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Hi!

I have been a single parent for more than ten years, with two perpetually hungry boys under my roof. Fortunately they are adventurous eaters, albeit with food preferences. My father counts on four or five meals from me each week as he has macular degeneration and it's hard for him to cook or read nutrition information in the store.

I also love to cook, and dinner is so important for family time. I echo what others have said about planning, cooking for the freezer, keeping a stocked pantry, and planning the use of leftovers. I'd also add that I belong to a Community Sustainable Agriculture program and that this puts a weekly ZIP into my cooking. Three purple kohlrabi, broccoli, snow peas, oranges, spinach, purple carrots, turnips and dill will really get you thinking about mixing it up and cooking from ingredients.

A typical set of meals for two weeks: Shrimp and spring vegetable risotto, Hot and Sour Soup with homemade Shrimp Egg Rolls, chicken parmesan, linguine with clam sauce, Lentil soup with turkey sausage (crockpot), quiche, grilled salmon with brown rice and spinach, Easter ham with roasted veggies, miso noodle soup, lasagne, roasted chicken breast with capers (from this website), shrimp stirfried with Asian vegetables, homemade pizza (with leftover roasted veggies from Easter), Lamb Kebobs,

Each week I make a list of what I have in the fridge and freezer, what I am going to get at the CSA, and then I plan my dinners. I don't buy until after the CSA pickup so that I can get the sour apple needed for Kohlrabi Slaw.

One other thing I did was make a "master list" of menus of dinners I like to make. I color coded them by the type of protein they contained (with the exception of ham, nobody much likes pork at our house, one son does not like beef, my dad is allergic to chicken, etc.) and ended up with a list of over 50 meals. So if I need inspiration, I go back to this list and remember the great recipe from Microwave Gourmet (god bless Barbara Kafka) for salmon medallions in the microwave. It really didn't take much time and has proven to be a good investment when I'm out of ideas.

HI guys,

I am glad you have found this pie nirvana. Please get a clue: New York is not the world! I live in Southern Arizona and I'm just not interested in this stuff. Tell me how to Make this pie, I don't need an extension of the NYT food review.

Lghez

Try some non-meat based meals once in a while to add variety to your week-day meal rotation. Here are some ideas...

">Spinach Strawberry Salad
Cheesy Rice Burritos w/ Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Stuffed Bell Peppers
White Lasagna with Spinach and Almonds
Eggplant Parmesan
Toston Sandwich - which has no bread at all
Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
Green Banana Mash
Stewed Potatoes over Brown Rice

Hope you like them...

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking

Staples for me include quinoa with some sort of beans and greens mixture - very versatile if you vary the beans and greens. You can add salsa and cheddar to make it mexican, tahini and lemon for a more middle eastern taste, olives, feta, olives and olive oil for a greek take, etc. Soup is also big, as is stir fries with lots of veggies and tempeh. Get a good cookbook (I recommend Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian or any of his other cookbooks) and start cooking. Or scour food blogs for recipes. There are a ton of easy options out there.

@PumpkinBear: Good for you, trying to mix it up!

I am probably too late since you have probably already made your potpie, but next time I suggest you make this one- it was pretty easy and really, a fantastic pot pie.

Here are some of my other favorite relatively easy and super good dinners that tend to please everyone...
Chicken with Leeks
Rustic Beef and Rice Casserole
Filipino Pork Adobo
Meat with a simple pan sauce

Have fun, and let everyone know how it goes!

P.S. Now I am totally craving Texas Toast and feel like I must have some right now... thanks for the suggestion!

First have protein component of meal on hand: tofu, fish, lean meat. Pre-chop vegetables for a stir-fry and finish stir-fry at dinnertime. You've done the prep. There's a huge recipe selection from which to choose.

Get out your slow-cooker - it's not just for hearty winter meals. Slow cookers save on energy and don't heat up the kitchen. Put in your dinner in the a.m. and it's ready when you are. Again, slow-cooker recipes are endless. Add a salad to your slow-cooker entree and you've dinner.

During good weather, it's easier to barbeque. When you grill, grill 'ahead' , e.g., grill a flank steak along with tonight's chicken pieces and you've the makings for a delicious cold beef salad.

Love "The Rocco." I love Tyler Florence and I hate Applebee's. I was totally confused for a while.

"The Alton?" Give it to Giada DiLaurentis. Her food is solid, in spite of the distractions. Although the great thing about giving it to Ina Garten is that she probably won't care.

http://nujoikitchendiary.blogspot.com/