anothermother Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Our family is starting our 3rd w30 this week. One of our traditions is Friday pizza and family movie night. I'm looking for a pizza replacement not a replacement pizza. It's not the pizza I miss it's the "not cooking a big meal and getting a ton of dishes dirty" thing I miss. I usually love cooking for our family, but on Firiday night I just want to eat, watch a movie with my kids and then have a relaxing night with my husband without doing dishes before bed. I've been trying to think of a make ahead casserole-ish thing I could freeze and reheat on Friday night but I'm having a hard time coming up with anything compliant. Ideas anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessina Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 How about a crockpot meal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted November 9, 2014 Moderators Share Posted November 9, 2014 Something like Shepherd's Pie (here's one recipe, or another -- or google Whole30 shepherd's pie for a ton more). Or if you're up for breakfast for dinner, you could make a breakfast casserole with eggs and sausage and whatever veggies your family likes -- I like sweet potato, spinach, and maybe broccoli or cauliflower -- but you could do onions and bell peppers and mushrooms or whatever you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewer5 Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 We LOVE ground sausage (or any kind of meat w/ sausage seasonings), cooked up in the wok with zucchini, bell peppers, onions. Pour a can of compliant Trader Joe's marinara over it, and it's a meal. One of our favorites! I am sure you could make this ahead in a casserole dish and bake it... I've just never done it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeve Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Even though you said you're not looking for replacement pizza: http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/08/01/hearty-spinach-beef-frittata/ Prep everything but the eggs during Thursday's dinner, then Friday becomes: dump the prepped storage container of filling into the cast iron pan, reheat for 5-10 minutes, add eggs, 20 minutes in the oven, whammo. Faster than you can set the clock on the VCR. Stupid Easy has a lot of low hassle one pan dinners. One of my own, portioned for three: 2 green peppers big onion, softball-ish head of cauliflower pound of fresh chicken sausage links, more's fine olive oil herbs of choice (Amazon: Sylvia's Secret) 1. preheat 375 2. chop onion, little finger thick 3. slice peppers, little finger thick 4. dismantle cauliflower down to 1 inch pieces 5. slice sausage into inch plus chunks 6. layers: onion, pepper, cauli, sausage, oil, herbs of choice Prep it excluding the oil and fridge it on Thursday. Then on Friday, go crazy with the oil, like you won the lottery, it makes the flavor and most of it ends up in the dish. Resist the urge to toss, because you want the sausage on top to crisp up and to baste the veggies. Shallow dishes, like about 2-3" deep are better. Takes about an hour and 20 to scorch up into awesomeness, not sure if that is too slow for your family's weekday dinner routine. Can substitute ground chicken and your favorite spices for raw links, just make globs and evenly scatter them on top of the veggies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoodess Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Do you have a grill? What about foil packets with protein/veg in them? You could prep them ahead of time and everyone could add whatever they like. No pots to clean, just eating dishes. Quick and easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anothermother Posted November 10, 2014 Author Share Posted November 10, 2014 Thanks for all the recommendations! Is there a way to do the foil packets in the oven? We're headed into "below 30 everyday" season here in Chicago and I can't see the grill happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoodess Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 You absolutely can do it in the oven. I found a pinterest board with lots of ideas (not all paleo but you can definitely adapt and rework). When I've done these I line the foil with parchment so nothing gets a metallic taste. I would think a half hour in a 400 degree oven would be perfect for most things. http://www.pinterest.com/anhardsion/foil-packet-meals/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I'd also suggest leftover night. It might not be quite as popular with the kids as pizza, but sometimes recombining things can make them better. Last night all I had to do was make mashed potatoes and hubby and I topped them with leftovers (we had our choice of beef stew, Mel Joulwan's thyme braised short ribs, or a Greek-ish chicken bake with onions/artichoke hearts/sun dried tomatoes/lemon juice). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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