Noreen Claire Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I am in a dinner rut; I need some new recipes for daily dinners. Hit me with your favorite go-to family meals, please! Bonus points for: -using pantry staples, -being veggie-heavy w/meat used more as a flavoring, and/or -getting my picky kids (21, 7, 4, & 2) to eat it! (We have peanut & tree nut allergies in the house, as well as an egg allergy.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 A simple lentil curry is a staple in our house. I made this one tonight: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1364/spicy-root-and-lentil-casserole Of course, changed a couple of things. I used more garlic, doubled the lentils, and upped the curry because we like spicy. And added spinach at the end. I like www.veganricha.com for dinner ideas for meatless days. Comfort food-tuna macaroni salad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 How about a super easy baked macaroni and cheese? Melt 1/4 c butter and add in 1/4 c flour. Brown and then add milk (maybe about 2 cups). Add in salt and 1 t of mustard powder. Stir as it thickens. Add in about 16 ounces of whatever odds and ends of cheese you have sitting in your fridge. (I prefer to shred my own because I think the packaged stuff is kinda icky.) Once it melts dump in a bunch of precooked macaroni. Pour it into a baking dish and top with crushed Ritz crackers mixed with some melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Honestly it's not the lowest calorie option but kids eat it and normally I have all the ingredients in my house. I serve it with a big side salad or steamed broccoli and fruit. What doesn't get eaten the first night is stuck back in the fridge and just popped back in the oven for leftovers at lunch or as a side dish for dinner the next night with chicken or something. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Our go-to meals are spaghetti, taco bar, and soups including chili. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I forgot about baked potato bar. Bake a proper number of potatoes. Put all the leftovers you have on the counter and let the kids assemble them as they wish. If you don't have a fridge full of leftovers then you can serve with chili or just plain cheese and sour cream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I have resorted to nachos for dinner. A bed of chips, some cheese, canned beans, olives, then top with whatever leftover meat you have all taco-spiced up. You can serve a salad with it, or be healthy and do rice instead of chips. If they'll eat chili you can load it up with all sorts of veggies and get away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Someone on this board linked this a while ago and my family really likes it. http://www.hippressurecooking.com/lentil-risotto-peasant-cooking-under-pressure/ I've altered the recipe to use brown rice and then served it at two different events we hosted and got many compliments and recipe requests. The brown rice doesn't come out as creamy but if you don't have a pressure cooker this could still be made on the stove top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Some of my family's favs (who are all good eaters except my ds14, so these are all ones he enjoys) veggie fajitas (peppers, mushrooms, onions, served in a tortilla with guac and greek yogurt and hot sauce) stir fry anything--always lots of veggies tortilla pizzas--choose your own toppings soup--easy to add lots of veggies and just a bit of meat eggs--especially omelets with lots of veggies or a veggie hash to go with, or quiche galette with roasted veggies (any kind of veg really) or pasta with lots of roasted or sauteed veg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender's green Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 How about roasted root veggies. I make it about once a week and everyone loves it, even my veggie-averse, picky kid. Fill a 9x13 pan (or whatever size have) with prepped veggies cut into 1 inch chunks, roughly a single layer. Potatoes, carrots...great time to try other roots like parsnips, turnips, beets. Sometimes I do squash and sweet potato, but they can get a little mushy. Toss in a handful of mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, whatever you have on hand. Add a whole head of peeled garlic. It'll knock the flavor out of the ballpark. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, toss lightly. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, lower temp to 350 and bake another 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice. Delicious as a stand-alone dish or as a side. Sometimes I serve it with feta. Kids usually eat it with ketchup. Once in a while I'll make an herb-heavy vinaigrette and dab that on top. (Last time it was 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3/4 cup olive oil, spoonful of mustard, salt and pepper to taste, lots of chopped rosemary, two green onions, and as much parsley as I could fit into the mason jar. Shake together.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 My kids' favorite is when this trifecta is on the menu for the week... Day 1. Beans and rice. I make a crockpot full of beans, rice in the rice cooker, then serve with toppings for a burrito in a bowl. Sometimes with meat. Day 2. Chili or taco soup with the leftover beans (the difference for us is that taco soup has corn. Chili has chili powder. Pretty much the same thing. LOL) Day 3. Simmer the leftover soup or chili until thicker. I add a few corn tortillas if necessary to get it thicker. Add a layer of cheese on top of the chili, then cornbread batter (raw). Throw this into the oven and bake until the cornbread is done. Voila. Tamale pie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I made homemade "Madras" lentils last week and it was goooood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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