What's cooking?

xuxachi

I'm in a cooking rut - I feel like I've been rotating between the same core group of dinners for a long, long time.  Anyone got a good dinner idea that is: a) easy to prepare in advance - i.e., during nap time, b) not too time consuming, c) uses fresh/whole ingredients, d) somewhat kid friendly.

GracefulStar

Soups! Lentil, potato, pea, bean, etc. cut up veggies ahead of time and throw everything in the pot when ready. What kinds of things do you normally cook? I tend to do fish on Fridays (sole, tilapia, flounder, etc.). Put some olive oil on top, seasoned breadcrumbs, paprika and throw them in the oven. Served with roasted veggies, or potatoes in the oven (sliced like thick potato chips) with salt and various seasonings on top (pepper, paprika, oregano, etc.).

annie10

I'd love ideas, too. We are grilling a lot right now, which is good but we keep doing hotdogs, hamburgers, BBQ chicken, steak, repeat. Then, salad, corn, sweet or baked potatoes as sides. Its getting boring. Sometimes an easy pasta dish or tacos are thrown in there. Help! Something new, please! 

xuxachi

@GracefulStar soup is a constant for us, a bit less so in summer when salads are a mainstay. My CSA box this week had 3 heads of broccoli plus I already had one in the fridge so after roasting a bunch I think I might try soup since the stems work good for this. I also regularly rotate chili in, since it's good to freeze. I cook fish about 2-3 times a month. I like the idea of using breadcrumbs/panko in the oven. My current favorite is a salmon in soy/brown sugar marinade in the oven. So good and so simple.

@MmCh my other standbys are various versions of roasted chicken, roasted veggies and couscous with various things mixed in (pistachios/apricots, cranberries/almonds, pine nuts/currents), my kids love turkey meatballs and spaghetti or turkey meat loaf, roasted chicken with smoked paprika tomatoes and chickpeas is another fav. Of course various kinds of tacos with black beans is in regular rotation. I recently found on Pinterest something called Lazy Sunday casserole and this is good (sausages, roasted veggies).

RissKay

We do a lot of tacos, a chicken baked with a different salad dressing or seasonings, steamed/baked veggies (i've loved roasting potatoes recently!) and mixing it up with flavors. I love pork chops and rice, or chicken and rice, too!