52 meal ideas
Massey Menu meal ideas
Family meal ideas plus the random weekly dinner picker.
Tostadas
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Main Dish
Ingredients: corn tortillas, blended beans, cooked meat, and taco toppings.
Chicken Fajita Rice Bowls
idea
Main Dish
Janessa's Chicken Fajita Rice Bowls
Ingredients:
- Cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
- White rice
- Onion and bell peppers
- Chili powder, garlic salt, and paprika
- Flour tortillas, for serving
Method:
1. Cook white r…
Turkey Taco Stuffed Peppers
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Main Dish
Janessa's version: Mix cooked ground turkey taco meat with rice and pico de gallo. Stuff into hollowed-out bell peppers, top with cheese, and bake until the cheese melts.
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake
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Main Dish
Janessa's variation on her Chicken Enchiladas (record 114): follows the same recipe and method, using green chile enchilada sauce, canned green chiles, and shredded chicken. Usually uses mozzarella instead of Mexican-ble…
Shrimp Taco Slaw Bowls
idea
Main Dish
~330 cal / ~35g protein per serving. Seasoned shrimp over cabbage slaw with salsa verde, lime, avocado or light crema, and optional tortilla strips. Fast 20-minute dinner.
Family notes: NTT — need to try. Janessa has no…
Chicken Pozole Verde
idea
Main Dish
~350 cal / ~34g protein per serving. Cozy lighter soup with chicken, salsa verde or green chiles, hominy, cabbage, radish, lime, and cilantro toppings.
Family notes: Not tried yet—an idea to try. Janessa plans to try it…
Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad
idea
Main Dish
~390 cal / ~43g protein per serving. Grilled chicken salad with romaine or cabbage, corn, cotija or feta, chili powder, cilantro, lime, and a Greek yogurt street-corn-style dressing.
Family notes: NTT — need to try. Jan…
Lean Beef Taco Zucchini Skillet
idea
Main Dish
Ground beef and cubed zucchini, seared. Serve with sweet corn, pico de gallo, and usually rice. Optional regular taco toppings: sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and whatever is on hand.
High-Protein Chicken Tortilla Soup
idea
Main Dish
~320 cal / ~32g protein per serving. Chicken tortilla soup with chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, beans, corn, broth, and crispy tortilla strips on top instead of lots mixed in.
Family notes: Not tried yet; Janessa will a…
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Skillet
idea
Main Dish
Fast enchilada-style skillet dinner with shredded chicken, tortillas, sauce, crema/sour cream, and cheese. Serve with rice or chips and salsa.
Garlic Butter Ranch Pork Chops
idea
Main Dish
Janessa's pork with creamy ranch sauce, sautéed mushrooms, vegetables on hand, and usually mashed potatoes. Tried; needs improvement before becoming a family favorite.
Pizza Pasta Bake
archived
Main Dish
Pasta bake with marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, and beef or sausage. Add favorite pizza toppings.
Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Bowls
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Main Dish
Chuck roast slow cooked with chipotles, lime, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Serve as rice bowls, tacos, burritos, or nachos.
Honey Garlic Chicken Rice Bowls
idea
Main Dish
Chicken in honey-garlic-soy sauce over rice with broccoli. Quick, sweet-savory, and not too spicy.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
archived
Main Dish
Duplicate meal entry; use the updated Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe, record 176.
Taco Crescent Ring
archived
Main Dish
Crescent roll ring filled with taco meat and cheese. Serve with lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and avocado.
Turkey Club Wraps
active
Main Dish
Ingredients:
- Deli turkey
- Lettuce
- Bacon
- Tomato
- Guacamole
- Mustard
- Wrap tortillas
Side: tater tots.
Previously saved avocado spread option:
- 1 large avocado
- Garlic salt to taste
- Hot sauce to taste
- Hot…
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Pasta
idea
Main Dish
Ingredients: angel hair pasta, butter, shrimp, lemon pepper, garlic salt, tomatoes, onion, and peppers.
Method: Cook angel hair pasta, then butter it. Pan-fry shrimp in butter with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Sauté to…
Italian Sliders
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Main Dish
Slice and toast Hawaiian hoagie rolls, then add deli pepperoni, salami, pastrami and roast beef.
Kids: Colby Jack, meat and cheese only.
Janessa and Kyler: pepper Jack, usually with tomato, spinach and spicy mustard.
Spaghetti
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Main Dish
Family recipe ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Canned spaghetti sauce
- Spaghetti noodles
Method: Brown the ground beef and cook the spaghetti noodles. Combine the beef, canned spaghetti sauce, and cooked noodles in a bowl …
Spicy Chicken Parm
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Main Dish
Family Chicken Parm: same basic process as the family's spaghetti, using chicken patties instead of ground beef. Ingredients: spaghetti noodles, canned spaghetti sauce, chicken patties (spicy for Janessa and Ky; regular …
Smash Burgers
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Main Dish
Ingredients: 3 lbs ground beef, seasonings of choice, 1 package bacon, hamburger buns, butter, cheese. Toppings: fried eggs, lettuce, pickles, sautéed onion, jalapeño for Ky. Condiments: BBQ sauce, ketchup, spicy mustard…
Chicken Sandwiches
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Main Dish
Janessa's Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients: chicken, hamburger buns, sliced tomato, cheese, lettuce, pickles, and usually a guacamole-based spread. Spicy mustard is optional; BBQ sauce or ketchup according to preference.
…
Burrito Bowls
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Main Dish
Family ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Black beans, refried or whole depending on preference that night
- Tater tots (usual base)
- Pico vegetables
- Hot sauce
- Cheese
- Sour cream, optional if on hand
- Guacamole, optiona…
Tater Tot Casserole
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Main Dish
Janessa's version is pretty much the same as her Burrito Bowls (record 105).
Family ingredients, following Burrito Bowls:
- Ground beef
- Black beans, refried or whole
- Tater tots
- Pico vegetables
- Hot sauce
- Cheese…
Pizza Roll-Ups
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Main Dish
Family pizza roll-ups: store-bought crescent roll dough triangles, 1/2 mozzarella cheese stick per triangle, and pepperoni. Serve with pizza sauce. Alternative: store-bought pizza crust cut into pieces with a pizza cutte…
Beef-n-Broccoli w/ Noodles
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Main Dish
Family recipe ingredients: sizzle steak; regular spaghetti noodles; fresh broccoli; sliced carrots. Sauce: soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking sherry, white wine vinegar, and cornstarch. Amounts not specified.
Method: Cook…
Chicken Alfredo
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Main Dish
Family version ingredients:
- Chicken thighs, cooked and shredded in the Instant Pot
- Broccoli, blended into the sauce or diced
- Homemade sauce option: heavy cream, mozzarella, parsley, garlic salt, and black pepper
- …
Chicken Caprese w/ Butternut Squash
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Main Dish
Janessa's family recipe
Ingredients:
- Boneless chicken thighs
- Lemon pepper, paprika, and garlic salt
- Butternut squash
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Balsamic vinegar
- Usually 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies
- Sourdough …
Sausage & Veg 1-Pan Meal
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Main Dish
Ingredients: Polish sausage, small potatoes cut into quarters, cherry tomatoes, and optional zucchini.
Method: Bake the quartered potatoes in the oven first. About 30 minutes later, add the Polish sausage. Then add the …
Chili
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Main Dish
Janessa's family chili
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage
- Canned chili beans
- Canned spicy kidney beans
- Rotel tomatoes with chilies
- Crushed Italian stewed tomatoes (canned)
- Tomato paste
…
Cajun Pasta
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Main Dish
Family recipe: Cajun Pasta (recipe #263).
Ingredients: 1 bag (3 lb) frozen chicken thighs, 1 package cooked bacon cut into bits, 1 package Cajun Polish sausage, usually frozen shrimp, penne pasta, and water as needed.
Sa…
Chicken Enchiladas
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Main Dish
Janessa's family recipe.
Ingredients: frozen chicken thighs, enchilada sauce, small flour tortillas, Mexican-style shredded cheese, pico de gallo, and hot sauce or homemade salsa.
Method: Cook frozen chicken thighs in …
Smothered Burritos
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Main Dish
Family recipe — Smothered Burritos
Ingredients: Large flour tortillas, canned black beans, cooked steak or leftover pulled pork, and cheese. Optional toppings: canned green chili, extra cheese, pico de gallo, hot sauce,…
Tacos - Fish, Chicken, or Beef
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Main Dish
Fish, chicken, or beef tacos with fried meat, flour or corn tortillas, and standard taco toppings.
BBQ Meatballs w/ Ramen
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Main Dish
Family ingredients:
- Frozen Italian meatballs
- BBQ sauce
- 4 packages chicken-flavored ramen
- Canned green beans
Preparation: Cook the frozen Italian meatballs in BBQ sauce. Serve with chicken ramen and canned green …
Baked Chicken & Veggies
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Main Dish
Janessa's family recipe
Ingredients (amounts not specified):
- Bone-in chicken thighs.
- Flexible roasting vegetables: zucchini, small fingerling potatoes, possibly broccoli or green beans (not canned).
- Paprika
- Garl…
Steak w/ Potatoes & Veg
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Main Dish
Family recipe — Steak w/ Potatoes & Veg
Special-occasion meal. Grilled ribeye for Janessa and Ky; sirloin for Emberly and Sawyer; New York strip for Lukas.
Sides: mashed potatoes or loaded baked potatoes, plus a nice v…
Meatloaf w/ Mashed Potatoes
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Main Dish
Janessa's meatloaf with mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs ground beef
- 1 package Italian-seasoned bread stuffing mix
- 3 eggs
- Worcestershire sauce (amount not specified)
Method: Knead the ingredients together, p…
Shepherd's Pie
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Main Dish
Ingredients: mashed potatoes, ground beef, sweet corn, optional frozen peas and carrots, Mexican-blend shredded cheese.
Method: Prepare mashed potatoes and cook ground beef first. Layer in a baking pan from bottom to to…
BBQ Chicken Legs
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Main Dish
Family version ingredients:
- Chicken legs
- BBQ sauce mixed with paprika, garlic salt, and lemon pepper
- 1 stick salted butter
Usual sides:
- Frozen broccoli OR a frozen vegetable mix with cauliflower, broccoli, and s…
BLT
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Main Dish
Family ingredients:
- Regular sandwich bread, toasted
- Lettuce
- Sliced bacon, cooked
- Tomato
Usual side:
- Tater tots
Turkey Clubs
active
Main Dish
Meal idea transcribed from handwritten family favorites list.
Usual side:
- Tater tots
Nachos
active
Main Dish
Ingredients: tortilla chips, ground beef, cheese, and everyone's choice of taco toppings.
Method: Brown the ground beef. Layer tortilla chips with ground beef and cheese; bake until the cheese melts.
Family notes: Serv…
Homemade Hamburger Helper
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Main Dish
Family recipe: 1 lb ground beef; 1 small can cream of chicken soup; 1 package chicken gravy mix; 1 bag frozen peas and carrots; approximately 4 cups water; egg noodles (amount not specified); seasonings to taste.
Breakfast for Dinner
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Main Dish
Family version: pancakes, link sausage, and fried eggs. Optional side: fried potatoes.
Tortilla Soup
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Main Dish
Janessa's Tortilla Soup: same base as her Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, without cream and with corn added.
Ingredients: sliced peppers, finger carrots, chicken broth, garlic salt, paprika, shredded cooked chicken, corn,…
Pork Roast
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Main Dish
Two family preparations:
- Pulled pork: bone-in pork butt, pressure-cooked in the Instant Pot for about 3 hours until falling off the bone. Used for burritos or pulled pork sandwiches.
- Pork roast: pork loin cooked on t…
Roast Beef w/ Veggies
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Main Dish
Ingredients: chuck roast (usually 2 roasts—the family likes plenty of meat), finger carrots, 2 white onions thinly sliced, pepperoncini peppers with some juice, 1 package brown gravy mix, beef broth, 1 package ranch seas…
Chicken Wraps
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Main Dish
Family chicken wraps, three versions. All use large flour tortillas, frozen chicken strips (deep-fried), and bacon.
Kyler: frozen peppers and onions, cut jalapeño, sweet chili sauce, bacon, and cut chicken strips.
Kids: …
Chicken Strips w/ Mac-n-Cheese
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Main Dish
Frozen chicken strips cooked in the deep fryer, served with homemade mac and cheese.
Mac-and-cheese ingredients: elbow noodles, Velveeta Queso Blanco, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, heavy cream, salt, and pepper.
Quantitie…
Homemade Mac-n-Cheese
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Main Dish
Same homemade mac and cheese served with Chicken Strips w/ Mac-n-Cheese: elbow noodles, Velveeta Queso Blanco, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Usually adds a protein such as cooked chicken or sa…