Dinner

[Silly Songs]

What do most of you make for dinner week nights ? I'm running out of ideas. I work late 3 nights a week and need some more creative ideas. I seriously do not like crock pot meals that much, so maybe things I can put together and hubby can put in the oven when he gets home.

[permanentvacation]

I like Home-made Spanish Rice. 4 ingredients, quick and easy to make. It's a cook on the stove meal, not an oven meal, though.

White Rice (I typically make 2 of the 'Boil in the Bag' rice in one pot and then put it in a big pot to which I add all of the ingredients.)

About a pound of Ground Beef

Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes (2 - 3 cans, It can be regular stewed tomatoes. Italian style just adds more flavor.)

Tabasco Sauce (Hot Sauce - Put as little or much as you like)

Of course, if you would like, you may add fresh onions, celery, green peppers, red peppers, tomatoes, and different spices.

Just a side note, I have developed an allergy to rice, so for the past year or so, instead of rice, I use macaroni noodles.

[permanentvacation]

How about home-made pot pie.

Put chicken, peas, carrots, whatever veges you want, cream of chicken, and top it with biscuits.

[Thriftylady]

Well it is to bad you don't like crock pot stuff, I love my crock pot!

What about pre making some stuff on the weekends for serving later? Or even doing some freezer meals that are pretty much made and easy to toss in the oven? There are tons of recipes for those online.

[DaveA]

I like Michael Symon's "5 in 5" cookbooks (there's 2 of them). I have a couple other "meals in minutes" type cookbooks. Most of these have things you can do all the prep work in advance and have ready to throw together when it's time to cook. I find that if I plan a menu out for the next week I stay out of a rut of cooking the same things over and over.

[SnowGirl]

Oven to 400

Casserole dish, lightly greased

Thin layer 505 (brand name) green chile

Layer corn tortillas

Layer shredded cooked chicken mixed with shredded mexican cheese and chopped cilantro

Layer green chile

Layer corn tortillas

Smother that bad boy with cheese, cover with foil, and bake for about 20 minutes. Uncover for 5 minutes to get some brown bubbles on the cheese if you like it that way (I do).

Enchilada casserole!! Because no one has time to roll up individual enchiladas (I also add a layer of refried beans from time to time).

[NeedaVaca]

I love to cook and try to make different stuff all the time so I don't get into a rut, I also cook seasonally so about this time of year I'm ready for my "summer" food! Lighter meals, more grilling etc. Fall/Winter lots of soups and casseroles, comfort foods. I have a dry erase board in my kitchen and whenever I get a craving for something or see a meal I want to make I write it on the board. I end up with tons of ideas that way, I cross them off as I make them, go to the grocery store and buy what I need for several meals at a time. Maybe that would help?

Soups, chili, casseroles (too many to even list), lasagne, shepards pie, enchiladas, pot roasts... are all things that could be made ahead of time.

[Snowmom]

We've been on a spiralizing kick lately. I bought one of those spiralizers at Bed Bath & Beyond and we make zucchini "zoodles" once a week. Throw on some turkey sausage (freezer crumbles) and red sauce. Makes a really tasty low carb, low calorie dinner.


I use our George Foreman a lot to make last minute panini sandwiches when we have to scoot out the door fast.

[Unregistered]

Easy cabbage and sausage-use shredded cabbage, it cooks faster, onion, kielbasa, and sauté all with butter! Yum!

Chili, baked fish, roast beef/carrots/potatoes/onions in the crock pot, homemade chicken/rice soup, grown up grilled cheese-w/avocado, tomatoes, hamburgers

That recipe that goes around Facebook-9x11pan, chicken breast on one side, sliced potatoes down the middle, frozen Geen beans down the other side, sprinkle on dry French onion mix or other dry mix, bake.

[Laurel]

Salisbury steak, Swiss steak (best way is to buy boneless country beef spare ribs and do in crockpot), tuna casserole, chicken fingers (I use chicken tenderloins coated in crushed corn flakes and fry),Chili Mac and Chicken Pot Pie from the Betty Crocker binder cookbook, homemade chicken noodle soup (also from that same cookbook), fried fish (also corn flake crumbs). When we don't feel like cooking we have breakfast for dinner, a deli rotisserie chicken with the mashed potatoes already made and a veggie, hard boiled egg sandwiches w/mayo on toast or BLT's. We like the Bisquick Impossible Pies. Mostly the one called Impossible Bacon Pie. We like Cincinnati Chili (It is eaten over spaghetti with shredded cheese or on a hot dog with cheese like any chili dog.)