Food Ideas

Jade - posted on 03/13/2012

Ok I'm an aldi shopper and a super easy; can't screw up dinner is spag bog - depending on how large a family you have either one or two tins of pasta sauce, any veg you wanna put in (grated zekinni works well in this dish as a hidden veg if u have fussy eaters) Mince and pasta - done :)

Jade - posted on 03/13/2012

Ok I'm an aldi shopper and a super easy; can't screw up dinner is spag bog - depending on how large a family you have either one or two tins of pasta sauce, any veg you wanna put in (grated zekinni works well in this dish as a hidden veg if u have fussy eaters) Mince and pasta - done :)

Tanya - posted on 01/25/2010

You could make something I learned from my mom:
- hamburger meat formed into hamburger patties
- 3 eggs
- Flour (about 1 to 2 cups)
- oil
take hamburger patties dip in egg and dip in flour put in hot oil and cook about 5 to 7 mins per side
take out place on paper towel or towel and serve with mashed potatoes and gravy and a can veggie. My mom used to make these when we were growing up because we didn't have alot of money and we were getting tired of the same ol ground beef recipes so my mom made thses (I think she got that recipe from a neighbor) and I still love these to this day one of my favorites!

Tanya - posted on 01/25/2010

Oh also an easy recipe
-1 to 2 boxes of chicken rice a roni or zatterans dirty rice or any of these types you like (we make 2 because my husband loves this easy dinner)
- 1 can green beans
- 1 can corn
- sliced up smoked sausage (next to hot dogs at the store)
Prepare boxed rice according to directions and before covering to simmer add veggies and sausage in cover and cook as directed rest of way on rice box... Serve
I call this my easy Gumbo or Dirty rice because it's a mix of things with rice.. Very simple!

Abbie - posted on 01/25/2010

There is a recipe exchange group on here. I like allrecipes.com they are pretty simple to follow. I am not one to follow a recipe very well. A few things our family really likes is:

Beef Stew, get stew meat, veggies ( potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, colorabi, cabbage(( add very last)) Ruetabega. I use a tomoto base for ours. I brown the meat in salt & pepper add in base in a pot, add 3-4 cans of water, and boil the crap out if it. Really good on day 2.

Chicken Breast and rice. Brown CB with a little oil, make rice ( i use brown rice as its healthier) then I put that in a pan add a can or 2 of cr. of mushroom Or cr. of chicken mix it up, add CB and bake til all hot.

Chicken noodle soup, i use a chicken based soup stock. I add chicken meat, carrots and celery. 10 minutes before ready to eat add noodles.

Breakfast food are always GREAT. Fried egg sandwiches. Pancakes, french toast.

Hambuger meatballs. Raw burger(1#), in a bowl add in 1 egg, 8 crackers, salt, pepper, a little garlic. mix well, then roll into balls. Take pan add Cr. mushroom soup in a pan add milk, put balls in there, cover and bake at 350 for an hour or so ( until not pink)

I feel that cooking is all about discovery. Just have faith, and explore. Maybe take a cooking class.

Tanya - posted on 01/25/2010

Important things you must have CROCKPOT and a RICE COOKER! (because they are fool proof!) (I'm gonna do these recipies for about 3 people because thats what it sounds like you have in your family)

Recipes:

**Veggie Chicken and rice (using crockpot and rice cooker)

put following ingredents in crockpot:

- 2 Chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

- 1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom)

- 1 can of whole kernnel corn

- 1 can of green beans

- 1 lb. of baby carrots

- water

put all things in crockpot put water to fill almost all the way add some salt and some pepper put on high for 5 hours

-Make rice in rice cooker just before serving (for 3 people you should put 1 1/2 cups rice and just under 3 cups water) little bit of salt turn on cooker and serve chicken and veggies on top of rice.. (can cut up/shread chicken in crockpot or serve whole breast)



**Simple Roast (whole meal made in crockpot)

- 1. beef roast that will make 2 meals for your family (you'll see why you'll use leftovers for next recipe)

- 1 package of onion soup mix

- 1 lb baby carrots

- 2 to 3 med potatos (cut up in chunks)

put cut potatoes and carrots in crockpot (you can add sliced onions and celery if you do like thoes things)

place roast on top of veggies add water to cover just the bottom of roast sprinkle onion mix on top of roast and a little in the water to flavor veggies. cook on high about 4 to 5 hours



**Left over roast taquitos & home made salsa (frying pan & blender or processor needed)

to make taquitos:

- rinsed off left over roast (shredded)

- corn tortillas (yellow will work better)

- wooden tooth picks

- oil (veggie, conola your fav kind is fine)

cook corn tortillas a little in hot oil (only a few seconds to make soft) let cook take shredded left over roast and roll it up stick a tooth pick in to hold it heat oil again and fry em up till they are a little hard.

to make salsa

- 1 small can tomato sauce

- 1 med can whole tomatos

- 1 small chunck of onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- about a tea salt

- one to two jalapenos cut stems off (or you can use green chili too draned if frozen about half a small container)

put in blender or food prossesor and in a few pluses you have salsa



DONT LIKE TAQUITOS??? use the leftover roast for this

*BBQ Sandwiches

- left over roast rinsed/shreeded

- BBQ sauce

- honey optional

- buns

- chips

in pan heat rinsed sheaded roast add favorite BBQ sauce from store (jazz it up with a little honey! about 2 teaspoons) Serve on some yummy wheat buns with potato chips a great weekend dinner!



I have more easy easy recipes I'll think of some more easy ones and get back to you if you are still looking for more. Good Luck









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Tiffany - posted on 01/25/2010

It's not sad, there are tons of people that "can't cook". When in all reality you CAN cook, you just need a little guidance. Using your crockpot is something that can turn all of this around for you. It's a fix it and forget it. And the food comes out delicious. I agree with the other poster about the meat thermometer even though I don't use one myself...lol. Buy a nice size boston butt pork roast(2.5-5.5pounds). Season it with salt and pepper and whatever else you like and a cup of water, throw it in the crockpot in the morning, letting it slow cook all day. I know it sounds odd but I put a can of dr pepper in with mine instead of water, it is so tasty. When I make pork roast I put my veggies in the oven instead of in the pot with it. On a flat pan with the edges I spray the pan and then put salt and pepper on it...I throw on chopped potatoes(bigger than bite size) and baby carrots and drizzle them with olive oil. Bake at 325 for about an hour(til fork done). Make sure to move them around a few times. You make a pot roast the same way except I prefer my veggies in with it. You can cook a million different things in your crockpot and it makes life so much simpler.

Krista - posted on 01/25/2010

Tacos are awesome -- you can use beef, pork or chicken, and then set out some sliced up peppers, some sauteed onions, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, and whole-wheat wraps and everybody can make their own.

And no, it's not sad that you don't cook -- I never cooked until I met my husband (I was living by myself, and just couldn't be bothered.)

A roast is a great dish -- if you get a big one, you can have the leftovers for days. Just get yourself a meat thermometer -- it's much better than slicing into your meat to determine how done it is. Preheat your oven to 450, and make sure your oven rack is in the middle. Then, throw the roast in a roaster or big dutch oven, fling in some onions that are cut into quarters, a couple of bay leaves, and a few cloves of garlic. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on it and rub it with olive oil.

Throw your roast in the oven for a half-hour, then turn it down to 300. That initial high heat will sear the outside, which keeps the juices in. Every 45 minutes or so, take a small ladle and pour the drippings from the bottom over the top of the roast. You'll be averaging a half-hour of cooking time per pound, but if you want the roast medium, take it out when the meat thermometer reads medium-rare. Then cover it up with foil and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. This allows the juices to settle back in to the meat, so that when you cut it, the juices stay in the meat instead of being wasted all over your cutting board.

While the meat is resting, wash up a few potatoes, poke a ton of holes in them with a fork and microwave them for 9 minutes. When the potatoes are done, throw a few cups of frozen veggies into a microwave-safe bowl, add a few tablespoons of water, and nuke those for 5 minutes. Slice up your roast, put the onions on top and spoon some of the roasting juices on top of that. (Let me know if you want to know how to make gravy from scratch.) Add your potatoes and veg, and away you go.

Shavaune - posted on 01/25/2010

Stir fry! Just chop up a couple chicken breasts or a small steak and add pre-packaged frozen veggies. You can buy sauces in a jar and throw them in. I also like to just shake and bake chicken breasts and make a salad (like a chicken salad) I also make pot roast (just throw in a package of onion soup mix in over the roast and a cup of water) I roast it for about 1 hour and then throw in some potatoes and carrots and roast for another hour. (add more water if gets dry) I also make like a hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes. Just fry some hamburger, drain the grease, and take a can of mushroom soup and half a can of water and simmer for about 5 mins. Keep lots of fresh fruit around (just a bowl on the table) My kids love ritz crackers and cheese, strawberries, blueberries and yogurt cups (they have alot of different flavors of yogurt now and some are really good). Don't even keep junk food in the house, if it's not there they can't eat it.

Gwen - posted on 01/25/2010

You can also buy cookbooks w/ simple, 5 ingredient recipes.

Jolene - posted on 01/25/2010

Go to Taste of Home.com. They even have a magazine called Simple and Delicious. Very easy and most are under 30 minutes to make.
I collect cook books so I would share any with you if you want to contact me for some.
:D I love to cook/bake anything!!!

Stephanie - posted on 01/25/2010

Thanks guys. I'm sure my fiance and our son will appreciate this =) We do have a crock pot yet I have never used it. I'll have to try and make some of these things. Is it sad that I have never made mac & cheese (I don't like cheese), tacos, roast etc? I feel like it is.

Tiffany - posted on 01/25/2010

Spaghetti with whole wheat pasta.

Tacos(beef, chicken, steak or fish)

Chicken and rice casserole

Pigs in a blanket(hot dog wrapped in biscuit)

Soups

Pot roast & pork roasts



Do you have a crockpot? I use mine at least 3 days a week and it is one of those things that you generally can't mess up dinner with. Put a roast in and cook it all day. I have a ton of simple recipes and would be glad to help you out. I didn't type them all out here because that would take forever but if you want I will get some together and message you.

Shanna - posted on 01/25/2010

macaroni and cheese?

add broccoli and veggies to it even tuna or hamburger!

Flour tortilla's and cheese

buy the toddler foods from gerber they have highfructose in it but better than fast foods.

get the book dining on a dime has very helpful food ideas with most of the basic ingredients you have at home!

Roasts put it in the crockpot and let it sit all day cooking on low with veggies. keep alot of fruits in the house and veggies so that they are there and less junk food. if you have it in the house you are more likely to eat it! hope this helps