Food--I Hate Cooking but My Family Likes to Eat

[fairfarmhand]

I'm so sick of everything to do with food. Shopping, organizing the pantry, cleaning the fridge, preparing meals, washing dishes....ugh. SO SICK OF IT ALL.

And yet. People at my house are not content with a bowl of cereal or a yogurt for dinner. (Imagine that!) 

My dh is tired of soup and stew and such because I've been so sick of food that I've been making a lot of that in the crock pot. He also does not care too much for casseroles with pasta in them.

So what can I feed these people. 

Here are typical menu items:

Tacos

Fajitas

Grilled Pork chops, baked potatoes, salad

I can get away with a pasta like spaghetti or lasagna once a week or so. (I'm interested in any spin offs of these to make them more interesting)

Fried tilapia with green veggie. and something else....cornbread or something.

Shepherds Pie

Stir Fry with chicken, bagged frozen veggies

Hamburgers with sides (baked beans, etc.)

 

HELP ME! 

I need meal ideas. 

 

 

[Miss Tick]

Chicken Pot Pie is a winner here. 

Fried Rice is my "how can I get this over with as painlessly as possible" meal

[Clemsondana]

If you want a non-pasta casserole, you could do chicken and rice.  Chicken pot pie or a beef and bean casserole topped with bought crusts or crescent roll dough would also be quick.  

We do several different baked chicken dishes depending on what I need to use up from the pantry - in combos of ranch, mayo, mustard, or other dressing, then dipped in crushed cornflakes, french fried onions, etc.  I roast veggies tossed with olive oil at the same time - broccolli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc.

I crock-pot meat with seasonings (BBQ, tangy vinegar-based, orange, caribbean jerk, etc) and then shred the meat and serve with instapot rice (Jasmine if it's asian or caribbean, plain rice, mashed potato, or egg noodle for others) or serve on buns (brioche, hawaiin rolls, etc for variety).  Add a salad or roasted veggie, or sweet potato chips or fries if it's a sandwich.  I made meatball subs this week and they loved them.  I sauteed garlic green beans to go with them.

I'd also try to outsource some of the dishwashing.  Everybody loads their dishes into the dishwasher at my house and I try to minimize the number of pots/pans...and husband sometimes helps wash the big stuff if I'm busy.  

[Carol in Cal.]

What you need is one of those 70s cookbooks with all the ground beef recipes in them.  You know, the ones that start:  Brown 1 lb ground beef; drain fat.

They worked for big families because they were varied and because they were one dish meals.

But glancing through your list I think the easy things I would add are mostly roasted.

Roast chicken, roast beef, pork roast, pot roast (wait, no, I dislike pot roast.  But I hear some people like it and it’s pretty easy.). Meat loaf.  Roast turkey breast.  

That way you have a hunk of easy meat to anchor your meal, and if you keep the side simple it’s on the table with minimal effort.  Simple sides include bagged salads, canned corn warmed up, sourdough bread sliced up and maybe toasted (or not), potatoes parboiled and then roasted in the pan under the hunk of meat.  You don’t necessarily even have to make gravy.

[Mbelle]

I hear you!  

My dh has cooked on weekends for years and that's such an awesome break for me.  

Sometimes I do a lot of things with Bratwurst.  Just grill and in the buns and plain or add sauted onions and mushrooms or slaw on top.  Or make peppers and sausage with rice or mashed pototoes.

For pasta, carbonara is easy and good with salad.

I get jared sauces of Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken sauce and add chicken (can get a rotisserie if you're really wanting easy), I get Naan and chop up cucumbers for a veggie.

White beans and hamhock with cornbread.  Can add kale just before serving for a green.

Pinto beans and kielbasa sausage chopped also with cornbrean.  (chow chow is good add)

dh makes and easy egg and ham pie..refridgerated pie crust and put in a pie dish, then add 8-10 eggs but don't scramble them just poke hole in yolks so they spread out a bit, tear up some ham and sprinkle it in there and then season it how you want and add cheese if desired, cook it till it's done.  It is so easy and everyone likes it.

edited; added 

Edited October 18, 2019 by Mbelle

[alisoncooks]

I use my crockpot a lot, often for meats. Chili-rubbed pulled pork, eastern NC pork BBQ, BBQ chicken, sesame beef, etc. Then I just add easy sides like rice or salad or steam-bag veggies or roasted veggies. Sometimes we just throw the meat in tortillas or on buns. But yeah, cooking is a tedious chore... but the crock pot helps!

[SanDiegoMom]

Our latest easy favorite is a roast cooked in the slow cooker, shredded and then mixed with bbq sauce and served on top of baked potatoes. Covered with cheddar cheese and put on broil for five minutes. 

I have been using the budget bytes website for new ideas -- she has a big variety of dishes.  And I used the paprika app to import them, I make a weekly menu, and then I can have the grocery list generated automatically in the app. It's pretty helpful.  Then if all the meals are a hit I just repeat that week exactly three weeks later. 

I've been surprised at the things that the family has been enjoying.  Soy glazed Eggplant over rice has been requested for tonight, and an Easy Vegetable Korma was enjoyed as well. I don't try to please everyone though -- if three out of four (or five if the older one is home) like it that is enough to repeat it again.  I can't please everyone. 

Ooh -- for another past idea my family's new favorite is Cajun Creamy Pasta from Budget Bytes.  I like a lot of her one pot meals -- much easier clean up. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Assign your teens meal nights, and don’t take over when they squawk about it. They will come to appreciate your efforts more and they will learn how to cook.

This was the year I told dh it was time for him to cook too or be content with sandwiches and the occasional soup. I will make a couple of nice meals a week but my days of knocking out restaurant quality meals nightly only to have people turn their noses up are over.

I have been branching out into Indian and vegan cooking for me. I needed new flavor profiles. YMMV, but wanted to throw that out there. 

Cauliflower and lentil tacos with a creamy adobo dressing are pretty amazing.

 

[DoraBora]

I get it! 

Agree that your older children need to step up.  Even if you have to help them at first (which is more work), they will soon be able to do things on their own.  It will benefit them in the long run, anyway.  And everyone should help with dishes and setting the table.  If you assign your three younger children one evening a week, you could sit down with them to plan a simple meal and have them list the ingredients needed, check the pantry and freezer/fridge, etc., doing as much of that as they can on their own.  My library has tons of "children's" cookbooks.

For planning, I'm a big fan of Monday is pasta night, Taco (or Tex-Mex) Tuesday, Wednesday is soup and sandwiches, Thursday is make-your-own-pizza night, etc.  Add a leftover night (if you have leftovers).

My go-to meal is Chipotle restaurant-style.  I make a double batch of brown basmati rice, open a large can or two of black beans, and add grilled chicken or flank steak (cooked in bulk, sliced while hot, and freezer-bagged in meal sized portions.  I serve this with shredded cheese, avocado slices, salsa or pico (if I have time to chop and chop).  This meal also works well with grilled fish.

Cooking double rice, pasta, and grilled chicken or meats can be a huge time and labor saver.  Also, cutting up veggies in advance (all at once, maybe using a mandolin) is helpful.

Southern Living and Taste of Home offer hearty family-sized recipes as well as quick dinner recipes.  The "quick" or "five ingredient" recipes are usually easy enough for a child to cook (with supervision, of course).

https://www.southernliving.com/food/whats-for-supper/quick-and-easy-dinner-recipes

https://www.tasteofhome.com/cooking-style/quick-dinner-recipes/

Could you grocery shop online, with delivery or curbside pickup?  Again, you'd have an upfront investment of time (to make a basic list and learn how to shop this way) that would pay off later.

I have had success with this website's Aldi Meal plans, if you have an Aldi nearby.  My family has surprised me by eating anything I make from her plans.

https://www.mashupmom.com/category/meal-planning/

Edited October 18, 2019 by DoraBora

[fairfarmhand]

Just now, prairiewindmomma said:

Assign your teens meal nights, and don’t take over when they squawk about it. They will come to appreciate your efforts more and they will learn how to cook.

This was the year I told dh it was time for him to cook too or be content with sandwiches and the occasional soup. I will make a couple of nice meals a week but my days of knocking out restaurant quality meals nightly only to have people turn their noses up are over.

I have been branching out into Indian and vegan cooking for me. I needed new flavor profiles. YMMV, but wanted to throw that out there. 

Cauliflower and lentil tacos with a creamy adobo dressing are pretty amazing.

 

I think this is what is coming. My ds has tae kwon do 5 minutes from the house from 6-6:45. 3 days a week So that is part of what is fueling this frustration with food. I'm scrambling to fix food and then I come home to a dirty kitchen at almost 7 pm. Blah.

[prairiewindmomma]

I hate, hate, hate 6 pm activities. 

My sympathies.

[HomeAgain]

5 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

I think this is what is coming. My ds has tae kwon do 5 minutes from the house from 6-6:45. 3 days a week So that is part of what is fueling this frustration with food. I'm scrambling to fix food and then I come home to a dirty kitchen at almost 7 pm. Blah.

We have a similar situation.
Oldest works nights 5x a week.  Youngest has hockey nights 4x a week and gets home about 7pm.  They have different days off.  For the past few months I was leaving a recipe card and ingredients for the oldest on one night a week so I didn't have to prepare everything at 3pm, heat at 7pm, and sit down to dinner at 7:30, right before the youngest goes to bed.  Oldest would have it all ready to go when we walked in, and definitely appreciated dh's and my efforts more as he started doing what he could.
Now dh is home 5 evenings a week so we can divide dinner and taking the youngest to practice.

[rebcoola]

Sheet pan dinner.  Throw it all on a baking sheet with parchment paper almost no mess.  https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/slideshow/sheet-pan-dinners

[happi duck]

We instituted "if you didn't cook then you clean up" and that has helped a lot.

With cleaning the fridge, I pull what needs to be dealt with and someone else deals with recycling, washing etc.  For washing the fridge shelves we also work together.  One empties the shelf and someone else does the washing.  Shelf gets filled and then on to the next shelf.

I find grocery shopping exhausting so when two of us can go we split the list into produce and the aisles.

[DoraBora]

I love this thread!

[Janeway]

I hate hate hate cooking. I do not like meat. Before kids, I would have salads and soups and vegetables and fruits and such, even Slim Fast. Now that I have kids, there is an expectation that I make big meals, who someone always rejects, and I hate. 

[Teaching3bears]

Sloppy Joe’s are pretty easy and filling.

Make things ahead of time and freeze ie. meatballs, chicken breasts.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

1 hour ago, SusanC said:

Chicken Pot Pie is a winner here. 

Fried Rice is my "how can I get this over with as painlessly as possible" meal

 

😂 I consider fried rice to be a pretty high prep meal!  LOL!  Clearly we're working from different recipes/methods!  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I do: 

black beans and rice bowls with tortilla chips, avocado, green onion, corn (from a can), cheese, sour cream, salsa as topping options.  I make my beans from dry, but canned are good, too!

Carnitas from the Smitten Kitchen recipe

Quesadillas for a fast meal

Breakfast for dinner- hash browns, an egg, fruit salad.  Omelets with a green salad.

Roast whole chicken, I like the weeknight roast chicken recipe from NomNom Paleo.  The pan sauce makes it amazing.

Burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, brats

Salmon cakes, tuna patties

Cold chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad

 

 

[Loowit]

I have had the kids each take a night that they are responsible for dinner.  They have to menu plan (I get veto power which I use sparingly) and make the meal.  It has had mixed results.  They finally understand to some extent what it is like to put effort into cooking and have others not want to eat it.  I plan out meal about two weeks at a time, and post them on google docs for the kids to know what is for dinner.  They have to submit their menu plan for their night by a certain day for approval.  I also put a note that the menu is subject to change at the whim of mom.

I do enjoy cooking, but it loses appeal when kids don't want to eat what I cook.  I have very few dinners all of them will eat.  We do have a rule of not complaining and if they don't like what is served they can have cereal or PB sandwich.  There are times I plan a meal that I know the kids won't like but I have been craving and I will plan a  special alternative for them. I also have to work around severe food allergies which is an added challenge.

Meals that I find are easy(ish) are roast in the crockpot or instant pot, corned beef (but it is expensive), oven roasted chicken, brats, and then I cook sides like potatoes or rice and a veggie.  My mom almost always served a meat, a starch, and a veggie or two.  I personally prefer casseroles, but I am the only one in my family that does really.  They also don't like soup or chili.

This week I haven't been feeling well, so one night was frozen pizzas, another was pancakes, and other easy but not very healthy meals.

[mmasc]

 

These are crock pot, but not soup. 😊Easy and tasty. I serve with coleslaw on top on a bun. 

https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2014/06/best-crockpot-bbq-chicken.html

this is also crock pot and yummy...kind of soup-ish, but not really. 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/240587/easy-slow-cooker-chicken-and-dumplings/?lnkid=usspnt

This is a little bit of a different spin on a pasta dish, but it’s good and easy. 

http://www.apronstringsblog.com/one-pot-wonder-tomato-basil-pasta-recipe/?fb_source=pubv1

Another simple dish is sliced up smoked sausage and cubed potatoes, douse heavily with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with seasoned salt. Stir all together and place in a 9x13 glass dish, cover with foil and bake on about 425 for an hour or so. You can remove the foil once the potatoes are soft to brown things a bit. I might add some cornbread and a bagged salad but I keep it simple. 

Edited October 18, 2019 by mmasc

[Momto6inIN]

I shop and cook, the kids put groceries away when I come home from shopping and they do dishes, and my mom cleans the fridge when she visits and can't stand it anymore 🤣

It's a system I can live with!

[happi duck]

21 minutes ago, Momto6inIN said:

I shop and cook, the kids put groceries away when I come home from shopping and they do dishes, and my mom cleans the fridge when she visits and can't stand it anymore 🤣

It's a system I can live with!

I forgot about putting groceries away.  That's another job that gets split.  The shoppers pull out the fridge and freezer stuff so it gets put away first but otherwise the shoppers don't put stuff away.

[ChrisB]

A few meals that are easy for me or can be made ahead:  chicken enchiladas w/salad, sauteed cabbage & sausage over mashed potatoes, hot meatball or sausage (in marinara) subs w/veggies, italian subs w/sides, salsa chicken in crockpot, ham & hashbrown casserole w/salad, chicken & gravy over mashed potatoes w/veggies, chx breast baked over broccoli & cauliflower, smorgasbord (whatever is handy=crackers, sliced cheese, olives, fruit, salami w/cream cheese, sliced peppers (finger foods that add up to a meal), bean rice (chx thighs baked over rice and beans) w/salad, pan seared chx breast, tator tots or fries w/veggie, bbq meatballs w/slaw and baked beans, pork roast w/gravy over mashed potatoes and veggies.

Hope this helps give you some ideas.  I feel like we get in ruts, too, and it's hard to think of anything new so I always appreciate these type of threads. GL!!

[Miss Tick]

1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

😂 I consider fried rice to be a pretty high prep meal!  LOL!  Clearly we're working from different recipes/methods!  

We-ell, mine is probably not as fancy as yours if yours takes prep! 😁 Mine is basically leftover rice, leftover meat, frozen vegetables and a squirt each of soy sauce and fish sauce.

Similarly, you must have a different carnitas recorre than mine! Care to share? 😉

[May]

I really hate cooking😕If I had my way, I’d buy some healthier version of a TV dinner and call it a night. DH isn’t picky and does compliment me on most of my cooking🌺 And with the time change coming up and getting colder, I won’t grill much, if at all. I hate the cold as much as I hate cooking. 

[fairfarmhand]

5 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I hate, hate, hate 6 pm activities. 

My sympathies.

I can NOT wait until he moves up a belt or two and into the 6:45 p.m. class.

[lynn]

I have recently discovered one pan meals.  time saver for everything gets prepared and cooked on one sheet pan.    

[fairfarmhand]

Thank you all. Good ideas. 

[Storygirl]

I've tried quite a few recipes from melskitchencafe.com and we have enjoyed them all. It's easy to search her website.

Sometimes the problem for me, when I'm in a rut, is that I am not remembering many of the things I've made in the past that we have enjoyed. So I made myself a master list of ideas and thought about how often I was interested in eating each item. I found that I had more ideas than I realized.  I generally do not repeat meals more than once a month, and it's more often six or eight weeks between repeats. Sometimes I rotate in new things, but most of the things make a regular appearance.

I do my menu planning on a pocket calendar, which lets me see a full month at a time. I can flip back to see what I made recently or a few months ago.

I like to check out cookbooks from the library to get new ideas.

Edited October 19, 2019 by Storygirl

[BakersDozen]

You all are amazing. Seriously. I quit meal planning/cookbook poring about 12 years ago. If something needs more than 2-3 ingredients, involves any kind of grease or extensive clean up, no way. Our meals look like this:

Sunday: Dh cooks, usually Teriyaki chicken (I brace myself for the clean up with which we all help.)
Monday: Pasta
Tuesday: Rice casserole (ingredients vary)
Wednesday: Tortilla something or other (beans, cheese, chicken, etc.)
Thursday: Something with ground beef (Sloppy Joes, etc.)
Friday: pizza/grilled cheese
Saturday: clean out the fridge

Repeat...repeat...repeat. No thought, easy shopping, kids can make the meal start to finish. My dh would enjoy what you all are describing with meals for your family...oh well.

And I confess that dinner time often finds me in a quiet spot happily eating cereal instead.

Maybe I'll cook something new this coming week. Or not.
 

[DesertBlossom]

Mel's Kitchen Cafe's 30 minutes meals and slow cooker recipes. 

I enjoy cooking but I do get tired of it. For my sake I need to vary things and try new meals now and then to keep things interesting. I keep thinking I am going to start handing this responsibility over to my kids, but I can't give up the control of the menu just yet.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

13 hours ago, SusanC said:

We-ell, mine is probably not as fancy as yours if yours takes prep! 😁 Mine is basically leftover rice, leftover meat, frozen vegetables and a squirt each of soy sauce and fish sauce.

Similarly, you must have a different carnitas recorre than mine! Care to share? 😉

 

https://smittenkitchen.com/2011/11/homesick-texan-carnitas/

- I consider it easy because the ingredient list is so short and because I make enough for at least 2-3 meals for my family, so it's one big hassle for 3 nice meals.  I have done the slow cooking stage in my slow cooker as well as on the stovetop as described.  You must finish them as described (cooking on high until the juices reduce to just the pork fat and the carnitas fry up a bit) or they won't be good, and that is where the hassle lies.  

 

 

[DawnM]

For a long while I was making (separately)

meat- Grilled chicken, fish, salmon, turkey burgers, meatball, steak, hamburger patties, whatever (I don't do pork)

starch- rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, couscous, sweet potato, etc...

veggie- salad, frozen veggies steamed or roasted, green beans, etc...

That was it.  Done.  You want a sauce?  You add it.  Want cheese on your potato?  You add it and microwave it to melt it.

More simple meals.  

I am actually looking at going back to this for dietary reasons.

[Pippen]

Super easy crockpot chicken with black beans recipe:  https://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-chicken-with-black-beans-cream-cheese-89204

Crockpot fajitas   https://www.milkmeansmore.org/recipe/crockpot-fajitas/

Fajita seasoning if you don't have any on hand:  https://www.milkmeansmore.org/recipe/crockpot-fajitas/

We love this chicken recipe with or without the bbq sauce. It's flexible--white meat, dark meat, boneless/skinless  https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-bbq-shredded-chicken-168003

Jamie Oliver's Chicken with milk (I serve with egg noodles) https://www.thekitchn.com/jamie-oliver-chicken-in-milk-best-chicken-recipe-all-time-80388

[Condessa]

When I start to hate cooking and dread meal planning, I have found that I can snap myself out of it by looking for new, interesting, and unique recipes that I will really enjoy eating, rather than worrying about catering to the ungrateful, picky mob.  And ironically, the complainers are usually much better about eating the unusual things I come up with than more normal, simple fare.  (They all got their dad's intolerance for leftovers or repeated meals, other than pizza.  So I can make a meal they love once, and then they will hate it if I make it again within a month!)

Recently when I was starting to hate cooking again, I started using lots of recipes from carlsbadcravings.com.  I also assigned each of my kids a "kitchen day", when they are in charge of all the kitchen clean up and dishes for the day.  (I do help them as needed based on their ages).

Edited October 19, 2019 by Michelle Conde

[Susan in TX]

On 10/18/2019 at 11:14 AM, fairfarmhand said:

I think this is what is coming. My ds has tae kwon do 5 minutes from the house from 6-6:45. 3 days a week So that is part of what is fueling this frustration with food. I'm scrambling to fix food and then I come home to a dirty kitchen at almost 7 pm. Blah.

 

Don't cook on those nights. Either assign the cooking to someone else or have things available that you can just heat up in the microwave. For us that would be canned soup or chili, frozen dinners, frozen pizza. You could also get ingredients to throw together a salad. Costco has burgers that are already cooked that just need heating up in the microwave. Another option is sandwiches. Or you can make stuff ahead, like burritos, and freeze them. Then all you need to do is heat it up. Less clean up that way too.

Susan in TX

[Carol in Cal.]

If I had to get dinner on the table so fast, I think I would do some more serious pre-prepping than I do right now.

For instance, I'd buy and freeze green and red bell peppers in 1 pepper bundles, all cored, seeded, and sliced, ready to use for salads or stir fry.

I'd pull out my food processor once a week and chop up a bunch of white onions, and put them in a quart canning jar in the fridge, to decant what I need for each meal.  Ditto with sliced mushrooms, celery, and carrots.  

Ditto with shredding sharp cheddar cheese and also mozzerrella cheese.

Ditto with browning several pounds of ground beef.  I'd put them in half pound increments in canning jars, and fridge some and freeze some, already cooked.

I might make meatballs and freeze them raw and bag them.  Then I could take them out of the bag, pop onto a jelly roll pan, and bake at a very high temp to thaw and cook them quickly.  Ditto with mild Italian sausage, cooked thoroughly, cut in thick slices, and then frozen.

We already have spaghetti sauce in the freezer at all times.

And I would keep a case of mac n cheese boxes around.  And also Cream of Chicken condensed soup.  And flour tortillas. And Hamburger Helper.  And sour cream. And seasonal fruit and veggies that are hardier than leaves and last a while, like tomatoes.  And burger buns.

I'd buy  fresh bags of salad stuff, a flank steak, and boneless chicken thighs weekly.  

This way I could get dinner on the table in 25 minutes, over and over.  

Plan:

Start the rice or pasta or other grain, first thing.

Then make the sauce/main dish.

Options from the list above include:

--Spaghetti and meatballs

--Spaghetti and sausage

--Mac N Cheese

--Stir fried beef with mushrooms (and onions of course)

--Stir fried chicken with carrots and celery (and onions of course)

--Chicken with gravy (from the cream of chicken soup)

--Joe's special (need spinach for this, too)

--Sloppy Joes

--Hamburger Helper--the stroganoff one is good and fast, and you can doctor it up with mushrooms and sour cream to be even better.

While that is cooking, pour salad dressing into the bottom of a serving bowl and dump the salad from the bag on top of it.  Add celery if you want more crunch.  Put it on the table along with tongs.  Set the table.

Put the starch in a bowl.  Put the main dish in another.  Voila, dinner is served.  25 minutes.  BAM!

[Junie]

I start dinner almost every night at 5:00 to serve dinner at 6:00.  If a meal takes longer than an hour to prepare, then I don't make it.  I have a few meals that take less time that I can use if there are evening activities.

Also, while I am cooking, I meal prep other items to store in the fridge or freezer until later.

I also make use of side dishes like boxed mac and cheese, canned fruits, steam-fresh veggies that go from freezer to microwave to table.

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

My easiest desperation dinners are:

Keilbasa or smoked sausage fried with onions and frozen peirogis and served with and y sour cream and canned beets or applesauce

Also, fish tacos made with fish sticks and served with the southwestern crunch salad mix and a can of black beans.

a sous vide steak and a bag of salad are easy too.

 

Will your family go for a baked potato bar if chili is involved? 

Sometimes I put the taco meat leftovers in a casserole dish and top it with cheese, black beans, and a jiffy corn muffin mix.  Bag-o-salad is my go-to side dish in a pinch.  

Corned beef is good in the crock pot or pressure cooker and you can use the leftovers for hash.  

We had fish and cheesy grits last week.  That's pretty easy when you use frozen fish and frozen peppers and onions.

 

I have no idea what I'm making this week.  

[umsami]

Tuesdays are always taco/Tex-Mex Tuesdays in our house (don't have to think). Burrito bowls are my new favorite I don't want to cook meals.

I pre-make and freeze brown or white rice.  Of course, if I don't have any I either cook or even buy some of the new nuke it kind at the store.
So put in bowls....put shredded chicken (I buy one at Costo) on top, chopped avocado, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc.  

Wednesday is pasta.  Recently kids have liked just frozen/refrigerated cheese ravioli. I boil, toss with butter, parmesan (optional), and throw in some frozen peas.  You can also use cheese ravioli to make an easy sort of lasagna.  I'm also a fan of the frozen Stouffer's lasagna and a bagged salad.   We also really like this recipe for lo mein. I use the Sam's Club brand egg fettucine as our noodles.  https://tasty.co/recipe/chicken-lo-mein

We do breakfast for dinner twice/month.  Used to be weekly.

I love my Instant Pot.  It makes good Asian cuisine.  Beef and broccoli is yummy. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-beef-and-broccoli/   Great for butter chicken, too. :)