Everyday Systems

What is everyone eating for dinner ?

I am a terrible cook, and I am looking for simple and delicious ideas

Thanks !

Donna O

Last night I had a veggie chicken burger, corn on the cob, pinto beans, and a glass of whole milk. Easy to make, and tasted great!

Fishfingers (not cheap nasty yellow ones, posh ones from Waitrose!); mashed swede (rutabaga?) and carrot, lightly cooked cabbage. Apple crumble (already made and in the freezer) and custard (Birds).

Yesterday was vegetarian bolognese (chop onion, carrot, red pepper in food processor, sautee in olive oil, add glass red wine, bubble until sticky, add 100g red lentils, can chopped tomatoes, can of water, chicken stock cube, tsp dried oregano, tsp ground cinnamon, simmer 30 minutes. Serve with spaghetti and grated parmesan. Freezes too).

Tonight we're having fondue (cheese for dinner, chocolate for dessert) ...

For dinner tomorrow, I'm thawing out some homemade meat sauce (a Paula Deen recipe modified to suit my family's tastes) which I'll serve with pasta and some veggies. We'll go out for lunch.

Tonight I'm having meatballs (already made and in the freezer) with a honey barbeque sauce (from the farmer's market), macaroni and cheese (I use a different recipe than the one shown in the link) and a salad.

I do the meatballs through the browning step, then bag them up in serving sizes for 1 or 2 people and put them in the freezer. When I'm ready to eat them, I bake as directed.

Last night was Cheesy Hash Brown Bake and a salad.

I cut just about everything down to feed 1 or 2 people. I never know exactly who will be here for dinner and I don't mind a little leftover, but I don't want 4-5 servings leftover.

Usual, very quick dinners:
spaghetti (tomato sauce + diced tomatoes + spaghetti pasta + spices)
chicken broccoli rice (brown rice + cooked chicken + broccoli + sesame oil)
beanie-weenies (baked beans + hot dogs)
pita pizzas (round pita bread + tomato sauce + spices + mozzarella cheese)
burritos (tortillas + cooked rice and beans + salsa + cheese + lettuce)
curried something (rice + onions + garlic + madras powder + coconut milk + something protein (chicken/lamb/lentils)

All of these get paired with salads, fruit, yogurt and granola, celery and peanut butter, or cottage cheese

Last night I had penne in a white sauce flavoured with spicy italian sausage. Tonight I had short grain rice with a bit of soy sauce, broccoli, and broiled whitefish. Simple but good.

I post most of my dinners, usually with recipes, on my check-in.

Jammin' Jan wrote:I post most of my dinners, usually with recipes, on my check-in.

Jan, I read most of your check-in since September (so far) and I've found some good menu ideas there. Might also start my own, mostly to keep track of menus/recipes.

Tonight, stew...

This year because of a hellish work schedule, I often buy a roasted chicken (Costco) and/or roasted turkey breast (Ralphs)-things I used to cook myself-- and use them for days of meals with home-cooked grain, + vegetables fresh and frozen, and a piece of fruit. I also keep commercial sauces around. I'm fond of Indian food, and I buy sauces/ "stews" made by Veetee, Patak, and Trader Joe's. If you were looking for recipes, sorry! But I find my meals delicious and satisfying!

oolala53 wrote:This year because of a hellish work schedule, I often buy a roasted chicken (Costco) and/or roasted turkey breast (Ralphs)-things I used to cook myself-- and use them for days of meals with home-cooked grain, + vegetables fresh and frozen, and a piece of fruit. I also keep commercial sauces around. I'm fond of Indian food, and I buy sauces/ "stews" made by Veetee, Patak, and Trader Joe's. If you were looking for recipes, sorry! But I find my meals delicious and satisfying!

I've become very fond of making some kind of big roast and using the leftovers (really planned overs) in as many ways as I can think of. I generally shred the meat and put it in zip lock bags in the frig or freezer (depending on how soon I plan on using it). I put as much in the bags as my family would eat in one meal. I've been doing the same thing with meatballs, too. It's amazing how many things I can do with that. Some of the ideas have come from Clara's Kitchen.

My favorite comfort food: peanut butter noodles & carrot slaw.

I boil spaghetti and make a sauce of peanut butter, soy sauce, oil (I use sesame oil), vinegar, hot pepper, garlic (I have a jar of chopped roasted garlic in the frig), and a little honey. I took the recipe from Arthur Schwatz's What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House To Eat.

Carrot slaw: shredded carrots, a little honey, a little mayo. Add raisins and/or pineapple, if you have them.

The sauce makes my nose run but I don't care, it's so good!

you guys are amazing !!

Reinhard should make a book of interesting No S meals

.... and possibly S day treats

Donna O

A side dish I love as it brings back memories of growing up and my best friend's mum would always make this when we had a braai (South African for BBQ)

Curried Banana Salad

Sauce
Equal amounts of mayo and apricot jam and a sprinkling of curry powder to taste.

Mix well together until there are no more lumps from the apricot jam then slice in enough bananas so the sauce easily coats them all.

This is delicious with any meat, chicken or fish.

donnao wrote:
Reinhard should make a book of interesting No S meals

I think just a section on the bulletins boards would be great.