I do big meals during the week-depending on dh and my work schedule. I do not do meatless nights, with dh and two older boys that are good eaters, I cant get away from it. We always have hearty and healthy meals-meat, veggie, starch, grains, milk at meal times. I always include a veggie and fruit-even if that is for a snack later.
When dh is gone or working late, I do sometimes cheat and do easier meals (example this week I did frozen chicken patties on buns, mac and cheese, and peas) to me that is an easy meal. Dh is not the best cook, so I will leave him casseroles that I have put together all ready (meat with rice, noodles or stuffing and veggies) or something in the crock pot. But when we are all home I do meals like Spagetti (homemade sauce) with meat, veggie, salad, light snack-jello or last night was tacos with beans, homemade spanish rice, homemade salsa, guacamole, chips and than all the other fixings. Yes we do leftovers, but I always add a veggie or salad to it depending on the meal.

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Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.
Jon Bon Jovi

I cook about 4/5 times a week. Meat, strach, veg or cock pot meal or breakfast or casseroles or salad with meat and 2/3 leftover nights.

It all depends what is going on for the week.

This week it has been cornbeef in the cockpot, pizza, dinner at the neighbors deep fry night, hotdogs with tuna salad. To night will be leftover night.

Typical meals for us

Monday - meatless: Curried cauliflower with onions and peas on a bed of rice, salad.
Tuesday - Grilled marinated chicken thighs, whole wheat noodles, a bit of olive oil & a grating of Parmeseanio-Reggiano (I'm sure I butchered that cheese's name), sugar snap peas
Wednesday - Spinach 'strudel', (not homemade) Romaine lettuce & onion salad
Thursday - Penne pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce & turkey meatballs, some kind of green veggie
Friday - I'm not sure what we're going to have, probably homemade pizza and tomato salad.

Fruit with every meal

I tend to fuss at lunch also, I HATE having a sandwich for lunch unless it is something really good like a homemade paninni!

In general I have a grain, protein, fruit, vegetables at every meal. I don't do processed food much at all and Nothing boxed like rice mix or potatoes. I just can't eat like that.

I do a little bit of everything and I'm really bad about feeding my family fruit and vegetables.

I make a lot of stir-fries with rice, or one-pot pasta and chicken dishes. Sometimes we do meat or chicken and potatoes, or a big fancy salad, or breakfast for dinner. My husband doesn't like casserole because that's all his mom ever made growing up so we don't do that very often.

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It's not what you make; it's what you spend.

we do kind of both easy simple and several hot bigger meals that gives us leftovers for other meals plus we hardly ever eat out or have take out so we just make our meals at home.

I do it all from cereal for dinner to chicken marsala. It just depends. I don't do cereal for dinner often. Only when the kids talk me into it and I'm tired. I do casseroles, crockpot, oven roasting, stove top cooking. The convenience food I have on hand right now are a bag of Gortons fish sticks and a few boxes of kraft mac and cheese. Those are also for my lazy nights. I also have sandwich stuff. Luckily dh isn't too picky. It took 7 years to break him in, though.

We do alot of simple easy things. I do not have as much time as my mom did and I defintiely don't serve as much meat as we ate growing up. I can't afford to buy that much meat!!! Prices were alot lower then!

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~Happiness is a large family~

My mother always made a hot meal even when she worked full-time. Funny thing is I never remember eating dinner late. She was close to home so maybe that's why we rarely ate after 7:00 p.m. (which occurs at my house at least once a week).

I offer more variety than my mother. I use a crockpot, and also make at least one vegetarian meal a week. I also try and limit processed foods.

My DH actually has more cooking experience than I so his help and assistance have been invaluable. I do get bored so I try new recipes a few times a month. I still like making "Sunday dinner" and eating in the dining room w/the good china. I try and invite people who wouldn't cook what we're having for themselves.

Our farm share will be starting in June and we will receive 4-5 types of organic vegetables and 2 types of organic fruit on a weekly basis so our menu will be driven by what we receive. Fortunately the farm publishes recipes on their web site so I have ideas on how to cook the vegetables I'm unfamiliar with - celeriac root, Japanese turnip, etc. With the farm share we eat more nutritiously - meat and/or fish with two vegetables. I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it!

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The higher the hair, the closer to heaven.

Sounds like us. Dh and I grew up like your dh. I cook like you do.

We eat a lot of vegetarian meals. Pasta, quesadillas, burritos, veggie burgers, soups, stews, salads, grilled cheese... for meat meals, I use a meal-prep service, about one meal per week.

Simple and healthy.

MM1970, the meal-prep service sounds interesting? Can you tell more about it?

Thanks!

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The higher the hair, the closer to heaven.