Weeknight menu ideas

January is full of idealism — and pressure. I feel the need to leave my tired-out, weeknight meal repertoire back in 2007 and henceforth produce healthy, colorful, rapid-fire dinners in the spirit of nonhuman, caffeine achievers like Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee. The truth is, just THINKING about how I’m going to change my strategy to get nutritious, exciting, mostly-scratch meals on the tables for a husband and three children under six, has worn me slap out. Between the thoughtful grocery lists, the meal-planning guides and the back-to-back episodes of Thirty Minutes Meals, I’m already about to give up.

But this is a community forum, more than a self-indulgent rant, so I’ll share a few speedy-fast lifesavers, and hope you’ll do the same. My goal is to get real about what’s really fast, i.e., nothing with shrimp, unless they’re already peeled and deveined, and nothing that involved lots of dirty dishes. I’m also not averse to cheating. Sometimes, the dark side is the only thing that keeps you from ordering pizza. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Balanced Plate Monday. Alexia Frozen Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Sea Salt (available in the freezer at Whole Foods) and their red potato with parmesan and garlic twin, are pricey, but delicious. Combine these creamy, flavorful 8-minute, microwavable goodies with pork chops or boneless chicken thighs and a bag of frozen peas for a June Cleaver-like balanced meal.

Chicken Noodle Tuesday. Combine chicken stock with sliced carrots and, at the last minute, egg noodles, then rotisserie chicken chunks to make surprisingly good homemade chicken noodle soup. There are more supermarket stocks today than ever, many of them MSG-free and organic.

Quiche Wednesday. Use Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts. Combine three eggs, a cup of half-and-half, a cup of grated cheese and the chopped veggies and meats of your choice. Throw in black beans and cheddar for a southwestern twist, or stick with bacon and Gruyere for a classic Lorraine.

OK, there are three lifesavers for you. Now please share your fast-and-easy strategies with your resolution-minded fellow readers.