Meat loaf.

spaghetti (in many forms, last night was pasta aglio olio with shrimp)

pork roast

chicken thighs with spinach and pasta

When I had family at home we sat at the table, set with silver china ( well ironstone!) candles, napkins etc. during the highschool years it wasn't always possible that both kids were there but the table was set for whoever was there. I made..."whatever"...pot roast, roast whole chicken, spaghetti, lasagna, frozen fish sticks and tater tots, leftover pot roast and warmed up mashed potatoes, hot dogs and slaw and potato salad.
I think it's very important for a family and even just for a husband and wife to gather and have time together.
Oh and a salad....always a salad.

I agree that any menu can work as a sit-down family dinner. We set the table in the dining room for the two of us, but simply, no candles or cloth napkins, tho. We do it even for tomato soup and grilled cheese dinners or delivered pizza. We eat at the kitchen island for lunches and b'fast except once a week when we have a 'real' breakfast, and that's in the DR, too..

We too always had dinner with everyone around the table... every night. And, like Linda, sometimes someone was missing for some sport event, but more frequently it was us, plus one or more of DS's friends. I found out that for some of these boys these were the only times they ever sat at table with family... and they still treasure those times. The food was.. and still is... always a full meal.... meat, vegetables and starch; oh, and dessert, let's not forget dessert.

There are other pasta casseroles besides lasagna - penne or ziti, etc. with meat, seafood, cheeses and veggies - tomato or not - and pastitsio is another yummy pasta casserole that freezes well.

You might also do potato and meat/protein casseroles - or grains.

For me, it can be just as easy to do simple sheet pan suppers with fresh ingredients, and there are lots of recipes for those. I'll bet many of the ingredients could be prepped and frozen ahead, then assembled & cooked pretty quickly.

It's hard to suggest without knowing what you make for grab and go meals, what you like to cook, etc.

For freezing, components often work well. Starches and fats freeze very well, cooked meat freezes well enough, cooked vegetables generally go mushy. Things that freeze really well include cooked chicken, especially if it's going to be reheated with a sauce, stew of any kind without large vegetables (add them in when you heat it up, goopy things like spaghetti sauce, chili, taco meat (well, that's not that goopy), etc. From that you can generalize to things like pot pie filling excluding the veg, enchiladas and burritos, etc.

If you like making pot roast, if you make enough for two meals, you can pass the leftovers through a grinder or food mill and use it as filling for a rolled in dough kind of thing, bake and freeze whole, heat and slice to serve.

You can also make meal kits and freeze. If you're making your own pasta, tortillas, etc., or buying freshly made, those freeze fine. Freeze the sauce that goes with and cooked meat, then thaw and assemble with fresh veg.

Also, you can do new takes on old dishes. You make lasagna. Think about how you can vary it. I've made really good barbecue chicken lasagna, for instance. A very tomato-y, low sugar barbecue sauce, shredded chicken precooked with barbecue or adobo spices, smoked mozzarella, provolone, maybe even some cheddar, corn sliced off the cob, red or yellow bell peppers, yellow squash, red onions. Maybe spinach. I've made other flavors of lasagna as well.

Casseroles usually freeze well and if the vegetable pieces aren't too big they're more forgiving in a casserole where they're not expected to be crisp. Anything can be the basis for an interesting casserole, including many dinners that don't freeze well. It's all about controlling the moisture and layering. Indian, Chinese and Persian food all lend themselves well to reimagining as casseroles, as do many other flavors.

If I'm by myself in the kitchen for a meal, I eat in the kitchen with the TV, but when anyone is home we eat at the dining room table. I set up the house that way. There's a great relaxation and engagement that comes from sitting down together. My everyday dishes are finer than my company dishes. Makes sense since they get used so much more and so many fewer place settings are needed, but only company get chargers. Daily, we have a cloth or placemats, or placemats on the cloth.

I commend your progress toward family dinners. They're really lovely. You have the right of it in trying to make the cooking as little of a chore as possible. It's better not to put everything into the food and have nothing left for the family. :) All the best for the project.

we've gone retro and have our meals in front of the tv ... now that the kids are out of the house. but we have sit down meals when they visit. Especially since Sara broke her ankle and had to have it pinned. Beginning week three and am already ready to drop ... she gets a not-so-dainty sandwich for lunch and then whatever I can concoct for supper. had beans and brats tonight ... with an ice cream chaser ...

Well, living I France, you can imagine what I'm going to say lol. Europeans sit for all meals. Eating in Britain is going more the American way, but so is the size of peoples rears too so there is a backlash with people being encouraged to eat properly.

I can't imagine how you eat if you don't sit down to do it.

Any food is worthy of taking time and enjoying it. Its the time to connect with loved ones, ask about their day and relax.

I live alone and I have 3 sit down meals--real meals though simpler ones than if I were feeding more people. Real plates, cutlery and cloth napkin.

Even though there were just 2 of us, all of our meals were at the table. Whether it was 'breakfast for dinner', roast chicken, pasta, it didn't matter.

Even with just me, I eat at the table. Sometimes if I'm wanting to 'treat' myself, I'll set up the wooden tv tray in the livingroom and watch a movie etc.

I still make meals, though. I don't eat a sandwich for example and call that dinner.

You mentioned pot roast and it's handy because leftovers can be made into Shepherd's/Cottage Pie.

We sit down for every meal but we both did that with our families growing up. My father would recap the daily news and often wrote family letters to congress or the WhiteHouse. We had a big framed map of the world on the wall above the kitchen table. Hot topics, lol.

The only exception is light meals like a charcuterie and veggie plate lunch or dinner. Even then we will most likely sit with a plate of salad. Always fresh linen.

One of our Saturday or Sunday meals is abundant. Planned to solve a few lunches and/or frozen for soup or mid-week light dinners.

Our rotation is seasonal. Just had an abundance of artichokes and asparagus. Coming up on fresh corn, snap peas,...

Main proteins are a few chicken dishes, steak, and various beef cuts, pork, stuffed tenderloin, chops, ribs. Lots of seafood.

We are seated at the dinning room table for dinner every night. DH and I did that from the beginning of our marriage for the last 42 years. We never scheduled anything for the evening hours unless it was something we did together. It was the way we were both raised. It was the time we would discuss anything and everything.

And it is home cooked meals, but not elaborate ones. It could be burger & fries, pasta, sausage & noodles, fish with rice pilaf, roasted chicken and potatoes, pork chops, meatloaf, ribs, shrimp dishes, vegetarian dishes, and Friday pizza and movie night. Meals are usually served with salad and fresh veggie. Sunday is the day for the meal that requires more labor and time. Since DH retired 4 years ago we often, almost every day, have lunch and breakfast together too.

Meatballs (if I go through the hassle of making them, I make a double batch and freeze. They thaw quickly)

Grilled chicken--actually, any type of grilled meat. Before freezing, slice so it thaws quickly and then later use in salads or stir-fries or flatbread, etc.

Soup

We eat at the dining table for dinner, but we don't have breakfast or lunch together except on week-ends, and then we eat those meals in the dining room. If I am going to go to the trouble to make a meal, then it deserves to be eaten in the dining room, and that includes breakfast. If I make grits for breakfast (which I cook in broth with chilies, celery, garlic, and herbs and then bake with chopped sausage, cheese, and eggs), then we may eat that in bowls in front of the TV, but usually not. However, I do serve it in a single bowl and make enough for leftovers to be reheated.

The meals I cook are very varied, but a lot of them are almost one-pot meals that I cook in the pressure cooker. Often these are based on rice with vegetables, and I add cooked chicken or turkey after the rice is done. In fact, I often add the vegetables at the end so that they do not get over cooked, or else I cook the vegetables separately. If I make a pasta dish, I cook that on the stovetop. We eat a lot of fish, and I generally serve that with a side of vegetables and also some rice. We are not big on potatoes, but I make a few potato dishes, sometimes with green beans when those are in season.

To get more ideas, you might want to check out the "What's for dinner" threads. You can get a lot of inspiration there.

I make a lot of Mexican style dishes, such as enchiladas, burritos, tamales, etc., and those freeze well. I usually serve them with guacamole and Spanish rice. For snacks, I often make bean dip or hummus, and that we will eat while watching TV, but those are the exceptions. Most meals require using a knife and fork, and that is not practical except at a dining table. We had very formal meals when I was in college living on campus, and then when I lived in San Francisco, we also had more formal meals. Los Angeles is a bit more casual and people eat out here a lot, but we don't.

As for meals that don't take a lot of fixing, think about the grill....or a very hot fry pan. Steaks, pork chops, lamb chops, fish fillets, boneless chicken tenders or a split chicken breast. All can be cooked in a very few minutes on a grill or a hot fry pan and a baked potato in the micro and a quick salad and you have a quick sit down dinner. And you can do skillet meals....some meat, aromatics like onions celery peppers, garlic, in a fry pan with a little oil, add small slices of raw meat of some sort, vegetables and raw rice, liquid...broth tomato juice or just water....salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Years ago working on a survey I was amazed at what "dinner" meant to some people. a piece of cooked meat and pot of sides were put on the counter and every one stood around with their spoon or fork or fingers and just put food in their mouths....no plates, no napkins just grab some food and eat it.
And I know another couple, there are no children, who never have a meal...there is food in the refrig and pantry, bought by whoever is at the store and whenever someone is hungry you go get something to eat. If one of the other is hungry for fried chicken they may offer to share....or just put the leftovers away fro when ever someone is hungry again.
To each his own!

Thank you for the replies everyone. :-).

Sorry for the delay on answering. My week got crazy busy. I am now pet sitting three dogs. Which means a lot of exercising and just general play time. Plus I had to go out to some dog walking jobs as well.

I stand at a tall table when I eat. DH sits at our dining table and it's so normal for us that we don't even think of it. I've been doing this for 15 years now. I eat breakfast sitting when he is home but every other meal it is standing only.

I appreciate that you've given me so many great ideas and my exhausted brain is trying to sort through it all.

I really appreciate the attention to detail on Frozen Foods pllog. That will make it possible for me to have full meals with my family.

The one thing I'm having trouble trying to figure out is what kind of casseroles to make. I would like something with chili type flavors and something with curry type flavors but I would like it to be more formal. Not sure if I can get away with that with regular casseroles recipes.

The first menu for next Sunday is going to be a greek salad, DH's favourite, pot roast, carrots and sweet potato croquettes. I haven't figured out what sauce to pair the croquettes with. I like a mustard based sauce with them but DH likes a tomato-based sauce. I'll probably just give in and end up doing both. I'll have chicken breast as I can't eat the pot roast.

I think I'm just going to do strawberries grapes and kiwi salad. With ice cream for everyone else and yogurt for me. Everyone in my family approves of this menu for our first meal.

I live alone, but I sit down to eat. Anything I prepare or cook.

Bad ankle anyway.

Some of our easiest meals: chicken fajitas, which is made in one pan, including the chicken and then we do peppers and onions, you can add other veggies if you like, such summer squash. Condiments include grated cheese, sour cream and salsa.

Next up is braised cabbage, carrots and onions, with kielbasa or Italian sausage, and potatoes. I eat this meal with meatless links that mimic the sausages. Many ways to do the potatoes, we usually parboil then add in with the other stuff at the end to just finish off. We love this meal, and if we want to splurge, we serve it with pierogis from the freezer section instead of potatoes. You can use other veggies and even other greens such as kale if you like it. Applesauce is a nice side if you're wanting more. Polenta is a nice change of pace side other than potatoes, and if using polenta we'll go more Italian and add diced tomatoes of some sort and top with parm. Another vegetarian version of this would go meatless and add cannellini beans and maybe some cream cheese or neufchatel to make a creamier sauce. You can serve that version over rice or pasta too.

Stir fry to use up any vegetable bits and bobs that we have, plus I like to use frozen snap peas too. You can buy special Chinese vegetables like bok choy if you like, but we usually can't afford those very often so just use our pedestrian choices like cabbage and broccoli. Serve over rice.

Our favorite sit down meal is roast chicken. Or even baked chicken. My favorite sit down vegetarian meal is quiche and a salad. Easy to make if you buy prepared crusts. We also do enchilada and lasagne casseroles or baked penne. When it is cold, another one of our favorite meals is chili with cornbread.

Edited to add that my favorite thing with curry is soup. We don't usually do a "soup starter" but I have sometimes done it, like curried squash soup, which is a favorite. We also like curried red lentil soup.

If you're doing sit down, indulge yourself in some nice dishes and matching linens. Does not have to be super fancy or super expensive. Just allow yourself to set a nice table. Most of my stuff is dime store or Target, washable, with a few patterned things and a lot of plain stuff for mixing and matching. I also have a couple of seasonal centerpieces that I rotate, and some inherited salt and pepper shakers. Another inexpensive way to treat yourself is some fancy patterned paper napkins. There are lots of cool ones out there.

Ham, baked beans and a vegetable and pineapple chunks

Roast pork, oven roasted potatoes and a vegetable and applesauce side

Meat loaf with onions and potatoes, a veggie and ketchup

Shake n Bake (I make my own) on chicken breasts, or white fish like cod, with cole slaw and salad

Kielbasa and sauerkraut and boiled potatoes

Italian sausage and peppers over ziti with parm cheese and a side salad