this method.

Here's what I did which has been a revelation and may work for you depending on how old your kids are. At the end of last year, I got fed up with trying to menu plan healthy meals that I thought would be liked but never were. So I bought a white board with the days of the week on it that sticks to my stainless fridge (but is easily removable) and told my (high school aged) kids that if they planned the next week's meals by Friday I would "approve" whatever is reasonable (healthy, time to make, etc.) on Saturday and then they needed to see what ingredients we needed from the grocery store and add them to our list by Saturday at 3pm. So they either pick things they'd had before or research recipes and save them for me. All I have to do is prepare the meal which I don't mind doing, especially because I don't get complaints. Also, since everything is on the white board, I'm not repeatedly asked what's for dinner.

The only adjustment I've made is that there was some sibling squabbling over meal selection when one child planned the whole week and the other didn't get to plan any meals that week. So I purchased a second white board and they seem to have worked out an alternating rotation between themselves.

Anonymous wrote:Hello -

I am really struggling to cook healthy meals for my family. My husband doesn’t cook so it’s left to me. I work part-time (but seems full time these days) and I just feel like I am trying to figure meals out throughout the week and last-minute. I know there’s meal planning on Sundays but we like to spend that day as a family. Does anyone have suggestions on what works for them or is there a website you recommend with easy recipes? With school pickup, activities, work etc, it’s been hard getting healthy foods on the table.

I'm similar to you - working to get dinner organized and under control. I have an air fryer and instant pot. I find the air fryer more useful than the instant pot - here are my favorite air fryer recipes for getting dinner on the table:

Asian Chicken Thighs - my kids LOVE this. We make a double batch and they take it for lunch. You do have to plan ahead a little bit because they need to marinate. While the chicken cooks you can do some simple green beans and I get frozen rice in the bags from Trader Joe's.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=skinnytaste+air+fryer+asian+chicken+thighs&form=ANNH02&refig=1ad86ff9036d4a409448eb0275392f14&sp=1&qs=RI&pq=skinnytaste+air+fryer+chicken+thighs+&sk=PRES1&sc=1-37&cvid=1ad86ff9036d4a409448eb0275392f14

Air fryer chicken legs - also a big hit with the kids - and almost no prep other than the chicken being fresh or thawed:

https://therecipecritic.com/air-fryer-chicken-legs/

Also, a whole chicken in the air fryer - this turned out really well:

https://therecipecritic.com/air-fryer-whole-chicken/

For green beans, broccoli, you can also do those in the air fryer with a little seasoning. Otherwise, I saute them with some garlic and olive oil and then maybe throw in some almond with the green beans or lemon or dash of chili flakes with the broccoli.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Websites: Skinnytaste, Forks over Knives, Iowa Girl Eats, Dinner: A Love Story

At our house, my staple meals are lentil soup, tacos with ground turkey, baked chicken/broccoli/sweet potatoes, turkey meatballs with chick pea pasta & red sauce, baked fish with kale, roast chicken with a green salad, Frittata with spinach, black beans & rice.

Do you mind posting recipes for these staple meals? Look delicious thanks

I don't have recipes per se - I do all of these from memory (sounds insane, but things like lentil soup are very adaptable and easy; IE: I start with sautéing a chopped onion, some chopped carrots and celery in olive oil (any amount that you like) and then add 1 cup of green lentils, two tablespoons of Better than Bouillion seasoning and then 4-6 cups of water, depending on how thick I want it. I can add half a cup of rice (add a little more water if doing this) or chopped kale or a can of diced tomatoes (less water if doing this) if I want or have stuff to use up from the fridge; then bring to a boil, and lower to simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are cooked.)

Here are some good links to get started, but not what I use necessarily. Once you start cooking things in rotation, you get a feel for the ingredients and cooking times.

Black beans: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12766-abuelo-pelaezs-frijoles-negros-black-beans ; if this is too finicky, you can just add a bag of dried beans with 6-8 cups of water to an instant pot. Add seasoning - better than bouillion (2 tbs), onion, garlic powder, oregano, cumin. Whatever tastes good to you. I like to add Liquid Smoke (1 tsp or so) to amp up the beans. Cook on high pressure for 1.5 hours (that's how long mine takes, yours could vary). Cook some brown or white rice for the side, add some steamed broccoli for color. Top with sour cream, cheese, chopped scallions, salsa, etc.

Ground turkey tacos: 1 lb ground turkey, 1 chopped onion, taco seasoning packet. Add onion to saute pan with some olive oil, cook til lightly browned. Add turkey and crumble (I use a potato masher), add taco seasoning and some water. Simmer 5-10 min. Add to taco shells with taco topping like lettuce, cheese, etc.

Baked chicken: Coat a baking dish with olive oil. Take boneless skinless chicken breast and dip in a beaten egg, then dip in panko (can add salt, parmesan, dried oregano, pepper, etc for flavor). Put coated chicken in baking dish. Bake at 375 for 35-40 min (depending on your oven). Side of steamed broccoli and cooked sweet potatoes (can either cut into wedges, toss with salt & EVOO and bake with the chicken or make whole baked sweet potatoes - wash and piece with a fork, cook at 400 for an hour).


For the fish, I usually take fresh fish, brush on some EVOO and sprinkle on a spice blend like Borsari. Put in the oven at 375 for 20 min or so (can cover with aluminum foil to retain moisture).

The best roast chicken recipe I have ever known is the buttermilk roast chicken from Salt Fat Acid Heat. Get this book and read it. It's about cooking techniques, and it really helps you learn how to cook food (not from a recipe), so you can riff off of what you have available in the kitchen.

The "How to Cook Everything" books from Mark Bittman are also great - https://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Basics-Food/dp/0470528060/ref=asc_df_0470528060/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312061146391&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9379064208303767544&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-331493323649&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=60223809057&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312061146391&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9379064208303767544&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007532&hvtargid=pla-331493323649

Once you get a good sense of how to use certain techniques, it really opens up a world of fast and simple meals.

Agree with PP that a lot of this involves what is already on hand and ready to go. I always have:

In my freezer—frozen mango, berries, peas, spinach, roasted butternut squash, individually packaged salmon filets and Mahi mahi filets, frozen shrimp, precooked brown rice

In my fridge—cherry tomatos, humus, carrots, tortillas, cheese (cheddar and parm at a minimum), pesto, a fresh green vegetable (spinach, broccoli or asparagus)

In my pantry—beans (canned and dry), rice, quick cook farro, rao’s sauce, canned diced tomatos

Pp here. Why can’t DH cook? Maybe have him do a simple meal. Anyone can learn. But unless he physically can’t do it, there’s no excuse.

It really comes down to sitting down for 20 minutes to meal plan for the week. That way you have a list for the grocery store and are ready for all your meals for the week. I don’t meal prep beforehand but choose dishes that are not time consuming. Also can anyone else cook a few nights a week? My DH does 2 nights, my teens do 1-2 nights and that leaves me 2 nights (weekends are leftovers or takeout). It’s less overwhelming when it’s not just one person doing it all.

Tonight I was coming home late so I prepped ahead.
Cous Cous, chick peas, sweet mini peppers, mini cucumbers, parsley, garlic salt, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper and pistachio nuts.

Meals like this use one pot, one cutting board and a pretty storage/serving bowl.

Can also be served warm, room temp or cold.
Gather up go to recipes like this. I usually have all these things on hand so I can always throw it together and non cooks can help.

Anonymous wrote:In my freezer at all times:
Frozen hamburger patties (Costco)
Bag of frozen meatballs (also Costco)
Chicken breasts and thighs
Apple chicken sausage
Deceived shrimp
Ground turkey
Pizza dough (for pizza or calzones)
Chopped boxes of Frozen spinach


In my refrigerator at all times, whatever vegetables my children are willing to eat these days. For now,
Broccoli
Carrots
Green beans

The microwave can defrost the chicken in minutes, apple chicken sausage boils in a pot of water in minutes, shrimp scampi is super quick. Pasta, meat sauce or meatballs also fast with pasta. Tacos (ground turkey, black beans, corn, seasoning) or sloppy Joe's are also fast

It's really not nice to lie to shrimp.

In my freezer at all times:
Frozen hamburger patties (Costco)
Bag of frozen meatballs (also Costco)
Chicken breasts and thighs
Apple chicken sausage
Deceived shrimp
Ground turkey
Pizza dough (for pizza or calzones)
Chopped boxes of Frozen spinach


In my refrigerator at all times, whatever vegetables my children are willing to eat these days. For now,
Broccoli
Carrots
Green beans

The microwave can defrost the chicken in minutes, apple chicken sausage boils in a pot of water in minutes, shrimp scampi is super quick. Pasta, meat sauce or meatballs also fast with pasta. Tacos (ground turkey, black beans, corn, seasoning) or sloppy Joe's are also fast