Whats for Dinner? Help!

I make a menu of our dinners so that anyone at the house can always look and see what we're having. I keep it exciting by putting in one new recipe every week or so. I find one that I really like and try it. I've been getting a lot of recipes from www.thepioneerwoman.com lately. I think her site is great and her chicken spaghetti and lasagna are great!

Another great idea is to bake a large amount of meat and use it for two different dinners. Make a double serving of ground beef and one night make tacos with it and sloppy joes the other night. (my family likes sloppy joe filling in a pie crust pocket with cheese) or make baked chicken and have chicken salad one night and just the plain chicken another night.

Lol--I, too, have lost my enthusiasm for the grocery store. What keeps it exciting for me is that I don't use recipes.

Usually on Sunday, I'll cook two or three different meals for the week. Then, we can mix and match all week, keeping a little variety in it. I have a quick and oh, so easy chicken recipe that we never tire of--chicken wings in a Pyrex covered dish, a little more orange juice than to cover the bottom of the dish, season with whatever you choose (I use basil, garlic pepper, parsley, Tony Chachere's.), and bake at 365. It takes very little time, and I just throw on some veggies and go. Also, Kroger has individually wrapped fish. That's really quick and easy--on the stove with onion, green apple slices (Walmart), olive oil, a little salt or butter if you want. These are pretty quick and satisfying for my household.

Two standard sides--potatoes and carrots. I just slice the potatoes and boil them until soft. Then, I pour off all but a teeny bit of water and put in butter and parsley and a little pepper and cover it on a the lowest heat. Same with the carrots, adding butter and a little brown sugar. ...Frozen spinach (with garlic powder and chicken bouillon).

As you can see, my trick is to have lots of options and just switch out a couple of those the following week.

Hi C.

I have two cookbooks in mind in which you can find tasty meal ideas that are simple and most recipes don't involve too many ingredients. The cookbooks are Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller or Giada De Lareuntis Everyday Italian.

They both have cooking shows on the Food Network. Maybe you have seen them if not check them out. Robin Miller is a dietician, her cook book is pretty great because she incorprates reicpes in which you can morph them to other meals so you spend less time in the kithcen and less boredem for your kids.

Hi C.,

I have recently started planning my meals for the week on Sunday afternoons by going through my cookbooks and finding fun, easy things to make and making my grocery list for those ingredients. It has been really fun and we have something new every week (along with some favorites from prior weeks). I can mix it up so that we have pork, chicken, beef and pasta during the week so it isn't always the same thing. It has been working really well for us and my hubby and I are both excited about food again. He even helps me pick out recipes.

Our favorite cookbook to get recipes from is called Desperation Dinners by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross. A friend gave me this cookbook for Christmas and we love it! It has really simple recipes that can be ready in around 20-30 minutes and most of the ones we have tried have been really good. We also use our crock pot using the Fix It and Forget It books.

Believe it or not, this has cut our grocery bill too since I am no longer wandering aimlessly around the store just grabbing random things. Give it a try and let your kids help make the menu. You could maybe even get them to help you cook! Good luck and happy eating!

Idea: Have each of your kids take one day a week where they are responsible for planning the menu dinner--right down to putting together a shopping list AND the trip to the grocery store-- maybe together-- pick a day for them to go with their (approved) list.

The 17 and 20 year old can even cook theirs, and it will be great preparation for the 7th grader.

They will be more grateful for the days you are responsible...and it is amazing how helpful it is to picky eaters to have to actually prepare the food.

Here is an easy one: I put chicken in the crock pot with rotel tomatoes. Then when it is done I add cream cheese, sour cream, milk (whatever creamy stuff I have on hand, it is all good)Spices (garlic, whatever you like)

Pour on top of pasta, delicious!

Check out cooks.com they have some yummy recipes!

Hi C., I have a quick one. With chicken, roll in parmesan cheese (one in can used to top spaghetti) & paprika than bake for an hour at 350 degree. Taste wonderful, my families favorite. Than just had vegetables for side dishes.
Best wishes

we do soft tacos alot with corn tortillas, not flour, and baked potatos with stuff on them... i buy the already cooked boneless breasts from HEB and pan cook them with the bag of frozen veges ( red/green pepper & onion mix) then top the potato..

its easy and filling and still healthy