Meal idea help?

dhampir_princess

I'm in a bit of a slump trying to plan dinners that aren't variations of the same things over and over.

Usually my dinner consists of:
-Starch (rice/potato/noodle)
-Protein (chicken/egg/beef)
-Vegetable (broccoli/brussel sprouts/squash)

All of these are great and all but I always cook them the same way (pan seared meat, frozen/steamed veggies, and varying starches) and wind up getting bored by the time the weekend comes around and I'm off of work.

What can I do to change things up without like switching to making casseroles or soups? Because even if it's the same quantity of food my brain sees the 3 separate items as 3 things to eat, versus 1 casserole as 1 thing to eat which means it needs side dishes which means more calories that aren't actually needed. (Does anyone else have this mental barrier with casserole or is that just me?)

amusedmonkey

You can always just cook them differently. Go to a recipe website and search for things that fit into these 3 categories for ideas. As a simple example, meat can be pan seared, grilled, roasted, poached...etc, and the spices and rubs can be all kinds of things. A potato can be baked, boiled, roasted, mashed, smashed, fried, and mixed into things, plus herbs and spices used can make one dish into a hundred different ones.

georgieamber2

The range of veggies out there is crazy! I'm vegan so most of my dinners consist of veggies done a few ways. Always consider what's in season, that's what's going to be the cheapest. My go tos;
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Courgette
Mushroom
Red pepper
Red onion
Peas
Snap / snow peas
Aubergine
Tenderstem broccoli
Runner beans
French beans
Tomatoes
Asparagus

Most of these have quite a high water content and very low callorie so make sure you weight it make sure you're getting enough!

Now you decide what you're gonna do with them;

Roast
Blanche
Boil
Steam
Grill
Fry

Courgettes fried in a little butter with garlic is my go to at the moment ... aubergine roasted in the oven with spices ... grilled asparagus or tenderstem ... roasted tomatoes and red pepper with garlic and balsamic vinaber ((you can even blend this into a sauce for your other veggies!)) ... whizz the broccoli or cauliflower to make "rice" ...

Always remember to season though because that's what makes the difference! Use things like
Salt
Pepper
Chilli flakes
Turmeric
Curry powder
Paprika
Basil
Rosemary
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Hope this helps ♥️

Lounmoun

dhampir_princess wrote: »

I'm in a bit of a slump trying to plan dinners that aren't variations of the same things over and over.

Usually my dinner consists of:
-Starch (rice/potato/noodle)
-Protein (chicken/egg/beef)
-Vegetable (broccoli/brussel sprouts/squash)

All of these are great and all but I always cook them the same way (pan seared meat, frozen/steamed veggies, and varying starches) and wind up getting bored by the time the weekend comes around and I'm off of work.

What can I do to change things up without like switching to making casseroles or soups? Because even if it's the same quantity of food my brain sees the 3 separate items as 3 things to eat, versus 1 casserole as 1 thing to eat which means it needs side dishes which means more calories that aren't actually needed. (Does anyone else have this mental barrier with casserole or is that just me?)

There are tons of ways to cook those things and many more choices. You don't have to have one dish meals if that is not your thing. Maybe just branch out to try some different proteins or vegetables and different cooking methods.

I find food ideas on pinterest a lot. I just type in an ingredient and search. I have pin boards full of things to try.
Get an ethnic cookbook and work your way through it.
Mollie Katzen has some great cookbooks with vegetable recipes that might help you do more interesting sides.