Please give me dinner suggestions..

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MatrixGravity

Assistant Cook
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
Messages
11
Please help me. I am an absolute amateur at cooking. I barely know anything but I want to learn to make healthy dishes. My biggest problem is that I simply don't know what to make. Every night for dinner I usually have either

Mashed Potatos + Smoked Salmon
Whole Grain Pasta + Brocolli/Corn

As you can see, I don't know anything about dinner or making good food. I'm not very good at following recipes either but I was hoping that I could list everything in my fridge that I have right now, and maybe you guys can give me some suggestions as to what I can possibly make for Dinner with my supply's..



[VEGETABLES]

Romaine Lettuce
Broccoli Floret's
Onion/Red Onion
Red/Green Bell Pepper
Green Bean's
Cucumber
Jalapeno
Tomato
Carrot
Cilantro
Pea's
Corn

[OTHER FOOD]

Potato/Sweet Potato
American Cheese
White Rice
Whole Grain Bread
Whole Grain Pasta
Shredded Cheese
Smoked Salmon
Macaroni & Cheese
Somen Noodles
Bacon
Sliced Ham
Sliced Turkey
Ground Beef
Steak

So what can I make with all of this? What other products should I buy next time I go out as well? What am I missing from this?
 
Pretty well stocked pantry, for a non-cook! It is unseasonable warm tonight here, so I would make a chef's Salad from the romaine with some of the cold cuts, shredded cheese and lightly steamed beans/ broccoli plus any of your veggies that seem appealing. If you have a good oil and vinegar you like make your own vinaigrette.
 
A grilled ham and cheese sandwich might go well with that salad!
 
Looking at your list, I would probably make a salad using the Romaine Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper, red onion, and thin slices (julienne) of smoked salmon. I'd dress this with an oil-vinegar-dijon mustard dressing. You could make some croutons from the bread and add those to the salad if you like croutons. Cut a slice or two into cubes, brush with a bit of oil, and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350. Then I would probably cook the beans and toss them with a bit of oil or butter and some curry powder or masala. I'd serve the beans with the steak, grilled. You could take the ham, broccoli, and rice and make a casserole. You could make a Mexican inspired casserole (sort of like Spanish Rice) using the ground beef, jalepeno, tomato, and cilantro, rice.

When shopping, get in the habit of buying what is in season or on special, then figure out what to do with it. Thanks to the Internet, you can type a main ingredient and get lots of hits.

And welcome to DC!
 
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When shopping, get in the habit of buying what is in season or on special, then figure out what to do with it. Thanks to the Internet, you can type a main ingredient and get lots of hits.

Absolutely the best nutritional and financial advice! Google "recipe and (one or two ingredients) for prompt inspiration.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Would you say the food that I have listed is considerably healthy? I am trying to eliminate Soda/Junk Food entirely so I went out and bought all of that and I've been making the transition slowly but I believe I am on the right track. The problem is I just have trouble figuring out what to do with all the food. It just seems so hard to eat healthy..
 
MatrixGravity said:
Sounds really good but I was looking for something more for dinner :)!

Gosh. Sometimes I have breakfast for dinner. I guess I don't always follow the rules.
 
Gosh. Sometimes I have breakfast for dinner. I guess I don't always follow the rules.

Ohh I see.. Is eating a Sandwich considered healthy though? I guess it depends what you put in it right? I typically eat a sandwhich for breakfast. I usually put this stuff in it.

Whole Grain Bread
Tomato
Lettuce
Cheese
Ham
 
Cut out the processed foods, looks like you have managed that fairly well. Buy some tortillas, you didn't mention if you have any herbs and spices.

Making tacos is really easy, if you have the spices for it. You already have the rest except for the tortillas.
 
There is certainly no rule about what you can eat when. There are recommendations based on how the body uses food, but definitely there are no rules--you can have eggs for supper and steak for breakfast. I tend to eat when I'm hungry, not according to rules. I work nights, so I eat lunch at 9:00 a.m. I eat my "big" meal at noon, but I don't go to bed in the afternoon, so I eat something light in the evening--homemade soup, fruit, cottage cheese, or veggies. The green beans tossed with masala or curry is one of my favorite evening snacks. I find eating protein in the morning keeps me going longer than if I eat carbohydrates. My DH, however, is more a carbohydrate person--he has toast every morning for breakfast. Sometimes I'll have steak for breakfast. I love a hard boiled FRESH egg as a snack--that is probably my favorite snack. When trying to eat healthier, you want to watch out for hidden sugar and sodium. Instead of ketchup, for example, you can use tomato paste to which you've added some water--ketchup has a lot of sugar in it. To store the unused tomato paste, you can put it in an ice cube tray and then store the cubes in a ziplock bag in the freezer.
 
Cut out the processed foods, looks like you have managed that fairly well. Buy some tortillas, you didn't mention if you have any herbs and spices.

Making tacos is really easy, if you have the spices for it. You already have the rest except for the tortillas.

Yeah I mean but those are snack based items. I'm looking for something a little more..dinner appropriate I guess. Like a healthy, appetizing dinner course. But I do occasionally make Taco's for lunch once a week.!
 
I think what PF meant was that wraps can cut some calories out if you use them in place of bread.

I think it is helpful to figure out what it is you like to eat--what do you order when you go to a restaurant (I order things I don't make at home or something I want to try and then maybe make it at home), what were your favorite foods growing up (my grandma's Swedish meatballs), what types of food do you like--Thai, Italian, etc.
 
I think what PF meant was that wraps can cut some calories out if you use them in place of bread.

I think it is helpful to figure out what it is you like to eat--what do you order when you go to a restaurant (I order things I don't make at home or something I want to try and then maybe make it at home), what were your favorite foods growing up (my grandma's Swedish meatballs), what types of food do you like--Thai, Italian, etc.

Oh ok. Well I use Whole-Grain bread for most of my meals. Is that the best kind? Also, when I go out to Restaurants I typically order...Buffalo Wings, appetizing burgers, Steak, Appetizers. I can only wish that one day I will be able to make food as good...Highly doubt it though.
 
Sounds to me like you are a protein person <g>. It depends on the sodium, etc. content in the whole-wheat bread, but yes, it is usually better than eating white bread.
 
Actually, I did mean tacos, but the wrap idea is good, too. Corn Tortillas ARE whole grain and tacos can be the beginning of a very healthy meal with some refries and a salad.
 
Sounds to me like you are a protein person <g>. It depends on the sodium, etc. content in the whole-wheat bread, but yes, it is usually better than eating white bread.

Thanks for clarifying. And yes, I guess it appears I am but.. I just don't know how to explain it. I just want to learn how to be capable of eating purely and strictly healthy to avoid any future potential diseases and just so I can stay healthy and live long. That's how I want to eat. I want to eat healthy, tasty food but honestly I feel so stumped. I also have trouble following Recipe's sometimes.. Most of the time they mention strange ingredients I never heard of, and I typically don't even have them so.. It's just a pain.
 
You can make "buffalo wing inspired" chicken strips using a boned, skinless chicken breast that you cut into strips and bake in the oven. You can take 1/2 of the ground beef and add beans to the meat before you make it into a burger. This will give you more fiber. I would suggest buying dry beans and soaking them, cooking them, and then freeze them so you have them on the ready when you want to use them. Instead of relish, ketchup, mustard on your burger, use lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. You can omit the bottom bun to cut out the amount of bread you eat. You can grill the steak, eat 1/2 of it, and save the rest to make a steak-sandwich using a wrap or warm up the leftover, slice into strips, and put those on a tossed salad. There are all kinds of things you can do with the food you have and to put on your grocery list for next week. So what did you eat tonight? Are you prepping food for just yourself? You might consider buying food for 2-3 days. Living alone often means produce gets tossed out because desire to eat healthy often doesn't translate to motivation to eat what you buy before it reaches its "best by date," especially with fresh produce.
 
JMHO- you could check into"Whole Food Eating", the "Food pyramid", either USA or Mediterranean. Plan your meals (with food you like) using the "Food Plate Guide". Once you get an idea on what you will be cooking and what you need to buy, then you can start looking for recipes. I hope this helps.:chef:

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