"Tired of Spaghetti?
Try the many Faces of Pasta - mix and match Farafelle, twisties, bow ties macaroni, rotelle -- dump the slower cooking stuff in a minute or two ahead of the faster cooking varieties, put it in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, some Romano Cheese, toss in some parsley --- pan fry a smooshed clove of garlic and you've got something different that only cost a total of $1.54 if the kids don't like it and it's neither cheesey or tomatoey.
Tuna Cakes a la Old Bay - Make the Old Bay crab cake recipe on the can but substitute a can of solid white and can of chunk light. Rinse the tuna and put in a tablespoon of lemon juice along with the other seasonings. Goes nice with green beans.
You Needa Eata Pita - Whole wheat pita bread, an assortment of fillers including luncheon meat, cheeses, PB&J works - I put out some hummus, which the kids like - There's a Pocket Pita Reuben which is Turkey / Ham / Corned beef with some Swiss cheese and a bit of Russian dressing heated in a microwave for 12-15 seconds.
Fondue for You - The kids don't get to do the frying, but you can deep fry cut up bits of chicken / pork / vegetables and have five or six dipping sauces (use thick salad dressing, sour cream, ketchup, A1) Kid gets to make a palate on his plate and choose the dipping sauce. Cube up some veggies to dip as well.
Fajitas - cook up a thin steak, chicken breast or pork chop, let it cool, julienne it, and put out fajitas, meat, shredded cheese, mild salsa, and some sour cream. The kids have making their own creation and have fun folding the fajita.
Pancakes / Waffles / Omelettes - I like 'em other than for breakfast. You can shred some chicken, make up a quick white sauce, season to taste and serve over waffles. Cold silver dollar pancakes with strawberry jam are usually a hit. Cheese omelettes are good, too, provided you let them cool long enough. French toast is another option I do sometimes.
Rice, Peas, Cheese - This mix became a favorite. Mix up rice, shredded cheese and peas and serve.
Baked Beans and Homemade Bread - Weird, but okay from a nutritionist's perspective (I hope) - I say home made bread because you can cut thick slices. Open a can of baked beans, let it cook, (add some flavor to it - dark brown sugar or A1), slice up some bread and you've got a decent meal with minimal prep. Toss a salad to give it some balance."
--ZETODD
"I just have to share my new favorite recipe for Shells w/ chicken and olive sauce. It's very easy, and SOOOOOOO good. Even if you aren't a huge fan of olives. You can barely taste them.
- 3/4 pound medium pasta shells
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 lg. onion, chopped
- 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 12 black olives (like Kalamata) pitted and chopped
- 12 green olives pitted and chopped
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 3 Tbs. Chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- grated Parmesan cheese
Cook shells until firm but tender. Save one cup of cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over med. high heat. Add onion, cook stirring occasionally until softened. (about 2 minutes)
Add chicken to the skillet, cook stirring occasionally until chicken loses it's raw look - about 2 minutes. Add black and green olives, tomatoes, and basil. Bring to boiling. Add reserved cup of cooking water, stirring to mix. Return to boiling, over med-high heat, stirring. Add salt and pepper.
Toss shells w/ sauce in a large bowl until well coated. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese."
--JULY24BRIDE
"Just made this last night. We loved it.
Easy Tex-Mex Bake
- 8 oz. small Rotini uncooked pasta (approx half a package)
- 1 lb ground turkey (or beef for red meat eaters)
- 1 10oz pkg frozen corn, thawed, drained
- 2/3 cup salsa (hot as you wanna be !)
- 1 16oz container low fat cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 cup (2 oz) Shredded Monterrey Jack cheese divided
Cook pasta according to package omitting salt, drain, rinse, set aside.
Cook ground meat until no longer pink. Stir in corn and salsa. Remove from heat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine cottage cheese, egg, cilantro, pepper, cumin, and 1/2 the shredded cheese in a bowl.
Spray an 11 1/2 X 7 1/2 inch baking dish with non stick spray. Spoon half the meat mixture into the bottom of the dish, top with the pasta, spoon cottage cheese mixture over the pasta, then the other half of the meat, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until heated and bubbly.
Yummy served with corn bread and salad!!!"
--JANDYGIRL
If you still feel like you're out of ideas, visit some of these sites for family-oriented cooking:
