I Need Meal Ideas and Recipes Please!

you might try the website www.savingdinner.com. They have some sample menus that you can try and offer a nice variety. If you decide you like them, they are really very affordable...and the great thing is that as part of what you pay for, they provide you with a shopping list.

Hi M.,
I was in the same situation. I didn't cook much before I had my son and wouldn't you know it but he is actually one of those kids that really likes to eat. To complicate further, he has nut/peanut allergies. Since I don't really want to spend all day in the kitchen, I have a few easy things. You may want to try these. I get the soy meatballs from Trader Joes. They also have meat and turkey. Then I make some spaghetti with sauce from a jar. Also I get soy corn dogs. Costco has healthy, nitrate-free hotdogs - the brand is Colemans. Trader Joe also has some nitrate free lunchmeat for sandwiches but the sodium is still high. So this is another meal. Pre-made chicken nuggets (some are more healthy than others), and corn. I get Trader Joe garlic mashed potates. My son loves these. Also baked potatoes are good with a little cheddar cheese on top. Sometimes I do taco night. Fry up some lean ground beef, shred some chesse, cut some lettuce and tomatoes. You can even add refried or regular beans. Taco night is fun and it gets more fun when your kid stuffs his own tacos. You put all the ingredients in little bowls and everyone creates their own perfect taco. Sometimes I make black beans and white rice and if I feel like I want to cook really healthy, I actually use brown rice. My son will eat this if I add some seasoning like garlic and onion. Beans are really healthy so I hope you like them. Sometimes I make pasta with white beans and these are creamy, and add a bit of olive oil. I get bored cooking the same things too, so I get recipes from the internet or my friends of varying ethnicities/cuisines. Lately, I've tried Indian food. Sometimes these experiments work out, sometimes not. I guess it takes practice. My son likes edamamme and he is not allergic to soy. He likes to pluck them right out of the pod. Chicago has some good cheap ethnic restaurants. Sometimes it just isn't worth it to cook at home. You can get relatively healthy food from a restaurant. By the time Friday rolls around, I need a break, and we get a pizza from Barnaby's or go to Argyle Street (little Vietnam). Sometimes I do a stir fry, with beef cut into thin pieces fried in a little oil with a bag of frozen chinese veggies. Also, we get a pizza crust from Whole Foods, mozzarella cheese and my son helps to make a pizza. I have other ideas but they are not so healthy so I won't mention them. We eat mostly healthy but have a few yummy not so healthy ones sometimes. As far as Grocery shopping goes, stick to the outside aisles. The inner ones have mainly the prepared foods that are not that healthy. Also Trader Joe is a really good grocery store. Whole Foods is good but you could spend your Whole paycheck here. I'm sure you'll get some more ideas from people, and you'll be making some yummy meals for your family soon.

Hi M.,

I am a Pampered Chef consultant and would love to come to your house to show you and your friends fast and easy meal ideas. The Pampered Chef tools make cooking easy and enjoyable. Contact me anytime: ###-###-####, ____@____.com or www.pamperedchef.biz/bsanders. I would also be happy to send you one of our Season's Best cookbooks which are filled with great appetizers, main dishes, and desserts. We have awesome specials going on right now too. - B. S.

do you have a crock pot? i use mine several times a week and the great thing is that it generally makes enough food for leftovers for lunches and dinners.

as for grocery shopping i always make up the weeks menu and then go through each recipe and write down what i need to get at the store on my list. also, my list is organized by aisle and layout of the grocery store so i start with produce and end in the freezer section on my list. that way i don't have to scan my list at every aisle. of course, going to the same store every time helps make that easier!

Wow...if your 15 month old loves food....that's more than 1/2 your battle! I loved my "Taste of Home" subscription for years. If you call them, they will send you your first issue...free of charge to check out the magazine. Very reasonably priced subscription and I have recently been seeing it on the news stands. Easy recipes and I love recipe books with pictures! Sorry to say, I'm not a good food planner either, however, my husband is an awesome cook, and if he's not traveling, makes dinner, and our 13 year old daughter wants to be a Chef when she gets older so I let her "practice" on the family! She loves cooking...I love the family being together - win/win! Good luck!

www.supercook.com

This website has been so helpful to me! You just type in whatever ingredients you have in your fridge and pantry and it will give you tons of recipes. It really helps you to use what you have and not have to buy a million different things everytime you go to the store. Also, a lot less running out to the store just to get one or two things.

www.homemadegourmet.com Awesome meal ideas and the food is wonderful!

One of my favorite and easiest meals to make:

1 lb cooked ground beef
1 jug of V8 juice
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
1 cup small cooked noodles (optional)

Throw it all in a pot and serve with nice buttered bread.

Hi M.,

I congratulate you on your efforts to learn to cook. I'm a licensed home daycare provider and many of my moms cannot cook and ask me for quick suggestions. There are a ton of dishes that are healthy (including breads, vegetables). Please email with your electronic address and i'll send you some recipes (quick and easy)and you'll a chef!

Take care
B. H.
____@____.com

I sit down at the beginning of the week and plan out each meal and make the list for groceries. For breakfeast and lunch I keep easy staples around but for dinner I look at recipes and write down all the ingredients I need. My kids favorite meal is I take chicken breasts marinate them in italian dressing (it could only be 30 minutes) then I coat them with bread crumbs (you can buy these already crumbed) I put them in a baking dish and cook them for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. They come out perfect all the time. Any sort of pasta is always a hit. I puree all different sorts of veggies into the sauce to give them. Zucchini is awesome to sneak in there. If he likes veggies I would cook them until they are extremely soft and cut them up in tiny mushy pieces. Grilled cheese is an awesome meal. I always give a fruit or veggie with each meal. Sometimes we have breakfast for dinner. The kids love when we have pancakes for dinner. I encourage you to get a basic cook book like Betty Crocker and just start following the recipes. You'll be cooking in no time. When I first started cooking my husband was very afraid that he may never have a good meal again. No 14 years later he is very pleased and would rather eat my cooking than go out or eat any others dinner.