Will you share your simple dinner/lunch ideas with me?

So, my boyfriend and I are not the cooking kind. We've never participated in cooking family dinners as children, and eventually just ended up living off of ramen noodles, mac n cheese, and grilled cheese before we met. We now live together, and we're sick of eating the same things over and over again.

Like, I'm fine with side dishes like salads, potatoes, veggies, etc. But for main dishes, other than chicken or steak, I don't know what else to make. For a long time we were constantly eating Banquet salisbury steaks and chicken parmesans that come in the boxes... I NEED VARIETY. PLEASE HELP!



To make giving me the recipes easier on you, here are the qualifications:

The cheaper the better.

The easier the better.

The quicker the better.

The more delicious the better.

No tofu or soy, please.

No fish, please.

Nothing that requires a grill (i live in a little apartment, the best I have is a forman grill which tends to burn the outsides before the inside is even cooked)

Cooking websites that include your favorite recipes help, too.

Please do not list hot dogs, lunch meat sandwiches, or grilled cheese as I already know how to make those. =)





Feel free to add a more complicated dish, but please at least have a simple one to add as well.





I'd really like to thank anyone and everyone who will be adding. I really appreciate the help.Will you share your simple dinner/lunch ideas with me?
I know how you feel - I am not a fan of cooking. When I got married my husband and I both thought the other would cook for us. So what happened is that we ended up going out to eat a lot, and had a lot of spaghetti.



About a month ago I decided it was time for us to eat better. I looked on KraftFoods.com (I think that is the website) and looked at their healthy living. Most of the recipes on that site only require about 10 minutes prep time. And so far - they have been really good. I had to do some grocery shopping, because we didn't have any ingredients in our home, but now that we are getting into the swing of things it is fun.



We set up a meal plan - just so we wouldn't have to think about what to make. You can even tell it not to give you fish recipes. Pretty nice.

I keep being surprised by the cool food I can make in the same amount of time as it took to make Mac and Cheese.Will you share your simple dinner/lunch ideas with me?
go to allrecipes.com they have really awesome things to make on there, thats where i get my recipes most of the time, good luck. oh and we make sphaghetti, taco's, hamburgers,easy things thats are sometimes quick and sometimes we sit and have a family meal, but since we have a baby its whatever we have time for good luck!!!
rice salad:

mix rice with maionese, vegetables and tonno (tonno is fish) bacon...prosciutto.. and cheese...

http://www.fres.co.it/IMG/Prd/IMG/433250鈥?/a>





Parmigiana di melanzane

melanzane affettated

http://www.enotime.it/zoom/distagione/gr鈥?/a>



make a strates of melanzane, sauce tomatoes, parmesan, grated bread , eggs, mozzarella. and put it for 30minutes at 200掳



http://files.splinder.com/d760824e1a28a6鈥?/a>

yum..
This is the best web site and so versatile.......it has all your options covered and the recipes are easy to read, follow %26amp; understand.



GOOD LUCK !!!!!!!!



http://www.tasteofhome.com
Turkey sandwich is very yummy.



I also add some raw vegetables,instead of average chips.Baby carrots,broccoli,cauliflower,and radishes etc. You can have them with a dip made from low fat plain yogurt or light sour cream with some chives and dill mixed in.



Some raw or dried fruit.Apple,orange,banana or some grapes.As far as dried,apricots,cranberries,raisins,prune鈥?dates.



String cheese.



or



I have a link to 50 different recipes for lunches



http://www.marthastewart.com/photogaller鈥?/a>



Some of the recipes you will find in the 50 are



Martha's favorite tuna salad sandwich



12 oz good quailty tuna

2 celery stalks chopped

1 apple such as gala or Macintosh peeled and sliced

3 tbsp light mayo

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

8 best quailty sourdough

salt and pepper



in a medium bowl combine tuna, celery,apple, mayo, basil and lemon juice..mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Divide tuna salad among 4 slices of bread to with another slice and serve.



Chickpea, cherry tomato and feta salad



1/4 a can chickpeas

1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup crumbled feta

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2tsp olive oil

1tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper



Rinse chickpeas. In a bowl combine chickpeas, tomatoes, feta, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve.



also



Get a rotisserie chicken from Sam's club. If you have one near you. They are only $4.99 - delicious and huge. Kroger has some for the same price. They are good too.



Just cut some up and put in a Ziploc storage container. Put in some cooked broccoli or mixed vegetables - pour a little Caesar or honey mustard dressing on. Voila.



Here some others that I use -

Cut up the chicken and add mayo, grapes and almonds for a great chicken salad.



Make a pot of Tuna helper fetticini. These keeps well for lunches.
You can make any kind of pasta with the sauce you like (in a jar or can, cream sauce or tomato based). Add chicken or beef if you like.



You can make noodles with butter and add in some peas. Serve with a simple hamburger.



Eggs can be made any style. A nice omelet with some rice on the side or good crusty bread would be lovely.



Canned soups can be dressed up by adding your own fresh or canned vegetables or noodles or rice.



You can use those microwave baked russet or sweet potatoes and dress them up with cheese, chives, scallions and sour cream.



Buy bagged salad and add the fixins you like, even prepared grilled or Italian style chicken strips would go well with this.



You can heat up some canned or jar or packet turkey gravy, make some stove-top or pepperidge farm boxed stuffing, open a can of cranberry sauce and serve alongside some deli turkey - you can even warm the deli turkey in the sauce and serve it over bread for a super easy hot open turkey sandwich.



I know you don't want hot dog recipes, but have you tried making them differently? Slice the dogs into pieces and cook in a mixture of one can honey baked beans and one can of pork and beans, cover until all is hot and it is so good and different than regular hot dogs in a bun.