Okay, so tomorrow is another meatless Friday and if I see another tuna fish sandwich or fish stick I think I am going to go out of my mind.
I am trying to eat more vegetables and pasta, but I am lazy so I am looking for quick ideas that require little or no kitchen effort. Not asking too much, am I? 
What will you be eating?
I’m 40, just old enough to remember when meatless Fridays were a year-round thing, not just during Lent.
Growing up in a largely Italian neighborhood in New York City, we always got a large cheese pizza on Friday nights, so frankly, “meatless Friday” never seemed like much of a sacrifice at all!
good evening friends
i am a bit older than friend astorian, and i remember the meatless fridays well. a favorite at our house was grilled cheese sandwiches served with tomato soup.
friend sapphire bullet:
a couple of weeks ago, during a service call at a day care center, i detected an odor from the kitchen that was horrifyingly nostalgic. they were having fish sticks and canned, stewed spinach for lunch. i was instantly transported back in time where sister mary de sade was forcing me to eat this very concoction. i haven’t eaten fish sticks or stewed spinach since.
How 'bout some pasta, Sapphire? Make yourself a mess of some tasty risotto. Great thing about risotto is that it can work like a casserole; just throw in whatever the hell you like along with the rice. About 2 cups of rice will yield enough risotto for dinner and leftovers for at least 2-3 days. Plus the ingredients are * cheapariffic!*
If you’ve never made it, recipes abound on the web and in just about every basic cookbook.
Plenty of great veggie alternatives that are so good you won’t feel deprived. How about:
bean and cheese tostadas, w/ plenty of good stuff on top, like tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, etc.
stuffed shells (cheese, spinach, etc.); ravioli or tortellini
boil pasta; toss w/ bottled marinara; top w/ fresh parmesan; or go w/ alfredo if you life it.
marinate portabello 'shrooms (Worcestershire, basalmic, whatever you like), saute then pop into sub rolls with cheese and fixin’s.
order a cheese and veggie pizza
stuffed potato wedges; cut the spuds fairly flat, brush w/ oil; sprinkle on salt (and chili powder if you want, minced garlic) then roast for a while. When almost done top w/ lashings of cheese, fake bacon bits if you like 'em, chopped onion, etc. Glop on a little sour cream, pass the salsa and vow to worry about your arteries later. (If you serve a salad on the side I’m convinced it cancels out some of the cholesterol.)
Veb
Hmm, it was never too much of a problem at home, but eating in the cafeteria here at school makes it much more challenging. (I really do feel for the vegetarians.)
When I was at home, pizza was pretty common. =) We also did a lot of fresh fish – picked up a pound, broiled/baked/whatevered it, and enjoyed that. You could try tuna in casseroles, maybe.
And there’s always tofu? =)
I remember meatless fridays
Mostly it was macaroni and cheese,fish sticks,eggs,or grilled cheese.Sometimes tuna casserole.
Actually the grilled cheese sandwich sounds good right now but I can do without the rest of them.
Lent ususally fell right about the time fishing started to get good, so we almost always had catfish, bream, bass or sac-a-lait along with fries made from home grown Irish potatoes, onion rings (again home grown) and hushpuppies.
Quite a sacrifice, eh?
Anyway, cheese pizza is always good.
Ugh. When I was a kid, my mother always adhered to the meatless Fridays thing during lent. It was usually some type of pasta, or pizza for dinner.
Nowadays, I don’t pay any attention to it. I figure I’ve already got a backstage pass to Hell anyway, so a burger on a Friday won’t make it any worse.
BTW, wasn’t it George carlin who did a whole bit on this? Something about people who are doing time in hell on a meat rap? 
Do you really find it that hard? Do you actually eat meat EVERY DAY? I find that odd.
Here in Western Pennsylvania you would have no trouble finding meatless meals on Fridays. Any Friday, but especially diring Lent. If you walked into a restaurant today and ordered a cheeseburger you’d get a funny look. Many restaurants have specials on fried fish (cod) sandwiches.
When I was in public high school, they served cheese pizza. How about Mushroom pizza? One of my favorite pizzas is mushroom, onions, and peppers.
As a former Catholic, well, I probably shouldn’t tell you what I’m having for dinner tonight.
Question from a godless heathen, here: I know Catholics aren’t supposed to eat meat on Fridays (though I thought that rule had been overturned in the 1960s), but what is the historical/religious reason behind this?
IIRC, originally it wasn’t just a no meat rule, you were supposed to fast, it was supposed to be a sacrifice. Also, you were not supposed to eat 12 hours before partaking of Communion. Vatican II was before my time, can anyone out there verify this?
Swooping in with a link to the Catholic Encyclopedia’s entry on Lent.
To quote:
Ugh. We had tuna casserole every Friday of my frickin’ childhood. I can’t stand it to this day!
However, my grandfather, father and brothers are HUGE fans. Ever since my mom died 3 years ago, they sometimes ask me to make it on a random Wednesday too, just 'cause they love it so much. I rarely relent. Since I’m the only one who knows the recepie, I’m considering letting the vile, evil thing die with me.
Nah. Mom wouldn’t like that. So, here’s the recepie, that it may live on.
1 bag of wide egg noodles, Cooked and drained.
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 sm cans tuna, drained
Mix all in large bowl or casserole, top liberally with black pepper and bake 30-40 minutes at 350. Voila.
What I don’t get is that after 30+ years of eating this stuff, my brothers and dad have never been able to “figure out” the ingredients and cook it on their own.
Since I won’t eat tuna casserole, I usually opt for mac 'n cheese on Fridays. Quesadillas are good too, or bean and cheese enchiladas. I also like grilled cheese and tomato soup.
*I miss you, Mom. Everything about you except your tuna casserole. 
*
My family was lower middle class growing up. We generally had one of several meals on Fridays during Lent.
[ul]
[li]Tuna Burgers (commonly known in my family as Bush (rhymes with rush) Burgers.[/li][li]Creamed Tuna on Toast.[/li][li]John’s Frozen Cheese Pizza.[/li][li]Homemade Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches[/li][/ul]
Which one do you suppose I’d recommend?
Wonderful suggestions you guys!
I have been trying to eat more protein (kind of a modified Atkins diet), and I gave up potatoes for Lent! :eek: I have had to back off of that because of Lent (hence the pasta).
I wouldn’t say a meat free day is hard, but the lack of variety can be tiring. Now not eating potatoes is hard! But since I am a lowly college student I like convenience food, and I am poor. Usually lunch and dinner consists of chicken soup, ham sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. How often do you eat meat?
Veb, as soon as Lent is over I am making those stuffed potato wedges! Yum!
And Stephen? don’t ever say tofu to me!
[sub]I actually miss my mom’s tuna casserole![/sub]
Fish sticks rule! They taste like what ever you put on them(Tabasco,teriyaki sauce,wasabi).
While we’re not farmers anymore, my family does come from farmers (Cotton farmers, mind you, my Dad took off at least 2 weeks a year to help with the harvest, we was a “cotton picker”). We are also Cajun. Once or twice a year we would have a boucherie (boo-share-ree), basically a “butchery” where we you kill a hog, and divide the meat up in the family. Also, boudin and grautin (graw-tah, or cracklins) would be made within 5-6 hours after the pig’s slaughter. When my father’s family came into money, which would be after a couple of the sons went to the city (Baton Rouge) and got jobs at one of the chemical plants they had money enough to buy calves. To this day, my father does not buy meat in a grocery store. He buys a calf, has it killed, and stocks his freezer.
So, yes, we pretty much had meat every day. My Mom still cooks smothered (insert your cut) steak, cooked down with green onion, white onion, a bit of seasoning, and makes a DAMN good rice and gravy out of that. (By the by, yes this is a Friday night, and yes I am buzzed, but I’m gonna keep on keepin on) For those of you out there that think that “blackend redfish” is cajun food, NO, it’s not. (OK, I’m gonna switch terms here) “Coonass” food is well seasoned, but not necessarliy “hot”. Ya know, I think I’ll go to IMHO and start a thread about this.
You Catholics are complaining about no meat for one day of the week? Try no pork and no combinations of meat and dairy ever! Now that’s tough!
Seriously, now, if you’d like something simple, how about quesadillas. Just take flour tortillas and the cheese of you choice, and it only takes a few minutes. Mac&cheese is always good. Vegetarian lasagna or scalloped potatoes would take some more effort, but they’re well worth it. Also, consider looking into some fake meats. Try different brands and see if you can find one you like.
I’m including potatoes for everyone…
Pasta with Italian dressing and grated mozzarella or cheddar. MMMMMMMmmmmm…
Pierogi with cheese
Cheese and brocali quiche
Noodles Romanoff
Potato Pancakes
Hell, pancakes, eggs and french toast for dinner! MMMMM
It’s to remind you that Friday was the day Jesus died, that’s all. I like meatless fridays. It’s usually potluck in my house, so I get to fend for myself.
My mom’s family usually had eggs and waffles or something like that on Fridays. Fish was hard to get and they didn’t have frozen cuisines and stuff. And my grandfather never liked tomato sauce.