Chile rellenos or stuffed bell peppers
The hotter the better

noodles and cream of mushroom soup with Parmesan Cheese

canned Cuban style black beans ($1), rice, avocado($1) with lime juice and chopped onion & cilantro(.75).

Vegetable curries with rice, tortillas with sauted vegetables (especially corn) fillings, vegetable lomein, pomodoro with lots of mushrooms, spinach quice, onion or matzo ball soup.....oh, I'm getting hungry. Gail

Besides the other great ideas that have been already stated (especially a baked french toast -- i am going to have to try that!), no one has mentioned Soy-based products yet. If you check in the frozen foods, you can get Boca crumbles (or another brand) that are just as cheap or cheaper than meat. You can hardly taste the difference!! I have substituted soy crumbles for ground meat and ground turkey in recipes -- plus i created my own Soy stuffed mushrooms using soy crumbles, chopped bell peppers, and a chive/onion flavored cream cheese. I placed the stuffed mushroom on a tomato sauce- lined casserole dish and baked and then served it on a bed of pasta. OMGosh they are great!! They can be used as an entree or appetizer! (got a 3rd place at our State Fair!)

Keep the ideas coming!!!

These are the meals my family really likes;
Stir fry
Eggs and muffins
Deep dish pizza
Grilled cheese
Egg in the nest
Mac and cheese - home made
Fettuchini alfredo - make it lower calorie
Cheese bread
pancakes
Rice a roni with added broccoli

Spaghetti w/ bread
Bean and cheese burritos (see recipe below for beans)
Biscuits and gravy
Grilled cheese
Broccoli cheese soup

Refried Beans:

3 cups dry pinto beans
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 fresh jalapeno (or a few slices out of a jar is what I use)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cumin (optional)
9 cups water
4 tsp salt (instead of salt, I substitute the 9 cups of water with 9 cups of chicken broth made with the chicken base you can buy at Sam's Club/Costco)

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a crockpot and let cook on high for 7-8 hours (you can do this overnight if you want). When they are done cooking, blend the beans in the blender with just enough of the liquid to get a good consistency. You can also hold back some of the beans, and use the remaining beans/liquid to make a taco soup. Just add a can of corn and some taco meat. I usually do this so none of it goes to waste. I make a large batch of taco meat, then freeze it, and add a little bit to our taco soup. It's SO good!

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Kirstin
Mama of 6 wonderful kids: ages 10, 8, 6, 5, 3, and 1

Here is one of my favs!!!

1 plain bagel (or flavored if you want)
sliced plum tomato
provolone cheese (monzerella or italian mix)
pinch of basil
pinch of oregano

Split bagel, top with cheese, tomatoe, and spices. Slide on a cookie sheet and bake at say, 375 about 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bagel is crispy.

Basically you simply multiply the recipe by how many servings you want. I usually like 1 1/2 of those. My husband would eat 2. Small children will only eat a half...and 1 full bagel should be plenty for most children. You can serve with a salad or some fruit.

Another idea is to top that same bagel with tuna salad and swiss cheese..then melt that! You can even let each family member decide how they want theirs!

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Bekah
Co-founder and CEO of the NOVITZKE FAMILY INC.

OOOoo-- i love this thread. I am a vegetarian, and im always looking for new ways to throw together a dinner than my "meat-a-tarian" hubby and i can both enjoy! Thanks for the ideas.

Does anyone ever make boca or morning star veggie burgers or other faux meat dishes? Care to share a recipe?
I make an awesome spaghetti sauce with veggie burgers.... The hubby loves it, though he prefers to call them "Stuffing burgers" because he says they taste like stuffing... i think its just his way to "man-up" a veggie burger.

hehe

xo!

Twice baked potatoes with another veggie - carrots, tomatoes etc
Mac and cheese homemade
Meatless chili
Grilled cheese - my kids like them with baked beans
Spaghetti with red sauce
Crockpot Minestrone Soup
Potato Soup