Need recipes ideas...

[StormySar]

My husband has got to be one of the hardest people to cook for... Here are the issues

- tomatoes in any form (sauce, chunked, paste) give him hearburn. This includes tomato products like ketchup.
- due to dental issues he can't eat hard chunky things - like sliced almonds or chopped nuts
- refuses to eat mushrooms (texture issue)
- isn't keen on beans or other healthy foods, unless there is meat in with it then i might be able to convince him to try it
- has to have meat (any meal that doesn't have meat is just a 'snack' to him)
- has high blood pressure and cholesterol. trying to feed him heart-healthy meals.
- hates bland food
- wont eat sandwiches as a 'meal' and won't do soup/sandwich as a meal. Too many days on the road as a trucker with only sandwiches to eat because we were so poor that was his only option for breakfast, lunch and dinner so he won't touch them now.

so given all of that... any recipe ideas? I'm looking for lunch and dinner ideas. We usually hav chicken and beef on hand, typically whole chickens and breasts, always ground beef sometimes roasts.

[BetsyS]

Red beans and rice with andouille (I usually use 1/2 pound of sausage for the entire meal, which feeds our family of 4 at least twice)

Sausage and chicken gumbo without tomatoes (some are with, some are without) and with okra. We eat it over rice or potato salad.

This stir fried beef recipe hs been very popular at my house this fall. I usually stir fry some vegetables (zuchinni, spinach, whatever I have) separately on the side.

One of my dh's favorite meatless meals is lentil and rice tacos. I love it because it cooks quicker than I can thaw ground beef. Around here, it's pretty common to eat tacos as the "meat" (or cheese or vegetables or beans or whatever) on a small tortilla, topped with onions, cilantro, and a salsa that can easily not be tomatoes (like tomatillo or guacamole or a fruit based salsa).

Green enchiladas can be made plenty spicy, too. I sometimes make them with chicken, sometimes beans and/or cheese.

My family also loves baked potato soup. Not the healthiest, but warm and filling. I make mashed potatoes, then thin to soup consistency with milk. So, it's a big pot of thin mashed potatoes. Then, I top with shredded cheddar, bacon, and scallions. It's really good. And, even though it's soup, it seems like more.

Salmon croquettes? We also like these. I use canned salmon, a bit of flour to bind, a diced onion, and an egg. Mix all that up, then pan fry (I use an ice cream scoop to shape them--the size works well for us). I serve this with a dill sauce (sour cream, lemon juice, dill, salt, pepper, and garlic).

[lil_earthmomma]

Sounds like he's instinctively primal! check out www.marksdailyapple.com to learn more about the primal blueprint!

Anyways, I would do roasted chicken with roasted garlic mashed cauliflower (he'll never know it's not potatoes ) and gravy, with a side of his fave veggies or salad.

The next day you can use the rest of the shredded meat to make two meals.

Meal one: enchilladas, chicken alfredo, chicken pesto, chicken lasagna with alfredo sauce, etc.

Meal two: make a bone stock with the carcass, and turn it into chicken stew, or white chili! Maybe he'll go for it since it's more substantial than soup?

Will come back with more ideas if you'd like.

[StormySar]

thanks so much for these great ideas!! keep 'em coming if you have anymore, I'm taking notes and getting excited that I might be able to come up with meals that will make him happy again... lol!