help with meal ideas

[figmama]

hubby lost his job, so im working full time. he wants to feed himself and our almost 2yo TF style, like i've been trying to do. he's asking for meal plans and im having a hard time coming up with ideas for him. im willing to prep things for him, like soaking grains and baking. but, he want specific written instructions and i usually just haphazardly throw a meal together. any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[Magelet]

What do you like to eat? meat and startch and veggies? mixed dishes? soups? indian? mexican? italian? "classic american"? german? lots of meat? little meat? lots of grains or more veggies?

What's your budget like (really tight, or a little room? like creative versions of rice and beans and cheese, or stew might make it in, or steak and roasts every night?)

How are your DH's cooking skills? Can he barely boil an egg, or does he whip up gourmet dinners with complicated skills if you tell him how? Is scrambled eggs and toast about his level? Or more like bouef bourginon?

Is he cooking breakfast for two or three? lunch for two? Dinner for two or three?

If you give us a little more info, I know I'd be happy to shower you with meal ideas, and I'm sure other mama's would as well.

[figmama]

we like about everything (no allergies) and our budget is moderate. i'll splurge on quality food. we try to only eat pastured meat and organic or local veggies. i have a grain mill and have ordered some bulk grains. we also have a good raw milk and egg source. i guess less meat-based meals for now would be good. i dont like to buy meat from the grocery store. we are looking for a freezer so we can buy half a cow, but until then...
and DH is only cooking for himself and DS. if he cant heat in a skillet or oven, he probably cant make it.

[Magelet]

I love making eggs in a nest, a la barbara kingsolver. I take some greens (chard, kale, whatever), saute them in plenty of olive oil or butter (or lard I imagine would be good...), sometimes I'll saute some onions then add the greens. When the greens are cooked, I usually but not always add in a can of tomatoes, stir it through, add salt to taste, and then make little "nests" or pockets in the greens. Crack an egg into each hole, pop it in the oven til the eggs are cooked. So yummy, particularly with some sourdough toast.

Another egg dish I love (we eat it for breakfast and dinner) is migas. Take some nice nixtamalized corn tortillas (they'll say lime on the ingrediants, hopefully you can get one without any bad fats, or with lard or something else healthy), and saute them until they're golden in some fat. (It's usually like... 3-4 small tortillas a person?) Add a can of diced tomatoes, and cook until heated. add a little salt to taste (ummm... maybe half a tsp... I don't measure, but it's better to err on the low side than the high you can always add it later though it's not quite the same) Add an egg or two a person to the pan, stir around until it's cooked, and serve with some green tomatilla salsa. (also great with beans on the side).

Rice and beans and cheese is, admitedly, an amazing dish, if you do it right. We soak white beans, then cook them with kombu (which gets pulled out), jalapeno's, cumin, garlic, black pepper (simmer until cooked). then we add rice, make sure there is enough water to cook the rice, cook them together, and stir in apple cider vinegar, chedder cheese, and salt after it's cooked.

For lunches, make some sourdough bread, and they can have sandwhiches. Easy, and healthy (if you put good cheese and/or meat on them. even an occasional pb&j if they're good quality is pretty healthy, other than the sugar)

I'm a fan of raw milk smoothies for breakfast, they're fast, easy, and nutritious: raw milk, a raw egg yolk, and I like banana in it, though other fruit and/or veggies can be good I'm sure.

I'll try to come up with more later (or rather, when it's not so late.)

[kristinas8]

There is a great website called Cooking Traditional Foods. Kerryann sends out menu plans for 6 days a week plus a desert for a small fee. I love the idea, because it has the shopping list, plan ahead instructions and recipes. You should really check it out. I'm kristinas8 there too, so tell her I sent you.

[figmama]

thanks! i love barbara kingsolver, she lives pretty close to me. i plan to "accidently" bump into her at the farmers market.
i need a sourdough starter. the only soaked bread ive made is NTs yoghurt bread. i've checked out kerryann's website, but will visit it again.

[bagare]

You might want to give it a whirl to try and catch a local sourdough strain. I did it here in NV when I was still eating grains and it was a wonderful starter! Just mix equal parts water and flour (I used about 2 cups of each) and stir till it is smooth and no lumps. If you have things blooming, set it outside where no animals/bugs can get into it and put a few layers of cheese cloth over the bowl, anchoring it so it can't blow away. Check it everyday, feed it every few days (1/4 cup flour and warm water) and once it starts to bubble, you are good to go. If it is a good catch, it will smell kinda like a weak beer. I always stirred the 'hooch' back into the starter when I used it, and it lived on top of my fridge. Worth a shot! AND the longer you use it and feed it, the better it will get.