Reply
Mon 24 Jan, 2005 12:12 pm
OK. I'm looking for meal combos and easy make-ahead meals. My weekly menu often falls a little flat, mainly because I lack creativity in planning meals.
Do you plan out your menu and do all the shopping in one trip?
How do you maintain variety?
Sample menus greatly appreciated.
A sample of a past menu:
Mon.: Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad.
Tue.: Chicken fajitas. (Grilled, spiced chicken; tortillas; salsa; guacamole; sour cream)
Wed.: Sloppy Joes and steamed green beans
Thu.: Glazed pork chops, baked potatoes, broccoli
I'm with you on fast, easy good for you meals (pizza and McDonalds can only take the place of so many meals...)
That menu would fit right in at our house. Give yourself more credit...we can't have rib eye with Bernaise sauce every week.
We shop like carnivores...around the meat. Pasta rice and potatos are the sides with a fresh vegetable or frozen when time is tight.
Sometimes rolls, refrigerated or fresh and some dessert...Sherbert or I make a key lime pie or cherry cobbler.
There's a bunch of make-ahead meals in this month's Good Housekeeping. The eggplant/pasta casserole, lamb stew, and jambalaya all sounded good.
Check it out here:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/
I find that many pasta dishes work great as make a head meals. For example broccoli, zita and chicken. After cooking each item (try to undercook the broccoli a little or else it will be too soft), add a very light not too thick alfredo sauce, toss in a casserole dish and put in the fridge. When you get home put in the oven for about 45 minutes or until heated through. You can do a similar thing to lasagna and lasagna you can make very healthy my adding lots of different veggies.
Honey salmon is very easy. Broil salmon, when cooked, pour honey over it. Served with some sort of green veggie and rice is very easy and quick.