Meal Tips

CarlsJrPaysMe · 2021-10-28T22:56:52+00:00

I cook a lot. STBX hated when I cooked. She said it was her thing and I was trying to make her look bad. She only wanted me to make basic stuff because otherwise I was showing her up.

So now, I cook whatever I want and cook a lot of cool stuff for my kids. They are late teens, so that might make a difference vs. what someone with younger kids can cook.

Here's my advice:

Know or find out what kind of things your kids like to eat. Not necessarily just at home, but what do they like from a restaurant. That will help you get ideas for what to make.
Try different things. Not necessarily all at once, but sometimes add something new to the mix. The other night, I didn't have much available for a side dish and I didn't want to go to the store. I did have carrots. So I made some honey glazed carrots (just cut up carrots or use baby carrots, sautee in butter and add some honey for a few minutes toward the end) and my kids loved them. They also were eating the raw carrots as I was peeling and cutting them. I didn't know they liked carrots so much, so that's a new one I get to add to the rotation.
I make a big batch of rice to start the week. It's an easy and filling side.
On occasion, I will take the rice and make fried rice or spanish rice just for something different. Fried rice is pretty easy. Just some butter, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. You can add whatever veggies you want (or exclude them altogether).
Things you can bake/roast at the same time in the oven work nicely (e.g. baked fish or chicken and roasted veggies or baked potatoes).
Butter and salt are your friend. Cooking with butter and making sure you've added enough salt will make things taste better. I usually season with salt, pepper and garlic as standard on meat or fish I cook if it's not a specific recipe. When I roast veggies, it's usually olive oil, salt, pepper and either garlic or parmesan (sometimes both).
I usually grill a bunch of burgers to start the week. My kids eat those as leftovers for lunch or on the days I don't make dinner.
Make it fun. My daughter has an obsession with the pumpkin-cream cheese muffins from Starbucks. I found a recipe and made them. She came down for breakfast and was amazed. Things like homemade whipped cream are super easy, taste great, and my kids think it's awesome. They also like smoothie bowls, so instead of getting them from the smoothie place, I'll sometimes make the smoothies in the blender, put it in a bowl and top it with fruit, granola and honey. I got a small block of parmesan cheese. So even when I make spaghetti from a box and use a can of sauce, I get out the cheese grater and put freshly grated parmesan on top when I give the kids their plates.

I'm not an expert, but I do enjoy it and try out a lot of different things, so I'm happy to go into more detail or answer questions if it's helpful.

AreaGuy · 2021-10-29T02:12:28+00:00

My (for now) wife used to put all kinds of effort into finding "fancy" new recipes that nobody liked, and would get upset that the kids didn't eat them. I have young kids, so I make simple stuff from scratch because it's cheap and just sort of branch out a meal here and there, building up our shared repertoire:

I have a simple kettle grill for outdoor cooking. Super versatile, as I've smoked ribs, pork butt, chicken, sausage, and been able to grill burgers, chicken, etc. r/smoking and r/BBQ are good subs for ideas on that front. (Usually pretty supportive subs as well.)
For indoors I got a pretty basic InstantPot, and it's been super handy to make things like Mac and cheese, soups, chili, rice, or even spaghetti and sauce in one pot and in pretty short order. (Bonus: Cheap dishwasher/freezer safe plastic containers make storing leftovers easy and saves money and time that way.)
An air fryer is also super handy if you just want to cook some frozen fries and chicken or something super quick while dealing with kids and don't want to wait for an oven.)
Basic spices, nice cutting board, measuring spoons and cups, and a decent set of knives and you are set.

I actually enjoy cooking now that I get to control things, get to see the kids eating real food without a fight, and don't have to hear whining about how plain and simple my food is because it doesn't have lemon grass in it or something. (Note: Lemon grass is pretty awesome.)

Grey_Bear_40 · 2021-10-28T22:35:54+00:00

First things first. You need to have salt and pepper at the very least, Lawry's and/or Tony Chachere's if you are feeling fancy. Next you want to get olive oil. Now you have everything you technically need.

First thing you need to know, seasoning is the most important thing you can learn in the kitchen. Any dish you make will be horrible without proper seasoning.

Watch YouTube videos on dicing onions, mincing garlic, etc. Once you learn how to season and are comfortable cutting onions and garlic, you can literally make anything.

I said it before, salt and pepper on everything that is not sweet. The worst thing in the world is bland food.

Ok, a couple easy ones: turn on the oven to about 400 or so, get a pan and put some broccoli or asparagus on it. Drizzle a little olive oil and then a bit of Tony's. Cook until a little soft. You'll have to figure it out how you like it.

thedukeinc · 2021-10-29T01:11:54+00:00

If you like Indian food, DM me. Very easy to make with just couple of spices, both vegan and not

dad_bod_cargo_shorts · 2021-10-29T01:28:46+00:00

https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/cheesy-beef-rice-skillet-one-pot-meal/

This is a cheap, easy and filling meal that will last multiple nights.

I add corn, beans and a packet of sazon.

patently_pleasant · 2021-10-29T02:36:41+00:00

Some great tips already here, but I wanted to add that I suggest you start meal prepping! I have one big cooking night that sets me up for the entire week at work. You can do this for the kids as well. It can be as fun and delicious as you want! You are only limited by your ingredients. This also saves me a TON of money, which I’m sure many divorced dads on here will be conscious of after losing their spouse’s income. I can make a big, healthy lunch for $3/plate or less with meal prepping. Buying lunch takes time and usually costs about $10 per lunch.

bobbyb503 · 2021-10-28T23:00:20+00:00

Good tools help. I’ve slowly upgraded all my hardware over the years. I just got the $40 Dutch oven on Amazon. Better knives help too. I was a crock pot guy for years, but it’s nice to have the old cauldron going. Build your spice arsenal whenever you can.

Pot roasts was my best starter meal. Real easy. Get a good roast. Learn to make a Mirepoix (mirh-pwah).In French cooking, a mix of carrots, onions, and celery, usually finely diced, and used as the seasoning base for a meat dish or sauce. Experiment. Have fun.

metzgie1 · 2021-10-29T09:56:09+00:00

Big fan of lasagna- use the pasta that you don’t need to boil. Roasted chicken is pretty easy too, and lasts. Turn the carcass into stock/soup once the chicken is picked. Hard boiled eggs are easy and you can do tons of stuff with them- salad, Sammie’s with bacon/avocado.

I find that cooking is a lot easier than most people think it is. Often the simplest food is the most delicious - roasted sweet potato with literally nothing is one of my favorite foods.

Other people mentioned it- but salt and pepper is the key to making most food good and seem ‘professional’.

derelictherds · 2021-10-29T15:20:54+00:00

The Damn Delicious food blog has been an awesome resource for quick (and good) recipes.

Here's one from my personal arsenal - Mississippi Pot Roast:

1 Slow cooker liner (these are a must)
1 Boneless chuck roast
1/4 stick butter
1 package of Ranch Dip Mix
1 package of Au Jus Gravy Mix
1/3 - 1/2 Jar sliced pepperoncini (16 oz jar)

Put the roast in the cooker and cover with the gravy and dip mix and add butter and pepperoncini then turn the cooker on low and let it ride for 5-6 hours. I usually serve it with Bob Evans mashed potatoes.

Think-Albatross-740 · 2021-10-29T21:08:03+00:00

I cook a giant pot of pasta e fagioli and then freeze about 2/3 of it in Ziplocs. A half-full quart-size Ziploc feeds 2 people. Thaw in the microwave. Put on a pot of boiling water for pasta. While that water is coming to a boil, cook some broccoli in the microwave -- just put broccoli with a little water in a covered bowl and nuke for about 5 minutes. Cook the pasta, spoon hot fagioli over it, put broccoli on top. Dress with a little extra virgin olive oil, Maldon sea salt, and grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. Super popular dish with the kiddo.

I do the same thing with Marcella Hazan's bolognese recipe, which is really good with beef and almost equally good with turkey.

If you make a giant pot of something you're going to get sick of it before you can finish it. So freeze a lot of it. If you cook a different giant pot once or twice a week, within a few weeks you're going to have a series of small Ziplocs in your freezer with a whole variety of fast easy meals. Write the dates on the bags so you can use the oldest ones first!

Pasta e fagioli the way I was taught by an old Tuscan cook: Wash dry white cannellini beans (or else white kidney or similar beans). Put in a big stock pot with a ham shank (or hock), 1 or 2 bay leaves, and enough water to cover the shank. Salt the water generously (it should taste pleasantly salty). Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer about 3-5 hours or until the beans are soft. When the ham shank is tender, usually before the beans are done, take it out and let it cool, then cut the good meat off in little pieces and throw the meat back in the pot. Take out the bay leaf too.

After the beans are soft but not falling apart completely: Get a big wide pan pretty hot but not smoking hot. Chop a yellow onion and saute it with some olive oil. Once the onion is soft, add 5-6 cloves of smashed garlic. Saute another minute. Add a pinch or two of dried oregano and thyme (optional) and black pepper (also optional). Now dump this onion mixture into the stock pot. Cook until the beans are all disintegrated and soft and the mixture is as thick as you want it. Add chicken stock to thin it out if you need to. Real Italians eat it very very soupy, I often make it thicker, closer to refried bean consistency. Whatever you like.

It's great with any pasta but especially Farfalle (bow ties) or the traditional Orrechiette (little ears).

Bolognese is a sort of similar preparation: Saute a chopped onion in plenty of olive oil. Once soft, add an equal amount of chopped carrot and celery. Saute until soft. Then add about 2 pounds of ground beef or ground turkey and saute until the pink goes away. Then add about 2 cups of milk to cover the meat, plus a tiny pinch of grated nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, cook until a lot of the liquid has gone away (half an hour ish?). Then add around 2 cups of white wine to cover the meat, bring back to a simmer, and again cook until a lot of the liquid has gone away. Then add a big can of crushed tomatoes and maybe some tomato paste. Adjust the salt to taste. Simmer for a few hours. Like at least 3 hours or more. Tuscans are super insistent that you cook the meat in the milk first and THEN the wine, otherwise you will "bruise the meat". Not sure if this is true but it's traditional.

Serve the same way as fagioli, but the classic pasta for bolognese is tagliatelle, a moderately wide ribbon noodle. Or else make it into a lasagna.

Think-Albatross-740 · 2021-10-29T21:16:37+00:00

Websites: NY Times Cooking is very good if you subscribe.

America's Test Kitchen recipes are always good but always labor intensive.

thekitchn.com has great easy recipes for everything. Very reliable.

A lot of times the recipes that come up on a Google search totally suck. Be careful.

Shooter_McGavin27 · 2021-10-30T15:43:17+00:00

Crock Pot, my man. Sign up for Pinterest if you aren’t already and you’ll get loads of ideas. You can put stuff in there and forget about it. On top of that, you’ll have plenty left over.

You can get plenty of grilling ideas from there too. There’s always pork chops, baked or grilled, add some mashed potatoes (even instant) and a vegetable and you’re golden. Fish is also super easy and filling. Either bake it between 10-30 minutes, depending on what type it is, or wrap it in foil with some butter, lemon slices, and salt/pepper for about 12 minutes.

Think smarter, not harder when it comes to cooking.

Title	Meal Tips
Author	GoldenWave1
Upvotes	3
Comments	14
Date	October 28, 2021 10:05 PM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Divorce_Men
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Divorce_Men/comments/qhxt5n/meal_tips/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Divorce_Men/meal-tips.1081257 https://theredarchive.com/post/1081257

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