battlemaiden Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I have struggled with this for a while and I would like to conquer this failing. I don't think I'm a food person. I'm a very simple eater. I could easily become a raw-foodie. Bread, cheese, and fruit is my *favorite* meal. I read through the "what's for dinner?" post and I am so impressed. Even the people who were just throwing a meal together at the last minute...gah! I'm just impressed. :001_unsure: I love my family, and I know making them nutritious balanced meals that are appealing is a way I can serve them. Is there something I can read? Will it magically happen when I don't have a baby and preschooler around the ankles? Opinions? :001_huh: Help me Obi-wan (the metaphorical representation of the hive mind), you're my only hope. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Well, "Leia", I'm grabbing the :lurk5:and waiting as well. I so hate cooking, I don't even like to eat interesting food all that much. I'll eat popcorn for dinner if I could get away with it. My husband likes actually food, go figure. I also have a tween age son, who is really starting to get an appetite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted April 5, 2008 Author Share Posted April 5, 2008 I am NOT letting you brilliant cooks off this easily. I will continue to bring this post to the top until you reveal your secrets. Actually you don't even need to qualify as "brilliant", I just need to know how you come up with your meal ideas. Beg #2. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I'm definitely NOT brilliant in the food department!! I read other people's menus and I make lists. I also read cookbooks with titles like, "easy meals in ___ minutes" because I know the meals will be doable for me. One of the most helpful things to do is to make a plan like, Mondays - pasta, Tuesdays - crockpot, Wednesdays - chicken, etc. That really seems to help focus planning. Also, planning menus in advance so that I'm never staring at the freezer at five o'clock wondering WHAT is for dinner!!! Hope this is helpful! Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Jo, Parisarah always recommends the book, How to Cook without a Book. It was on my Amazon list for a bit and Bud snatched it for Christmas. I really like to cook, but when time short, I find myself going to one of the formulas in the book with whatever I have on hand. I agree with Parisarah on this one - it's a book worth having and will help a lot with the daily grind of "what's for dinner". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Jo, I am probably no help at all. :( I love to cook, but I am fickle. I Planning exhausts me, and I always want something different than what I plan. :rolleyes: Thus, the only thing that helps me with a varied menu is to have every cotton-pickin' condiment, spice, meat, dried bean, frozen vegetable, and ethnic accompaniment under the sun on hand at most any time. Call it "Freezer/Pantry Basics on Steroids". LOL Not realistic, I know... :blush: I like to read cookbooks for fun, too, which has helped me be more creative. PariSarah (and others here) have recommended a guide called How To Cook Without a Book. I personally haven't seen it, but maybe that would be a fun read to get your foodie engine revved. :001_smile: (Oh, and shaking off the babes to actually get in the kitchen for more than 15 minutes at a time really does help. Let me know if you master that little trick...) ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Great minds, eh Pedro? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Great minds, eh Pedro? ;) Pinch, poke, you owe me a coke. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Pinch, poke, you owe me a coke. ;) 1, 2, 3...STOP! ;) Didn'tcha have to count really fast so the person would owe you a lot of Cokes? Or was that some twisted southeast Texas version of it? :001_smile: I don't think I ever got all the Cokes owed me... :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Well, I don't know that I'm "brilliant" but I do like to cook. I'm also easily bored and therefore cook a WIDE variety of foods. Do you just need ideas or recipes? To start you out here are some typical meals in our home. I'm noting what I typically serve on the side but of course this is mix and match. ;) I'm reviewing the menus I have saved in my computer, this isn't all by memory. Breakfast (eggs are served almost every morning, my kids need the protein, even if they are listed they are usually served in some way): Eggs in a Basket (aka: Toad in Hole) French Toast Omelets Banana Pancakes Oatmeal Baked Cheese Grits Orange Rolls Waffles Lunch: tostones, black beans and rice (I've posted my tostone and black bean recipes here before) peanut butter and banana pinwheels (ie wrapped in a tortilla and sliced) tortellini with parmesan veggie "sushi"-this is not real sushi, you take bread, cut off the crust, roll it out, spread it with cream cheese, put slices of carrot and cucumber inside, roll it up and slice it. Baked Potatoes Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches Hummus, Pita Bread and tomato/cucumber/onion/black olive relish stuff hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls (or puff pastry) and baked with mac and cheese Baked Potato Soup quiche bean burritos with avocados and chips with salsa bean and polenta pies mini pizzas and pineapple funny-face egg salad sandwiches (open face sandwiches served with carrot sticks, slices of pepper, sliced olives, anything that the kids can use to make faces) homemade waffles with bacon flautas (from frozen) with cheese cubes and 7 layer dip ham and cheese bagels corn chowder wontons (yes, they are a lot of work for lunch but I love them, they are delicious and sometimes I want them!) and rice chili/cornbread pie pasta salad mini burgers on hawaiian sweet rolls (I put pineapple in the meat, it makes the little burgers so sweet and moist!) Veggie Wraps Sloppy Joes and fries Dinner: Pork Chops with mashed potatoes and peas Baked Chicken with orange-avocado salsa and rice Spinach and/or chicken enchiladas, mexican rice and beans Spaghetti, salad and bread Steak, asparagus, baked potatoes Taco Salad Lasagna Southwest Lasagna (really a taco casserole thing) King Ranch Chicken (another casserole ;) ) Chicken Gumbo Chicken Parmesan, pasta, salad Fajitas w/Chile Rellenos Rotesserie Chicken, Asparagus, honey potatoes BBQ Chicken, Cornbread Salad Quiche, Broccoli Salad Baked Ziti, Green Beans Chicken Pot Pie Pot Roast w/ veggies, homemade rolls Thai Steak Salad Steak and Blue Cheese Salad Meatloaf with zucchini and potatoes Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad Honey-Dijon Chicken and Ramen Noodle Salad Spinach-Artichoke Pasta and bruschetta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I used to be food type person, but I gave that up. My kids eat a good variety of food and plenty of fruits and veggies, but don't have refined tastes. For example, I make a great gumbo, but I won't let my kids eat it. I refuse to listen to them complain that it is too spicy.:glare: What has helped me get over the what's for dinner problem is what has also helped to get my grocery budget in line. I plan my meals at least two weeks at a time and grocery shop once every two weeks. I assign a type of food for each day of the week then plug in recipes. If I have no time, I copy what I did a couple of times ago. If I have lots of time, I find and print new recipes. Cooking has become a no stress thing around my house - I don't stress and if I get a wild hair to make a fancy dish, then I also add something to the side that the kids will eat and not complain about. Here is our meal rotation: soup or casserole breakfast for dinner pasta grilled or steamed something with rice something meatless - usually a bean dish or a frittata something on a bun (or in a tortilla) a meat - in the summer it is grilled in the winter it is baked breakfast is always from a small group of choices - oatmeal, pancakes, homemade waffles, rice pudding Lunch is a sandwich at least 5 days a week otherwise it is leftovers My kids may never say that I am the greatest chef, but we eat together almost every meal and they are all thriving. Hopefully finding the right balance for you between time-consuming and boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I don't know when or where I read it -- probably at least 20 years ago -- but a magazine article stated that the typical family dinner usually consisted of a variety of only about ten different menus. That was pretty much the case when I was a kid, and it applies here, too. I do try new things, but my guys are always asking me for the "old standbys." You can just browse through some general cookbooks to get some ideas. I get the annual edition of "Cook's Illustrated" every winter and there's always something in there that's fun and interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted April 5, 2008 Author Share Posted April 5, 2008 Thanks everybody. Perhaps we should also make the "what's for dinner?" posts a daily item and I will take full advantage of the time zone difference. :D Some of us students need a little more hand holding than others. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Thanks for the tips. I'm just not going to show my dh yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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