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Just curious about "simple dinners"
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Okay, I’ve been pondering comments by a few of you who have said that you generally eat simple meals, especially Mysterious Lady in Pink in the thread about ending the day. She said, “We eat pretty simply compared to most….”
That had me thinking: what does a “simple” meal mean for your family? And is this typical fare for at least 5 days a week?
So, I’m just curious if anyone would want to give a sample menu for one meal (or all three) on a typical day that you consider “simple.” No judgments, just curiousity! (Especially since each family’s needs may be different.)
Here’s my simple, go-to menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Breakfast: Cereal or oatmeal with milk, coffee (for me & oldest daughter, water for the younger one) – this is only twice a week.
Lunch: Soup (often topped with cheese), a piece of fruit, water – this we like a lot, so maybe 4 times a week
Dinner: Italian sausage, green beans, noodles – this combination (meat, veggie, starchy side) is probably 5 times a week
So there you have it. Anyone want to satisfy my curiosity?
ok, I’ll bite. 🙂
I like your meals! They do sound simple. I should clarify that when I said our meals were simple, that is comparing them to my numerous friends and family who seem to have more of a gourmet streak in them…whereas I seem to have a utilitarian streak and the gourmet gene has clearly skipped me. My dh can’t have anything with corn and has many food sensitivities; I try to make meals that we can all eat, but there certainly are exceptions to that.
Breakfast: Oatmeal or cereal with green smoothies. (Water is freely available all day and the cups sit lined up on the counter. If someone wants water with breakfast, they just bring their cup to the table.) While I make dh’s lunch in the morning before the kids are up, I usually try to throw on some water to boil, then remove the pot from the burner, add the oats and spoonful of brown sugar and cinnamon, and then it’s ready and cooled by the time the anyone is up and hungry.
Lunch: PB&J sandwiches and milk.
Dinner: Several nights have assigned meals… Sunday – mac-n-cheese; Monday – brinner (breakfast for dinner, like homemade pancakes, french toast, Dutch baby pancakes, etc.) which also means a generous amount of leftovers for snacking throughout the week; Wednesday – spaghetti; Friday – pizza. Dinners also always seem to include raw carrots, apples, milk, and maybe other fruit I might have around in season. Sweet potatoes are a big favorite but I’ve gotten out of the habit of making batches since our most recent move.
The remaining 3 nights are something like this: cheesey tortillas, refried bean tortillas, rice wtih a bit of seasoning & some shredded cheese & shredded chicken, pasta made like the rice but with tuna, sometimes that rice or pasta with a piece of chicken on the side. Spinach-ham quiche, tacos, etc. They are all pretty low prep time.
Snacks throughout the day for the kids or sometimes with a meal depending on how hungry each person is and when: bananas, cheese, yogurt, whole grain crackers, etc.
We’re also very simple:) Generally we eat:
1) Breakfast: cereal, healthier waffle, or granola bar with fruit.
2) Lunch: sandwiches, leftovers, Trader Joes heat and eats with fruit.
3) Dinner: I try to plan 1-2 weeks ahead, jotting when to thaw meats in my daytimer. Easy favorites are:
-chicken with BBQ sauce in crockpot for pulled chicken sandwiches
-spaghetti(one lb noodles, one lb beef, one jar sauce). Have added frozen spinach.
-nitrate free hotdogs
-grass fed beef burgers
-grass fed beef sandwiches(roast with beef broth in crockpot)
-tacos(beef or chicken seasoned with taco seasoning and fixings)
-grilled cheese with tomato soup
I don’t really plan sides. I just always keep fresh fruit and veggies on hand and will add 2-3 of these at dinner…..salads, heat up carrots/green bean/asparagus/squash in butter, cooked peppers with mozzarella cheese, etc.
And I always keep Trader Joes heat and eat meals on hand for days I’m in a hurry or stuck. Along with frozen organic veggie medley I just add butter to and microwave. Just what works here:)
My “simple meals” have changed drastically the last two years after my daugther was diagnosed with a wide variety of food allergies… I can hardly remember what it used to be like (and never realized how “easy” I had it to fix whatever I wanted without little extra thought). Nowadays, I am a total foodie in the sense that I think about it often throughout the day and have to plan a lot farther ahead (it’s getting easier though as I experiment and get craetive with new “staples”). I like one pot meals. Throw it all together and let it ride. Soups are favorites in the winter, but since finding out she’s allergic to tomatoes (along with wheat, soy, dairy, fish, shellfish, all nuts, cinnamon and possibly cocoa) my choices have decreased quite a bit. I also used to do spaghetti. I still do occasionally, but it requires making two separated sauces elminating it from the “quick and easy” category somewhat. I do gravies over rice or pasta with meat and veggies. Hamburger steak with potatoes and a veggie. Salad and baked potatoes. Sandwiches. Breakfast (eggs, sausage or bacon, green smoothie and hashbrowns). We do a LOT of gluten free pasta, potatoes or rice with a meat and veggie. I also found that Costco carries gluten free bread for half the cost of other places, so while still not cheap, much more affordable for day to day use. I am slowly figuring out how to safely make “cream” sauces which is nice, and have gotten decent with a chicken pot pie which is tasty. Not sure if that’s any help at all…
Breakfast is usually toast with some sort of topping – jelly, sunbutter, applebutter, cinn & sugar, honey, etc. Sometimes cereal or oatmeal.
Lunch is usually a meat (lunch meat more times than not), chips (lately some quinoa/rice something or other from Costco), fruit, black olives and/or pickles. My kids can eat a can of black olives a day!
We have multiple allergies to contend with. How I wish I could throw a box of mac and chees on the stove and call it lunch some days. LOL I am allergic to bananas, shrimp, and dairy/gluten intolerant. All my children are dairy intolerant. One child is allergic to soy, dairy, apples, eggs, peanuts, & tree nuts.
Breakfast might be: Cream of Rice or Oatmeal, Sausage or ham &/or Eggs OR Breakfast skillet consisting of ground turkey, starchy veggies (i.e. carrots or sweet potato), onion, spinach or other greens and sauerkraut. Some times fruit on the side, usually bananas for the kids.
Lunch might be: Beef sticks or brats, steamed veggies, simple salad OR Sweet potato & black bean tacos on spinach with toppings.
Dinner: Hamburger patty on bed of spinach with avocado slices, tomatoes, sprouts, pickle slices, fried mushrooms, peppers, and onions. Venison steaks, baked chicken, or roast & steamed veggies.
Snacks: Black olives, avocados, veggies & guacamole, fresh fruit, flax crackers.
Beverage is always water. Occasionally tea or kombucha and as a special treat rarely Izzy’s or white grape juice.
We also have multiple allergies to deal with – dairy, egg, soy, peanut (includes garbanzos, lentils, peas), tree nut/seeds, corn syrup, and possibly food dyes. One child also has a sensitity to canned meats, not sure why but we avoid them.
Breakfast: arroz con leche (rice with milk, raisins, cinnamon, sugar), oatmeal, muffins/quick breads (substitute juice or half water/half rice milk for milk and 2T water for each egg), or toast
Lunch: refried beans with tortillas or chips, lunch meat sandwiches, ramen or butter noodles, spagetti, veggie rollups in tortillas, or baked potatoes
Dinner: soup, chili, some sort of meat and veggie combo (like roast with potatoes, carrots and onions) or a casserole (our favorite is ham, noodles, broccoli with a white cream sauce made with dill)
For those with allergies: we make “cream” sauce by using a white sauce made with flour or corn starch and spices.
I am on a pretty specific diet called Nutritional Balancing, and my family eats like I do the majority of the time. We are always gluten-free, and grain-free about 80% of the time. We don’t eat a lot of starchy noodles or potatoes. Like others, “simple” now is much more complicated than “simple” used to be. Total paradigm shift for us over the past few years! I meal plan every 2-3 weeks and grocery shop as often. We eat a lot of veggies, but not a lot of fruit. Our diet is very low-glycemic. Here is my meal plan from last week:
Monday:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs w/ cheese, berry & spinach smoothie made w/ coconut milk
Lunch: grass-fed hot dogs (Applegate), cheese, sautéed green beans
Dinner: roasted whole chicken, peas & carrots, grain-free savory muffins
Tuesday:
Breakfast: soaked oatmeal for kids/berry and spinach smoothie for me
Lunch: chicken soup made from Monday’s roasted chicken leftovers (bones went into crock pot for broth)
Dinner: grain-free salmon patties, cauli-tatoes, roasted broccoli
Wednesday:
Breakfast: fried eggs, yogurt sweetened w/ stevia
Lunch: leftover salmon patties, leftover cauli-tatoes
Dinner: spaghetti squash w/ bolognese sauce, topped w/ Parmesan cheese
Thursday:
Breakfast: grain-free pumpkin muffins, yogurt
Lunch: leftover spaghetti squash with sauce
Dinner: grain-free chicken enchilada casserole, black beans
Friday:
Breakfast: pumpkin muffins, eggs
Lunch: leftover enchilada casserole, beans
Dinner: frozen grain-free pizza, crudités
Saturday:
Breakfast: gluten-free pancakes (eggs or smoothie for me)
Lunch: any leftovers we may still have from the week
Sunday: breakfast for dinner (all made by hubby)
Sunday:
Breakfast: leftover pancakes (eggs or smoothie for me)
Lunch: baked sweet potatoes topped with shredded chicken
Dinner: roast, carrots, and potatoes for everyone but me
Lindsey, would you share that grain-free chicken enchilada casserole recipe? I’ve been craving enchiladas like mad lately, but hubby doesn’t eat grains…
I don’t know if we’re simple or not. I’m feeding 6 people…4 kids, 2 of whom are teen boys and the 3rd eats like one most days. We also have dairy, tomato, and gluten/grain problems.
Typical fare for us:
Breakfast: baked oatmeal or regular soggy kind (w/almond milk), smoothie with fruit (2 or 3 times a week), eggs w/fruit and homemade muffin/bread/larabar. They’re on a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin kick right now and want those regularly.
Lunch: tortilla chips with hummus/guacamole/beans/peanut butter, meat/tuna/peanut butter sandwiches, pancakes or pancake sandwiches, the same stuff we eat for breakfast. Leftovers if we have any, which rarely happens. Soup. Snack lunch – handfuls of whatever we have laying around….larabar, nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, hard boiled egg, jerky, muffins, popcorn, whatever.
Dinner (all are usually served with salad or other raw veggie and fresh fruit): Within the last week we had – bacon burger salad (no bun); baked chicken w/veggies; cabbage sauteed with onion, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, etc and some chicken or sausage added in; roasted veggies with sausages; soup or stew (I have tons of recipes since we eat them a lot); shepherd’s pie; chinese meatballs with rice and sauteed cabbage; burritos; stir-fried rice with tons of veggies and some chicken.
Lindsey, I think you need to start a whole new thread just to post some of your recipes!
. I am interested in the pumpkin muffins if you get a chance! Also the cauli-tatoes.It’s interesting to see how many mamas are dealing with allergies as well… Sometimes it’s encouraging to know we’re not the only ones (because in our church/family we are, and no one understands), not that I would wish it on anyone. I do know we are a lot healthier for it!
I’m not Lindsey, but this is the recipe we’ve been using this week for grain-free pumpkin muffins. I have several more on my list to try!
My favorite pumpkin muffin recipe is from Against All Grain’s first cookbook. I’m not sure if it’s on her website or not, but that’s a great place for lots of grain-free, paleo recipes.
Our favorite cauli-tatoes recipe is also from that cookbook, but The Urban Poser blog has a good recipe too. The key to cauli-tatoes is to use fresh, not frozen, cauliflower, to cut away as much stem as possible, and not to overcook the cauliflower. 😉
Let me know if I can help you find some of your favorite recipes in grain-free form!
Another way to fake “mashed potatoes” is combining diced/cooked turnips and celery root–the celeriac has a nice dry texture that mimics russet potatoes well. I add butter, milk, salt/pepper, onion and garlic powder, and paprika… Even my kids love it. My husband says he likes it better than mashed potatoes 😛
. I am interested in the pumpkin muffins if you get a chance! Also the cauli-tatoes.- The topic ‘Just curious about "simple dinners"’ is closed to new replies.