More Variety in Foods

I was getting burned out on eating baked chicken and salads all the time. I was spending time cooking meals for the family, then making some chicken and/or salad for myself. Last month I visited a friend in Massachusetts and we went out to dinner one night. I ordered baked cod/scallops and it was delicious. It was like "Whoa, this is fabulous and I can make this!" So, I've been checking out recipes and shopping for what I need. Some of the things I've been enjoying:

Cauliflower Fried Rice with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in.

Fish Packets. Choice of Cod, halibut, scallops or shrimp with some seasonings, cream cheese and veggies wrapped in foil and baked.

Fried eggs over sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms topped with cheese or fried eggs over avocado.

Stuffed Chicken. Cordon Bleu or broccoli or spinach with cream cheese.

Curried Chicken Soup with Cauliflower Rice. I'm going to try broccoli or cauliflower cheese soup.

I'm enjoying these meals...they're too "fancy" for the family. Their loss. I usually make enough for four dinners and vacuum seal them so their ready when I want them. That way I'm not going crazy cooking every night. I generally cook two different things on Sunday. I'll eat steak or burgers with the family, but I pull out one of my prepared meals other nights.

Do you have quick and easy meals you treat yourself to?

These sound delicious, Mary! Yum! I have been really into shrimp recently since it's a 0-point food on weigh****chers. As is egg, chicken, haddock/cod/white fish and many other foods. My recent go to's:

Saute onions and chicken thighs in a little bit of olive oil with Za'atar seasoning

Saute a little olive oil and garlic in a pan and throw in shrimp for like 2 minutes per side

Grill salmon and cover it in a spicy Yemeni sauce I got at Trader Joes, and under grill it so it's not too dry

I like the idea of including some cream cheese in the fish packets! I found a whipped high protein cream cheese at Aldi that would be a good addition.

Can I have your curried chicken soup recipe? Sounds intriguing!

I make chicken bone broth (will be making it on a regular basis now). Add veggies: diced peppers and onions, some peas and shredded carrots. Season with powdered curry, garlic, ginger and paprika, salt and pepper. Add some cream. Simmer for a bit to thicken. When having it for lunch or dinner, I add riced cauliflower and with chicken or shrimp. Love it!

I would post a picture, but I always fail in my attempts. ?

i have been doing peppers onion and spinach with my eggs.

Lately I have been hooked on ratatouille - basically a veggie packed tomato sauce with turkey chop meat.

I like butternut squash, onions and carrots roasted together.

Taco seasoning and a little water when I cook shrimp. Use on salad or for stir fries.

I'm really getting into veggies lately. And trying different sauces/gravies with my meat.. made without flour, etc.

Don't forget to add tomato slices to your grilled vegetables mix. Add a little butter and put the slack of grilled vegetables over pasta.

Roasted heirloom squash soup ( I love chicken soup a million different ways ) .....

shrimp ****tail grilled shrimp fat free garlic sauced shrimp n scallop scampi

I gotta admit, I mostly don't cook, but will eat someone else's cooking. There's this place that I've been going to called Boutique Butcher & they have a pretty good variety of seasoned meats. I was looking for edjeh burgers, but they ran out. It's so good, mostly Mediterranean seasoning. I'm going to cook some chimichurri chicken sliders & I really like the honey mesquite chicken sliders.

I cook the way I prefer to cook-basically cooking meals I can eat- and if the family doesn't like it...they can eat cereal for dinner... I DO, however, throw in a pity starch for them because I'm a pushover like that.
I'm in a rut right now. I'm sick of everything I make. I already kind of "elevate" things as much as I can, so my problem is "Where do I go from here?" If I want to get any more fancy with things, Ima need to go to culinary school!

I did recently start using lemon pepper seasoning and made some baked lemon pepper Swai fish. I melted some butter, brushed it on the fish, coated fish with the seasoning, and popped it in the oven. It did not suck.
My go-to veggie dish, especially now that it's finally cool, is roasted mushrooms, zucchini, and onions. I toss them in avocado oil, season them with salt, pepper, garlic, and a little bit of marjoram or oregano and roast at 400° until I deem them done. I also toss in a stick or 12 of butter while it's cooking. I've also been known to cover the whole thing in mozzarella.

Yummo! Especially with the mozzarella. Definitely going to make this. And the rest of the family can do their own thing. I'm surrounded by people who don't like "this" and don't like "that".... can you say B.O.R.I.N.G!