I am so uninspired with my dinner recipes

music83lover2001

I am trying to make a menu for the week, but am so uninspired by my recipes.  We have been having a lot of the same old favorites lately and I would like to switch things up, but have no idea what to make.  We like Chinese food a lot and DH likes Mexican, but we like a wide variety of flavors.  I try to make things on the healthy side (not fried, served with veggies as a side or in the dish, low fat ingredients, etc.) but we don't buy a lot of organic ingredients (so expensive) unless they are on sale.  Usually the only meat I buy is boneless skinless chicken breast or lean ground beef.  I would like to spend no more than an hour making dinner.  I try not to us processed box meals and like to season with flavorful, healthy ingredients (LOVE garlic, lemon, etc.).  What are some of your family favorite or go-to recipes? Any blogs you can recommend (one of my favorites is Annie Eats)?

clea

I'll start .... Tonight we had chicken fajitas (unwrapped).... Started with 4oz cooked quinoa, then 4 oz black beans, then 3 oz chicken breast grilled and cut up, saut?ed and carmalized onions and red pepper strips, then salsa, plain Greek yogurt instead of sourcream, avocado diced, 1 oz grated cheese. Yumm... I don't do flour so no tortilla. .... I cook beans a 1lb bag at a time and divide up into 4oz serving-size baggies and put them in the freezer tub labeled carbs, the same with quinoa....we grilled 6 chicken, 2 tonight, 2 for tomorrow and 2 for the freezer protein tub.  the red peppers were in the freezer since I bought 60+ when they were 6/$1....FWIW, this is also very CleanEating and WW friendly. 

groovygrl

Ummmm.... do you like pork or shrimp or fish (tilapia in particular)? I can give you a few of those that are super easy but won't bother writing out if you don't eat those foods.  (fwiw my old supermakret used to have the bags of frozen uncooked shrimp & also pork tenderloins on sale BOGO all the time, great deals if you have freezer space...)

music83lover2001

groovygrl:

Ummmm.... do you like pork or shrimp or fish (tilapia in particular)? I can give you a few of those that are super easy but won't bother writing out if you don't eat those foods.  (fwiw my old supermakret used to have the bags of frozen uncooked shrimp & also pork tenderloins on sale BOGO all the time, great deals if you have freezer space...)

We don't like pork, DH can't eat shrimp (it makes him sick) and we love fish.  I don't get it very often, but mainly because I don't have any recipes for it.  I would love the tilapia recipe if you care to share it.

Thanks for the mexican recipe.  It sounds wonderful and I have been dying to try quinoa!

melbride2005

a few of my favorite tilapia recipes:

Ginger Soy Glazed Tilapia

Tilapia Puttanesca

(I have others, too)

and a few other easy dishes:

Melissa's Turkey Meatloaf

Pasta with Poached Egg & Peas 

BBQ Chicken Enchiladas 

 Eggplant Stew with Polenta

groovygrl

Tilapia is great for fish tacos if you like them....I usually just season the tilapia w/ a little cumin & chili powder, pan fry.  make a little slaw w/ some cabbage, plain yogurt, lime juice & cumin.  use corn tortillas, slightly toasted, and put it all together, fresh lime juice over top & some fresh salsa. Yum!

Here's my go to tilapia recipe though. Super easy & I tend to always have the ingredient  on hand. Sorry the tilapia amt is isn't exact, I usually just buy 1-2 fillets for the 2 of us depending on how big they are.  I also tend to make more of the liquid than the recipe b/c I like it on my rice too.

Coat fish with pan searing flour (I have tried it using just regular flour & it is definitely not the same at all, it doesn't brown as well or something. I now have Wegman's brand pan searing flour & it works great).

Heat 1 tbs. butter and 1 tbs. olive oil in pan.  Brown fish til it is done through and light brown on the outside and then take out of pan.

Add to pan:  1/2 c. white wine

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tbs. capers (or to your taste)

Just stir together, heat and pour over fish