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s/o Meal Planning. A Food Poll
Please include recipe links, the recipe or a general idea of how you make it. Maybe we can share some recipes to help spice up our weekly meal plans. No need to answer every single question either, just looking for ideas.
What is your fave weeknight meal(s)?
What is your fave comfort/fall food?
What is your fave thing to make that the kids like?
What is your go-to easy meal?(like something with very few ingredients or a TJ sauce etc)
What is your fave healthy meal?
What is your fave meal you make?
Where do you find your recipes?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: s/o Meal Planning. A Food Poll
What is your fave weeknight meal(s)?
This sweet citrus chicken thing - it is stovetop stuffing with apple or orange juice and some kind of dried fruit (cranberry or raisin etc your choice) all over some chicken in the oven. Very tasty and just add some frozen veggies and you are all set.
What is your fave comfort/fall food?
I love way too much fall food to pick a fave, just getting back to making things in the oven instead of trying to avoid in the summer heat makes me happy. However one thing I making again soon is this creamy squash soup - it freezes well too so I will be doubling the recipe and freezing smaller lunch size portions for lunches.
What is your fave thing to make that the kids like?
My kids are crazy picky but they do both like the salsa chicken in the crockpot served with sour cream and tortilla chips (I think the tortilla chips make it appealing, since they will also eat my hot spinach and artichoke dip). Basically it is chicken breasts, jar of salsa, can of black beans (drain rinse) and some frozen corn in the crockpot on low for 6 hours. Then serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. Also great leftovers.
What is your go-to easy meal?(like something with very few ingredients or a TJ sauce etc)
Definitely spaghetti with sauce. I make an easy sauce but jarred also works well. It is my, we have nothing else in the house, go-to meal. I always keep the sauce ingredients on hand too. I know the recipe says a few hours but you can let it simmer for only 30-45min while you do other things.
What is your fave healthy meal?
This slow cooker barbacoa pork over the cilantro lime rice with a can of black beans is awesome. I look forward to taking it as leftovers for lunches. Also this healthy chicken marsala is really good - no butter makes it so much better for you and it is still very tasty.
What is your fave meal you make?
I love this Indian Butter chicken recipe. It is a pain to make it this way so I leave it for the weekends but it is another where I look forward to my lunch when I have it as leftovers.
Where do you find your recipes?
I go to the cooking boards on here a lot and look at their blog updates posts. I also have a bunch of blogs on my google reader. If I see something I like there I pin it to pinterest (I used to bookmark it). I also like occasionally getting cookbooks out at the library and my faves are anything by Ina Garten or Cooks Illustrated. Also getting rec's from other mom's.
Other fave recipes:
BBQ Pineapple chicken packet - so easy
Chicken Pot pie - this is kraft shortcut kind and I can easily make this on a weekenight
Chicken Cordon bleu casserole - great for leftovers and it is so good but not very healthy with all that cheese (although the kids occasionally will also eat it)
Crockpot pork chops and apple sauce - another easy crockpot one.
What is your fave weeknight meal(s)?
Chana masala (mixed with yogurt it's not too spicy-hot for sprout): https://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/
I also recently made chicken & "dumplings" in the crockpot: whole cut up chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, turnips, water, s&p & gnoochi thrown in near the end to make the "dumplings". So yum.
What is your fave comfort/fall food?
Bolognese sauce (the real stuff that takes 3hrs + to make) over...anything.
Soups (lentil, split pea & baked potato are favorites0
What is your fave thing to make that the kids like?
Sprout really likes indian food, so the chana masala is a hit. He also likes pesto on pasta and bbq (usually pulled pork or chicken with collard greens. He really likes collard greens)
What is your go-to easy meal?(like something with very few ingredients or a TJ sauce etc)
Green Thai Curry: green curry pasta, coconut milk & then assorted green frozen veg: green beans, shelled edaname, green peppers, onions, green peas, whatever. You could add chicken too if you wanted. Serve over rice. If I go easy on the curry paste, it's not too spicy for Sprout
What is your fave healthy meal?
I'm making a cooking light recipe for tonight: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-spinach-mushroom-skillet-enchiladas-10000000226733/ (except I'm adding some chicken & instead of rolling everything up, I'm layering it lasgna style)
What is your fave meal you make?
Not sure. Most things I make are really good (as I refuse to eat anything less than delicious). I know that sounds snobby!
Where do you find your recipes?
Cookbooks, epicurious, blogs, pinterest
ETA: I made this the other night & it was so hella good. We just had it with french bread & braised red cabbage w/ apples, but it'd be good over soft polenta too: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Italian-Sausage-with-Red-Grapes-232800
A couple of staples we make:
Sausage and Peppers - get a few links of hot and/or mild italian sausage and boil them for a few minutes while you slice up the green pepper and some onion (for DH and I I usually make 2 sausage links, one medium/large green pepper and one small onion.) Throw the pepper and onion into a sautee pan or shallow pot with a little olive oil. While that's starting up, cut the sausage into into slices. Add the sausage to the peppers and onions and stir occasionally until veggies are tender and sausage is cooked through. Takes probably 30 minutes.
Chili - DH found this recipe and it's great. It takes a few hours, but makes a ton and freezes well. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/pats-famous-beef-and-pork-chili-recipe/index.html
Tilapia - a super-fast and yummy dish, even for non-fish lovers. We use the frozen filets from costco. I follow this recipe except for the sauce at the end (basically just the coating for the fish). I also make a double batch of the coating and keep it on hand so all I have to do is bread the fish and throw it in a pan. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/pan-fried-tilapia-recipe/index.html
Linguini and clam sauce - It was my grandma's recipe and then I noticed it is super similar to the one on the side of the can of Snow's chopped clams. It takes maybe 15 minutes tops. You can add a can of crushed tomatoes to make it a red sauce or leave out tomatoes to make it white.
I also make a beef stew that takes about 2 hours total, but most of that is just stirring occasionally. I don't have the exact recipe, but you take 2-3lbs of cubed beef and brown it with 2-3 onions in a big pot. Then add about 3 cans or 1 lg box of beef broth, 1t tomato paste, a couple bay leaves, a spoonful of "bovril" or "better than bullion" (basically a beef stock concentrate) and simmer for 1 hour. Then add 1lb carrots and a similar amount of partially cooked potatoes cut into chunks (the recipe uses canned potatoes and then you don't need to pre-cook them. Simmer for another 30-45 minutes til veggies are tender.
What is your fave weeknight meal(s)?
Green Thai Curry
Five spice salmon
Pasta with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes
Any kind of pizza with TJ's pizza dough and salad.
What is your fave comfort/fall food?
Roast chicken and mashed potatoes (that's a really old post, so pardon the crappy photos)
I also make an really rich, creamy white chicken chili, but it's a combo of a few different recipes. And not the least bit healthy.
And pumpkin cupcakes!
What is your fave thing to make that the kids like?
C isn't terribly picky. There is little that I make that he won't eat.
What is your go-to easy meal?(like something with very few ingredients or a TJ sauce etc)
Costco potstickers and broccoli. We buy both in the giant Costco-sized sacks and have that meal once a week (this is probably C's favorite meal, actually). We just make the broccolli with a little garlic and red pepper flakes.
Also, Costco has a herbed (maybe pesto?) tilapia that can go straight from the freezer to the oven and takes 15 minutes. It is the single fastest, easiest protein ever.
We also do TJ's simmer sauces with various combinations of meats, beans, veggies, tofu, etc. Their frozen rices and whole wheat cous-cous are real time savers.
What is your fave healthy meal?
Any kind of salad with goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette and pecans.
What is your fave meal you make?
Duck au poivre. I love duck. I could bathe in that sauce. That would be followed closely by grilled rib eyes and mashed potatoes.
Where do you find your recipes?
I usually get a hankering for something and search epicurious and MarthaStewart.com, but I also subscribe to MS Living and Everyday Food. Plus, I read a sh!t ton of food blogs.
What is your fave weeknight meal(s)?
Lemon-Parmesan Tilapia
Baked Salmon with topping of tomatoes, basil, capers (put all in a bowl with olive oil and S&P)
I also second the recommendation for Costco pot stickers!
What is your fave meal you make?
Barefoot Contessa Roast Chicken
Not at all! I am the same way. If a meal is just eh I never make it again. It is also why I like being the cook in the house - I get to make what I like the way I like it. SIL occasionally cooked for us in the past when I was pg with Molly and I just don't have the same tastes (but hey, someone else was cooking so no complaints).
Linguine with clam sauce is something I love but have never made myself, I will have to try it out. I could eat pasta every day of the week but DH needs me to change it up.
Also I have chicken in the freezer, looks like I will be making the Ina Garten recipe this weekend too.
We really go in streaks when it comes to meals... but, "in the now":
What is your fave weeknight meal(s)?
chicken tacos - on the small corn tortillas, with chopped onions/peppers and a little guac. The 100 calorie guacamole packs are great for this.
What is your fave comfort/fall food?
i love the thanksgiving meal! turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy....
What is your fave thing to make that the kids like?
lately, DD is on a kraft mac & cheese kick. blech.
What is your go-to easy meal?(like something with very few ingredients or a TJ sauce etc)
most of the meals i make on the weeknights are easy.
What is your fave healthy meal?
the tacos are actually pretty healthy... i use hardly any oil, and pile on as many onions/peppers as possible.
What is your fave meal you make?
tough call.
Where do you find your recipes?
they are franken-recipes, gathered from all over the internet and various cookbooks. i can never seem to follow one recipe exactly.
Fav Weeknight Meals/Fav Easy Meals:
Chicken or Beef Stir-fry - for the sauce we have used the LaChoy bottled sauce (only seen it at Wegmans) or we make our own. Unfortunately, I don't have any of our homemade recipes at work with me.
Meatball Sandwiches - we get the premade meatballs from Costco or I'll make a big homemade batch and freeze them. All we have to do is throw the meatballs and sauce in the crockpot in the morning and when we get home we just assemble, met some cheese over the sandwich in the over and make a veggie.
Homemade pizza with Trader Joe's dough