A week of dinners

[Pax]

After cooking every meal we consume for the last almost 19 years I've decided to stop cooking. I'm sick of it and my SO would eat wallpaper paste if I put it in front of her.

So, we now have:
- Pizza Monday and others nights a choice of...
- Quiche and edamame
- Fishsticks and corn
- Pierogis and broccoli
- Salad
- Cereal and toast

Life is so much simpler now!

[OakLeaf]

We don't follow a schedule (except for sometimes Monday night football and pizza in season), but I'm a big fan of one-pot meals, or at least stews or casseroles that can be served over or with rice, pasta or tortillas.

Pasta e fagioli can accommodate pretty much whatever veggies are in season and/or around the house, it's a nutritious meal with complete protein, and it's really simple and inexpensive if you pressure cook the beans. (In my house there's no bright line between pasta e fagioli and minestrone .)

Pressure cooker risotto can also receive a variety of vegetables and/or mushrooms, and it's quick and easy.

Cook red lentils or split mung beans with diced onion, celery, carrot and tomato, add curry powder and salt, puree with a stick blender if you wish or leave it chunky, garnish with yogurt if you like and a little chopped cilantro.

Once you get used to pressure cooking beans, a whole lot of things become quick, easy and inexpensive - chili with various seasonings, black beans Cuban style with seasonal greens, Cajun red beans and rice, etc.

Any of these will keep and become more flavorful for at least 3-5 days, leftovers make a great lunch in the Thermos or microwave.

Depending on where you live, there may still be loads of fresh basil - make up a big batch of pesto, freeze it in ice cube trays and use as needed. Green beans, carrots, broccoli go well with pesto.

[Smilie]

I have the best French Dip recipe in a crockpot. My kids love it, and they are very picky brats.

3-4lb rump roast (I use whatever looks good, and inexpensive)
1 packet dried Au Jus (I can't find this anymore, so don't use it and it is still very good)
1 Packet dried Italian Dressing
1 c. Beef Broth-14 1/2 oz can ( I have also used vegetable broth)
2 tsp. Worchestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 1/2 cup red wine (Cabernet Merlot works wonderfully)

Cook 10-12 hours on low, serve with Au Jus from crockpot, on Deli Rolls. I also saute onions, and melt Swiss or Provolone cheese on the bread. This is a wonderful recipe, I can't rave enough about it.

I don't do specific foods on certain days, as I have to be in the *mood* for certain things. I am weird that way.

[Nokomis]

Last winter I had to build out a generic plan to follow, or else I'd get stuck in the trap of having no clue what to make. I had 6 planned, then one fun, and each in a topic that allowed variety week to week. Within each meal is a focus on balancing protein, vegetable diversity, and appropriate carbs.

Stew or Chili
Pasta - Chicken Alfredo, Spaghetti meatballs, Ravioli, etc
Soup & Bread - home made, broccoli or tomato basil or chicken corn chowder or...
Mexi-something - Tacos, Fajitas, Enchilada Casserole...
Stir Fry - so many options!
A New Recipe - Opportunity to find new favorites - dig thru books, blogs, etc
Mystery Meal - flexibility to go out, use up leftovers, have home-pizza, whatever

[Becky]

Homemade pizza has become a staple in our house. I buy the pre-baked whole wheat shells, and there's always sauce in the pantry and shredded cheese in the freezer. Throw any available veggies, maybe some sliced olives or turkey pepperoni on top, and dinner's done.

We eat a lot of pasta too. I must have 50 recipes for pasta dishes. Real Simple magazine always has tasty, unique pasta recipes in each issue, and many have become favorites.

[Grog]

We also plan our meals for the week on Saturday and shop on Sunday usually. We also decide who cooks when at the same time. Usually on Thursday I go back to the grocery store to pick up a few missing items or produce that I want to be more fresh, or to the meat shop for fresh chicken. We usually cook 5 or 6 nights a week and either eat out or go to his parents' place on the other 1-2 nights.

Usually we do a combination of:
one meat dinner (usually beef)
one or two chicken dishes
two vegetarian dishes
one or two pasta dishes
one slow cooker meal
one fish dish

Of course it doesn't add up because the chicken can be a slow cooker meal etc.

We sit down with the cookbooks and make our picks and write the grocery list. I'm thinking of getting our "successful" recipes on index cards or in some sort of a program to be able to quickly prepare a week of meals if we're too busy to do it from scratch on a given weekend.

The slow cooker meal and the pasta dishes usually yield lots of leftovers.

[roadie gal]

I LOVE my crock pot. I make a lot of stews and chilis. No matter how little I try to make it always comes out to a full pot. We munch on that for a few days and then freeze the rest in meal sized portions. Works great.