I like good rice sides like Red beans and rice. I buy a lot of those vegetable mixes called :Steamers. They are really good with any meal and are good by themselves.
I love your choices. Sometimes fresh can really mess things up. I have had so many problems with rice that I NEED A RICE COOKER. But sometimes it is the quality of rice. It just doesn't cut it, the cheap brands.
So, Rice-a-Roni is great. You can use it as an ingredient too and beef it up. And the potatoes? They really got that one right too.
Salad fixings. I figure that cures a lot of ills, if I have a dinner or lunch that is fattening. If I eat a good fresh salad first, I don't eat as much of the higher calorie stuff. And salads can taste great.
I also like appetizers that have things like an antipasto (peppers, olives, cheeses in olive oil)
I love fresh, sliced tomatos with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and some salt.
Brocolli salad. (Lemon salt pepper garlic and olive oil) steam the broccoli and make it cooked. Not hard.
fresh and frozen vegetables (mostly potatoes, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and green beans), Basmati rice, and pasta. i don't buy boxed starch side dishes due to the extra and unwanted ingredients. i don't buy canned vegetables because they are over cooked and over salted. i like to eat whole/naked foods. the only things i add are Irish butter, Himalayan salt, fresh garlic, turmeric, and white or black pepper.
edit: i forgot to mention fresh garlic and turmeric. i also use other fresh and dried herbs/spices, as needed to marry up the side-dishes with the main dish.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at June 7, 2017 12:19 PM MDT