Give me some meal ideas

We are staying with our ILs and they have been doing all of the cooking while we are at work.

I feel bad an would like to contribute.

Used to cooking for just DH and I. Not used to cooking for 4 (sometimes 5 or 6).

What are some easy, and CHEAP meal ideas?

I am thinking of chili and pumpkin soup, maybe a meat loaf and a lasagna.

My MIL also has a crockpot.

Would like some ideas that have leftovers too, since I've been eating out a lot at work since the hurricane.

That is not healthy or cheap!

Re: Give me some meal ideas

My parents are staying with me now, and last week we also had my grandmother and uncle.

I made a big batch of homemade marinara sauce on Sunday and used it to make chicken parmesan with pasta and sauce on the side, and a tossed salad. Later in the week, I bought a bag of frozen mini italian meatballs, heated up the leftover sauce, threw the meatballs in, and served it over pasta. You can even do that and make meatball heros/sandwiches. The sauce can be repurposed for a lot of easy meals... even something like english muffin pizzas that are cheap and quick.

Or if you are not into doing sauce, you could just make chicken cutlets and then serve them with some easy sides (roasted veggies) or over salads or in sandwhiches.

One night we made a big pot of homemade chicken soup and had it with cold cuts/sandwiches. It was inexpensive, but filling and satisfying. You could even make a quiche or a frittata to serve with the soup instead of sandwiches. Leftovers are good for breakfast or lunch, and eggs are cheap and are a good way to use up odds and ends.

Chili is a good idea... that's one of our planned meals for next week with brown rice.

What about using the slow cooker to make pulled pork or italian beef sandwiches. Or even a pot roast? You can cut up russet potatoes or sweet potatoes, and toss them with olive oil and seasoning to make roasted potato wedges or fries.

I used my slow cooker last week to make Cooking Light's Beef Stroganoff and served it over egg noodles and people seemed to like that.

There are a lot of easy dishes you can make/assemble in advance, and then bake at the last minute. I have a recipe where you cut up chicken thighs, potatoes, onion, garlic, lemon wedges, etc. and drizzle with olive oil and then bake it in a casserole dish. It's healthy, and easy, and I love make ahead dishes.

Also, what about buying a few pieces of fish and baking them (you can do a simple prep with lemon, wine, garlic, or even cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and basil) and serving with rice or cous cous or orzo and a steamed veggie?

Hope this gives you some ideas. It's definitely challenging to cook for a bigger group and please everyone's palates!

Re: Give me some meal ideas

everything ive made in the crock pot recently was so cheap and made large portions:

sliced italian chicken sausage, onions, kidney and garbanzo beans, chopped tomatoes, carrots and chicken stock. I added farfalle 20 minutes before serving and it was really hearty. serve with good bread.

chicken thighs, black beans and a jar of salsa- shred the chicken, serve with whole wheat wraps, guac and mexican shredded cheese.

chicken breasts with herb seasoning which i turned into chicken salad for the week's lunches. i made the salad with a honey mustard dressing (apple cider vinegar, evoo, mustard, honey, salt and pepper), apples, celery, walnuts. so delicious.

i tried making one of those whole rotisserie flavored chickens in the crock pot but it didnt come out with good flavor. I'd use pioneer woman's herb roasted chicken and throw it in the crock pot. i'd serve with quinoa since it only takes 15 minutes to make and its so versatile.

can you tell im loving the crock pot lately? so easy.

Message edited 11/10/2012 11:26:30 AM.

Re: Give me some meal ideas

Thanks for the tips ladies. A lot of great suggestions.

Re: Give me some meal ideas

I have a pot of lentil soup on the stove now i serve with elbow macaroni and crusty italian bread

Give me some meal ideas

Really easy and delicious pork chops...

*Sear double thick pork chops 3-4 minutes each side
*Pour on top either Soy Vey Hoisin Garlic sauce OR a mixture of Soy sauce,garlic, and apricot preserves
* THrow in the oven for about 15-20 minutes


- Serve with rice and veggie (spinach?)

Give me some meal ideas

sausage, potatoes and onions is great to make for a lot of people and so yum!

Re: Give me some meal ideas

When my inlaws stayed with us after the storm, I made baked potatoes/sweet potatoes as sides a few times. I made steaks with them one night and baked chicken another night. Easy to make meals since it was hectic in our house as it was. We also made chicken parm one night.

Message edited 11/15/2012 8:34:21 PM.

Give me some meal ideas

Baked Ziti
Lasagna
Eggplant Parm
Chicken Parm
Oven roasted Chicken
Meatloaf
Chicken cutlets
Chicken Cacciatore