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Family Guys, What Do You Make for Dinner? (3 Viewers)

Lehigh98

Lehigh98

Footballguy
Seems like our family (me, wife, two boys 16 & 14) has hit a point in life where our dinner plans have stagnated.  We've been running around with sports and activities and relying on fast food and a few standard quick meals (spaghetti, tacos, burgers, etc) and we've lost all dinner creativity.

Looking for some suggestions for meals to add to our repertoire to freshen things up.  What are your favorite go to family meals that you'd suggest trying out?  TIA!

Keeping track of suggestions:

BBQ Chicken on the grill with foil packet potatoes / asparagus

Mississippi Pot Roast

 
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Lehigh98 said:
Yes, usually using the pellet smoker / grill nowadays.

That's where the burgers come from, steaks sometimes too.
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BBQ chicken is always nice.

You can also put some new potatoes in foil and cook them off to the side. Asparagus is in season right now so you could grab some of that and throw on the grill. Makes for a nice meal. 

 
ChiefD said:
BBQ chicken is always nice.

You can also put some new potatoes in foil and cook them off to the side. Asparagus is in season right now so you could grab some of that and throw on the grill. Makes for a nice meal. 
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I haven't done foil potatoes in a while, good call.  Just had some awesome rosemary potatoes at Wolfgang Puck in Vegas and I meant to try and recreate but forgot about them.  What do you put in with your potatoes?

 
I'll add one suggestion.  We make 'mexican bowls' about once a week. Like our own version of Chipotle bowls.  

Any protein, can even be leftover chicken from the grill, but we usually use ground turkey/beef and sauted some onions and peppers.  Add taco seasoning to the cooked protein and veggies with a little water or chicken broth to finish off.  Serve over rice and/or beans.  Top with cheese/avocado/guac/salsa/etc.  

Can be adjusted significantly to adapt to everyone's tastes.  Can also eat with some tortilla chips on the side.  Leftovers can be eaten a variety of ways as well.  

 
Lehigh98 said:
I haven't done foil potatoes in a while, good call.  Just had some awesome rosemary potatoes at Wolfgang Puck in Vegas and I meant to try and recreate but forgot about them.  What do you put in with your potatoes?
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I usually just mince some fresh garlic, and maybe some salt and pepper.

I've also done rosemary and thyme. That combo works great on new potatoes.

 
Poke_4_Life said:
I'll add one suggestion.  We make 'mexican bowls' about once a week. Like our own version of Chipotle bowls.  

Any protein, can even be leftover chicken from the grill, but we usually use ground turkey/beef and sauted some onions and peppers.  Add taco seasoning to the cooked protein and veggies with a little water or chicken broth to finish off.  Serve over rice and/or beans.  Top with cheese/avocado/guac/salsa/etc.  

Can be adjusted significantly to adapt to everyone's tastes.  Can also eat with some tortilla chips on the side.  Leftovers can be eaten a variety of ways as well.  
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This is a good idea. Stealing this one. 

 
ChiefD said:
This is a good idea. Stealing this one. 
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Forgot one point.  Don't buy 'taco seasoning'.  Just make your own.  There's plenty of recipes out there for making your own with much less crap than the packages.  

We use this one, with about half the salt because broth has salt and I try to watch my sodium...

1 t chili powder

1 t sea salt

1 t smoked paprika

1 t cumin

1 t onion powder

1 t garlic powder

1 t oregano
Click to expand...

 
ChiefD said:
BBQ chicken is always nice.

You can also put some new potatoes in foil and cook them off to the side. Asparagus is in season right now so you could grab some of that and throw on the grill. Makes for a nice meal. 
Click to expand...
How do you season the potatoes? I need to try this next grill session.  Also never grilled asparagus, a little butter/oil, salt and pepper?

 
ChiefD said:
BBQ chicken is always nice.

You can also put some new potatoes in foil and cook them off to the side. Asparagus is in season right now so you could grab some of that and throw on the grill. Makes for a nice meal. 
Click to expand...
Do you grill bbq chicken or grill chicken and add BBQ?

 
Nathan R. Jessep said:
How do you season the potatoes? I need to try this next grill session.  Also never grilled asparagus, a little butter/oil, salt and pepper?
Click to expand...
I usually cut them in half or quarters depending on their side. I lay the potatoes skin down on the foil.

I usually just mince some fresh garlic, and maybe some salt and pepper.

I've also done rosemary and thyme. That combo works great on new potatoes.

As for the asparagus, I definitely use olive oil and then just salt and pepper. Sometimes I'll also add some balsamic vinegar. I try to undercook them just a tick so the tips are still a little crunchy. 

 
Gilroy34 said:
Do you grill bbq chicken or grill chicken and add BBQ?
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I do the chicken on indirect heat for one hour. Usually thighs.

I'll add the sauce with about 15 minutes to go. Sometimes I'll mix in some honey so it's a sticky sweet finish on the chicken.

 
Different roasts (beef, pork, turkey breast, etc.)

Different stir-fries (shrimp, chicken, etc.).  You can experiment with putting it over different types or rice or lo meins.

Different fish.  Baking them in the oven is fairly straight forward.  Heck, Stephen King posted a salmon recipe where he makes the salmon in the microwave and it stirred all types of feelings online.

 
If you've got a pressure cooker, this chicken/chorizo/chickpea dish is pretty good.  My notes

  • You can sub in other types of sausage if Spanish-style chorizo isn't easy to find.  Andouille, Kielbasa, etc
  • I prefer to shred the chicken after cooking, since it'll be starting to fall apart anyway
 
We do Stir Fry once a week.  Super easy with a wok just cook up your protein, usually chicken and when it's just about done add your peppers, mushrooms, pea pods, whatever veges you want.  If you do brocoli or cauliflower I'd recommend sticking it in the microwave for a few minutes to help soften it up a bit.  Then at the very end as some sauce you have a simple yet somewhat healthy meal.  ( I know for you health nerds there is a ton of sugar in the jar sauces).

 
you name it ...I see a recipe I save it, our favorites as usually spicy and some kind of ethnic food

lots of asian stuff (by far the most) - including Indian (velvet the meat for Asian about half the time - it's better but a lot of extra work)

Mexican - carnitas, enchiladas with mole (homemade mole ...sometimes - but not the 22 super complex original), tacos, mexican pizzas

Italian - lasagne, different kinds of ravioli, various pastas with pesto, homemade pizza/flatbreads (no pizza oven - have a stone though)

we love lamb - lamb chops, leg, sausage links, ground lamb patties - gotta make tabbouleh and taziki (no damn cukes in it - just use dill) 

plus the usual fare - steaks, burgers, the mom standards like the oven baked pork chops with cream mushroom soup and mushrooms, beef stew, etc. 

 
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Does someone in the family like to cook?  You mention having extra activities.  Does that leave time to cook/experiment with new recipes?  I would say go to a used bookstore, and look for a general chicken cookbook, a beef cookbook, and a pork cookbook.  Bring them home and thumb thru them.  You'll get lots of good ideas from them.

I personally love to cook, and have several dozen cookbooks(I have 6 cookbooks just on soup).  

Recently I 'frankenstiened' Chicken Cordon Bleu into a casserole, and it came out pretty darn good IMHO

Cut 2-3 chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and saute` until brown. Don't crowd the pan, as the chicken will steam instead of brown.  Cook in batches if need be.   Set aside.

In the same pan, there should be some kind of fat(oil, etc.) still in there.  Add a tablespoon each of  butter and flour(making a roux), and cook that for a few minutes, whisking as you go. Add a half cup of milk and whisk until lumps are out.  Add another 1.5 - 2 cups milk and whisk that in.  Cook for a few minutes until it reduces a little/thickens up. Salt and pepper to taste.  Congrats, you just make a bechamel sauce!

Cook some elbow macaroni or other smaller/medium pasta.  Drain at minimum cook time(al dente), as it is going into the oven later anyway.  You want the pasta done/ready at the same time the bechamel sauce is done.  

Put the chicken, pasta, bechamel sauce, cubed ham, and cubed swiss cheese in a big bowl and mix well.  Pour all that into a pre-greased baking dish.  Top with seasoned bread crumbs.  Put in 350 oven for 20-30 minutes so it all comes together.  

 
Poke_4_Life said:
I'll add one suggestion.  We make 'mexican bowls' about once a week. Like our own version of Chipotle bowls.  

Any protein, can even be leftover chicken from the grill, but we usually use ground turkey/beef and sauted some onions and peppers.  Add taco seasoning to the cooked protein and veggies with a little water or chicken broth to finish off.  Serve over rice and/or beans.  Top with cheese/avocado/guac/salsa/etc.  

Can be adjusted significantly to adapt to everyone's tastes.  Can also eat with some tortilla chips on the side.  Leftovers can be eaten a variety of ways as well.  
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I do similar when I make Black bean chicken burritos.  Make enough extra to put on rice for leftovers.

 
We like to do Spicy Chicken Sandwiches once a week or so and fish whenever I catch fresh stuff to break up the monopoly beef seems to have over us.

Chicken sandwiches requires a small amount of prep the night before.

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup pickle juice

4-5 TBS hot sauce(Frank's if you're sane)

Cut chicken breast in half to make them thin enough for sandwiches.  Mix the ingredients in a gallon plastic bag, put the chicken breasts in overnight.

Next day:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 TBS cayenne pepper

1 tbs white pepper

2 tbs black pepper

1 tbs onion powder

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs cajun seasoning

1 tbs salt

1/2 tbs paprika

Whisk all together in a bowl.

Take chicken breasts out of buttermilk mixture, cover in flour mixture.... Repeat.  Do each breast twice(yes, double dip... that's how you get the real cruchiness).

Put breasts in fridge until oil is hot(or heat it up while prepping the chicken).  

Heat oil to 350.  Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.  Rest on wire rack or paper towel for 3-5 minutes.  Serve on a brioche bun or potato bun with fresh lettuce, pickles and your favorite mayonaisse.

Also, could make spicy mayo....

1/2 mayo

2 tbs hot sauce

1 tbs yellow mustard

1 tbs cajun seasoning.

Mix together and serve.  (this will keep in the fridge a couple of weeks)

 
My sister gave me this recipe. If you make a lot of it, the leftovers are pretty good.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (diced)

1 lb bacon

8 oz creme fraiche

Herbes de Provence

Fry up the bacon and set aside. Toss the chicken in the bacon grease and season liberally with the herbes de Provence. While the chicken cooks, break up the bacon into small pieces (like bacon bits for a salad). Cook the chicken through. You'll have a lot of grease and moisture from the chicken after the chicken is cooked. Carefully drain the liquid from the pan, leaving just enough so the bottom of the pan is barely covered with the liquid. Over very low heat, dump in the creme fraiche and mix it around with the chicken. Dump in the bacon and mix. (The creme fraiche will form a sauce. The more liquid you left in the pan, the thinner the sauce will be.) I serve it over white rice. 

 
I've also started making chicken fajitas recently.  We love the adobo sauce in canned chipotles.  I marinate the chicken in adobo, a few diced chipotles, some lime juice, garlic powder and cumin.  I grill the chicken and saute onions/peppers on the side burner.  

Also do a fair amount of stir fry, but sodium gets high in those.  

We do salad once a week at least as well.  Leftover protein from the grill, on a bed of spinach with lots of cut veg.

I work at home a lot so often I will marinate during the day for better flavors at night.  Tonight we're having Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs, because it's a go to in the oven and it's very rainy here.    

 
Campbell’s Soup has recipes for quick chicken dinners. We make these chicken breast and rice packets that can be made ahead of time and just thrown in the oven when desired. They actually turn out pretty good and each portion is a decent amount. 

 
Dezbelief said:
Roast with potatoes and carrots is one of my favorites. 

Pancakes

Grilled cheese

Omelets 
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Whole lotta good suggestions in here but one of my go-to ideas when my wife is out and I'm in charge of feeding the kids - Breakfast for dinner!!! 

Scrambled eggs, bacon, Texas toast, Dutch baby vanilla pancake, cast iron skillet potatoes.  Just a home run every time and NO leftovers.  

 
Only one child, but her activities have us running around so it is hard to plan/prep.  So sometimes takeout.

for dinners:

grill- chicken, shrimp, burgers, steak

grilled or pan seared items for tacos

saute or pan sear- a lot of Italian: Marsala, picatta, parm, katsu, etc

pizza night… whatever ingredients we have around- mushrooms, salami, sausage

misc salads- wedge, Chinese chicken, Thai beef, chopped

pastas- rock shrimp, gnocchi, pappardelle, orchiette

 
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wikkid's kwik pumpkin chili

in a dutch oven or big pot sautee ground turkey, onions, pepper, celery, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano (mexican best). deglaze with a quart of chicken broth, stir in 2 15oz cans of Libby's 100% pure (unsweetened) pumpkin, one blended can of chipotle in adobo, 3-4 cans of black beans. cook 15 minutes on low. big damn batch, pretty damn good. top with scallions and pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds), serve with whole wheat tortillas (or over rice)

 
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Just the wife and I. Neither of us need a lot of carbs.

We have been eating a lot of corned beef and cabbage lately.

 
Sam the Cooking Guy

Someone here turned me on to a recipe from Sam, and I fell in love with his youtube channel.  Some recipes are a little complicated for a weeknight, but most are fairly simple and the flavors are excellent.  Plus videos are easy to watch in 15-20 periods of down time, and he's just flat entertaining as a cook.

 
Lehigh98 said:
Yes, usually using the pellet smoker / grill nowadays.

That's where the burgers come from, steaks sometimes too.
Click to expand...
Since you said you have a pellet smoker... Buy yourself a good frozen pizza and smoke it.. We did this a couple weeks ago... Soooooooooo good. Everyone loved the crisp crust and smoky flavor 🍕

 
I do about 90-95% of the food shopping and cooking for my wife and kids. 

Quesadillas with various filings are easy to throw together in the microwave

Wraps---stuffed with BLT fixings (cook your bacon and then use shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes and ranch dressing). You can get the Tyson Buffalo Chicken strips. Cook them in the microwave. Fill the tortilla with said chicken and store bought coleslaw and pickle chips.

For a quick dinner--get frozen taquitos. I get the big can of green enchilada sauce I pour just enough to cover the bottom of a 11x7 glass baking dish. Line the dish with the frozen taquitos and pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Cook for 25 minutes at 375 and then cover the top with your favorite cheese and cook for 5 extra minutes. My family loves this one. 

As mentioned above, breakfast for dinner is always a big hit.

Crock pot wings are easy. Get some chicken wings (i use the ones that are pre-cut so it is just the wing part), buffalo sauce, melted butter and brown sugar mixed together and pour over the wings. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. 

I love to cook/grill but I have learned over the years, not everything has to be gourmet. Some of the biggest hits in my house are the quick, throw together ones. Things are going to change here in two three months because our daughter goes to college and I have will have to learn to cook for two. I am seriously exploring a meal plan company to help out 3-4 times a week. 

 
Empty nesters but Wednesday night my wife has choir and I'll do a one pot Dutch oven meal. There are a ton of recipes out there.  

I did boneless pork chops like this but subbed in different veggies. Red potatoes and boneless chicken thighs are also a good combo.

I use a cast iron Dutch Oven over coals but it can be done indoors especially with an enameled dutch oven

Boy Scouts have extensive dutch oven cookbooks for one pot meals.

 
facook said:
Sam the Cooking Guy

Someone here turned me on to a recipe from Sam, and I fell in love with his youtube channel.  Some recipes are a little complicated for a weeknight, but most are fairly simple and the flavors are excellent.  Plus videos are easy to watch in 15-20 periods of down time, and he's just flat entertaining as a cook.
Click to expand...


Sam is pretty awesome. Still make some of his stuff. For the smoking/grilling folks in here this guy on youtube is pretty good as well.  https://youtube.com/c/howtobbqright

 
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Lehigh98 said:
Seems like our family (me, wife, two boys 16 & 14) has hit a point in life where our dinner plans have stagnated.  We've been running around with sports and activities and relying on fast food and a few standard quick meals (spaghetti, tacos, burgers, etc) and we've lost all dinner creativity.

Looking for some suggestions for meals to add to our repertoire to freshen things up.  What are your favorite go to family meals that you'd suggest trying out?  TIA!

Keeping track of suggestions:

BBQ Chicken on the grill with foil packet potatoes / asparagus

Mississippi Pot Roast
Click to expand...


We do BLT's like once a month and usually make tots with it. Pretty quick and good. 

 
msudaisy26 said:
We do BLT's like once a month and usually make tots with it. Pretty quick and good. 
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Good call. Always a crowd pleaser.

I like to kick mine up a notch. I’ll add shredded cheese and some red onion. Tastes really awesome, especially when all the ingredients are fresh from the farmers market.

 
Nathan R. Jessep said:
How do you season the potatoes? I need to try this next grill session.  Also never grilled asparagus, a little butter/oil, salt and pepper?
Click to expand...


ChiefD said:
I usually cut them in half or quarters depending on their side. I lay the potatoes skin down on the foil.

I usually just mince some fresh garlic, and maybe some salt and pepper.

I've also done rosemary and thyme. That combo works great on new potatoes.

As for the asparagus, I definitely use olive oil and then just salt and pepper. Sometimes I'll also add some balsamic vinegar. I try to undercook them just a tick so the tips are still a little crunchy. 
Click to expand...


Another good seasoning with foil Potatoes is Powdered ranch or onion soup mix.  Slice them, put a stick of butter and amount of Ranch or onion soup to your liking.

 
Moqueca 

This is a Brazilian fish stew that is really healthy, I actually prefer the vegetarian version I made when I took a wrong turn and dated a vegan for a month. 

If you are looking for new items, and aren't too adventurous, search around for crock pot recipes. Easy, not time-consuming, and there's all kind of stuff. 

 
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