Meatless meal ideas to please kids of all ages?

Hi everyone! Lent is upon us & for some, that means meatless Fridays.
Any good, simple supper ideas out there? I looked in the sisters cookbook & there are some delicious sounding recipes, but not too many that our kids would love.

For Ash Wednesday, I made homemade baked macaroni & cheese. Yumm. I just don't wanna do fish sticks & fries all the time! (though we will definitely have that at least once as they do like it!)
All I can think of is tomato soup & toasted cheese sandwiches.

Oh! just thought of another good one, they like mexican layered dip. ( i posted that in the BEST forum recipes).

ok, that's all i can think of,

Any ideas ladies?

thanks,
xena

OH! Just thought of another! cheedar cheese souffle. I'm not as dumb as I look, some of the kids like to cook so I'll let one of them make this one!

Hi there, we do seafood gumbo sometimes during lent (the rest of the year too - love it). I also do salads and veggie meals.

I remember a few:

Tomato soup & noodles
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Tuna salad sandwiches
Quiche with broccoli, tomato, cheese, onion etc.
Vegetarian Pizza

Hope this helps!



Sister Katie

Xena,

I got this one out of "Taste of Home's Quick Cooking magazine....... for Lent you can just use beans, or as I did add some soy burger ( if ya can have soy ). I'm sure kids will like it...... I have a 53 yr.old kid -- DH and he went back for seconds !!

Mexican Manicotti

( "Serve this entree with Spanish rice, homemade salsa and chips. You can also make without the ground beef...... friends who are vegetarians requested the recipe")

1 lb.ground beef
1 can ( 16 oz.) refried beans
2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp dried orgeano
1 pkg. ( 8 oz.) Manicotti shells
2 1/2 cups water
1 jar (16 oz.) picante sauce
2 cups of sour cream
1 cup shredded Monterey jack or mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup small diced onion
1/4 cup sliced black olives

(*note: you can make this as low fat as you'd like: No ground beef-- use soy burger, or just beans, use fat free sour cream; use low fast or no-fast cheese )

In a bowl, combine the uncooked beef, beans, chili powder and oregano. Spoon into uncooked manicotti shells: arrange in a grreased 13-in.x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine water and picante sauce; pour over shells. Cover and refridgerate for 5 - 6 hours.

Remove from the refridgerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover; spoon sour cream over the top, sprinkle with the cheese, onions, and black olives if desired. Bake 5 -, 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Yeild: 8 servings.

(* I didn't have refried beans..... I used what I had on hand and mashed the heck out of them --- and since I don't do red meat, I used some soy burger ------ it was great ----- and like I said DH went back for seconds --------- and this was the first time I made this !! We'll be making it again !! )( I fixed it up in the morning...... went to work...... then just had to toss it in the oven and put the "fixings" on the last 10 minutes ----- very quick and easy !!)

PS. I'll be posting some new recipes like this on the BEST recipes site.......took me awhile to find some new ones for ya'll !

Thank you all so much for your replies!

I appreciate it & I know dh & the kids will too!
Because I'm down with a pretty killer cold, I was a princess (of another variety!) and ordered pizza last night. Can't do that once a week, however.

Katie, I LOVE tomato soup & never thought of adding noodles..yummmmm! And a good tuna sandwich is tough to beat. Sometimes my mom used to mix up the tuna salad, stir in a tasty shredded cheese, mound it onto 1/2 of a burger bun & then i think she broiled or baked them briefly to heat through & melt the cheese. (if baked, did she loosely cover them? can't remember...) Really good.

Jeanus, gumbo sounds delish, too. And I'd sort of forgotten about just making a great big, loaded salad with good bread & maybe some cheese.

And Jubilee, I've been wondering where ya were! So glad to hear from you & as always, your recipe sounds delicious. Definitely sounds like something my crew would enjoy. Looking forward to seeing more on BEST.

All of your ideas sound great! Thanks so much, from the bottom of my ...stomach!

Hi Again,

I make my tuna sandwiches 2 different ways. One is the traditional way with a slice of American or whatever cheese & sprouts. The other is made like a grilled cheese sandwich. Basically a tuna melt with my traditional tuna salad with a slice of cheese. I always splurge and buy the best albacore tuna in spring water. My DH loves them The tomato soup is a basic in our household. I prepare it like my DM did. Half water & half milk & a slice of American cheese. I cook the wide noodles on the side and add them after the soup is done.

Later,

Sister Katie

PS: Can you tell I was from WI (cheese)

mmmmmmm, sounds so good Katie. I only like the white tuna in water, too.

So you're a cheesehead!! (my sister is too) I LOVE Wisconsin, having spent many summer vacations there and we live in Illinois so we zip up over the border fairly often. Was just there Tuesday. Went to New Glarus 2x last summer & ate wonderful cheeses & pastries there...love Wisconsin & cheese!

Cheese, glorious cheese.

I don't know if I can wait til Friday to have tomato soup & tuna! I do believe we'll be having that soon. mmmmmmm.

Hi Xena,

Yes, I'm a "Cheddar Head" from WI but now living in AZ! I make a killer potato, vegetable cheese chowder soup! That's another idea! I've gained some points on that one

Also...The traditional "beef stroganoff" instead of the beef you use the ****ake Mushrooms. I love those mushrooms and in my opinion they taste better than steak!



Sister Katie

PS: I just noticed the first part of my mushroom was edited. You know what type though ?

Hi, I found a great web site it is Catholic Mom. com, it has cooking with Catholic Mom, lots of great recipes. I liked the tuna rollups, also many more. Hope this helps.

Wow nature! i bookmarked the recipe page on the catholic mom site. Great stuff! Thanks so much.

Katie, I love mushrooms, but sadly, am alone with my passion here. Still, I think I'll make it for myself some night when I make the regular beef variety for the family. Great idea. Oh, and watch that language, young lady! lol