What is your go to dinner?

JustTrace

JustTrace

New member
You know, the one that when you don't know what to make or feel like an easy night....I've had a few of those lately as I am battling either a kidney stone or a bladder infection that won't go away.

Last night, (I'm ashamed to admit) DH ate chili from a can and the kids both had cereal. I haven't been feeling up to doing much of anything (feeling better today) and I had crackers with cheese. :blush
 
I have a sous vide, so I have a ton of steaks vacuum packed and ready to go. When I can't think of anything or want something easy, I literally take some steaks directly from the freezer and toss it in. I have just enough time to steam some veggies or make some rice or macaroni or something and *bam* dinner.

That and ordering a pizza.... or eggs and toast.....
 
We have a deep freeze, and we periodically make meals that freeze really well, including chili, pasta sauce, miniature sweet potato shepherd's pies, miniature lasagne. It's very easy to just take the chili or pasta sauce out of the freezer and re-heat in the microwave. With the sauce, whole wheat pasta is quick and easy to cook.

Of course, there are also days where we don't feel like cooking anything, and my husband will make himself a sandwich and I'll have a bowl of cereal with fruit! Yes, cereal is fine for the occasional evening meal (and I'm a registered dietitian, so I have a fair bit of nutrition knowledge!) I'm lacking in vegetables when I have cereal for dinner, but I make up for it on other days and at other meals.
 
Cereal LOL! That's my kids favorite meal of choice if I can't cook. Or they boil penne pasta and sprinkle parmesan and butter on it. My favorite meals that my family loves is a pork chop in the crock pot

Sear the pork chops, put in the crock pot. (I personally love the crock pot bags because there's no mess!)
Mix together one can of Cream of chicken soup and one can of french onion soup (campbells in the can). It looks so crazy weird but pour it over the chops and cook all day. Serve over rice. The chops totally fall apart and are so tender. My family LOVES this easy meal. I even buy my chops in bulk at Costco and sear the whole package then divide into freezer bags. Then I pour the soup mixture over the chops in the freezer bags and freeze. So EASY to just dump the whole thing in the crock pot when tough days are looming.

My next favorite recipes is an easy chicken cordon bleu. Pound some chicken breasts flat and put them in a 9x13 greased. Then put some deli ham on top. Add some swiss cheese slices on top. Then chop together 1/4 C. almonds with 1 TB melted butter, salt and pepper, 1/4 t. oregano and 1/4 t. garlic powder. Sprinkle this mixture over the swiss cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked. My family inhales this and I have 4 of the pickiest kids on the planet.
 
I should add that we LOVE asparagus broiled with some sea salt, pepper and olive oil. Once again, pickiest kids on the planet!
 
Awesome ideas ladies!!

Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well Trace :(
Don't feel bad about cereal of soup from the can once in a while, everyone will survive. LOL

When I need a super easy quick dinner we have grilled cheese and soup (from the can). Or we eat a frozen Schwans (a grocery delivery service in my area) meals. They are not as good as home cooked, but better then most other frozen foods we have tried. They have lots of casseroles and easy stuff like egg rolls and tamales.

Jen, LOVE the recipe ideas!!
 
jencrook said:
Cereal LOL! That's my kids favorite meal of choice if I can't cook.
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Nothing wrong with a high-fibre, low-sugar cereal, with your milk of choice (dairy, almond, soy, rice - whatever works for you) and some fruit. Quite healthy actually. But the cereal needs to be low in sugar (less than 5g per serving) and high in fibre (5g per serving or more). Sprinkle on a bit of very high fibre cereal (10g per serving) and it's a great meal. None of those sugary kids cereals - those aren't healthy at all.

My favourite: Flax Plus or Heritage Flakes from Nature's Path, sprinkled with 1-2 tablespoons of All Bran Buds, some skim milk, and either berries or sliced banana. Lots of fibre, lots of vitamins, very little added/free sugar.
 
Take out counts LaShawn! LOL...

Thanks guys for the responses.

We have tons of premade chili and soups in the freezer too. We also have a deep freeze with meats etc (we order half a cow and half a pig every year). I just can't defrost quick enough.

However, since I got my Instant Pot, I can cook up a full meal from frozen in about a half hour! It's a time saver and a life saver. Even if I forget to take out the meat, I can throw it in frozen and it's fork tender in 20 minutes. :) I LOVE this thing!
 
My go-to dinners are things that my older girls can make, especially if I'm not feeling too well. So that would include Hamburger Helper, Tacos, Fried Rice, Chicken and even spaghetti (only if I have the sauce frozen in the freezer--we only eat homemade). Pretty much, since we have older children, if I'm not feeling it, someone steps in and makes something they feel comfortable making---or we just do cereal or pancakes for dinner!

I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. I hope you are able to find some relief soon and get better! <3
 
JustTrace said:
However, since I got my Instant Pot, I can cook up a full meal from frozen in about a half hour! It's a time saver and a life saver. Even if I forget to take out the meat, I can throw it in frozen and it's fork tender in 20 minutes. :) I LOVE this thing!
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What kind of things do you cook with your Instant Pot? I'm looking at getting that for Christmas (for myself), but I keep asking myself "do I really need another kitchen appliance?" Maybe you should start a thread about your Instant Pot so other users can jump in with their thoughts on the product. I'm part of a FB group for the IP, but it's such a commitment to buy one! :D
 
Neverland Scraps said:
What kind of things do you cook with your Instant Pot? I'm looking at getting that for Christmas (for myself), but I keep asking myself "do I really need another kitchen appliance?" Maybe you should start a thread about your Instant Pot so other users can jump in with their thoughts on the product. I'm part of a FB group for the IP, but it's such a commitment to buy one! :D
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I am in that group too if it's the huge one!

I do all sorts of stuff. One pot pasta, stew, chicken, roast, ribs, eggs, potato salad! The list is endless. I'm going to attempt a cheesecake after my gallbladder surgery so I can eat it too lol.
 
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