The goal here is to have hot nutritious lunches ready to eat when we break for lunch. I need them to be quick and easy to put together in the morning. They must be edible for all the children (two of ours are allergic to a protein in cow milk which eliminates a lot of recipes). The recipes must not be too similar for the sake of boredom. They must be inexpensive and use items that either grow in the garden or can be found at the local grocery store.
So here goes the search.
Monday
Everybody's favorite...
Spaghetti
2 lbs. ground beef, browned (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 t Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 t sea salt
2 quart jars of home-canned tomato sauce
1 lb. spaghetti noodles broken into pieces
Stir it all up; turn the crockpot to High and ignore until lunchtime.
Serve with Parmesan cheese and a vegetable salad.
Tuesday
Beef and Cabbage Soup
1 lb. ground beef, browned (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
2 quarts home-canned tomato sauce
1 quart cooked kidney beans
1 c brown rice
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T chili powder
Stir it all together in the crockpot and cook on High all morning.
Wednesday
Calico Beans
1/4 lb. bacon, browned (optional)
1 lb. ground beef, browned (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c honey (optional)
1/2 c ketchup
1 T mustard
1 t salt
1 t thyme
5 qts. cooked beans--lima, kidney, pinto, black, navy, etc.--whatever is on hand (I cook dry beans ahead of time and have ready for recipes in my freezer)
Mix in crockpot; turn to High; eat for lunch with a salad.
Thursday
Taco Soup
1 lb. ground beef, browned (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 qt. corn
1 qt. black beans
1 qt. red kidney beans
1 qt. home-canned tomato sauce
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1 t thyme
1/2 t oregano
hot peppers, chopped (optional)
Mix in crockpot; cook on high; serve at lunch with:
sour cream
shredded cheese
fresh cilantro
tortilla chips
Friday
Lentil Stew
3 c lentils
1 c brown rice
1 bay leaf
1 t thyme
1 t sea salt
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 c water
Cook on Low all morning in crockpot.
Serve with shredded cheese and a salad.
This is a FABULOUS post. Thank you so much for sharing these great recipes for a large family. I'd love to see more recipes like this!
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
Kim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lunch ideas. I posted an idea/method for a refried beans and tortillas lunch at my blog: http://marymarthame.blogspot.com/2008/05/serious-homeschooler-issue-whats-for.html
You might find it helpful in addition to your great ideas.
Blessings,
Camy
Just what I needed.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS love when you post!
Rachel
Wonderful post! I'd also be terribly interested in your 'homemade tomato sauce' recipe, if it's not a closely-held secret. :) I plan to try, if my tomatoes ever ripen..
ReplyDeleteI had a blood test come back as "mildly allergic to dairy" and I'm wondering how you found out that it was specifically a cow milk protein that your daughters are allergic to? I know you are very busy but am asking in the hopes there is something you could point me to and I could read more about this. Thank you for any help. The recipes look great, particularly the gluten-free (or easily converted to) ones!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kim...
ReplyDeleteYou bless.
THANK YOU!!! This is exactly what I needed right now.
ReplyDeleteEllajac,
ReplyDeleteI want to do one more batch of tomato sauce next week, then I'll put up the recipe and photos. It's no secret. My fav canning book is the Ball Blue Book, it's failproof.
Cat,
My girls can have goat milk because the protein is different. Lactose is the milk sugar--a different digestive issue.
If you're food sensitive, you might want to also cut the corn out of recipes. It's a biggy for bloating.
Ann,
You bless us!
THANKS! I HATE making lunch. I'll take all the help I can get :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the blog's new look, too.
Hi! Just found this post via Holy Experience. I'm in such a Crockpot rut, so I really appreciate these recipes (and my hubby will too!) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIS the rice in the Beef and Cabbage soup already cooked or uncooked? Thanks! And thanks for all these recipes and your blog! I am just rediscovering it. I have been on digest on your yahoo reminders, and had just been deleting them. Now I am following what I can and enjoying it!!
ReplyDeleteThe rice is uncooked.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you had some leftover cooked rice in the frig that you wanted to get rid of then you could throw that in. It just might "disappear" in your soup by lunchtime. That's ok. The nutrients will still be there (if it's brown rice-there aren't a lot of nutrients in white rice in the first place).
Kim
As always, thanks Kim! I have your lunch menu plan that I printed out from your previous site - but I never thought of spaghetti in the crockpot! I'm really seeking to institute a good menu plan once and for all, with healthy, filling recipes - because we are all very active! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog, and I am so blessed by it!! I have 6 kids, ages 8, 7, 6, 5, and two 3 years olds. I really struggle with the logistics of it all--(cleaning is enough and then throw homeschooling in and whew!), so I have been blessed to read your blog (and hopefully the book soon!). Also, I have three kids with casein allergies, so I am enjoying your recipes as well! :) Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to find these recipes, we just put in a bulk order for large buckets of various kinds of beans. I was hoping I could do more in my crock pot with them, especially for lunches and through the winter. I was thinking it would maximize time if all the beef were cooked at once and then set aside or frozen for when it's needed. And the same with everything that needs to be chopped. If it were all done at one time then it would be ready to just throw in on the day it's needed. I am desperately trying to cut corners where I can because I have a newborn and six others =) This is awesome, easy, cheap, and healthy! Thanks!
ReplyDelete