I did my
mass menu planning a while ago and it's been going pretty well. We've had a few weeks where we got off track or decided to ditch the whole week for whatever reasons, but we've picked it up the next week and kept going. It has made grocery shopping so much easier and dinner time much less stressful. When I wrote it out, I had some themes in mind just for the planning purposes: Meatless Monday, Fish Fridays, etc. And the meatless Mondays have worked out to be mostly one dish supper kind of nights. But the plan for today is one I'm not overly fond of, so I am asking for suggestions.
Our current Monday meals are:
- black bean and corn quesadillas
- soup
- red beans and rice
- quiche/fritatta
- stuffed peppers
- grilled cheese and pinto beans**
It's that last one that doesn't work out so well. When I did the original plan, I thought the recipe looked good, but a bit spicy, so I toned it down. And now there's no real taste to it at all. So I am in the market for a new Monday dinner.
If at all possible I would like to stick with the one dish and meatless criteria. I would like it to be healthy, inexpensive, and kid-friendly. The magical moment will come when someone suggests something I can make with what I have in my house right now. That's not too much to ask is it?
So tell me: What's your favorite one-dish, meatless, healthy, inexpensive, kid-friendly dinner idea?? As incentive, I will send the person who submits the best recipe a hand-made photo book in colors of their choosing.
I make a mean meatless Stir Fry. Simply take veggies that you have on hand, fresh or frozen is best, and saute in a large skillet. In a small bowl, mix 4 tsp Cornstarch,2/3 c Cup Chicken or Vegetable broth, 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp Vinegar, and 1/2 tsp Sugar or Sweetner. Add sauce mix to veggies and stir fry until sauce begins to thicken. Serve over cooked rice or Chinese Lo Mein noodles. Note: Sauce makes enough for 2 servings. Increase recipe by mulitiplying by 2 or 3 for a large family dish.
ReplyDeleteFor variations you can add 1-2 T Orange Juice for an Orange Chicken taste, 1 T minced Garlic and a little hot sauce for a Spicy Garlic taste, or some mild hot peppers and peanuts for a Kung Pow taste. Red beans and/or Sprouts work well in this dish as well. Bon Appetit!
One thing you left out was a pasta dish but mac and cheese was one of my family's favorite dishes.
ReplyDeleteI used a recipe from our electric company (they had some of the best stuff!) for a white sauce and just added three cups of grated aged cheddar. The sauce was cooked in a microwave, mixed with the drained,cooked, hot pasta in it's pan, transferred to a baking dish, and baked for 15 mins in the oven.
If you'd enjoy having the recipe, I'll send it to you.
I don't think we have mac and cheese anywhere on our menu plan. I would love to have the recipe! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteGrilled cheese & creamy tomato soup is one of my favorites and the kids *love* it.
ReplyDeleteHere's a rough recipe:
Dice 1/2 onion and soften in 2 tbsp butter with a dash of salt. Add 1 tsp sugar, 1/8 tsp baking soda (cuts the acidity), 1/2 cup chicken broth, and 1 29.5 oz can diced tomatoes. I simmer covered for an hour-ish, but shorter than that would probably work fine. I puree with our stick blender, but that's optional, you can leave it chunky or mash with a potato masher. Then add 1 cup of cream or half and half, some fresh basil if you have it, and serve!
For my grilled cheese I brush the bread with melted butter mixed with garlic salt and then cook on a panini press with cheddar and havarti - it's perfect for dipping! The kids always ask for seconds, and I serve salad with it so we have something green...
Veggie stir fry also works well if you're going meatless, cheese stuffed shells, cheese lasagna (easy to put together with no-cook noodles), turkey-less Thanksgiving (green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, whatever your favorite sides are), lentil shepherd's pie (great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!), baked ziti, gnocchi w/caprese salad (costco has SUCH cheap fresh mozzarella!)... Can you tell we go vegetarian during Lent? I've got a huge list of meatless dinners!
Hi Rosie! Thanks for stopping by! I don't feel like such a stalker over at your blog now!! :)
DeleteI have never made tomato soup from scratch, but that looks really easy! I'm going to have to try that soon.
I made the menu with fish every Friday so we wouldn't have to change it during Lent. We can feel all old-school!!
Ooh, I've got one because I just posted it on my blog not too long ago. I try to go meatless about once a week also. The recipe is here and it's for Minestrone soup...super easy, super adaptable to what you have on hand and tasty too. Recipe is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://motherchick.blogspot.com/2013/01/easy-home-cooking-minestrone-soup.html
It's like you wrote that post just for me!! Thanks for pointing me to it!
DeleteI'm no help. I'm not the best cook and I think everything I do make has meat in it.
ReplyDeleteIm not help either-we have to have somekind of meat. : (
ReplyDeleteI just made a gorgeous broccoli mac n cheese.
ReplyDeleteI also do an easy pasta bake on lazy cooking days.
How about a mild vegetarian curry with rice?