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Archive through April 16, 2007

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jul. 2007 ~ Sept. 2007: Cooking Corner (ARCHIVES): Small Meals: Archive through April 16, 2007 users admin

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Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 12:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
I need help. Starting on the 23, Darren is switching to swing shift. Five nights a week it'll just be me and the kids for dinner and if left to my own, I'm just as likely to whip up some tuna or have turkey sandwiches. Darren's the big meat eater in our house and without him home, I can start to cook less meat. I don't want to get into the habit though of not cooking full meals for me and the kids (more for them than me.)

I'm looking for some small, healthy, well balanced meals. With the weather changing, we will move into having more salads and the occassional sandwich and veggie night, but I can't feed that to the kids every night for the next six months, lol. I'm interested in trying more vegetarian dishes, but kid friendly ones. My kids love veggies but they won't eat anything to weird like tofu or anything spicy.

I just don't see me making big meals like we have been (for example, tonight was pork chops, rice, and carrots) with just me and the kids eating. I'm not that big of a meat eater and while they are eating more, they still don't eat a lot.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 5:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Stir fry's?
you can't just make your regular meal but in smaller portions?
how about a cook once eat twice type of thing.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 5:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Cassaroles(sp) or some lasagna or spaghetti.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 5:18 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Hotdogs and beans(a personal favorite). Mac n Cheese

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 6:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Why not cook real meals with just you and the kids? Why not just freeze leftovers for encore meals? Hell, I live alone and I usually cook full meals!

I don't know how old your kids are, but there's all sorts of things you can do. What risotto with roasted asparagus? Salads with every veggie in it, including cubes of cheese? Or a Greek style salad with feta and kalamata olives? You can also do "meat" salads with grilled chicken or tuna on a bed of greens.

Mexican food breaks down well into small meals. How about "taco bowls". Create the bowls using flour tortillas, then fill 'em with beans, rice, veggies, and taco meat or chicken. Top with cheese, quacamole, and jalapeno ranch dressing. Or super quesadillas, loaded with stuff in the inside.

Italian food cooks up better in quantities, but again, cook double and freeze it. You'll have dinner for hubby, or dinners for mid-week when you don't feel like cooking. Just add a small salad and fresh garlic bread, and you're set (takes 10 minutes!).

You can also get really creative with sandwiches. Try different pannini type sandwiches with the kids. Let 'em build their own, and then grill 'em in a George Foreman grill, or press them in a grill pan on the stove. My fav is brie and pear, but you may want just a different selection of cheeses and meats (brush pesto or mayo on the bread, fill with goodies, brush outside with olive oil, then grill).

If, really, the only difference is to cook with less meat, there's all sorts of different choices. You can even go with more chicken and fish, rather than pork or beef.

Finally, think about making sushi. If the kids are old enough, it's really fun to make up a bunch of rolls. Wrapped up well, they'll keep for the next day, too (or for when hubby gets home). You can do raw or cooked -- shrimp and crab work well if raw fish doesn't appeal. It can be fun for the kids to make the fillings for their own rolls, and see how they look when cut.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:16 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
There are some things I can do and freeze part for the next week (spaghetti sauce, casseroles, lasagna.) I can also cook a regular meal and either give Darren for lunch or send with him to work the next day.

Mocha, lol, I picked up hot dogs at Costco last week in preperation for this! No matter what you can't go wrong with hot dogs for kids.

Stir fry is good and one I hadn't thought about. Costa, my kids are 8 and 10 and love veggies. They'll eat most of them. I am interested in more vegetarian meals. I'd have given up meat years ago if not for Darren. I just can't eat most of it and I'd like to take the chance to introduce the kids to some good vegetarian meals while Darren's not home for dinner.

Dakota loves seafood, Caleb and I however won't touch most of it. He'll eat tuna (out of a can) and that's about it. I'm not much better about it.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:24 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
we do a lot of rice bowls, I'll do chicken and peppers with a teriyaki sauce and put over rice. last night i made red beans and rice (zatarans) and added some chicken that i was pre-done at the grocery store. don't forget the famous meatball recipe! oh and weinermr's famous tuna casserole!

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
was going to suggest rice bowls too.
pintos and cornbread!

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:32 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
One word: frittatas. You can put almost anything in them and they're a real, nice, balanced meal (and they go well with salads). They're also a great way to get vegetables into diets without people noticing too much. Or, as an alternate, you can make strata....more or less the same thing, but with bread added.

I think the pannini idea is also really good.

Justavice
Member

11-22-2005

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Justavice a private message Print Post    
breakfast for dinner is also fun - my mom used to let us do this when my dad went on business trips - waffles, pancakes, or omelettes

Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
Pinto beans and cornbread! YUMMY!!!!

Annie, would you believe there are people out in the world that don't realize that's all you need for a meal? With some green onion, of course.

I love the Tyson frozen chicken strips. They're easy and taste good. So, last night Travis and I had those with a salad of fresh spinach, orange-cranberry-almond salad topper, cheese and raspberry-vinaigrette dressing.

I'm also a big fan of breakfast-for-supper meals. (Justa, you beat me to it.)

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
awwww, native & texannie, gals after my own heart! i love pinto beans and cornbread. i grew up on it and have it a least once a month now. if you cook some ham in the beans that will add to your meal. love it, love it, love it!!!!

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 7:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
For real, NT???!!!! I can't imagine!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 8:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
OK, so as a vegetarian, here's what I eat a lot of:

Risotto, with a vegetable and lots of parmesan cheese

Pasta, with lots of veggies added to the sauce (mushrooms, zuccini, carrots)

Lasagna, with layers of roasted veggies

"Super tostadas", layered with beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado

Vegetarian tacos, made with beans or soy crumbles instead of meat

Sushi, including teriyaki tofu sushi

Eggs, all different ways including frittata, breakfast tacos/burritos

Quiche, made with puff pastry for the pie crust

Salads, with baby greens, carrots, celery, tomato, radish, cheeses (cheddar), sunflower seeds, homemade croutons

Mac 'n cheese, usually with a couple of different kinds of cheeses (a unique cheddar and fontina, for example), with either steamed veggies mixed in or wild mushrooms, topped with more cheese and backed till bubbly and crusty

Baked, stuffed potatos (stuffed with cheddar, brocoli, zuccini)

Stir fries with tofu and lots of veggies, sprinkled with cashews (lots of protein!)

Vegetarian burgers on the grill, with cheese and all sorts of toppings

Grilled veggies topping a salad (grilled corn, cut off the cob, is yummy on a salad!)

Homemade pizza, made with olive oil, goat cheese, tomato, basil, and a bit of mozarella

Sloppy joes, made with soy crumbles (kinda like ground meat only made with soy)

Pannini sandwiches on my George Foreman grill (goat cheese, fresh mozarella, basil and tomato is a fav as it the pear and brie with arugula), but any sandwich without meat and with cheese works well

"Cheater lasagna" made with cheese ravioli, layered with sauce and veggies

These are just a few of the things, off the top of my head (I've not had breakfast yet, so thinking about dinner is a bit tough!).

Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 8:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
Taking a slight topic detour here, but I make my cornbread in my great-grandmother's iron skillet. I pour just a little bit of oil it and heat on the top of the stove until it gets hot. Then I pour the batter in and let it cook on the stove JUST until bubbles pop up in the batter and then put it in the oven. That way you have a crust on the bottom so that you can slice it in two and butter the crusted half and crumble the top half to put your beans on.

Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 8:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
Costa, I'd be interested in seeing what you come up with when you can think about dinner.

Cndeariso
Member

06-28-2004

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 8:13 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cndeariso a private message Print Post    
is there any other way to make cornbread, NT? that's EXACTLY how i taught my dh to make it. you are making me hungry!!!

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 8:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
Costa ... your menu listings have made me very, very hungry!!!

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 8:45 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
Oh my, ya'll are making me hungry, lol! I'm making a list as I read these posts.

Tish, what are frittata and strata?

I'd thought about breakfast for dinner, but I'm not sure that will work well. With Darren on swings and the kids in school breakfast is going to be our sit down and eat together family meal. Since it's going to be the only time he and the kids see each other (unless he is volunteering at the school,) it's going to be a very important part of the day.

Isn't there a way to do panini without a grill like the george forman one? I have a grill, but it doesn't have a top, it's just flat.

One of the things I'm kinda looking forward to is eating at my sisters more often. Bil started bbq'ing two weeks ago and he'll do it every night til Halloween pretty much. They have an open door policy, as long as you bring something for the table (rather it's salad, some meat, or dessert) you're welcome to stay and eat. It's not practical every night of the week, but it's something to do a few times a month.

Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 8:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
war, you can do it with two skillets, you put the food in one skillet, and the other one goes on top of the sandwich, then you flip over. it presses the food that way. also, do you have a wafflemaker with removable plates? we do and it has flat plates on the reverse side.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 9:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
If you have a grill pan, you can use the grill pan on the bottom, and put a heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches, to get those cool grill marks.

And LOL... I just re-read my "this is all I could think of this early" post, and cracked myself up. There ARE a lot of options there, huh? Duh me!

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 9:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
War, frittatas might not be for you if you are concerned about making dinner look like breakfast, although I prefer to think of them as quiches without the crust. They are made from eggs and you can put whatever you like in them...typically I use lots of spinach, caramalized onion, some good cheese (feta is great, as is gruyere or something very creamy like brie, but Parmesan is more traditional), and something like smoked salmon; you can use chives if you like, or broccoli, or asparagus, or potatoes, or bacon, or ham, etc. You sautee the veggies on the stove top, turn off the burner, then add the eggs and bake it for about 20 minutes or so...and voila! here is one recipe for a spinach frittata, but I bake it at about 350, not at 400 (some recipes say to use a broiler and to let the eggs set up before you take it off the stove top).

A strata is very similar to a fritata except you make it in a casserole dish and it uses bread cubes. I just discovered it in the past year cuz my make-believe friend Giada on the Food Network made it... here's the recipe she made but she also has a dessert strata too, made with strawberries! If you make it, just be sure you use sturdy bread like chiabatta.

Heyltslori
Moderator

09-15-2001

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 9:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Heyltslori a private message Print Post    
LOL Tish at "my make-believe friend". I like to think the same thing about myself and Ina.

Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 10:13 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
Tish, that strawberry strata sounds wonderful.

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, April 16, 2007 - 10:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
Yeah it does, doesn't it?

And Ina is another make-believe friend, Lori. But she's the one who brings the cool gay boys over to the apartment for cocktails and clever conversations. I go shoe and bra shopping with Giada. Sometimes we drink too many margaritas and we have to walk around barefoot because our high heels are a little too high.

You know how it is.

Oh and I forgot: soups! Those are so fast and easy and you can freeze them. Nothing like a nice homemade lentil soup, or minestrone, or tomato basil, or creamy soup. Maybe not the best this time of year, but they are delicious and nutritious.