In a dinner rut - can you inspire me?

[sweetheart]

I'm trying to list our food shop for next week but I'm in a complete dinner rut and feel like we eat the same things every week. Things we generally have are:-

chicken / prawn curry
spagetti bolognaise
chilli
pasta bake
pizza & salad
omlette
spagetti carbonara

I am trying to loose weight at the moment which makes things difficult! I'm trying to keep evening meals around or lower than the 500-600 calorie mark.

Does anyone have any inspirational ideas please?

We tend to have Jacket potatoes at least once a fortnight.

Hang on and I will grab my current meal planner and let you know whats on it

Ohhh yes JP's haven't done those for a while and they will go down well

Fettuccini with Salmon, Rocket & Capers

I first stumbled across the recipe when in Singapore. It quickly established itself as a family favourite and an easy option for an informal gathering of friends.

Ingredients:

125ml extra virgin olive oil
25g of fresh white breadcrumbs
500g of fettuccine
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp of dried crushed chillis
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
4 tbsp capers in brine, drained
85g rocket leaves
200g salmon fillet, flaked

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a small frying pan until hot. Add the breadcrumbs and cook over a moderate hest until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes, turning often. Tip into small bowl. (Save time by preparing these several hours ahead)

Cook the pasta in plenty of gently boiling well-salted water until al dente. Meanwhile peel the garlic and chop it very finely. Put the rest of the oil into a small pan and add the garlic and chillies. Warm gently over a low heat so they flavour the oil ? but don?t let the garlic fry.

Drain the pasta and tip it into a warmed large serving bowl. Quickly add the lemon zest and capers to the oil, then pour over the pasta and toss. Add the rocket and salmon and toss again. Scatter the breadcrumbs over and serve.

Serves 4 - 6

Chicken/prawn stir fry
Tacos
nicoise salad
Egg Foo Yung
chicken and asparagus salad
chicken skewers and salad

Ok, here's what we have been having / will be having.

Chickpea and Chorizo stew
Jackets and Chilli
fishcakes with cous cous and green beans
slow cooked lamb with rice
Paprika chicken with patatas bravas and veg
home made pizza
chicken fajitas
sausage rissotto
Gammon egg and chips
tagiatelle with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and peas
chickpea enchiladas
one pot chicken with rice
omelette and salad
spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread
Roast chicken
Home made chicken soup followed by sponge pudding and custard

Cottage pie

I do a sausage, white wine and cream thing with pasta that we all love (Nigel Slater)

Lasagne instead of spag bol

Toad in the Hole

Minced Beef wellington (puff pastry wrapped round mince!)

Diced beef and carrots in red wine sauce (from tin or jar) with rice

oppps probably should have said nothing too fishy as neither myself or the kids are too keen on fish.

We have a variety of salads usually once a week too, missed it off my original list.

Dh won't abide stir fry's (I think I've forced too many on him in the past)

Sausage risotto sounds good - do you have a recipe please?
tacho's or fajitta might make a nice change one night - although the kids aren't terribly keen but it will just be tough!

Paprika chicken sounds nice - do you have a recipe please?

Hmmmm we haven't had gammon for a while either.

Can I have the recipe for the sausage white wine and cream thing please?

I love toad in the hole - I'm thinking it's probably too many calories though with the roast pots too

May try the diced beef in red wine too - infact I think I have a recipe for that at home.

keep em coming please

Try the Hairy Dieters Korma. With rice it is 400 cals and super tasty. DH, who never comments on my cooking, good or bad, said it was like eating in a restaurant!

Think my BIL has just picked up their book for £7 from Tesco .

I do toad in the hole too, but not with roast pots, I just serve loads and loads of veg. Sainsburys do some low fat sausages which might help with watching the cals. .

You don't have any fish in your list?

Favourites in our house include chicken fajitas, cauliflower cheese (which we usually have with a baked potato and nice ham), cous cous with roasted mediterranean vegetables, soup ... lots of soup, tuna wraps, fishcakes, salmon baked in a foil parcel in the oven and served with rice and stir fry vegetables with soy sauce, stuffed peppers, chicken milanese, roast lamb, home made burgers.

Thought the OP had said that she and her DC weren't fond of fish Mintyy, or have I got that wrong?

If you are trying to lose weight can't you just have a smaller portion?

Fish is so healthy and tasty. The more you and your children try it (mine had no choice and love it now) the more they will learn to love it.

Great ideas here that I am stealing as I am also stuck in a rut!
Shepherds pie been mentioned? Did it last night and it went down very well.

We don't eat carbs at night, so I think these may be low calorie:
Roast chicken with roast veg
Gammon with peas and roast parsnips
Various slow cooker stews with in season veg - flavour combinations we like are:
chicken & mushroom with paprika
pork, chorizo & olives
sausage, liver & black pudding (sounds horrid but is v. good)
lamb with apricots or dates
bigos (polish sauerkraut cabbage, fresh cabbage, pork and pork sausage)

Otherwise its salads with:
salmon in sweet chilli sauce
beefburgers with melted blue cheese
seared tuna with lime juice
breaded camembert

If you type family in the search box on BBC Food loads of recipes come up OP, but be warned, the first recipe is for Fish Pie .

lol - nope no fish pie! And I'd rather not eat something to force myself to like it but thanks for the suggestion.

I eat hardly any carbs all day so really need some with evening meal as I'm a total carb fiend! I could eat small portions but I'd rather not - I'm a greedy pig (hence the trying to loose some weight!)

I do quite a lot of exercise, especially in the evening so i really need a decent well balanced meal to give me plenty of energy

Are you on MyFitnessPal sweet? It is really helping me see how MANY calories I eat and how FEW the exercise burns off .

Have you seen the Slimming World free 7 day meal planner too? There seems to be plenty of carbs and it might give you a bit more inspiration .

Forgot the link . Try here .

Next week we are having (I'm doing slimming world)
Singapore vermicilli noodles
Beef kofta curry
Tuna pasta bake
Jamie's jools pregnant pasta
Roast chicken, sweet pot and roast veg
Chilli con carne
Chicken pie ( with mash not pastry)

That sounds like a great meal plan, might just copy .

I am indeed on mfp

Try here it is an american site but she give the calorie breakdown.

Sausage pasta thing:

Take 4-6 good sausages - ie lots of meat content and plenty of flavour. I always use Lincolnshire from our local butcher or very good supermarket ones. In the recipe Nigel actually says 'spicy Italian pork sausages' but I go with what I can reliably get . Slice and remove sausagemeat from skins. Start frying on medium heat with olive oil. It will all clump together a bit at first but then start to crumble as it cooks.

Put pasta on - you want something pretty hefty that lots of sauce will stick too. I use quite chunky rigatoni or pappardelle.

When sausage is cooked and going golden add a glass of white wine and continue to heat then add a pinch og chilli flakes if you like them, a bit of chopped basil if you have it and a spoon or so of mustard. Nigel's recipe says Dijon but the picture opposite shows wholegrain in the book and I used that for ages before noticing what the recipe actually says! It also says a tablespoon - but that would be way too much for me. Anyway simmer that lot for a minute or two and then add some double cream. Again recipe says 200ml and I probably don't use that much - depends how much wine I chucked in . Then you heat it through and chuck it all over the cooked and drained pasta, stir and serve. Very popular with all the family. Nigel also wants you to add a 'little salt' but there is way too much in the sausages anyway so I don't.

Pork hocks if the supermarket are doing them (if not use chicken breasts) put in a pot with cider. I do them in the slow cooker. Serve with potatoes and veg and use the cidre to make a sauce.

Buy passatta - it is essential.

Put passatta, sausages, a bit of chopped peperrami and some sliced peppers in a pot and heat. You can add other veg, tinned butter beans go well, and add whatever seasoning you like and you just need bread to mop up the juice when you serve it.

Swap the bolognase for meat balls.

Make the omelette a suflee one.

Serve the chilli with baked potatoes, or make burritos.

You are welcome to any recipes jilted, just shout. Or come and join our Big Fat Thread where we are all loosely following slimming world.