Recipe Ideas...

Shrimp linguine. I buy frozen, already cooked shrimp from trader joes, a box linguine. Defrost shrimp overnight in fridge or soak bag in warm water to quickly defrost. Melt some butter and olive oil in a pan add some minced garlic, we like a lot of garlic. Add shrimp and some seafood seasonings. I add a bit of salt to that if seasoning doesn't have enough. Sauté for a bit. Boil linguine, drain, add to pan with shrimp and coat linguine by tossing a bit, serve with salad, and bread. I have 3 young boys and try love it.

Mac & Cheese w/Sausage and Broccoli is super easy and super quick.

Baked Beans and Hot Dogs.

My grandmother used to make those when she had all us grandkids at her house.

When I am at a loss for a new menu item I go to allrecipes.com and click "ingredients" (tab at top). You can put in a couple items you have on hand and search. It brings up different recipes with those items. You can get some really good ideas just by doing that kind of general search.

Hope this helps! :-)

My adult son is "picky" about veggies but he eats them anyway. How? Every spaghetti sauce has carrot juice added, every soup has carrot juice, tomato juice, and liquified "any veggie" I have in the house added to it. I also make homemade ravioli with the filling of ground meat (pork, beef, or 1/2 of each), fresh romano and parmesan cheese, and spinach (Put spinach in the food processer and chop to a paste and add fresh oregano leaves to it. It takes on the taste of oregano). Add an egg per pound of meat and stuff your dough with it. But may I add...It seems like you are a very creative cook already. Soups are easy and filling so you may wish to add those to your wonderful menu. God Bless.

Meatloaf
Chili
Spaghetti
BBQ on the grill
Soups... hearty soups....
Pasta Salads
Tacos
Fondue.... even my picky son likes Fondue (Fondues are FUN, get a cookbook for it if need be. Anything can be used for Fondue. Get a Fondue pot. Just last night we had Fondue... with ham, bread chunks, Emmental & Grueyer cheese, boiled potatoes, and just dip away!).

Shish-ke-bobs...
Teriyaki steak
Pot Roast
Pork chops
Buy frozen shrimp (like from Costco) and make salad or pasta with it, Scampi style

Chicken Cassoulet
Ramen
Indian curry dishes
Pulled Pork sandwiches
Omelettes for dinner
Cheese Sandwiches with salad
Breakfast for dinner
Stir-fry
Thai dishes

Just some of the things we like and I cook.

Sorry, I don't have "recipes" for these things... as I am the type that does not cook with 'recipes' per say... I just cook by instinct.

all the best,
Susan

I'm impressed with the variety you DO have given you are managing three kids!

Here's a few things I like. We don't eat red meat at all, so you'll see a lot of ground turkey in my recipes. You didn't mention if you have a slow cooker/crock pot, but if you don't I really recommend it. This recipe is one I tried the other night and it was SO EASY and everyone in my family ate it (my husband, 5 1/2 year old son and 10 month old daughter).

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jennies-Heavenly-Slow-Cooker...

*ground turkey tacos (hard or soft shell)
*teriyaki salmon
*fish tacos (I use the pub battered halibut from costco)
*ravioli (such as butternut squash or cheese)
*pesto stuffed chicken (basically take a 8 oz. container of cream cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan and a couple tablespoons of pesto and mix them together, slit 4 chicken breasts and divide the mixture, stuffing it in the slits. Coat in italian bread crumbs and bake at 350 for about a half-hour)
*ground turkey meatloaf
*ground turkey hambugers (mix in a packet of onion soup mix and they're really yummy)

If veggies are a problem, I recommend one of the cookbooks aimed at sneaking veggies in to your kids' food. There are some great recipes in them.

Like Susan we like bfast for dinner!
easy egg casserole:
layer dish with tater tots
sprinkle cooked bfast meat over tots (sausage, bacon or ham)
beat 8-10 eggs and season (I use pepper and dry mustard) and poor over the top. bake on 350 for 50-60 minutes.
easy tater tot casserols:
layer dish with tater tots
mix 1 lb. cooked hamburger with 2 cans of cream of potato (or mushroom) soup and sometimes a can of cheddar soup. pour over tots and sprinkle top with cheese. bake on 350 for 50-60 minutes.
white chicken chili:
2 lbs cubed cooked chicken
1-2 onions chopped small, 2 garlic gloves chopped small then saute.
2 cans of green chili's (if you like a little kick)
3 cans of S & W white beans (drained)
add to 1 can of low fat/sodium chicken broth.
simmer for 30 minutes. can add a spoonful of sour cream on top if you like and serve with crackers or biscuits!
another easy bfast meal:
About 4-6 cups of cooked white rice.
8-10 slices of bacon, chopped into 1/4 inch slivers
6-8 eggs beaten for scrambling.
2 cloves of garlic chopped.
Black pepper and soy sauce
Fry bacon till almost crisp, drain and put aside.
Cooked scrambled eggs, do not over cook put aside.
Clean out the skillet and add 2 tablespoons of fresh cooking oil.
Microwave rice 2 minutes to get it warmed up, prior to frying.
Add garliic too skillet at med-high heat, add rice saute for a couple of minutes, add bacon saute for another minute.
Add pepper and soysauce to taste. Maybe 2 tablespoons.
Lastly add scrambled eggs saute one last minute.
Then serve.

Try recipesource.com. It has recipes from around the world, and you can find them by ingredient, category (main dish, dessert etc..) or country. It's not a pretty site but some of the best meals I've made are from it.

Buy a crockpot! Then:

Pinto beans and cornbread. There really IS a right way to cook beans. I did not know until recently! Rinse them. Soak them 8hours changing the water every few hours. put them on the crockpot covered with one inch of water.add minced garlic and onion. Turn on low and leave alone. 8 hours. Then, make a batter of cornbread mix. Use the batter on a hot griddle to make corn-bread cakes. It'll take about 15min to finish all the cakes supper done!

Potato Hash: chop one onion, mince one to two cloves garlic, chop three large potatoes. Drizzle the pan with olive oil and brown onions and garlic.add meat and brown. Drain. Add in potatoes and half cup water. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done. Stir occassionally while cooking. Feeds an army! For leftovers: heat and cover with grated cheddar cheese. Variations: de-seed and chop jalepenos, brown with onions and garlic. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.

BBQ'D Chicken spaghetti: put 8-10 chicken quarters in crockpot. Cook on low until they run clear juices. Mix: 1/2 bottle sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce and 1/2 bottle original BBQ sauce, 1/2 bottle Catalina dressing. Shake in some worchestire sauce. Pour over the chicken and let simmer until chicken falls off the bone. De-bone and keep warm while cooking spaghetti or other pasta. Plate servings of pasta and add meat sauce. EASY EASY EASY... feeds a ton of people!

We enjoy "breakfast for dinner" sometimes! Sometimes we eat egg casserole, or just scrambled eggs & ham and toast. Or pancakes or waffles or french toast. This is a nice change from regular diner fare. Maybe your family would enjoy this change.

These two recipes are really good and my 1 and 3 year old love them

HASHBROWN CASSEROLE
1 bag frozen shredded hashbrowns left out for several hours
1 onion minced very small and sauteed in butter (is not good w/o onion!)
2 sm. cans cream of mushroom soup
2-3 cups cheddar cheese
mix together in 9x13 pan
crush 1 cup cornflakes and mix with 3 T. melted butter
sprinkle over top of hashbrown mixture in baking pan and bake until heated thru about 1 hr or longer

TATER TOT CASSEROLE
1 lb browned hamburger
1 small bag frozen peas, boiled and prepared
2 sm cans cream of mushroom soup
mix all together and spread in baking dish
PUT ABOUT 2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE ON TOP OF MIXTURE
brown 1 bag of tator tots according to package, crispy is better....
put a single layer on top of casserole
bake at 350 for 1 hour or until cheese is thoroughly melted

My mom's stroganoff is the best thing ever...

1lb hamburger - browned
1 can cream of chicken
1 16oz sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
mix all of this together

Pour mixture over rice (any variety).

Easy and delicious!

Here's some of our favorites:
http://www.vegsource.com/talk/recipes/messages/70360.html (this is probably our all-time favorite, freezes well so make a double batch)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Biscuit-Mixture/Detail.... (easy and tasty biscuits to go with the first. Extra mix stores in the fridge for a long time, cooked biscuits freeze well)
http://www.activelifecooking.com/2009/05/vegetarian-baked...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Macaroni-and-Cheese/De...
http://www.recipezaar.com/Chicken-Tortilla-Soup-II-4627
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Colorful-Vegetable-Fajitas/D... (just add chicken or steak strips if you like)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amys-Barbecue-Chicken-Salad/...
http://recipes.prevention.com/Recipe/spinach-stuffed-shel...
http://www.recipezaar.com/Spinach-Cheese-Balls-With-Pasta... (this works well with having kids help roll)
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8173.0
http://gooddealgal.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekly%20Menus (these freeze fantastic!!)
http://gooddealgal.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekly%20Menus (we serve these with burgers)
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/oven_fried_zucchini.html (sometimes we do these with burgers instead)
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe...
http://www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/10253 (leftovers of this with a butternut squash, 1/2 onion, a couple carrots and some broth make a fantastic soup!)
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/creamy-potato-and-leek-soup...

Another thing that I make a lot of with the cold weather is soups. Miso is a hit with my 3 year old and 1 year old and it's pretty easy. I add some udon noodles to it to help make it a meal. Though, we also like to stick it in the blender after cooking. It's super good that way. Butternut squash soup, minestrone soup, chili are all pretty easy and really good.

I have 3 super simple things I like to make.

1. chicken breasts (or pork) plus one bottle of bbq sauce in the slow cooker. SOOO freakin' delicious and beyond easy. Just combine and wait then shred chicken with 2 forks. We serve on buns with coleslaw. A good use of left overs is quesadillas.

2. the pork tenderloin from Fred Meyers is delicious and is $6. Just put it on a baking sheet (I put mine on aluminium foil for easier clean up) and cook until it reaches 160 degrees - about and hour. I serve with salad and bread.

3. baked potato with chili or broccoli and cheese sauce (homemade cheese sauce is so fast and easy it's not even funny - 1 tablespoon butter melted, 2 tablespoons flour - whisk together and cook for 1 minute add 1.25 cups of milk and cook over medium heat until thick about 5 minutes (whisk a lot or it might lump on you) remove from heat and add 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese - done). potatoes are actually very good for you - lots of vitamin C, potassium, B-6, iron and fiber. Par cook the potato in the microwave if you are short on time.

Take care!
T.

Pulled pork in Rootbeer sauce (sounds weird but its really good)

3lb pork top sirloin
salt and pepper
2 medium onions (chopped down to about 1/2" strips)
1 minced garlic clove
2 cans of rootbeer
1 jar of chili sauce

Rub the meat with salt and pepper, than brown all sides.
Place in crockpot with onion, garlic and 1/2 can of rootbeer
cook on low for 7-8 hours

about a half hour before the meat is done put the remaining rootbeer and jar of chili sauce into a sauce pan and reduce to about 2 -2 1/2 cups

Shred the pork, toss in the sauce and serve on hamburger buns.
seriously try it, this stuff is fantastic

Ragu makes 3 white sauces that come with recipies on the back. All three are very good, and you can obviously alter the recipes to remove whatever your family doesnt like. I like them because they are quick

BLT's

Chicken casserole.
(I buy frozed veggies so I dont have to precook the carrots) its just peas, carrots, corn and cooked diced chicken breast in a 9X9 pan mix in cream of chicken soup (just the concentrate dont add water, it gets too runny), top with biscuits (I mix bisquick and milk) cook at like 350 for 30 mins (Or until biscuits ar done)

Potato and cheese casserole
Cut potatos into about 1/2 inch cubes Add whatever leftover meat you have on hand (I normally use little ham pieces or chicken) and some broccoli. Mix with chedder cheese soup and put in a baking dish cook at 350 for a little over an hour (takes a while for the potatos to cook through) you can make as much or as little as you want. for my family of 5 I usually make a 9 X 13, and have salad the side.

I know exactly what you are saying, sometimes you just need some fresh new ideas. Your questions is what drove me to create a new website for Moms. I am getting nothing out of this but it has been so fun to put together and the moms in my moms group love it. My website is called It Takes a Village... The area that most moms love is my Market Menu section where each week I look through our local grocery circulars and give great menu ideas of what to make with what is on sale. We may not live in the same area but most things that go on sale are seasonal and may be applicable for you too. Sometimes I just give great easy weeknight meals that I have used and love. I hope my site can give you some great new ideas!

http://www.ittakesavillagedallas.com/It_takes_a_village/M...

VillageMom
www.ittakesavillagedallas.com

I mix a couple of cans of Campbells cheddar soup and some milk with some fresh broccoli. Then I serve it over rice and chicken breasts. Always a big hit at my house! Plus it's super easy!

I don't know if you eat a lot of ground beef, but I always buy that -the best I can afford- when it's on sale. With that, you can do so much...tacos, spaghetti, chili, meatloaf, hamburgers, hamburger patties (with gravey/onions, etc.), chickens tenders-I always watch for sales on boneless, skinless chicken brests-baked whole chicken dinner. Potatoes are great, too. Whether it's steamed, baked, or mashed, I always make extra potatoes should I want them for another dinner. I like to use leftover baked potaoes the next day, but other will keep longer. With those, you can make twice baked potatoes, potato soup, fried-mashed potatoes, mashed potato casserole...and you can usually use up other leftovers with the potatoes, too- bacon, cheese, onions, mushroom, tomatoes, ham, gravy, etc. Just last night I used the leftover taco sauce from the previous night to make taco casserole where I threw the left over tomatoes and onions into the sauce and if I had had a small amount of salsa left in a jar, I would have thrown that in, too!

Good like and I hope you have fun experimenting.

sloppy joes , pot roast, homemade pizza , chicken parmesian , .. i make hot sauce chicken with refried beans and rice, nacho chicken, broccoli rice chicken and cheese casserole , .msg me if you would like any of my recipes!

i second the crockpot! it is the best invention ever. Throw whatever you want in it, and forget about it! there are tons of recipes out there and cook books too! I love mine!!!

EASY Chicken & Dumplings.

-Pour a carton of chicken broth in a crock pot with a can of Cream of Chicken soup AND Cream of celery soup.
-Rinse a whole chicken (you could do a chicken cut up, but whole chickens are generally cheaper) and put into broth.
-Cook on high 5-6 hours or until chicken falls off bone.
-Lift chicken out carefully and put on a plate or in a large bowl.
-Transfer broth to a large stock pot and bring to a boil.
-While waiting for broth to boil, make dumplings per directions on side of Bisquick box.
-Drop by spoonful into boiling broth. Reduce heat and cook uncovered 10 minutes. Then cover and cook another 10 minutes.
-While dumplings are cooking pick chicken off the bones. *I save bones and skin and will freeze to make chicken broth.
-I just leave the chicken meat on the plate/bowl and then my family can pick what they want and the spoon the broth/dumplings over before we sit down.

*Normally I stay away from canned soups and Bisquick, but once in a while is OK.