Pasta (for this I like the tri-color Rotelli) cooked, drained and cooled. Add pickles and peppers chopped small, and halved cherry tomatoes if you have them. Drain a can of tuna and add to pasta. A good vinaigrette dressing. Quick and delicious!

Chuck roast. S&P it and then sear it on all sides in a frying pan. Then put in a crock-pot (I'm the anti-instapot one, I have plenty of time) with a thin sliced onion, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic or granulated garlic, and one cup of red wine. (On occasion I have also added a tsp of basil or maybe oregano and maybe a bayleaf too.) Give it about 6 hours at medium and your whole house will smell heavenly. I shred it and serve as a french dip with good rolls and cook down the juices for au jus.

Nancy, the potatoes sound lovely, yum.

If I'm going for cheap and nutritious, it's usually beans or another pulse. I can make a meal out of hummus but everyone in my family especially likes split pea soup. A bag of split peas, a chopped onion, a chopped carrot, a couple of quarts of water. Add a ham bone or bacon end if you have it and want to. Cook for 6 hours or so in the crockpot and add salt and pepper to taste.

sushipup, I'm not a fan of the Insta-pot either. Elery likes it and uses it for beans, mostly, or to tenderize very tough cuts of beef for the dogs. I find it fiddly and I know that the minute I try to use it it's going to break anyway, because Elery's daughter bought it for him.

Annie

I've been using up fresh vegetables in soups, usually with ground turkey or beef, a chopped chipotle pepper or two, and good chicken stock. Like a brothy chili that's not too heavy but still comforting. I also saute whatever vegetables I have, add eggs and scramble. The other day, I added sliced radish, diced this and that, some pepitos I had in the pantry, and beans.

That soup sounds delicious, Pillog.

Large tossed salads with lots of stuff in them besides lettuce from the garden. I've been using the marinades from the marinaded mozzarella balls to dress the lettuce. Today's had some cubed ham for more protein.

My meal I fixed Sunday was a mix of potatoes, carrots, onion, and sweet pepper, drizzled with oil and sprinkled with oregano and a bit of salt and mixed, put in a roasting pan and on top put some already cooked chicken I had plus 3 pieces of bacon. Cover and bake till the vegetables are done. Had coleslaw already so added that too. If using raw chicken cook of course till the chicken is done. Pretty much a one pot meal and it warms up great for the leftovers.

Sue

My starches are tri color quinoa and al dente lentils, cooked separately. Topped with lean meats, mango or pomegranate, lots of broiled asparagus with garlic and Parmesan. I vary the vegetables, meat, fruits and spices so there's variation.

Surimi Green Enchiladas - Set oven 375F. PAM spray casserole dish. Saute 1/4 of an onion and 1or2 garlic. Add to pan a jar of green salsa and heat. Reserve 1/4 for topping. Add coarsely chopped surimi (fake crab sticks) @2C and stir in dollops of cream cheese or not, a good bit of fresh cilantro or some dried, and chopped fresh parsley or dried, S&P. Take a taste and might add oregano, hot pepper flakes or jalapenos. Put in 8 small corn tortillas and roll up, or just layer 4, 3/4 of the filling, 4 on top, dollop rest of filling. Sprinkle with some shredded cheese (not Parm or Blue), cover with PAM sprayed alum foil. Bake 375F 20 min, uncover bake until edges are toasty and cheese is melted.

Nancy, we do something similar with leftover turkey or chicken, but we don't heat it beforehand. Plus add chopped green onions and shredded cheese to the cold filling. Follow the same ay you do yours.