9days for the semi-incompetent cook (and picky eater kids)

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Forum -> Recipe Collection -> Dairy & Pareve Meals

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Bitachon101

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 12:25 am

ok, so Im not a total imbecil , ----but when it comes to the kitchen.... fuhgetaboutit... my self esteem is shot.
Dont get me wrong, my mac and cheese comes out fine (though my scrambled eggs is put to shame compared to my husbands!!! Dont ask me how one scrambled egg comes out dif than the next...)
I actually can make some decent simple chicken recipes etc but as soon as the word "potchka" is sniffed in between the lines of a recipe, I run for the hills.

So its the 9 days - great.
Um, Im not making mac n cheese every single night but most recipe collections ive seen for 9 days either have that hate word potchka in it, have ingredients I either dont know what they are or dont have handy, or simply look way too flopable for my crushed kitchen self esteem.

Oh and did I mention??? - my kids practically wont eat anything but mac and cheese. and cereal. Grrrrrr.
(My toddler has been starving himself past few weeks cuz he decided he "no like" anything I give him. oh well.)

So amothers that speak my language... (please dont tell me im the only one!)

I need easy easy easy milchig/pareve ideas for the coming week.

Fish - my hub will eat but my kids wont touch. so I ll mostly steer clear of that.

what else can I serve?

Ill start with mac n cheese Sunday (surprised?)
I could do pizza Monday
I still need Tues, Wed, and Thurs....

No Fancy potchka ideas allowed in this thread.
Sorry all you gourmet cooks.... save that for the pros.

mfb

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 12:32 am

Cheese latkas, falafel, eggplant parmesan(with frozen pre breaded eggplant.

momX4

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 12:34 am

did you ever try tuns/salman patties. My kids arent crazy about it, but will eat it 2-3 times a year. I served it room temp. Serve with mashed potatoes and veggies.

Flaffel is a great option as well. I have egg salad as an alternative to flaffel balls.

chatz

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 12:47 am

Maybe I'm on the other end of the spectrum, but what's wrong with scrambled eggs, plain pasta, and cut up vegetables for supper?

Fish sticks, tuna, sardines -will your kids eat any of them?

Cheese sandwiches

Oatmeal

Pancakes

Eh, there's always cereal. Just have some healthy ones on hand

MagentaYenta

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 12:48 am

How about grilled cheese and one night breakfast for dinner, fruity pancakes or choc chip pancakes for the kids?

seeker

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 12:49 am

How old are your kids? Many hold that the no meat is for adults only. If your kids eat chicken/meat I'd seriously consider that.

Anyway, I'll take a stab at it, and hope that your kids are in day camp for a meal or two per day:
1. Mac n cheese
2. Pizza
3. Scrambled eggs (either deal with mom's or enlist dad to help)
4. Breakfast-for-supper pancakes or waffles, will they do cottage cheese on it for protein?
5. A mexican-style beans-and-rice idea, serve it in a taco and make believe it's interesting and maybe they won't notice they're getting beans for supper. (I promise this is not a patchke. I learned it by looking up a recipe online and it consisted mainly of opening cans and dumping the contents in a pot. Except the rice because that comes in a bag, not a can. I think it also involved dicing an onion, but that's all, honest.)
6. Sandwiches, nut butter or cheese
7. Shabbos! We get lucky, 2 Shabboses in 9 days this year, really only 6 days to deal with for those of us who don't love milchigs.

imaima

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 1:28 am

Bitachon101 wrote:

my kids also have a very limited diet (due to my motherly laziness to have them try out things) so we have a night of pizza, a night of a noodle dish, a night of rice with smth, then french fries with fish sticks, then maybe some kind of latkes/pancakes/crepes (these are very easy especially pancakes).

Those are 5 nights. If desperate you can have them eat sandwiches or just cottage cheese with fruit. Erev shabbes have them eat shabbes food.

Rebesq

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:27 am

Bake a potato, split it open and microwaVe a bag of broccoli, cauliflower put some on top and melt cheese over it. If they dont go for the veggies do without.

BeHappy!

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:34 am

French toast

Iymnok

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:35 am

Nachos-
Tortilla chips topped with beans and cheese sprinkled on top.
Dump the can into a pot, heat it up, add taco seasoning if you want, mash and spread over the chips. Sprinkle with cheese then broil or melt in the microwave. That's it.
I like the oven method better since it browns the cheese.

Raisin

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:46 am

buy those veggie hot dogs or burgers, (or make your own from scratch)

lentils are really easy! rinse some lentils, throw into a pot with a lot of water and let cook for about half an hour. While they are cooking, saute very slowly lots of onions and put in whatever spices you like (I like curry but its not for everyone). Then mix with the cooked lentils. You can serve with rice, add more water and make into a soup, or make a shepherds pie.

If you and your family eat cheese (ie are not on diets or lactose intolerant) the nine days is really not hard.

Salmon is also very easy. Fresh salmon tastes better then frozen. I don't do anything fancy to salmon - just salt and fresh ground black pepper, maybe some garlic powder. Bake on high for 10-20 minutes. (I like it crispy on top) serve with baby potatoes and salad.

make lots of veggies. Disguise the lack of variety in protein by making all sorts of yummy vegetables. Corn on the cob, cut up veggie sticks with dips, roast parsnip, sweet potatoes, etc etc.

Raisin

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:48 am

excellent and idiot proof falafel recipe

http://www.imamother.com/forum.....lafel

Amarante

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 5:44 pm

Cheese stratas are very easy and very good. If your kids like mac and cheese, they will like strata. You need to let it soak for at least 8 hours which means you can prepare and then pop in the oven when you are ready to cook

EGG & CHEESE STRATA
6 slices day old bread
3 tbsp. butter, softened
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Butter bread; cut in small cubes. Alternate layers of bread cubes and cheese in buttered 2 quart casserole. Blend eggs, milk and seasonings, pour over bread and cheese mixture. Cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 70 minutes or until golden brown.

ra_mom

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:08 pm

Simple can be yummy. To continue with your menu

S: mac n cheese with veggie stix and pink dip
M: pizza with salad
T: grilled cheese and tomato soup
W: French toast with strawberries and cream
T: omelettes with rolls and Israeli salad

Bitachon101

Sun, Jul 19 2015, 1:23 am

Tx!!! glad to see some mother's out there "get it" !

Some of these ideas mat work.

Cheese pasta and yogurt is abt all I'm successful with so gonna try cheese latkas... Recipe???

Potato - tried and they refuse
Broccoli cauliflower etc... - they won't touch
Fish sticks... Tried so many times.... In the garbage.
Falafel- I'm gonna try outs with cut up veggies cuz they like tomatoes and cucumbers but they won't touch falafel balls (or egg salad)

Strata... Looks cool... If I remember in advance
French toast grilled cheese- thumbs up
Omelettes 3 of us will eat
4 year old picky micky won't touch eggs (its a miracle he eats anything!)

rachel6543

Sun, Jul 19 2015, 1:51 am

Quesadillas
Nachos
Pancakes
French toast (delicious with melted cheese on top)
Oatmeal (my son loves for dinner!)
Egg salad
Grilled cheese
Ice cream for dinner (the once in a while treat for those awful summer heat spells)
Cereal & milk

bigsis144

Sun, Jul 19 2015, 5:00 am

Cottage Cheese Latkes:

1 lb. cottage cheese (I use 1%)
2/3 c. farina (you can use 3/4 c. flour instead, but I prefer the texture using farina)
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar
3 eggs

If using farina, the batter has to sit for half an hour or so to absorb liquid, or else it'll be grainy-textured.

Amarante

Sun, Jul 19 2015, 11:17 am

Bitachon101 wrote:

Tx!!! glad to see some mother's out there "get it" !

Strata... Looks cool... If I remember in advance

That's why I like the dish because I can make it when I have the energy and motivation. Often by the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is even the most minimal food prep so I am very fond of foods that I can prepare ahead of time and then just heat/cook.

Results are disproportionate to the effort because it is almost like a cheese soufflé since the ingredients absorb each other and then get puffy.

ETA - It's a great dish to make for a brunch or lunch because you stick it in the fridge the night before and then just pop in the oven. I really really hate to do a lot of food prep if I have people over because I get distracted.

anon for this

Sun, Jul 19 2015, 11:32 am

Sometimes when my kids are feeling picky I prepare smoothies. I use bananas, milk or yogurt, and other fresh or frozen fruit (berries or stone fruits are nice this time of year). Sometimes I'll add dry milk powder for extra protein, and if I have pasteurized eggs on hand I'll put one or two of those in too.

You might be able to freeze these too.

Amarante

Sun, Jul 19 2015, 11:36 am

I posted this on another thread but would seem to meet your needs - very kid friendly and very easy.

Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole

Serves 6-8, or more, depending on serving size

Ingredients:
2-3 cups cooked spaghetti noodles
28 oz spaghetti sauce
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or mozzarella will work also)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. Beat until smooth.
Layer bottom of baking dish with 1/2 with cooked spaghetti noodles. Spoon cheese mixture over noodles. Then, add a layer with 1/2 of spaghetti sauce. Repeat layers.

Top off final layer with cheddar cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or cheese is melted and bubbly.

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