Getting tired of same meals, need some inspiration!

[lorettalemon]

I'm getting a bit bored with the same repertoire of chilli, mac and cheese, shepherds pie, curries, fajitas and stir fries, can fellow MNetters give me some ideas of your go to weekday meals? I would like to make things that are fairly simple and don't use unusual ingredients I wouldn't use for anything else!

I've been really into this Tuscan sausage stew for the last few weeks. I usually use chipolata style sausages.

Ready rolled puff pastry, smothered in a whole jar of caramelised red onion chutney, crumble on 1-2 blocks of Welsh goat's cheese, sprinkle on a tablespoon or two of pine nuts and crush over some black olives. Bake in the oven according to the puff pastry packet instructions (about 15 minutes) and eat with salad. 4 generous helpings :)

That looks delicious @DerbyshireGirly thank you for the suggestion, I will definitely try it!

Fish!
Frozen fish fillet, with some green bean or surfer snaps underneath, but of lemon or green pesto on top, in a foil parcel, bobbed in the oven. Serve with some new potatoes/orzo/cous cous and salad /roasted veggies. Sprinkle with some feta. Heaven.

Sausage, mash and veg
Salmon cooked with soy, honey and lemon juice wrapped in foil with rice and veg
Pasta in tomato sauce with breaded chicken
Baked pots with ham, cheese, salad and colslaw

Go to meals are fish tikka with garlic naan, salad, mint sauce, salmon fajitas (just cover in fajita seasoning and grill served with homemade guacamole, soured cream, lettuce), tortilla pizzas (put whatever you want on), teriyaki chicken thighs with rice and stir-fry veg, little lamb burgers in pittas with natural yogurt mixed with chilli powder and cucumber mixed with kidney beans, white wine vinegar, wholegrain mustard and olive oil.

Not recipes but just a few general ideas, with normal enough ingredients (for the best part!)

I’m vegetarian btw but sure these can be easily adapted

Roasted veg; broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and anything else that's left over in the fridge with any meat cooked on top, sweet chilli chicken, Chinese pork or pepper steak is a nice easy go to dinner for us.

Otherwise I tend to stick to the same meals as you. Unless I have some time and stretch to a toad in the hole that everyone will eat.

I made the Summer Pilau from a recipe in The Guardian recently. It was really easy and delicious.

Here’s a few of our staple meals, I’ll swap for some of yours!

Chorizo stew - chorizo, onions, butterbeans, chickpeas, potatoes, greens all cooked in water & stock cube

Cous cous with fried tomato, red pepper, optional aubergine, pine nuts and parsley. Top with halloumi slices

Pasta with creamy garlicky mushroom sauce

Spaghetti carbonara

Pork belly strips with baked sweet potato and cabbage

Fish with new potatoes and green veg

Lentils with onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, stock (cube) and bacon bits

Risotto - leek and cheese, pea and prawn, butternut squash and goats cheese.

Tonight we made Korean BBQ chicken, rice and BBQ corn on the cob, and garden salad

Quick and simple, and super tasty

We had Singapore noodles from 'Save with Jamie' tonight for the first time and they were yum!
We also love his Korean fried rice and chicken chowder.
Risotto goes down well here, as does pasta with pesto, broccoli and bacon, falafel with pita bread, salad and a veggie couscous, quesadillas with shredded chicken, peppers and onions (BBC good food recipe).

Thank you for the suggestions everyone! I've made a list and they're great and they're using things I'd normally buy and use part of the pack for something else.

Chicken cooked with onions and peppers, mixed with pasta and red pesto, add chopped black olives if desired.

I like sausages with grapes. Braise sausages in a bit of oil, add red and green grapes and a bit of red wine then cook in the oven for 30 minutes or so. Serve with buttery polenta. It's a real fave of mine, and really quick.

I also serve chicken stew with rice - alot. Sautee celery and onions and carrots. Slice chicken. Then tip in a tin of cream of mushroom soup. Serve with rice (although also good as a chicken pie filling). Bioth my fussy DCs eat that and love it.

I make chicken curry using the Pataks paste pots. Really simple, white rice, naan bread. Yum.