ISO ideas for quick homemade dinners

[freefallin1309]

I've eaten them about everywhere except Hooters. I can eat 'em, I'm just not a big fan of 'em. I don't crave 'em or anything, but if they're around and I need a snack I'll grab one.

 

[Cooksie]

Easy pork entree for a beginner:

Buy a pork tenderloin (not a pork loin, but a tenderloin). Take one of the tenderloins (it's usually packaged two per pack) and slice it into 1" medallions, season them with some type of Grill Mates seasoning (or whatever you like), and then sear/cook the medallions in a skillet which has been coated very, very lightly with oil. It is very easy to see when the medallions are done to your liking. This is great with a bernaise sauce. Knorr's makes a sauce mix which is the next best thing to homemade, but I'm sure someone can tell you how to make a quick bernaise.

Use the other tenderloin for pork fried rice, or a pork/noodle stir fry, or (one of my favorites) use it with ramen noodles or some type of Chinese noodles to make a hot & sour soup. Really, one tenderloin is enough to make all three of those dinners when you're only cooking for two.

 

[Yule]

Thanks for the ideas. i haven't tried to make bernaise sauce before, but I do make a mean hollandaise, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch. Any suggestions for a sandwich-free packed lunch? Preferably one that doesn't require more than half an hour to prep and make?

 

[freefallin1309]

How about a chicken salad? Mix up some of your favorite greens, cook up a boneless skinless chicken breast, and zest the salad up with anything you like. This fits right into any Ziploc bowl or similar, and a dressing can go in a smaller Ziploc type bowl.

 

[SRL]

OP, you are one sweet and accommodating person. Will you marry me? I just have to warn you, if your answer is "yes", I'll have to ask my wife if it's OK.

I hope you two have a great time setting up your household and enjoying your roles in life! But I will say, from the perspective of an old guy who's been married almost 30 years through thick and thin ... you're gonna eat lots of leftovers.

 

[Wyogal]

You cook what you cook. Of course, you can be sensitive to his likes and dislikes, but he also needs to be appreciative of whatever you do. If not, then he's got a problem! and I don't care where he is from.

 

[toni1948]

You cook what you cook. Of course, you can be sensitive to his likes and dislikes, but he also needs to be appreciative of whatever you do. If not, then he's got a problem! and I don't care where he is from.

Amen to that. My Mom used to say, "However you start off with a man, that's the way it's going to be". That might be okay in the beginning to start off being so accommodating, but after a while, it can wear on you.

 

[Yule]

You cook what you cook. Of course, you can be sensitive to his likes and dislikes, but he also needs to be appreciative of whatever you do. If not, then he's got a problem! and I don't care where he is from.

oh no, he's very appreciative, he does his best, but he does have a rather delicate system. anyway, i knew what i was getting into. i'm just glad i can talk him into a veggie that isn't deep fried

as for left-overs, i've become pretty popular around school/work

 

[PattY1]

oh no, he's very appreciative, he does his best, but he does have a rather delicate system. anyway, i knew what i was getting into. i'm just glad i can talk him into a veggie that isn't deep fried

as for left-overs, i've become pretty popular around school/work

How very contradicting. Keep talking, you will have yourself convinced yet.

WOW, you can afford to feed your classmates and co-workers.

 

[kitchenelf]

I understand him not liking boxed/processed foods. It drives me crazy because I can taste the preservatives in a lot of them...even commercial glazes and sauces.

You may end up going to the grocery store every other day, but, if you are like me, you may like it!

Things for lunch may include pasta salads. Just be sure they are balanced with veggies and a protein. Instead of sandwiches do wraps or use pita bread. It's sort of the same but then again it's a bit different. With summer fast approaching I love a pita stuffed with fresh veggies, a couple slices of turkey, and a drizzle of low fat ranch.

He's going to have to give you some suggestions. The ideal thing would be him take left-overs for lunch the next day. If my husband didn't eat left-overs sometimes he would have to go 4 days without eating

Good luck and have fun!

 

[babetoo]

How very contradicting. Keep talking, you will have yourself convinced yet.

WOW, you can afford to feed your classmates and co-workers.

love is blind and deaf. hope it works out for you.

 

[kitchenelf]

Love is blind and deaf and I see nothing wrong with that. If it weren't no one would ever stay together. Another word I prefer is love is accepting. I don't think the boyfriend is being mean about it...he likes what he likes. He grew up eating fresh ingredients. Cooking fresh just requires more trips to the grocery store. It's not that part that worries me. It's those lunches I would have trouble with especially since leftovers are a no-no and he doesn't want sandwiches every day.

Again, good luck.

 

[PattY1]

love is blind and deaf. hope it works out for you.

Is this directed at the OP?

 

[Yule]

How very contradicting. Keep talking, you will have yourself convinced yet.

WOW, you can afford to feed your classmates and co-workers.

I mean he gets acid stomach and indigestion easily. I'm not sure why he can't eat fish, but i've seen him try several times, and it never stays down for long. also, we live quite well, or at least I think we do, and i'm a very thrifty shopper, and yes, I have a lot of fun with making the food, even if it can be intense sometimes, and personaly i like having a different veiw on how i'm doing from time to time.

by the way, why do so many people feel like either he or i commited some moral sin here? I mean, it's our relationship, and it works for us.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

I mean he gets acid stomach and indigestion easily. I'm not sure why he can't eat fish, but i've seen him try several times, and it never stays down for long. also, we live quite well, or at least I think we do, and i'm a very thrifty shopper, and yes, I have a lot of fun with making the food, even if it can be intense sometimes, and personaly i like having a different veiw on how i'm doing from time to time.

by the way, why do so many people feel like either he or i commited some moral sin here? I mean, it's our relationship, and it works for us.

I'm with you Yule - it IS your relationship and not the relationship of
a bunch of strangers - you came to us for ideas about food not
about your relationship.

I would make a lot of different 'salads' for him based on whole grains, lentils and cooked vegetables - I would advise you to browse some Indian
cookbooks or websites for ideas. Egg based dishes are also easy and
cheap and quick - salads - frittatas with meat and vegetables will do well.
Hearty soups will also do well for lunch - split pea, lentil, tuscan bean come to mind.

 

[Wyogal]

Sorry, I guess the original posting came off sounding like he was really controlling. When you gave more information, it makes more sense.
Like Mike says, try some salads with grains, also a variety of pastas. What type of lunch does he need? Eat at a desk? If he can take a more leisurely lunch, try some good bread, a hunk of good cheese, and some fresh fruit.

Sometimes things "sound" different when using few words on an impersonal place like an internet forum.
Again, my apologies.

 

[GotGarlic]

I mean he gets acid stomach and indigestion easily. I'm not sure why he can't eat fish, but i've seen him try several times, and it never stays down for long. also, we live quite well, or at least I think we do, and i'm a very thrifty shopper, and yes, I have a lot of fun with making the food, even if it can be intense sometimes, and personaly i like having a different veiw on how i'm doing from time to time.

by the way, why do so many people feel like either he or i commited some moral sin here? I mean, it's our relationship, and it works for us.

I think the point about being contradictory is that fried foods often cause indigestion, so if he has to be talked out of eating fried veggies, that's an odd contradiction.

You also said in the beginning that you had *just* moved in together, and it seems to some of us who have been in a relationship for a long time (DH and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage in June) that he is being a tad too demanding in how he wants *you* to do things, considering his willingness to eat ramen, takeout and fried veggies when the meal preparation is up to him

This is the time for the two of you to start figuring out ways to compromise on certain things, because, as someone else said, while it might seem sweet to be so accommodating now, after a few years and maybe some kids, it will wear on you, and you are setting a precedent of allowing him to dictate some awfully constraining terms.

When we were first married, DH was in the Navy. The military is well-known for being very picky about the way one's uniforms are pressed, and DH at first expected me to do the ironing. Um, sorry, I'm not the one who joined the military, and I'm not doing his ironing. Since then, he does his own ironing.

re: pork, many Indians do not eat pork - has he said anything about that to you? And re: casseroles, it's not easy to make casseroles for two with no leftovers.

 

[GotGarlic]

Love is blind and deaf and I see nothing wrong with that. If it weren't no one would ever stay together. Another word I prefer is love is accepting. I don't think the boyfriend is being mean about it...he likes what he likes. He grew up eating fresh ingredients. Cooking fresh just requires more trips to the grocery store. It's not that part that worries me. It's those lunches I would have trouble with especially since leftovers are a no-no and he doesn't want sandwiches every day.

Again, good luck.

Hey, KE, what bugs me about this is that "he likes what he likes" when *someone else* prepares it. He's perfectly willing to eat processed and unhealthy foods when he has to make it himself.

And cooking fresh requires not just more trips to the grocery store, but cooking *every day*. I have a feeling that if he doesn't want leftovers, he wouldn't be happy with her cooking a whole chicken on a Sunday and then using leftover meat in other dishes during the week.

I'd tell him he's on his own for lunch.

 

[msmofet]

good luck!! demanding becomes controling VERY quickly.

 

[Andy M.]

Let's get back on topic. Relationship advice was not requested.

Anyone have any meal ideas?