Common Meals

[SamSpade]

I know this week - we want to try to make French Onion Soup. Gonna set my slicer or mandolin SUPER THIN, and we have the traditional crocks that you get in restaurants - and I have gruyere. So it should be fun.

 

[RoseRed]

Interesting. When I lived alone, I either made something easy - or actually went to different stores and experimented. Made my own baba ghanoush or tabouleh or stuffed grape leaves or moussaka - or cajun foods - or tried different Chinese dishes (and ruined them). I knew every ethnic store in the area near DC - where to get weird or unusual spices. I knew where the Jamaican/Indian/Cuban/Thai/Chinese/Vegetarian - and so forth stores were. (By the way - there's some kind of ethnic grocery going in near the Hong Kong carry out).

I became less "adventurous" when I had to cook for kids who were NEVER going to eat that stuff. Or roommates who were going to refuse it.

I still - "experiment" from time to time. It's just understood that I might be the only one trying it, especially if it is seafood. No one wants squid or mussels or most fish. I'm the only one eating goose or lamb. Two months ago I brought home some veal, and although my wife made some OUTSTANDING veal parmesan, she won't eat veal on moral principles.

Last time I made something no one wanted to try was last month when I smoked salmon on a range top smoker.

I've gotten lazy. When I had people living in the house with me, I would cook, except for Friday or Saturday. Those were my days off. I also don't like leftovers for days. If I can't freeze it for later, I usually avoid the bother.

 

[vraiblonde]

my kids love many of the Asian themed meals I make - but they take preparation.

It takes only a few minutes to do a stir fry. I used to make the whole thing, then have leftovers for lunch or something, but leftover broccoli reheated loses that crispness that makes it so appealing. So now I do the meat and sauce all at once, and stir fry the veggies to order. I'll eat it just the meat and veggies, or sometimes throw it on top of ramen.

Before Larry and I got married he fed his daughters fish sticks and Kraft mac & cheese (or cold cereal) almost every night. That's as quick and easy as I can think of. But you can still stir fry veggies and meat faster than it takes for fish sticks to cook.

 

[GURPS]

1. What QUICK meals do you go to - burgers, fries, hot dogs, frozen pizza etc. - things you keep in stock when you're in a hurry to feed your family

What do you consider ' in a hurry '

A bag of frozen Chicken ' something ' - Nuggets, Tenders or Patties [ sandwiches ]

Frozen Chicken Breasts place on foil in the air fryer, coat with Ranch Dressing, add Pancko cook until done

My wife used to take out a Pack of frozen pork chops or chicken thighs to thaw, then in the afternoon fry up with a starch and a veggie

Spaghetti in the instapot

Cooking meats a head of time, like on a Sunday .... then finish during the week

Ground beef = Taco's, Hamburger helper of some sort, Cottage Pie

Polish Sausage dice up and boil to get out the grease, then fry with potatoes [ frozen tots ] and season to taste

Mac and Cheese is quick, we get the deluxe and add more macaroni you can add meat to this as well Ground beef and you have that cheesy hamburger helper

 

[GURPS]

fish sticks and Kraft mac & cheese (or cold cereal) almost every night.

Growing up in the 70's Hot Dogs, buttered corn and apple sauce

 

[SamSpade]

It takes only a few minutes to do a stir fry.

We do a lot of stuff stir fry. COOKING is quick. Prep is not. We have to cut the meat really small and marinate; vegetables have to be sliced and ginger and garlic has to be minced. Usually when we make an Asian dish, it's a bit of a family effort where we all sit around and cut and slice on several cutting boards. I actually ENJOY that part.

 

[SamSpade]

What do you consider ' in a hurry '

A bag of frozen Chicken ' something ' - Nuggets, Tenders or Patties [ sandwiches ]

Frozen Chicken Breasts place on foil in the air fryer, coat with Ranch Dressing, add Pancko cook until done

My wife used to take out a Pack of frozen pork chops or chicken thighs to thaw, then in the afternoon fry up with a starch and a veggie

Spaghetti in the instapot

Cooking meats a head of time, like on a Sunday .... then finish during the week

Ground beef = Taco's, Hamburger helper of some sort, Cottage Pie

Polish Sausage dice up and boil to get out the grease, then fry with potatoes [ frozen tots ] and season to taste

Mac and Cheese is quick, we get the deluxe and add more macaroni you can add meat to this as well Ground beef and you have that cheesy hamburger helper

You listed a few. For example, ALDI has the red bag chicken filets which we air-fry and serve on buns with ham, swiss and dijon for a poor man's chicken cordon bleu sandwich. Wife does this chicken breast with parm and mayo that comes out VERY juicy. We OFTEN do little red potatoes with olive oil and roasted with grated parmesan cheese.

I'm a big fan of mac n cheese WITH ground beef - but - I'm kind of alone with that. I used to make it a lot in college with LOTS of jalapenos or habaneros to keep nosy roommates away. Ditto baked beans WITH ground beef and a little mustard mixed in. Again - just me, no one else likes it.

 

[vraiblonde]

Mac and Cheese is quick, we get the deluxe and add more macaroni you can add meat to this as well Ground beef and you have that cheesy hamburger helper

This was my kids' favorite meal when they were young. They didn't get it very often because there's pretty much no nutrition to be found in that meal, but it was a nice treat for both of us because it can be done in a few minutes.

 

[GURPS]

This was my kids' favorite meal when they were young.

Mom put Tuna Fish in ... a staple during Lent

 

[vraiblonde]

We do a lot of stuff stir fry. COOKING is quick. Prep is not. We have to cut the meat really small and marinate; vegetables have to be sliced and ginger and garlic has to be minced. Usually when we make an Asian dish, it's a bit of a family effort where we all sit around and cut and slice on several cutting boards. I actually ENJOY that part.

Okay, I see. You're all marinating and mincing and slicing - I don't do that. Well, sometimes I do but mostly I slice up the meat, season it, and fry it in sesame oil. Then do the veggies while the starch is in the microwave. Throw the meat back in the pan with the veggies, hit it with some teriyaki sauce, BOOM. Dinner is served.

 

[vraiblonde]

I used to do a kielbasa and veggie skillet meal and the kids liked that okay. Potatoes, carrots, and whatever other veggies your people will eat, chunk the kielbasa, throw it all in a pan and cook covered until the veggies are soft enough for you.

 

[vraiblonde]

Ditto baked beans WITH ground beef and a little mustard mixed in.

We called this Bachelor Chicken. Not sure why but that's what it was always called.

 

[vraiblonde]

Okay, I see. You're all marinating and mincing and slicing - I don't do that. Well, sometimes I do but mostly I slice up the meat, season it, and fry it in sesame oil. Then do the veggies while the starch is in the microwave. Throw the meat back in the pan with the veggies, hit it with some teriyaki sauce, BOOM. Dinner is served.

In fact that's what I just had for early dinner.

 

[Kyle]

1. What QUICK meals do you go to - burgers, fries, hot dogs, frozen pizza etc. - things you keep in stock when you're in a hurry to feed your family

AND

2. Favorites that you go to, BUT - they take some time or preparation - but worth it?

tacos.
frozen pizza. ( usually with extra Italian cheeses and slices of pepperoni on it )

 

[Kyle]

It takes only a few minutes to do a stir fry.

plus, stir-fry offers a wide variety of options to change it up in new combinations and seasonings.

 

[Kyle]

I used to do a kielbasa and veggie skillet meal and the kids liked that okay. Potatoes, carrots, and whatever other veggies your people will eat, chunk the kielbasa, throw it all in a pan and cook covered until the veggies are soft enough for you.

Piece of kielbasa, or chicken breast, diced up into a pan with box of Zatarains red beans and rice with some extra bell pepper and onion, makes for a good meal too.

 

[rio]

I have quite a few quick meals, but I do a lot of canning and freezing that makes it easy. I can spaghetti sauce with and without meat, bean and ham soup, chicken or turkey soup, beef and chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, beef, pork, chicken, beans, salsa, chili, tomatoes. Lots of heat and eat or grab a few jars or frozen veggies and make it into something quick like hash, stir fry, soup, tacos,casseroles, whatever.

 

[SamSpade]

Okay, I see. You're all marinating and mincing and slicing - I don't do that. Well, sometimes I do but mostly I slice up the meat, season it, and fry it in sesame oil. Then do the veggies while the starch is in the microwave. Throw the meat back in the pan with the veggies, hit it with some teriyaki sauce, BOOM. Dinner is served.

Of course, baby girl is VERY PROUD she was born Chinese. So when I cook we do the whole thing, and I try to emphasize that Chinese use a wok QUICKLY. We have this HUGE Asian cookbook and we’re working our way through it. She’s getting good enough to cook without supervision.

 

[Kinnakeet]

Deer meat

 

[lucky_bee]

I am a HUGE meal planner...every Thursday I take stock what's in the fridge needing to be used, any upcoming events during the week - extra long days in the office, school events - specific meal needs, etc. and then I make my list of meals based on the week, and shop from that list.

I've also started taking a half-hour on Sunday afternoon to prep some stuff: marinades, diced veggies, shredded cheese, sliced protein (chicken, kielbasa, etc.), any protein I can cook ahead of time (shredded chicken or ground beef) anything that can last a few days in the fridge that will save me time should an evening go sideways and I'm trying to avoid ordering take out.

a few of my meals I keep on hand made of pantry-staples (like no food in the fridge, bare minimum prep, what I call emergency meals)
pasta + sauce + meatballs
pizza crust + canned pizza sauce + random fridge veggies/pepperoni
frozen breaded pork cutlets + 1 veg (usually canned green beans) + buttered egg noodles
I probably have a few more, I'll have to think

Our Go-To's / Quick Meals with a little prep:
Kielbasa with chopped cabbage and roasted potatoes (recently tried roasting them ALL together...roasted the bite-sized potatoes 400F 15 min, then add kielbasa and cabbage on top and bake another 15-20 min)

Fajitas

Tacos

"Chipotle Bowls" taco-seasoned protein + rice + black beans or refried beans + salsa + cheese + guac (rarely) + sauteed peppers and onions - let the kids make their own bowls

Chicken Thighs + 1 veg + 1 veg-or-carb (rice/potatoes)

Spanish Chicken and Chorizo with potatoes (don't always use chorizo, any sausage works esp. for kids) I use a recipe by Nigella Lawson. a big one-tray bake takes 5 min to prep, 40 to bake + salad

Cornbread crusted pork chops + veg + veg or carb

Sloppy Joes + veg + frozen fries (Pioneer Woman's recipe makes a HUGE batch - I make it then scoop out half and freeze it for another month)

Buffalo Chicken Sliders (shredded chicken mixed with buffalo sauce (I find the mildest for my toddler) on a bun with easy sides

Buffalo Chicken quesadillas

Swedish Meatballs (I grab frozen homestyle MBs - no Italian seasoning and just make a "Swedish MB sauce" (which is essentially a nutmeg-flavored roux) while those are baking, and throw those over buttered egg noodles + veg

Cheeseburger Pasta - basically homemade hamburger helper + veg (I cannot eat those boxes so I've found a few homemade versions and most come together under 30 min)

Steak Bites + 2 veg

**Sweet and Sour Meatballs over rice and broccoli - this is a HUGE hit. Happy to send you the recipe, sauce is just that, a sweet and sour tangy Asian inspired sauce that bakes with the meatballs. I make this once a month. Everyone's fave.

**big favorite right now is teriyaki salmon bites make in the air fryer served over rice, edamame, cucumber, sometimes avocado, and yum yum sauce

honey garlic salmon bites - basically the same as above but rice + avocado-red onion cilantro mix

salmon pesto pasta

Hawaiian Chicken bowl - basically teriyaki marinated chicken, plus lightly sauteed sweet peppers/onions, pineapple (I used canned), sometimes zucchini...all over rice

**Greek chicken Bowls (notice a theme ) Greek marinated chicken over rice or Israeli pearl cous cous (it's bigger and is basically like rice or teeny round pasta...kids like it better for whatever reason, or use regular cous cous), Greek chicken + cous cous + feta + Greek olives + chopped cucumber + chopped tomato + mini naan bread (bakery section) + tzatziki

Philly cheesesteak Pasta

Broccoli Chicken Divan + veg/salad

Kielbasa + baked pierogis + green beans

Salisbury Steak (I make the burgers ahead of time) + mushrooms + buttered noodles or mash + veg

Boursin Chicken + 2 veg

Boursin Pasta + salad




I definitely have some patterns 1. we all love a good "bowl" meal where I take a protein and starch and offer up a bunch of toppings and a sauce. Kids love customizing stuff. They feel like they have control over what they are eating. 2. I follow a bit of a model for dinners: protein + 1 veg minimum + 2nd side (either another veg, a mixed salad (yes I buy those bagged mixes bc time!) or a starch like potatoes - rice - pasta. My veg sides are comprised of 3 categories too: frozen, canned, or fresh (which are either roasted with some evoo/S&P or steamed in the veggie steamer and mixed with S&P.) I use this model or equation for almost every meal, if you didn't already notice the pattern above.

I save my more "involved" meals for the weekends...specifically Sundays. I keep a lot of my recipes categorized on Pinterest boards, but lately I've been printing out the family favorites and putting them in a binder I keep in the kitchen. I'm happy to share any recipes if any look interesting!

edit to add: I am NOT a canner...and while we do keep a lot of frozen meat in our fridge, we are not at the level yet of splitting a half cow or pig from a farm or something. Most of the meat in the freezer is just BULK meat I've bought on sale either at BJs, costco, or the regular grocery stores. I always keep an eye out for the stuff we use regularly: chicken thighs, breast, ground beef, italian sausage, chuck roasts, kielbasa, steaks, and salmon.