lighter meals using meat

[ProudGrandma]

Now that we are no longer feeding big boys (they went off to college) my husband and I have decided we want to eat lighter meals.  I have soups on my list for when the weather becomes cooler.  

We live in a farming community and recently we purchased for a very good price a 1/4 of a pig and a 1/4 of a cow...so our freezer is FULL of a variety of cuts of meat.  When the boys were home, I would make big meals...meat, potatoes, veggie etc.  

I know I could do the same and just make less...but I think overall, we want just lighter meals....so I am looking for some suggestions.  My husband LOVES lettuce salad, but I dont' so much...I will eat some, but not like he does. 

If this makes sense to you and you have some ideas for me, please share.  I am eager to learn how to cook differently for my husband and I. 

Thanks. 

[cjzimmer1]

8 minutes ago, kfeusse said:

Now that we are no longer feeding big boys (they went off to college) my husband and I have decided we want to eat lighter meals.  I have soups on my list for when the weather becomes cooler.  

We live in a farming community and recently we purchased for a very good price a 1/4 of a pig and a 1/4 of a cow...so our freezer is FULL of a variety of cuts of meat.  When the boys were home, I would make big meals...meat, potatoes, veggie etc.  

I know I could do the same and just make less...but I think overall, we want just lighter meals....so I am looking for some suggestions.  My husband LOVES lettuce salad, but I dont' so much...I will eat some, but not like he does. 

If this makes sense to you and you have some ideas for me, please share.  I am eager to learn how to cook differently for my husband and I. 

Thanks. 

Perhaps consider some other salad bases, pasta salad with lots of veggies and a little bit of meat, or use orzo, farro, couscous, beans, as the base.  

Wraps, I find tortilla wraps to be much easier on my digestive system than full slices of bread, or better yet makes wrap with spring roll wrap (rice paper), can really load up on the veggies that way with just some meat and sauce. 

Stuffed zucchini boats, zucchini lasagne, spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti, roasted sweet potato and black beans (for a taco filling or also really good plain), stir fries.

[Grace Hopper]

4 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Perhaps consider some other salad bases, pasta salad with lots of veggies and a little bit of meat, or use orzo, farro, couscous, beans, as the base.  

Wraps, I find tortilla wraps to be much easier on my digestive system than full slices of bread, or better yet makes wrap with spring roll wrap (rice paper), can really load up on the veggies that way with just some meat and sauce. 

Stuffed zucchini boats, zucchini lasagne, spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti, roasted sweet potato and black beans (for a taco filling or also really good plain), stir fries.

Love all these ideas. I’ll add jambalaya, soups, and lettuce wraps. You can make your same meat flavored dishes, just use less meat and raise the proportion of the non-meat ingredients. 

[Faith-manor]

Stuffed peppers. When dh and I are alone, I make stuffed bell peppers with rice, onion, garlic, basil, salt, and black pepper, and just an ounce or two a piece of ground meat or pulled pork. Sprinkle parmesan on or add sauteed mushrooms if you like those. Light but filling, and healthy.

[EmilyGF]

I found a good way to cut back on meat was to choose a normal meat-based recipe and double everything besides the meat. So, for example, if I was making meat-based chili, I'd double the beans and veggies but keep the amount of meat the same. Of course, if you're serving things like steak, this is trickier. But even there, you can make the steak servings smaller and add a second veggie side. 

For my meat-loving husband, this didn't feel like deprivation, and we all ended up eating a lot more beans and veggies.

Edited August 31, 2022 by EmilyGF

[Spy Car]

12 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Stuffed peppers. When dh and I are alone, I make stuffed bell peppers with rice, onion, garlic, basil, salt, and black pepper, and just an ounce or two a piece of ground meat or pulled pork. Sprinkle parmesan on or add sauteed mushrooms if you like those. Light but filling, and healthy.

I love stuffed peppers, including ones made traditionally with rice (and meat). Delicious and make the best leftovers.

Lately I've been making a lot of stuffed peppers subbing out "riced" cauliflower for the rice (to good effect). Making cauliflower rice is easy to do with a food processor. Just break up the flowerlets  and "pulse" with a steel blade until one has a rice-like consistency and then saute in olive oil until the raw edge of the cauliflower is gone.

I've also been subbing out the meat with seasoned (tenderly-cooked) lentils, but that's not helpful here (so pretend I didn't mention it)  

Bill

[ProudGrandma]

these ideas are great.  Thanks.  I need some more ways to use the meat I have...pork chops, cutlets, steak, hamburger, minute steak, just to name a few things.   I also have chicken, but not as much as the others.  Thanks.  

[fraidycat]

Stir fry, sub sandwiches, wraps, casseroles

[Grace Hopper]

2 hours ago, kfeusse said:

these ideas are great.  Thanks.  I need some more ways to use the meat I have...pork chops, cutlets, steak, hamburger, minute steak, just to name a few things.   I also have chicken, but not as much as the others.  Thanks.  

You can always just prepare a smallish piece of grilled meat to share and serve as sort of a side dish to a larger vegetarian entree. 

[EKS]

We put boneless, skinless chicken breasts on salads and have that for dinner.  It is one of our favorite meals.

[Lady Florida.]

You can make quinoa salads with a lot of veggies and a bit of meat. The quinoa has plenty of protein so you'd only need a little meat.

[Clarita]

With steaks I just don't make 1 steak per person. Otherwise I cook it like a steak then right before serving after 5 minutes of rest time I slice it up and serve. I may put it on top of quinoa, peas, corn, polenta, etc. Then have a large portion of the vegetable side.

[KatieJ]

I tend to cook in batches or planned leftovers.
Sloppy joes can be pizza the next night.

Steak can be fajitas the next night.

2 pork loin chops and a huge side of veggies goes over well. 
If I make a casserole, I use 2 small ones and freeze the 2nd one. I make a lot of soup in the winter.

We do like lettuce salad here and have that often. 

[AmandaVT]

Roasted veggies - I love roasted cauliflower, but all veggies are better roasted. You can roast a pile of veggies and serve with a thinly sliced steak or pork chop. 

Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, onion, greens would all be great with pork chops - nice fall flavors.

[Pippen]

Pork Tenderloin Spinach Salad

The recipe calls for the pork to be grilled but mostly I just roast it in the oven.

 

[Faith-manor]

9 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I love stuffed peppers, including ones made traditionally with rice (and meat). Delicious and make the best leftovers.

Lately I've been making a lot of stuffed peppers subbing out "riced" cauliflower for the rice (to good effect). Making cauliflower rice is easy to do with a food processor. Just break up the flowerlets  and "pulse" with a steel blade until one has a rice-like consistency and then saute in olive oil until the raw edge of the cauliflower is gone.

I've also been subbing out the meat with seasoned (tenderly-cooked) lentils, but that's not helpful here (so pretend I didn't mention it)  

Bill

I love them with lentils. I seem to have unusual taste buds within my family who mostly loves heavy cuisine, and favors the million flavors of cheese produced by France! 😂 But I fell in love with Middle Eastern/North African cuisine when we were in Egypt, and tend to reproduce that a lot at home. Stuffed peppers are my favorite though I do enjoy stuffed eggplant. I have never tried riced cauliflower this way so now I am intrigued.

[Spy Car]

4 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I love them with lentils. I seem to have unusual taste buds within my family who mostly loves heavy cuisine, and favors the million flavors of cheese produced by France! 😂 But I fell in love with Middle Eastern/North African cuisine when we were in Egypt, and tend to reproduce that a lot at home. Stuffed peppers are my favorite though I do enjoy stuffed eggplant. I have never tried riced cauliflower this way so now I am intrigued.

Riced cauliflower is a nice change of pace from rice. When I do use rice for stuffed peppers, Egyptian rice is my favorite.

Bill

[KungFuPanda]

Do you like sheet pan dinners? It’s easy to do a big pan of roasted veggies and a smaller cut of meat. 

[Laura Corin]

6 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Do you like sheet pan dinners? It’s easy to do a big pan of roasted veggies and a smaller cut of meat. 

Roasting lots of veggies with meat in the same tray spreads the flavour. Chicken thighs are very reliable for this.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Laura Corin

[Teaching3bears]

Cook the meat and cut into strips or cubes.  Add to salads, wraps, soups, rice, quinoa and couscous dishes with lots of vegetables.  Hamburger soup is yummy and use only 1/2 chopped hamburger per person and lots of veggies.  

[ProudGrandma]

10 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Do you like sheet pan dinners? It’s easy to do a big pan of roasted veggies and a smaller cut of meat. 

never heard of these....interesting. 

[Hilltopmom]

Lol I also have a cow and a pig in my freezer:)

taco salad, pork fajitas (use the crockpot for cooking the meat), sloppy joe meat over diced cauliflower, chops on the grill with just a green veggie side. We eat lots of meat but not heavy casseroles so often just grill meat with a side green salad or other veggie- no heavy sides. That makes a lighter meal of just meat and a light veggie

Edited September 2, 2022 by Hilltopmom

[Faith-manor]

10 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Roasting lots of veggies with meat in the same tray spreads the flavour. Chicken thighs are very reliable for this.

I do this a lot. Chicken thighs are a cheaper cut of meat here, and I can do one per person for the really hungry folks, and one for Mark and I to share. Thin cubed zucchini, plus thin sliced carrots, and some chunks of onion will cook at about the same speed with quartered small to medium potatoes or baby reds. I toss the veggies in olive oil, cumin, tummeric, and mix with fresh minced garlic, sprinkle a light amount of salt, and then do something similar to the thighs, or do a little apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and spices for the thighs. The apple cider vinegar is a nice tender user and leaves a bit of tang which we enjoy. I usually do 425F which would be 218C. I would love to hear what veggies and seasonings you use!

[Farrar]

A well-timed thread for me. Kid has been gone a week and already I feel like we're changing up how everyone cooks. 

One thing I feel like I'm going to try is making a regular portion of the meat protein, but sticking half in the fridge and changing the sides. Or purposefully making a regular portion, but sticking half to be cut up to go with a salad and have large salads instead the following night.

Another vote for sheet pan dinners in general. I love a sheet pan dinner.

[KungFuPanda]

8 hours ago, kfeusse said:

never heard of these....interesting. 

Here’s a pretty big collection to get you started. If your family is large just make another pan. 
 

I seems counterintuitive, but I do a lot of these in the summer because it’s easy and I’m not standing over the stove. (We keep a cold house so the oven doesn’t really heat up the kitchen) 
 

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/meals-menus/g32934608/sheet-pan-dinner-recipes/

[heartlikealion]

I don't know if I'd call these light but some ideas of what to do with the meat:

Ham/egg sandwhich (on toasted ciabatta bread). I also occasionally make sliders with Hawaiian rolls and meat/cheese baked with garlic salt/butter on the top and I spread some butter inside the rolls.

Chicken salad

chicken spaghetti (rotel style is the one I make). 

Stir fry with either rice or riced cauliflower

tacos

gumbo, chili, tortilla soup (add with your soup list in colder weather)

Just plain meat and veggies. You don't have to add another side/carb if you don't want to. 

Sloppy Joes

[ProudGrandma]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by kfeusse

[Laura Corin]

9 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Here’s a pretty big collection to get you started. If your family is large just make another pan. 
 

I seems counterintuitive, but I do a lot of these in the summer because it’s easy and I’m not standing over the stove. (We keep a cold house so the oven doesn’t really heat up the kitchen) 
 

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/meals-menus/g32934608/sheet-pan-dinner-recipes/

I will say that a lot of sheet pan recipes are heavy on the meat. This one has two pounds of boneless meat, for example. For four - six people. That's a lot of meat.

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a35979958/sheet-pan-ranch-pork-and-veggies-recipe/

Personally,  I'd be aiming for twice as much veg as meat on the plate and therefore on the sheet pan.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Laura Corin

[HomeAgain]

One of the ways we end up getting lighter meals is aiming for a "rule of 4": protein, 2 servings of veggies, starch.  Like the other night when I made kabobs, the meat ones had 3 pieces of meat, 6-8 pieces of veggies/pineapple, and served on a bed of couscous when done.  The couscous only takes a few minutes, so it's not extra heat in the kitchen, really.

For things like pork chops, we like to stuff them with a spinach, garlic, feta or goat cheese mixture, serve sliced on top of a light pasta dressed with garlic/red pepper oil, and have a large serving of green beans, asparagus, salad, or zucchini on the side.  For an extra, a tomato/basil topping can be made.  We end up splitting two pork chops among 4 this way.

Even sheet pan meals, if you cut down the meat and say the meat and the veggies are going to be two components out of the 4, that gives you a way to work in a different veggie prep or include a starchier veg to go with.

[KungFuPanda]

7 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I will say that a lot of sheet pan recipes are heavy on the meat. This one has two pounds of boneless meat, for example. For four - six people. That's a lot of meat.

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a35979958/sheet-pan-ranch-pork-and-veggies-recipe/

Personally,  I'd be aiming for twice as much veg as meat on the plate and therefore on the sheet pan.

Yes, because it’s Pioneer Woman, but it’s so easy to scale way up on the veg and way back on the meat. It’s the same basic recipe if you make 2 pork chops and fill the tray with veggies. I see your point. Her math is crazy and I’m not sure on what planet 8 pork chops is 4-6 servings. I guess 1/3 to 1/2 lb of meat makes sense if you’re feeding ranchers? I’d do that recipe with 2. Dh would eat one pork chop and ds and I would split one. If I were really feeding 6-8 people I’d do the 8 1/2lb pork chops plus an extra tray of veggies and double the spice mix. 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said:

Yes, because it’s Pioneer Woman, but it’s so easy to scale way up on the veg and way back on the meat. It’s the same basic recipe if you make 2 pork chops and fill the tray with veggies. I see your point. Her math is crazy and I’m not sure on what planet 8 pork chops is 4-6 servings. I guess 1/3 to 1/2 lb of meat makes sense if you’re feeding ranchers? I’d do that recipe with 2. Dh would eat one pork chop and ds and I would split one. If I were really feeding 6-8 people I’d do the 8 1/2lb pork chops plus an extra tray of veggies and double the spice mix. 

Yes. I'm sure she says on her site somewhere that the portions are suitable for heavy manual work.