.

[Cybirdy]

my mom used to make a roast (oven) just about every Sunday and I think she used those onion and mushroom packets. Now I think I want to try this in the crockpot next week. I'm ok with some leftovers - we could do sandwiches or turn them into fajitas I bet. I just don't want to eat it like 5 times and hate it and never want it again. What is the liquid and flavoring? I'll look this up online too but since we have some roast experts. Is it just water and bouillon cubes or do you use beef broth?

You can do whatever you want--just water, water with bullion, beef broth, even beer or a can of pop (there are recipes for can of coke/Pepsi with roast or root beer/Dr. Pepper with pork roasts). Fareway here sells a seasoned pork roast that I throw in with a few more seasonings and beer. We had it once as pork roast, once as pulled pork sandwiches, and will probably use it up tonight as pork quesidillas. Sometimes with a beef roast I just put on some steak seasoning/garlic/pepper instead of the packet of soup.

I try to rotate meals using beef, pork, and chicken. Then I try to vary the "style" of meal--Asian flair/flavor, Italian, BBQ, Mexican, something with pasta, soup, grilling. I feed a family of 6 every night, trying to make enough for one serving of leftovers for hubby to take in for lunch. I meal plan/grocery shop once a week (one big trip, always have to go back for incidentals).

Last week I was lazy because my husband was out of town. I took the kids to Chick-fil-A and it was $23 just for 3 kids' meals and one regular meal. I didn't even order anything, I knew my youngest ones wouldn't eat all of theirs. I just bought chicken breasts on sale, a box of Shake-n-Bake (or make your own coating), and if I bought frozen waffle fries it would be about $10 for the same meal at home and it would feed all 6 of us.

 

[hoiballin33]

We cook probably 6 of 7 days a week. Staples include:

Tacos - keep some of the meat out of the shells for leftovers later. If you fill all the shells they get soggy and you won't want to eat them.

Lasagna - lots of leftovers.

Sandwiches and salads - make grilled cheese with spinach, tomato, fresh mozz. Pair with the rest of the spinach for a salad. Good light meal for the summer.

Asian themed noodles - peanut sauce, peppers, onions, bow tie pasta, chicken (optional), red cabbage, green onions on top. Very cheap and makes lots of leftovers. Even better the second day.

Grilling - I usually buy 12 brats at a time and grill them all and then have them for lunch/leftover dinner during the week. Same applies for chicken, burgers, etc. Steaks on occasion since they tend to be expensive.

Crockpot - pulled pork, soups, wings, beef for tacos, etc. Always good for leftovers and large groups. Usually pretty cheap per meal.

To keep things interesting so we dont always cook the same old stuff my wife will look up recipes on pinterest. Probably 75% of them turn out good and on budget, the rest are either too expensive per meal or don't turn out quite right.

 

[bos]

Need to use the Crockpot more. Both work till 5 and by the time we get kids we aren't home till 5:45. At least during grilling season we can be eating by 6:15 ish.

I have the crockpot that has the WeMo device built in. I can set it from my phone and change heating types as the day progresses from my desk. Its so lazy but its kept me from overcooking some things at times. Crockpot cooking is fantastic.

 

[timhisu]

https://www.blueapron.com/

Wife and I have been doing this for several months and I couldn't imagine not having it now. In addition to avoiding my least favorite conversation with my wife ever ("i'm at the store. what do you want to eat for dinner this week") you also learn cooking techniques and work with ingredients that you'd probably never buy otherwise that typically are fantastic. Like someone said before, I may be getting old too but preparing vegetables and other ingredients with some music on is my favorite part of the evening. Since it's only 3 meals, we supplement at Fareway/Hy-Vee with a couple easy items and lunch.

If anyone is interested, i have a few invites for free weeks. There are other services that are similar also but I only have experience with BlueApron.

 

[CYdTracked]

When I grill I always make more than we can eat for 1 meal so we have some leftovers for at least 1 or 2 more meals. Chicken and pork keep in the fridge and still tastes good re-heated, beef not so much unless it's hamburger. Chicken breasts are real easy to re-use. I usually grill 4 or 6 of them and reuse them for leftovers either by themselves or maybe cut some up and put in a salad.

Really if you want to learn how to cook just Google things you like to eat and you can find all kinds of recipes either something quick and simple to something complex that may take some time and skill but the saying around our house is if 1 of us wants to try to make something new, if we don't like the taste of the result then we don't have to make it again but at least we tried.

I love that it is getting warmer as it means better weather to grill and smoke. I'm always trying new types of marinades or seasonings as well as methods to get better BBQ flavors when I smoke. We get a 1/4 of beef from my wife's parents every 2 years and if you are able to buy your beef that way versus buying it a little bit at a time from the store whenever you need it you'll save a lot of money and the meat itself is probably going to taste better too. If you don't have that option Fareway sometimes has deals where you can buy a whole beef loin at a good sale price and they will even cut it up and package it how you want it. I usually wait for whole boneless pork loins to go on sale and buy 1 or 2 to cut up for various sizes of pork chops and save a portion for a pork roast. Granted I also worked at the meat counter in Hy-Vee in HS and college and learned a lot about how to cut various cuts of meats as well as how to haggle on pricing because most stores are willing to sell you whole loins of meat for a much better price than you would pay for that same cut of meat already cut out into steaks or chops in the meat counter.

 

[cowgirl836]

We cook probably 6 of 7 days a week. Staples include:

Tacos - keep some of the meat out of the shells for leftovers later. If you fill all the shells they get soggy and you won't want to eat them.

Lasagna - lots of leftovers.

Sandwiches and salads - make grilled cheese with spinach, tomato, fresh mozz. Pair with the rest of the spinach for a salad. Good light meal for the summer.

Asian themed noodles - peanut sauce, peppers, onions, bow tie pasta, chicken (optional), red cabbage, green onions on top. Very cheap and makes lots of leftovers. Even better the second day.

Grilling - I usually buy 12 brats at a time and grill them all and then have them for lunch/leftover dinner during the week. Same applies for chicken, burgers, etc. Steaks on occasion since they tend to be expensive.

Crockpot - pulled pork, soups, wings, beef for tacos, etc. Always good for leftovers and large groups. Usually pretty cheap per meal.

To keep things interesting so we dont always cook the same old stuff my wife will look up recipes on pinterest. Probably 75% of them turn out good and on budget, the rest are either too expensive per meal or don't turn out quite right.

Pinterest has been very hit or miss for me. Usually if I find something I think looks good, I try to find a similar one on allrecipes and read the top few comments. You see some reviewers getting ****** that people are completely altering the listed recipe but I love those comments of "I subbed this for this or tried this instead". Gives me great ideas for how to make the recipe more to DH and my liking.

 

[TXCyclones]

I'm a somewhat newly divorced dad who cooks for myself and my 17 yo daughter every other week. While I've always been phenomenal on the grill I've become pretty dang good in the kitchen too! And it's pretty easy, even on nights when I'm getting home from the office late. If I'm late and need to rush a meal we're always down with fajitas or tacos, but a couple chicken breasts with a box of Uncle Bens Wild Rice and a can of Cream of Celery mixed into a casserole bowl is on point. And if you're really needing something fast go load up on the freezer aisle at Trader Joes! TJ's has some of the best meals to be able to just pull out of the freezer!

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

I have some Ham steaks I am really excited about working with, plus a butt load of bacon and loins. I am freaking pumped!

Oh come on. You are a pork guy, right? You know where bacon and loins come from and it's not the butt.


Don't mislead people, especially those who might someday go to the meat counter and ask for that. When they learn to cook.

 

[jsb]

https://www.blueapron.com/

Wife and I have been doing this for several months and I couldn't imagine not having it now. In addition to avoiding my least favorite conversation with my wife ever ("i'm at the store. what do you want to eat for dinner this week") you also learn cooking techniques and work with ingredients that you'd probably never buy otherwise that typically are fantastic. Like someone said before, I may be getting old too but preparing vegetables and other ingredients with some music on is my favorite part of the evening. Since it's only 3 meals, we supplement at Fareway/Hy-Vee with a couple easy items and lunch.

If anyone is interested, i have a few invites for free weeks. There are other services that are similar also but I only have experience with BlueApron.

There are weeks when I look at the blue apron menu and it doesn't sound great but then when I think about what I would make instead, nothing sounds good. I always end up liking the blue apron. I've figured out I like most greens (don't love collard greens but don't mind them). I've learned to like sweet potatoes. And it's fun to try different grains.

 

[carvers4math]

CG, for stock, I usually use chicken broth but if I don't have any I use bouillon cubes and water. I do try to avoid the sodium levels when I can though; that's one reason I just put real onion in the crock pot, and if you don't want to eat the onion that's fine, it still flavors the meat. Since I do a turkey every couple of weeks, I will keep the liquid and then skim the fat off that after it's been in the fridge too.

We use chicken breasts a lot. Fajitas are nearly as easy as tacos as long as you are willing to cut up and throw in the veggies. Also will do an Asian chicken stir fry. My problem is with active male children who lift weights and such, I have to use two large frying pans to cook enough.

Lasagna is great as far as getting quantity and you can take shortcuts on that to make it quicker such as no boil noodles or spaghetti sauce instead of making your own sauce.

Kids are big fans of homemade mac and cheese. We will do the whole mac and cheese bar at home with things they can add like bacon, green onions, etc.

We have chili once a week. And sorry, I add beans, the weightlifting boys consume lots of beans.

Leftover pork roast is great for carnitas for lunch. And leftover beef roast for beef and noodles.

Only way we can afford salmon for all of us is the old two pound frozen bag at Walmart, but the kids really like that as well.

 

[Deanster]

My girlfriend is lactose intolerant.... you know how hard it is cooking without any milk/cheese in a recipe? Therefore, she does the majority of the cooking, and all of the grocery shopping. I let her plan the meals, because I'll eat anything. She also hates marinara, so we never have spaghetti/lasagna/pizza. Those all have cheese anyway so they wouldn't fly.

Whenever I'm cooking for myself, its basically pasta or pizza. Very easy.

 

[cowgirl836]

beans belong in chili, you're doing it right, Carver!

I should try homemade mac and cheese. DH ate the kraft stuff all the time in college but homemade isn't that hard. Think I made it one time growing up.


Carver, what kind of flavorings/sauce do you use for your stir fry? Dh and I like that too but the sauce combos I've done in the past were not great. Think the last one was a vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar concoction? Maybe ginger? That one was actually pretty good.

 

[carvers4math]

beans belong in chili, you're doing it right, Carver!

I should try homemade mac and cheese. DH ate the kraft stuff all the time in college but homemade isn't that hard. Think I made it one time growing up.

Carver, what kind of flavorings/sauce do you use for your stir fry? Dh and I like that too but the sauce combos I've done in the past were not great. Think the last one was a vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar concoction? Maybe ginger? That one was actually pretty good.

I start with real onions and garlic in the olive oil, and then add the chicken. The boys all like hot spices. I usually throw in course ground black pepper and/or crushed red pepper. We had an abundance of cayenne peppers in our garden which I dried and have been using them as well. I'll add ginger if I skip the hot peppers. No point really using them both as the ginger gets overwhelmed. Soy sauce. Most times whatever package of Asian frozen vegetables I am using will have a flavor packet and I will toss that in too.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

we signed up for a CSA this summer and I'm hoping it means I will magically be incorporating new veggies into our rotation. Most likely I'll be like what the hell am I supposed to do with all this bok choy and kale?!

Don't forget to "bruise" the kale first. I read about that after many times of trying to eat fresh kale in a salad like lettuce. Figured it was an acquired taste.

 

[carvers4math]

Don't forget to "bruise" the kale first. I read about that after many times of trying to eat fresh kale in a salad like lettuce. Figured it was an acquired taste.

I have tried everything with the kale and hate it still and even my kid who eats anything won't touch it. We all like fresh spinach though and read one article about how it's health benefits were better than kale, so I am hanging my hat on that and just going with spinach.

 

[cowgirl836]

I have tried everything with the kale and hate it still and even my kid who eats anything won't touch it. We all like fresh spinach though and read one article about how it's health benefits were better than kale, so I am hanging my hat on that and just going with spinach.

I had kale from a free work veggie bag last year and I used it in a spinach & sausage soup instead of the spinach. Worked pretty well. But yeah I don't choose to get kale.

 

[Buster28]

We try to cook at home a lot, but sometimes get sidetracked and go out way too much. Going to restaurants or ordering in all the time is a good way to get fat and broke quickly.

When I use the crock pot, I don't do anything particularly fancy. Take chicken breasts/tenders/fingers (unbreaded) or a pork roast/chops and salt them overnight if you have time. Add a can of cream of onion soup (or any other cream-based can) and turn it on low for all day. You can add other things, but you honestly don't need to. Sometimes I'll dice a couple of large potatoes and put them on top of the meat. Any easy-to-make veggie or simple salad makes for a good side. Some crescent or dinner rolls go well also. SO easy and SO good. If it's just for two, there are usually plenty of leftovers.

Stroganoff is another very simple thing to do if you want a filling meal that doesn't take a ton of time. It can be done with sliced steak, chicken, ground beef (or pork - much better flavor), or veggie with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Boil pasta, brown whatever the protein is, add any seasonings (entirely up to you; no wrong answers, but simple seasoning -salt, pepper, garlic- is usually best), add two cans of cream of 'whatever' soup (I use either mushroom or onion and golden mushroom), stir, add small container sour cream, stir until blended. Serve the sauce over the pasta. Start to finish it takes about 30 minutes, usually less. And it generally re-heats exceptionally well.

 

[hoiballin33]

Pinterest has been very hit or miss for me. Usually if I find something I think looks good, I try to find a similar one on allrecipes and read the top few comments. You see some reviewers getting ****** that people are completely altering the listed recipe but I love those comments of "I subbed this for this or tried this instead". Gives me great ideas for how to make the recipe more to DH and my liking.

We usually make sure to read the recipe in detail to see how it's cooked and what ingredients go in to it to sort out the gross/impossible ones before we commit to putting it on the grocery list.

Maybe 1 out of every 10 recipe we have tried from there is a flop.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Yes, we cook quite well. Which is why I'm so fat . . . :twitcy:

We cook big meals that generate leftovers for lunches during the week. I echo the grill and smoker comments. Gives you more options to make other dishes with

We're not foodies in the sense that we instragram everything, but I am an Alton Brown fan. I enjoy understanding why you do things :yes:

 

[00clone]

beans belong in chili, you're doing it right, Carver!

I should try homemade mac and cheese. DH ate the kraft stuff all the time in college but homemade isn't that hard. Think I made it one time growing up.


Carver, what kind of flavorings/sauce do you use for your stir fry? Dh and I like that too but the sauce combos I've done in the past were not great. Think the last one was a vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar concoction? Maybe ginger? That one was actually pretty good.

Homemade mac and cheese....the absolute best recipe, although I'd suggest doubling the noodles to a full pound:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stove-top-mac-n-cheese-recipe.html