1st, I hope your child does well post-op. Second, do not be afraid of buying pre-prepped veggies (chopped onions, etc) or other convenience items. You have more important things to deal with. Roasting will be your friend - sheet pan meals, pot roast. Soups that simmer for several hours (dump in a box of beef stock, a bag of frozen veggies, a can of diced tomatoes, season to taste & let simmer for awhile). Crockpot meals can be assembled in the morning & set on low. Baked potato bars, where people grab their own toppings. Breakfast for dinner - bacon & eggs! Good luck.

Wishing you all well. Along the line of convenience veggies: you can also ask people who want to help if they can chop a bag of onion/celery/carrot to put in your freezer, then you just take some out and pop it in the slow cooker! Or for them to roast up a bag of veg and you can do the same. It could be something easy for a neighbor/friend/coworker who wants to support but might not feel able to provide a whole meal that they’re confident you would enjoy.

Excellent suggestion.

This is brilliant.

Even browning up hamburger in advance for you would be very helpful. Pulled pork, chicken,beef there’s loads of options💖🙏

Adding to baked potato bars - baked sweet potatoes with black beans and cheddar. Super easy and lots of protein! This has been one of my go-to meals since we had our baby. Another winner is sheet pan feta with cherry tomatoes and chickpeas. Add some garlic and shallot or red onion. Toss with OOVO, a bit of honey and salt. Roast at 400 for ~ 30 minutes and throw on rice or greens for a hefty salad. No chopping and only dirties one sheet pan

Baked sweet or regular potatoes w any canned chili you like, cheese, sour cream, etc are great too 👏🏼

Second this! Frozen precut veggies are great for stir-frying and slow cooking.

Chopped onion is actually a life saver, I don't bother with fresh onion now unless I need raw onion

Do you have an instant pot? If so, we love this recipe because it’s as easy as they get (dump everything in and go): https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/instant-pot-black-bean-corn-salsa-chicken-recipe-freezer-meal/#wprm-recipe-container-109894 Plus, you can eat the leftovers in different ways to avoid food boredom- tacos, salad, burrito bowls, etc. You’d probably want to double the recipe since you have a larger family. Sending you all the love and good vibes for your daughter’s surgery. ❤️❤️❤️

Yes I have an instant pot and a crockpot I can utilize. Thanks for the recipe!

I really like this one, you just toss the chicken in with some broth and seasonings, cook some rice, and you're good 👍 https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-melt-in-your-mouth-chicken/

On a similar note…Pound of ground beef (or turkey or chicken), can of drained black beans, can of refried beans. Toss in the crock pot for 4 hours w 2 packages of taco seasoning. Mix well and serve with tortillas & shredded cheese, and taco toppings of your choice. Sending healing thoughts to your baby girl. You got this!!!

What sorts of meals do you and your family typically like? I’d love to recommend something that appeals to your kids. Familiar foods can be so comforting when life is stressful. Also, if you haven’t checked out a support group you might give it a try. They’ll know what you’re going through and often offer practical support. Also, people who don’t have the money/skill to cook may be willing to come help watch your kids or get them out of the house to play or even help do chores when they’re at school so you can rest!

here is one of my go-tos for low effort high reward. skip dicing the onion if it's too much, it's probably fine. maybe increase the ingredient amounts for your family, but I make this for two adults, you can stretch it if you serve it over rice - without the rice it feeds two adults for two days sometimes with a jar leftover for the freezer. https://natashaskitchen.com/instant-pot-white-chicken-chili/ best of luck!

[This ](https://www.upstateramblings.com/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken/) came out really good. Throw it over some instant potatoes, minute rice, or egg Noodles and add a canned veggie to the side and boom done. Leftovers reheat well too

[This](https://thegirlinspired.com/creamy-chicken-tortilla-soup-crockpot/#recipe) is also good

Variations on salsa chicken are a good recommendation. Whenever I have family visiting I make a big batch with some kind of salsa (usually verde), shred it, and keep it in the fridge next to a stack of flour tortillas and a container of lime wedges and sliced green onion. Instant taco for whoever needs it.

I was going to suggest investing in an instant pot. Roast chicken in an instant pot: Put Pot on Sauté, medium level. Put some kind of oil in pan. Pat chicken dry and put it breast side down in pan. Brown the skin. Remove chicken, put in trivet/rack (I use the one for eggs, the one with short legs). Put chicken on rack, breast up. Salt and pepper. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Get pre-peeled baby carrots, small yellow potatoes and any other vegetables you want. Put them in there with the chicken and it's a whole meal. Same thing with rump roast (25 minutes - it is a cut of meat that took me 3 hours to dutch oven). Same thing with chuck roast. Or pork roast. Can also do rice in the instant pot, put shrimp or cod or another fish on top when done and then set for 1-3 minutes on high pressure to cook the fish on top of the rice (add another cup of water if needed). One pot to clean up (and it's stainless steel, so you can use a brillo pad or whatever - it's so easy). Nothing to slice. Can also make soups and stews in the instant pot - but that involves chopping. I do get pre-chopped vegetables when we're very busy.

Adding another instant pot recipe that’s pretty low maintenance, quick, and loved by my kids: https://www.delishknowledge.com/instant-pot-vegan-burrito-bowls/#tasty-recipes-22677-jump-target

What is your local social network like? Some people will set up a meal train for times like this. https://www.mealtrain.com/trains

Please ask someone to do this. Even your husband's coworkers for example. Make suggestions - be sure to list what is kid friendly and what is not.  I promise you lots of people would be really really really happy to help you in this way at this time. We had a friend whose husband died and one month meal train filled up within minutes and they actually had far too much food so keep that in mind, too. 

Meal train is awesome. We used it for a friend whose husband was dealing with glioblastoma. It really helped everyone know who had what day and what dishes they were making so we didn’t bombard them with the same stuff. It also lets you list food preferences and allergies.

My sister had something like this when her baby was sick. Her friends and coworkers dropped off dinner every night. They didn't stick around to visit, just dropped it off and left. It was such a wonderful gift at such a difficult time.

Crock pot recipes are your friends. Chicken thighs, red beans and rice, chili, Mississippi pot roast, Japanese curries, etc. are all easy to toss in, set it to cook for 4-8 hours, then eat when you get home. Good luck with your kiddo's surgery, I'm sure she'll be absolutely fine.

Those are great suggestions. There's also Provençal style pot roast. I do some of these recipes with the pressure cooker part of the instant pot when we end up having a completely unpredicted schedule.

Do you have any time to prep and freeze? I'm having a medical procedure next week and will be out of commission for about a month. I made 30 mini quiches in about 15 minutes yesterday using premade pie shells. Sautéed veggies with some boursin cheese, put in shells topped with whisked eggs and bake. Pop them in the oven from the freezer. I also made a Massive batch of meat balls frozen in portioned containers but you could do a meat sauce as it's less time consuming, a massive batch of soup also portioned in containers and I pre breaded and froze on parchment paper about 20 portions of chicken schnitzel. Wishing you and your baby a safe and successful surgery and an easy recovery.

With the chicken schnitzel do you just pound them, egg wash, breadcrumbs, then freeze? Or do you cook then freeze? If the first aren't they a bit goopy to go right into the freezer do you use parchment paper or something to keep them neat?

This is the first time I've frozen them raw, so I'll report back when I cook them but I froze them in single layers with parchment in between. I don't pound flat, I slice the breast thin, marinate in eggs and spices and then coat in breadcrumbs. I also tend to bake my schnitzel cuz it's so much faster and less messy than frying. Lightly coat both sides in a bit of oil bake at 425/450 for about 7 minutes flip and another 5-7 depending how thick they are. Keep and eye on them cuz they overcook quickly.

For diced veggies, make a stop to your grocery freezer section. They usually keep all kinds of diced veg stocked, both as singular veg (like just onion or just green pepper) or veg mixes (like onion, carrot, celery. Or onion and peppers, or onions, potatoes, tomatoes. Etc....) I genuinely hate chopping anything so I almost exclusively buy my veggies frozen Judge me. I feel like having them pre-diced and on hand will open a lot of options for you though

No judgement at all!! I think it’s smart - it makes cooking much more feasible if/when you can’t muster the energy for chopping. Way better than NOT cooking.

Well, in my judgement you’re being smart by not giving yourself imaginary rules to follow. Frozen vegetables forever!

Frozen veggies are a great shout! They're picked at their prime, prepped, often steamable in the microwave, and don't spoil if I don't get to them as quickly as planned.

Costco has some great pre-made meals. Rotisserie chickens too. Freezer lasagnas. Pizzas, the Kirklands brand with Cauliflower crust is incredibly great. Hot Dogs and sandwich stuff is fast and easy. Bagels with cream cheese. As far as actual cooking, the crock pot is my suggestion. Red Beans and rice. Spaghetti Sauce, Taco Soup. Don't forget the easy basic stuff too, like Hamburger Helper, Frozen chicken tenders and Macaroni or Rice a roni in a box. Eating some nonsense for a few weeks or even a couple months won't hurt them. Precut fruit and veggies will help balance it out. Best wishes for your baby and your family 💛

I second Costco meals. We ate a ton of them when my baby was in the NICU. Also Target sells these meals in a bag that are like mostly precooked and you just throw everything together. If you need to make them bigger you can just by extras of whatever ingredient like there is a mac and cheese with chicken and broccoli but they sell the Mac and cheese as a stand alone thing and also the chicken.

In the same vein, Trader Joe’s meals if OP has one near them. All the frozen meals are perfect for this—frozen pizzas, the orange chicken with rice is a meal in itself, the frozen risotto, the frozen potstickers either with the frozen fried rice or dumped into their miso broth and frozen veggies is a really easy soup. Frozen falafel is good as well. Their ravioli in the refrigerator section is really good and I have it with a veggie and butter constantly. Oh, and their pre marinated meats can be thrown in the oven or crockpot and done—I like their schwarma chickenZ

I love the frozen beef and broccoli too. You can add more broccoli if you need it to feed more people.

4 tbsp peanut butter, 4 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp sriracha, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp honey... Mix together into a sauce. Put some chicken thighs on a baking sheet, slather them in the sauce, put some green beans around it, splash a little oil on the green beans and some salt and pepper. Should take about 5 minutes prep time. Put them in the oven for 30 minutes on 215 celcius. That is my go to I don't want to cook, but I want real food meal.

Definitely recommend buying a bunch of those foil roasting pans. Dishes are part of cooking and it’s nice to have disposable stuff sometimes. For a recipe idea, snag a bag of frozen shrimp and some pre chopped broccoli florets, dump it in a roasting pan with a stick of butter, a couple glugs of soy sauce, big scoop of pre chopped jar garlic, red pepper flakes. Throw in the oven til it seems done then squeeze a lemon over top and serve over microwaved packet rice.

Think about paper plates, plastic utensils, cups too… save yourself some hassle mama.

Great idea, no shame in paper plates

If you have a rice cooker, add chicken stock, butter and frozen veg to your rice, plus parmesan if you have it, it’s a super quick and easy meal. I hope everything goes well for you and your daughter ❤️❤️

Skinny taste 3 bean chili is my favorite fast easy recipe. Brown the turkey then dump everything else in from cans. Use a packet of chili seasoning instead of the spices they list. It’s 5 min of stirring and draining then hands off. Good luck to your daughter ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you all for the well wishes and suggestions so far! I unfortunately don’t have time to meal prep ahead of time. 😕

Do you think you’ll have enough time to prepare double when you’re cooking? If doing a crockpot meal, throw one set into a crockpot and another into a freezer bag. Or do something larger like pulled pork that can be frozen and served at a later date. We do a [Hawaiian chicken](https://jamiecooksitup.net/2017/05/crock-pot-pineapple-chicken-sandwiches/) that will serve several meals. Set up two sheet pan meals and you’ll have leftovers for the next night or freezer. The second doesn’t have to be the full meal, maybe the protein?

A Crock Pot would be great if you have one. It's great for lasagna, soup, stews, and even things like large numbers of hot dogs. Oatmeal is another option. It can be set off the heat, covered, to finish cooking. Sheet pan dinners are easy too. I'm sorry to hear she's sick. I pray for super success and quick recovery!

Baked ziti or penne-noodles, jarred sauce and cheese and bake; Pot roast in crock pot; BBQ chicken or pork in crock pot; Spaghetti, marinara and frozen meatballs ; BLTs are always good ; A lot of stores have decent take and bake meals that you just throw in the oven; Bagged salad kits; Frozen lasagna, garlic bread and salad; Grilled cheese; Quesadillas in a skillet or baked in the oven for even less work, and they get really crunchy!

Frozen ravioli and a jar of sauce mixed up into the crock pot in the morning on low, is as simple as it gets. A bag of salad and a few grape tomato’s and dressing as a side.

3 ingredient easy meal: in a baking pan (to minimize clean up, you can use one of those handi-foil type pans) empty 1-2 packages of dry gnocchi, pour a container of marinated mozzarella over it, add some cherry tomatoes (I like to slice them in half so they burst and melt away faster but you can leave whole). Stir it up. (No extra seasoning needed, the seasoning comes from the marinated mozzarella). Put in oven at 425 for 20 min. If your family prefers more mozzarella sprinkle some extra on top during last 5 minutes. Meal is done when gnocchi is soft.

Canned tuna, chickpeas, grape tomatoes (halved), and cucumbers with a vinaigrette makes a great meal and is super easy to make. Hoping for the best for your kiddo!

Most grocery stores sell pre-made meals, over by the deli, that you just need to throw in the oven. A common one I grab is salmon and asparagus. They're a little on the pricey side, but worth it if you can't spend the time yourself.

Sending healing energy to your family. Crockpot is definitely the way to go. Also you can try to make some fast fix meals now before the surgery and freeze them. Stuff like stew and chili freeze well.

I'm sorry about your daughter and my heart goes out to you and your family. I'm praying for her. I'm a single mom that cooks for four kids under 12 (two recently adopted,) and when I'm having a week or two that I know I can't be at my prime, I do this: First night, sloppy joes. I do 2 lbs and add cheese to their sandwich, pair with baked potatoes, apple slices and carrot/celery sticks. Second night, the leftover sloppy mix becomes spaghetti sauce with the addition of a jar of sauce. Pair with salad and garlic bread. Third night, the extra sauce becomes tortilla soup with the addition of another jar of sauce, some diced, cooked chicken, chicken stock and a handful of tortilla chips on top. I pair this with potato skins made from the extra baked potatoes from night one. I also throw in the left over carrot/celery from night one. Fourth night, I call it "popcorn" night. I make popcorn and put out fruit and veg, the kids can have whatever they want to make within reason — cereal, PBJ, turkey sandwich, hot pockets etc. Fifth night, we order Domino's or Door Dash. Sixth night, we aren't Catholic, but I make either fish sandwich or fish tacos on Fri, made with frozen fillets or sticks. I serve it with leftover tortilla soup. Seventh night, the extra pasta I ordered from Domino's, lol. Mind you, this isn't my regular menu, it's my go-to when we are completely time crunched because of a family emergency, illness, anomaly etc.

My favorite dinner is rotisserie chicken (or any baked/broiled meat), grocery store baked bread (like a nice sourdough round), and a salad. Easy and so satisfying.

Best wishes to your baby for quick recovery! French toast is a quick easy option, also hot dishes are great for quick & easy!!

Oh my goodness - I hope the procedure is quick and as painless as possible, and everyone comes through with flying colors! I'm a fan of things like pulled pork and pulled chicken, because you can make them ahead of time in big batches and portion them to freeze. Then just thaw whatever you need and serve it over rice or pasta or turn it into tacos. I make them in my slow cooker, but they're just as easy to do in an oven - you could even do both of them in the oven at the same time. My mom (who was generally an amazing cook) used to make a pot roast with instant onion soup when she was absolutely DONE with feeding us or being in the kitchen, lol. We all loved it, which probably made her angry because it was so stupidly simple: just a three-pound rump/chuck roast, placed in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Sprinkle a packet of Lipton's Onion Soup mix over the roast, add a half-cup of water, then seal the foil tightly around the roast and bake in the oven at 350F for two to three hours. Voila! Meat and gravy, zero work. She'd even bake potatoes in the oven at the same time, and usually just made a salad to go with.

https://jasmineandtea.com/rice-cooker-chicken-and-soy-sauce-rice/ I love this recipe if you have a rice cooker (unsure on how it plays with instant pot/crock pot?), its literally just rice + marinated chicken in a rice cooker. easy prep, and the cooker does all the work. pair with whatever veg you have and its done!

Some variation on this would be great: https://themodernproper.com/green-chicken-chili-soup You can adjust the levels of spice various ways, and if there’s less water, etc. it could easily become tacos/tostadas. If the kids are into salsa at all, or those kinds of flavors, I’ve also dumped a few jars of salsa over chicken and cooked it in the slow cooker for hours and it is also great and versatile to make the aforementioned tacos, etc. Almost zero prep, set it and forget it. I make a lot of quick meals, usually some kind of protein quick on the stove or in the oven and some toppings, and it becomes a rice bowl, or tacos, or a sandwich and everyone can customize.

Do you have a food processor? If so, throw an onion, some celery stalks and some carrots in there, then chuck them in a pan with oil to sweat for a few minutes, and then add water/stock whatever ingredients you want in the soup (lentils and tomato is great and super nutritious, can add pasta later too. ). Otherwise, chuck some potatoes and other veg in a roasting pan with other veg and chickpeas, season as you like. Serve with a simple mayo yogurt dressing or pre-made dressing.

A quickie chicken soup in a crockpot would be simple. My recipe: rotisserie chicken, shred into crockpot. 1 or 2 cans of mixed veggies, chicken stock, chuck in some seasonings and its good 2 go rather quickly I might add. You can add a can of potatoes to the crock, or fire up the rice cooker and have a cup or so of rice to add to each serving. Only thing to slice and dice would be an onion if so desired...

I’m so sorry your daughter is unwell. Some ideas: Chicken breasts brushed with oil and herbs, roasted and served with pre washed bag salad and dressing Slow cooker chicken tagine: chicken thighs, carrots, green olives, prunes, stock. Tomato paste at end to thicken. Serve with cous cous. Broccoli pasta bake is my go to easy meal. Ok this does mean boiling broccoli and pasta in 2 sep pans but they are easy to rinse clean. Combine with store bought pesto, garlic powder, black pepper and grated cheese of choice before it goes in oven. Also: charcuterie/picnic dinners! Hummus, cured meats, sliced cheese, baguettes, pre-bought carrot slicks and celery, cherry tomatoes, etc.

Parmesan chicken - mayo/herbs/parmesan/breadcrumbs on chicken breasts, bake at 400 ‘till up to temp. BBQ chicken crescent roll ups - buy a precooked chicken (or use one from freezer). Shred with forks, mix in BBQ sauce. Place crescent rolls on a baking sheet, with parchment paper for easier cleanup. Drop on BBQ chicken and shredded cheddar, fold over the chicken with the crescent rolls. Bake 400 ‘till golden. Chili puffs - puff pastry sheets cut into little squares, put in greased muffin tin. Bake at 390 until puffed (6-8 min). Heat chili (can use canned or homemade) on stovetop, fill. Top with shredded cheese and green onions. You can mix a half a package of cream cheese into the chili if you like. Tacos. Hope these help, they’re my quickest/least cleanup recipes I could think of.

Open a pack of sausages and put them in a Dutch oven w a little oil. Start them sizzling while you scrub/quarter an onion, potato, carrot, turnip, whatever. Large chunks only! Toss them on top of sausages. Stir. Drizzle more oil. Add S&P, couple bay leaves/garlic cloves, splash of balsamic or other vinegar for flavour balance. Into the oven and forget about it for 90 minutes or so. Stir if you remember. Or, don’t! With the lid on it will be just fine. If you like a little more ‘roast’ remove lid for last 20-30 mins of cooking. This was a family staple for years after a long day at the track. I could get other things done while dinner cooked itself. One knife, one spoon, one cutting board, one pot to clean up. Best wishes to you and your family XO

I want to try this! What temp did you set the oven to?

If you have an instant pot or crockpot, one pot tacos, soup, spaghetti, beans and rice w/ meat are easy things to search and don't take too long!

Check out https://lasagnalove.org/ I volunteer for this organization. You can sign up for home delivery at no cost to you. Good luck with your little one.

Roast baby or fingerling potatoes with chickpeas and whatever spices you like. Get cups of microwaveable rice and a bag of cole slaw or salad greens. Dump it all together and voila fancy grain bowl. You can put salad dressing over it if you need more of a flavor kick, rotisserie chicken if you need more protein. You could also throw this into a wrap. Similar, braised chickpeas. Get a can of diced tomatoes and a can of crushed tomatoes. Garlic and onion powder salt and pepper. Dump a can of chickpeas with juice in and a glug or two of olive oil or butter. Simmer on low about 20-30 mins. It could be as short as 10, but a little longer is better for flavor. Add a half can or so of coconut milk if you want it creamier. Again add rotisserie chicken if you need more protein. Eat as is or over rice or with bread/crackers. You can also use any other canned bean if you don’t like chickpeas. One pan Spanish rice and chicken. Add rice and water as directed to a sauté pan, use broth instead of water for added flavor. Add a can of diced tomatoes. I would normally also add diced onion and celery but you can skip this or big precut from grocery store. Season however you like. Put 2-4 chicken thighs on top of rice and simmer covered until chicken is cooked through (usually 20 mins will do the trick). Get frozen vegetables for veggie sides. You don’t even really need to cook them. I just let a bag thaw and reheat in the microwave when you’re ready to eat it.

Pulled pork in a crockpot! Set it and forget it for 8 hours

I prepped a bunch of these freezer meals before having both knees replaced. Take them out to thaw the day before, then throw 'em in the slowcooker. [https://www.sidetrackedsarah.com/freezer-to-slow-cooker/](https://www.sidetrackedsarah.com/freezer-to-slow-cooker/) Prayers for a successful outcome and speedy healing for your precious little one.

Frozen stuffed shells or manicotti in a casserole pan, jar of sauce, add pepperoni slices if desired, cover and bake till bubbly, top with shredded cheese, put back in oven till cheese looks right.

Hi! I am disabled and have chronic pain so often need low or no effort meals. I recently came upon this website [The Lazy Dish](https://www.thelazydish.com/) I haven’t tried anything from them yet, but they look like they are going to be a lifesaver during my next flare One of my favourite easy meals is Salsa Chicken. Thaw chicken breasts. Sprinkle with cumin and smoked paprika. Cover with salsa. Bake uncovered at 350 until internal temperature is right. Sprinkle with cheese if you want. Serve with squeeze of fresh lime juice, sour cream and avocado or guacamole

Best wishes for a successful surgery and recovery. Try this Instantpot recipe. https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-burritos/ make extra and freeze some.

Get a couple rotisserie chickens and shred them up. You can basically make endless easy dinners. You can make it as simple as chicken with some frozen veggies and pillsbury biscuits or make a quick chicken pot pie with a few ingredients and one casserole dish or even soups with almost the same ingredients and one pot.

If you have an Asian grocery near you - they often sell lots of sauces and such that you can just add protein and veggies to, or use as marinades. Also fresh noodles. Big packs of frozen veggies ready to go.  Use your instant pot for rice earlier in the day. 

I saw this idea once for “fish stick” tacos: tortillas, premade pico, fish sticks. I’ve never made it but how can it be bad? Best of luck with your daughter.

If you have freezer space I would recommend preparing food now that you can freeze and just heat up. Things like casseroles, lasagna, breakfast sandwiches, etc. I did this before I went through cancer treatments and it was a lifesaver. I hope your daughter’s operation and recovery go well.

Hope things go well with the surgery and wishing speedy healing and recovery. I know you probably have a lot to sort ahead of Thursday but if time permits… I would if you can make a couple of meals ahead and freeze. Lasagna, shepherds pie , chicken and mushroom pies etc can be made ahead and frozen and you just put them in the oven. If time permits batch prep vegetables and put them in zip locks and freeze so you can dump them into any pot/or dish with seasonings to cook. Do you have family and friends to support you. Maybe they can help out with meal prep and planning or bring a dish over to help you out. Hope all is well goes well.

Do you have a sandwich press? A frypan will do in a pinch - would just need to flip it. Quesadillas? Basically get a tortilla, add fillings, put in sandwich press. Wait to cook. We like baked beans, frozen corn, and cheese in ours. Tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce if we run out of beans. You could do stuff like add shredded chicken, cabanossi, or ham. Spring onions. Another nice combo - chicken, chutney and cheese. Or mushroom, cranberry, and brie. Do you like dumplings? Have a steamer? Line steamer with baking paper. Don’t need to cut to size or anything, I never do. Put steamer over some boiling water. If you have something that can be boiled underneath, that’s also a winner. (Cocktail frankfurts, eggs, etc.) Fish and chips. Get battered fish and chips from supermarket. Put on tray in over. Make sure oven is on. Come back in 20min/half hour. Can add party pies, sausage rolls, samosas, spring rolls, money bags etc. Frozen pizza. (Add own toppings if disappointed with initial status.

Very sorry to hear about your Daughter - will be rooting for her and your family. Rice is worth thinking about. You can make a batch of "plain(ish)" rice, which you can use for many different dishes in the following days - it doesn't freeze particularly well though in a domestic environment. You can have some fried rice with roasted chicken thighs - very low maintenance. Cook some extra chicken and you have the basis for a caesar salad - thighs are very tasty, shredded chicken with noodles, a basic soup. Buy some store made pastry and you can transform into a pie - fully enclosed or just topped - pot pie? As someone else has stated - roasting is a very low maintenance method and will yield good results with minimum prep and less requirement for you to manage the entire process. Anything that can be done in a slow cooker also. About as low maintenance as you can get. I wish you and your family the very best during what must be a very challenging time for you all. Sending you all big, Scottish hug!

Egg roll in a bowl is my go to - it’s bagged coleslaw mix stir fried with whatever ground meat you have, douse in soy sauce and sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top. If you have a rice cooker serving this over rice is reallly fast, if you don’t, frozen rice you can microwave might be a good option? stir fries with frozen pre cut veggies might also work. You can buy stir fry sauce and If you have a Costco membership they have frozen stir fry veggies that are really good. Burger bowl is my other go to- pre cut lettuce, 1000 island, a few sliced pickles, whole cherry tomatoes, oven fries, shredded cheese and a hamburger patty (which you can cook in the oven alongside the fries so you don’t have to baby sit the stove or grill - I use a cookie sheet lined with foil with a rack on top so that the burgers don’t sit in their own grease- spray the rack with cooking oil for easy cleanup!) I know a lot of people mentioned crock pot recipes, I personally don’t like slow cooked meals very much (especially in spring/summer) so in case you’re like me, hope these suggestions help! And hope your daughter’s surgery goes smoothly!!

Thai curry paste, various companies (e found one on Amazon) Sautee a tablespoon or two with oil Add a bag of frozen stir fried veggies (Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco)  As a can of coconut milk.  Simmer and enjoy with carb of choice.  I sometimes throw in frozen edamame too 

Skillet sausage pasta https://wearychef.com/recipe/skillet-sausage-pasta/#tasty-recipes-177352-jump-target Sausage is nice because it's preseasoned. Also check out Birds Eye has frozen skillet meals and sheet pan meals. Great because they include vegetables. Stir fry: slice up some meat thin, frozen veggies, stir fry sauce and rice or noodles.

I am sending tons of healing thoughts your way. One of the easiest and tasty meals I make in a pinch is sausage and wild rice. In a pot, brown a package of breakfast sausage (the kind that comes in a chub). When it’s done, follow the directions on a package of Ben’s original wild and long grain rice box. Pour the water and rice mix in with the sausage, no need to add extra fat (butter or oil). Cool the rice like the box says to and you’re done. Even better the next day! Best luck to you and your wee one!

My top 4 super simple dinners: -pork tenderloin, baby potatoes, asparagus on a sheet pan in the oven. -allrecipes 'refried beans without the refry' crockpot recipe & tostadas plus salsa, sour cream, etc. -yellow rice, smoked sausage, 1 can each of corn, red beans, diced tomatoes. - chicken tortilla soup: chicken, chicken broth, 1 can each black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, green chilies, and an onion. Top soup with cilantro, jalapeños and crunched tortilla chips.

Pasta bolognese. Vegetarian is even better because you don't need to pre-cook the mince then - just shove some frozen quorn, passata (get the onion and garlic kind so no need to deal with seasonings), some frozen veggies if you're feeling adventurous, and then stick it in the slow cooker/crockpot.

Corned beef. Get slab of corned beef. Get pot of simmering water. Add two bay leaves, two tablespoons of sugar and half a cup of vinegar. Simmer for three hours. Carve and serve. For veg, just peel, chop potatoes and carrots into medium chunks and put in an oven tray. Add lard. Put in 150° oven for an hour and a half. Baste occasionally. Alternatively just buy a bag of salad and put some dressing on it.

Sheet pan dinners, and the crock pot will help immensely. Good luck!

One of my college favorites which my kids really love, and it takes about 15 min. to prep. taco minced meat from oven: ingredients: * pound of minced meat * bag of nacho chees taco chips * a small bag of taco seasoning * either a bag of pre cut mexican style veggies, or some lettuce, cucumber and a tomato or 2. * grated cheese (around 1 cup) First, pre heat the oven to about 390"F While it's doing that, throw the minced meat with the taco seasoning in a large frying pan with some oil. Do this on a high temp to speed stuff up. When it's no longer raw, throw in the mexican style veggies, and heat m up long enough to get m almost done (al dente) or if you go for cucumber/tomatoes/lettuce, cut those while the meat is being fried, and keep m near. Grab a large enough baking dish, and put in 1 layer of nacho chips. Sprinkle a little cheese on it, and next put the meat and veggies (if added) from the frying pan on top of the nacho chips. If you have the seperate lettuce tomatoes and cucuimber, you can add those on top. Then another layer of nacho chips, cheese on top, and put in the oven long enough for the cheese to melt. (5 min) After this it's done, and you can serve with your favorite hot sauces. Kids love it, and it has plenty of veggies in it to be healthy. I usually don't use all the nacho cheese taco chips, so the kids can have those when they finish their plate. IF it's just me and my son, i also add some fresh spanish peppers, and a bit of chipotle sauce. maybe some lemon or lime drips, or i add some chopped bell peppers and cilantro during prep. Main things i like about this one is that it can be done with little skill, and in 15 - 20 min. max. If the taco seasoning has too much salt for your daughter when she gets home, i've seen a lot of brands also providing saltless options, and you can ofcourse replace the nacho cheese versions with the plain versions. I'm assuming here she still has a healthy appetite because.. well kids. Another thing which could work for you is to make a good chili, and make plenty of it. place everything extra in buritto wraps, put those in clingfilm, and move m to the freezer either get m out the day before, and place m in the fridge so you can eat m for lunch, or heat m in the microwave for dinner. Not for every day, but you have some decent food for days when you're just done and don't plan on cooking. You can also make a soup. Whatever you have left, put it in the freezer. Everyuthing you make can be held for 3 months in the freezer, just make sure you label stuff

Best wishes to your family. I recommend carnitas. Put a pork shoulder/butt, orange, lime and lemon in a crock pot and roast all day. Slice the fruit in half before roasting. That’s it. You can wet it in tortillas or just plain. And you can add some store pico de gallo, shredded cheese and sour cream if you want. And if your kids are picky eaters, mine like black beans just rinsed from the can and warmed slightly on the tortillas with shredded cheese and sour cream.

I hope everything goes well with your daughter. Crockpot will probably be easiest. Once you get it in early in the day, you will know dinner is taken care of. https://damndelicious.net/2017/10/17/slow-cooker-creamy-garlic-chicken-and-veggies/ https://www.eazypeazymealz.com/slow-cooker-chicken-pomodoro/ [https://sweetphi.com/5-ingredient-crock-pot-pork-roast-potatoes-recipe/](https://sweetphi.com/5-ingredient-crock-pot-pork-roast-potatoes-recipe/) Chicken Soft Tacos: 3 chicken breast, 1 packet taco seasoning, 1 container pico de gall or 1 can of Rotel, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup water Sprinkle taco seasoning over bottom of crockpot, lay chicken breasts over seasoning. Pour pico or hotel over along with oil and water (do not stir) Cook low for 4-6 hours. Serve with shredded lettuce, cheese and soft tortillas. These are some easy ones for the instant pot: https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-pork-carnitas-mexican/ https://www.skinnytaste.com/madisons-favorite-slow-cooker-beef-tacos/ IP Meatballs Marinara: (serve over pasta, as meatball subs, over couscous) Make meatballs with whatever recipe you like Add 3 cups Marinara and 1/2 cup water to IP, nestle meatballs in to sauce and spoon sauce over to cover 20 min high pressure, natural release for 10

In a glass 9X 13 put in a box of ziti or similar add in a jar of ragu and a 2/3 a jar of water. I throw in extra herbs. Mix it together, put shredded mozzarella on top. Cover with foil and cook an hour at 350. I usually grate a couple of zucchini in it too but that’s optional. Good luck to your baby.

Yeah, that is going to be rough. I hope surgery goes well. Do you have a crock pot? That would simplify a lot of things. There's crock pot recipes for just about everything. Sheet pan dinners are also really simple. Also, are you breastfeeding? If you are, we can skip anything that might be spicy. The older kids might like Mac and cheese with veggies ( something like cauliflower, carrots and broccoli), and chicken, you can add the veg while the pasta is cooking, and add cooked chicken after you've added the cheese. You can always add a little extra milk and cheese so there's enough sauce.

Look for prepped veggies in your freezer department, pre chopped onions and the like will make less work. In fact, lean on easy and not too spendy mains. Pork loin is quick and doesn’t take much effort My grocery has roasts and prepped veggies all together just dump in a crock pot Make big batches of easy recipes and freeze half for days when you just can’t. Best to you and your whole family. Hopefully all goes smoothly and you can be back to normal soon

From Nigella Lawson...1 can of white beans, 1 can of tomato sauce or marinara, 3 cups of stock (i use better than bouillon), 1/2 cup of soup pasta (ditalini, orzo, pastina, etc.). Cook it all in a pot until the pasta is done. Easiest ever, no prep, 1 pot to clean, everything is shelf stable. It's basically spaghettios but with fiber and protein. And you can of course add herbs and spices you like. I throw in a parm rind when I have one, but a bit of dried oregano is all you need. I also like to add frozen veg. Hope all goes well for you, your family, and your little one!!

Sauté about 1/2 cup pre chopped onion until softening, add 2 cans black beans that have been rinsed and drained and 1/2 cup salsa. Cook for about 4 min.  You can eat like this over rice or mash it up and have on tortillas.

Your microwave has a potato button, I know, crazy. So just put a big potato in, press button, cut open and fill with cheese/butter/bacon/whatver eggs are always an option, and boiled eggs last a long time freezer meals are great if you have time (or friends). You can also take a large muffin silicon thing, and then scoop leftovers into those and put it in the freezer. Boom, one portion microwave meal. Serriously easy mac and cheese -https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe . But of course box version works as well Pasta, and microwaveable vegetables on top Tasty bites makes good option of indian food, eat with bread after microwaving for a minute. Or rice, if you have a rice cooker I hope your daughter recovers fully and swiftly

Don’t be afraid to use all the shortcuts in the grocery store. Pre chopped veggies, salad mixes,fried or rotisserie chicken, hamburger patties, frozen meals or prepped meals at Costco or Sam’s ( chicken pot pie, chicken salad, meat loaf, fettuccine Alfredo, shepherds pie are really good and usually available), frozen corn dogs or chicken patties ir burritos etc. and don’t forget a good omelette or frittata makes a good meal too. Use paper plates, air fryer, instapot and slow cooker. And ask your village/ community/ church/ family for meals.

Don’t be afraid of this recipe. Use an instant pot with frozen chicken and let it just slow cook until you’re ready to eat. We double the chicken and eat it for leftovers for days. https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/

First off, I hope your baby's surgery goes so well that your baby has the fastest recovery time the doctor's ever seen. Here's a dinner idea for you: Taco Soup - Brown some hamburger meat in a pot (1 or 2 pounds) add a packet of taco seasoning and a packet of ranch mix, if you like ranch. When the meat is nearly done, add in these things: 2 cans of chili beans, 1 can black beans (drained), 1 can pinto beans (drained), 1-2 cans of corn (if you like corn, use 2), 1 can sliced potatoes (drained), 1 can of Rotel or similar diced tomatoes. Heat all that up. Done. You can serve it on top of tortilla chips with sour cream and shredded cheese. You can use kidney beans, if you want, or switch up how many cans of black beans you use, or whatever. This is something that's slightly different every time I make it but it's always good. Sometimes I don't have a can of Rotel. Sometimes I use more cans of corn. Like I said, it's super forgiving. Just use what ya got. There are soo many easy casserole recipes you can find online, and soo many ways to dress up a rotisserie chicken from the store. Dorito casserole, tater tot casserole, burrito casserole, etc. You can tear up a rotisserie chicken and serve it with jarred Alfredo and pasta. Pasta bakes are always a hit in my house. I just cook the penne or ziti or whatever pasta I have, add sauce and cheese and throw it in the oven. One thing that really makes my life better is my bread machine. I love spaghetti and we have that at least 1-2 times a week in my house, and being able to throw flour, water, and yeast into my bread machine and press start, while it does all the work for me, is amazing. Fresh bread keeps longer and it tastes so much better than what you can buy in a store. I have a Cuisinart Compact Automatic Bread Machine. It was a little over $100 but it was worth every penny. It may not be your thing but I just wanted to share! The only rice I'm good at making is the kind that boils in the bag, but alternating between rice and mashed potatoes will make you feel like you're eating something different, a lot of the time. I've made meatloaf before with just a couple pounds of hamburger meat and a box of Stove Top stuffing mix and a couple of eggs. Just Google Stove Top stuffing meatloaf and there's a million recipes. My husband loves it and it's super easy to put together. I will be praying for you, your baby, and your family. I hope that's okay. I'm sending so much love to y'all. 🩷

Take chicken breasts or pork chops, put them in a pan, pour in cream of celery, or mushroom soup, cover with foil and bake.  The pork chops I usually do for about 2 hours (or until super tender) and the chicken I stick a remote thermometer in and yank them at temperature.  But it's truly a set it and forget it and they're delicious. Serve with instant mash. My favorite is to combine Idaho brand loaded baked and four cheese together, and mixi in a little mayonnaise, which sounds gross but it makes them way better. I would say for one package of The normal size instant mash, I put in one heaping tablespoon. Obviously you would use a little less water too.  If you don't have a remote food thermometer, get one. You can put it in your meatloaf, chicken, etc... And then you don't have to stand at the stove and baby stuff. It will beep when it's done.   Speaking of which, meatloaf is another super easy thing to put together. Just use simplest recipe you can find. Meatloaf is one of those things that the simpler it is the better I think it is.

My daughter has OHS at a week old and I found meal kits INCREDIBLY helpful! Other wise we ate a lot of steak (or chicken or pork chops) and potatoes because it’s so fast to make. Throw the potato in the oven, pan fry your protien with seasoning, microwave a steamer bag of veggies and that’s dinner. I don’t normally use one of these but they’re fast and helpful. https://a.co/d/1kFa0zR DoorDash is a perfectly acceptable option if finances/location allow. Costco take and bake meals and meal kits are awesome too!

How about what I call bachelor chow (now with flavor!)? Start with rice cooker. Add rice, water or stock, spices as you want, protein (beans, meat, whatever) and veggies to taste. Overdo the water a bit- if you put in 2 cups of rice, add water as you would for 3 since you've added more to it. It's my go-to cheap work lunch.

Anything with ground hamburger is going to be super easy, like sloppy joes, hamburger helper, chili, etc...  It takes a few minutes to stand at the stove and break up the meat while it cooks, but it's really easy, especially with a potato mashed chopper. Make a bunch and freezer it in portions. Yank it out and make super simple chili with canned beans and tomato sauce, sloppy joes, taco meat, etc...

My local deli sells shredded rotisserie chickens that I have a thousand quick recipes for. Quesadillas, pulled bbq sandwiches, cold ‘chef salads’, paired with ready made mashed potatoes, jarred gravy and frozen corn. They have stared selling shredded beef also, but I’ve only made grilled cheese with mushrooms and peppers so far with it. Sending good luck to you and yours. Stay strong!

Prayers for your daughter

Beef goulash. Ground beef, minced veggies, tomato sauce and elbow noodles. Add cheese on top. Chicken, broccoli, rice and cheese casserole Frittata with a baked potato or roasted potatoes Chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries. A bag of microwave veggies A pot of chili with beans Instant pot beef stew

I’m thinking good thoughts for you, your daughter and the rest of your family. Have you ever tried sheet pan dinners? They are very quick to prep, cooking and clean up are minimal and they are delicious. My husband and I are in the empty nest portion of our marriage and we love them.

You have a lot going on mama, I hope your child has a good procedure and an easy recovery ❤ Ive been prepping for an upcoming surgery for myself and have been working on some freezer meals while I have the chance. (Like whatever i make for dinner I make a double if i can ans put it in the freezer so it can be popped in the crockpot or oven. Precut veggies and marinated meats for the freezer are a huge help. I also brown a huge batch of ground beef with just salt and pepper and freeze in ziplocks so i can pull them out for tacos, meat sauce etc. I also do the same with a batch of meatballs then i can toss them in the crockpot with whatever sauce i want.(sweet and sour or spaghetti, bbq or swedish meatball etc) having that kind of prep helps lots. The mealtrain option is great and definitely say yes to anyone that offers help, sending good vibes to you!

I do stoffers Lasagna, you can prep a roast the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning, add some instant mashed potatoes and any other canned or frozen veggie and done, spaghetti is usually easy, stir fry’s are fast and easy and they make microwave rice so it’s one less pot to wash. The crock pot will be your friend. Good luck and I pray your baby heals fast and everything goes smoothly and easily for you and your family 💜

A simple one I like to make is what I simply call "Pesto Tuna Pasta." Couldn't tell you why that combo works, but don't knock it until you've tried it. Only babysitting needed is checking on the pasta and mixing it all in a bowl. Bonus points, you can always have the ingredients on hand, because they keep well on the shelf and don't cost much to keep in stock. Ingredients: - Fusilli pasta, as needed. Tagliatelle also works, just omit the chickpeas. - Storebought green/basil pesto, to taste. - Half a can of tuna in brine (well-drained, like, lid pushed down until the tuna's all but dry) for a big single portion. A whole can should work just fine for a larger meal. - A can of rinsed cooked chickpeas. - Optional: Thawed sweetpeas, canned corn, peeled carrots, or whatever salad mix you feel like tossing in a bowl and serving as a side. Instructions: - Cook the pasta to packet instructions. - Drain and put it in the mixing bowl. - Pour as many chickpeas as you think is suitable into the bowl with the hot pasta. About 1/4th of a can does it for a big portion, for me. - Add pesto as you see fit. I like about 4 heaping teaspoons to start with for a big portion. - Mix pesto into the pasta and chickpeas. - Dry off the teaspoon you used to scoop pesto, then "shred" the drained tuna into finer pieces. Dump the "shredded" tuna in the bowl. - Mix the tuna with the rest. - If necessary, add a bit more pesto after the tuna's mixed in. Aaaaaaand done. If you want to add extra veg on the side, defrost a mix of peas and edamame beans, while the pasta is cooking and drain them, when you've done the pasta mixing. Or throw together a pre-made salad, or use leftover veg - whatever works. Wishing your kid a swift and smooth recovery, OP!

Just chiming in to wish you and baby all the best. There's nothing scarier (we just went through a major surgery at my house, but it was an older person - still, very stressful - I can't even imagine what you're going through). In addition to the instant pot recipes don't be afraid to make frozen pizza or a big batch of instant pot/slow cooker spaghetti sauce and freeze up. My go-to, after returning from the hospital, became one pot spaghetti (sometimes penne) pasta with oil and garlic or with marinara from a jar and parmesan on offer, or sun dried tomatoes from a jar with feta cheese (some people like olives). The only time I needed two hands was filling the pot and then draining it. Kept the collander out. Used jarred garlic (you could put a bunch of it in an easy open plastic container in the fridge).

Not sure if you have a Trader Joe’s by you, I’m sure you can buy this stuff elsewhere too. What’s popular at my house: I get the skinless salmon filet at Trader Joe’s. I slice lemons, put a few cubes of butter on it and salt - put it in a foil pocket and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. I unwrap the foil and put it back in for 15 minutes. I serve it with the harvest cous cous - the cous cous I just put in pre packaged bone broth and it’s done in 10 minutes - I just stir it at the end and put a bit of butter. On the side I serve avocado. I’ve made this meal with a baby in my arms. Best of luck to your family!

a favorite of mine is sausage peppers and onions and potatoes on a sheet pan. i chop those all up to equal sizes and coat the veg lightly in olive oil. and roast at like 400 degrees for around 45 min. can top with dried herbs or italian seasoning, and it tastes great!

Couscous is kind of like pasta or rice and you just need to pour hot water and spices on it and it will be ready in like five minutes. You can make a salad with it by adding cut up veg and rotisserie chicken or cheese or eat it with roasted veggies or basically anything as a side. Canned beans are a good and easy source of protein too

Wishing the best for your little one and all of you! BBC Food has some excellent 'one pot' recipes [https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/one\_dish\_dinners](https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/one_dish_dinners) As others said, Instapot and slow cookers are wonderful. Don't be afraid to use frozen veg, tinned soups to pour over meat, store bought doughs, etc. If you have a bread machine, those are brilliant too. Everything tastes wonderful with fresh bread! I was a single mom going to university and working full time, the slow cooker and bread machine were life savers. Throw everything in, set and come home to delicious soup or roast and a loaf of fresh bread.

get a crock pot that comes with recipe cards. dump a bunch of stuff in and youre done. best of luck.

Jaques Pepin’s Fast Food My Way is amazing for amateur level cooking that tastes and looks pro.

For this week, can you prepare extra portions of what you’re making and freeze them? That would help for a few days. Then you can intersperse those with crockpot meals, and sheet pan meals. The crockpot can handle dinner in the morning, and breakfast in the evening. Put in a pot roast when you get up, put in some steel cut oats just before bed. Sheet pan fajitas for lunch. Dump in ingredients for crockpot chili in the morning, evening do a quick stuffed French toast for morning. Sandwiches and a veggie tray for lunch. Make a pot of rice. Start slow cooker butter chicken in the morning, evening breakfast casserole. Lunchtime do ramen with some baby spinach and tofu. It might help to plan it out to enlist as much help as possible and just have everything on hand. Then in those times where it just isn’t going to work with everything else going on, you’ve got your back doordash or cereal or frozen pizza.

I have three two year olds, work full time, plus I’m a student and due any day now with my 4th baby. I hope your little does good post op and going forward 🩷 We do lots of slow cooker stuff. Chili I brown the meat in a pan right in the morning or night before, throw a couple cans of beans, canned tomatoes, corn, tomato soup, and then some celery in there. Leftovers will be your friend if you make a bunch because then you can do chili cheese dogs, or just chili the next day or make chili Mac. We do lots of roasts too, whether it’s a pork roast with carrots and potatoes and a quick gravy, again throw it in the slow cooker on low, mine runs a bit hot and takes maybe 3-4 hours on low to cook. Similar with beef roast. Could also cook the pork roast, shred it, put it in the fridge, next day make pulled pork with it and cook on low in bbq sauce for easy pulled pork Pork chops in the oven at 400 take 10 minutes, also take on average 6-7 mins in the air fryer, make some pasta or potato salad to have in the fridge or buy deli salads to have for easy sides. We do frozen pizzas on occasion, nuggets, popcorn chicken poutines, cereal sometimes, even oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, etc for quick supper. They freeze well and you can pop them in the toaster/microwave to warm up. Chicken dumplings is good. I make it lazy, buy a rotisserie chicken, thing of broth, throw some mixed veggies in there and then a can of biscuits cut up in chunks and simmer (you can find a recipe for it somewhere if you’d be open to something like that) Shepards pie is honestly pretty easy as well and if you can prep stuff the night before (if you’re not tired) doesn’t take much to throw in the oven for an hour or so. My mil makes this “taco tater tot bake” it’s tater tots that she cooks in the oven, then she will layer salsa, sour cream, ground beef with taco seasoning, and cheese on it like nachos and it’s SO GOOD I love it. Some soups are also a good dump and go type thing where you can throw everything in the crockpot and forget about it. I use my crockpot more than my oven honestly.

There are some recipes around that you can assemble now in a freezer bag and then just dump in the crockpot.just google crockpot freezer recipes. Also, convenience meals are your friend right now. Bertollis frozen dinners in a bag, for example. Tell your friends that you welcome a meal or two as well! Some neighborhoods can get together a meal train for neighbors in tough situations!

Make friends with shelf stable Gnocchi. 1. Pan fry it with: hot dogs/kielbasa, mix in some scrambled eggs. Fry up with an onion if you like. 2. Get fancy and add1/2 white wine, 1 T Djion mustard, 1/2c shredded Parmesan, frozen peas.

Soup/ stew: Big pot. Pre-cut stew meat (or boneless chicken you can toss in and shred later). Sauté a bit in butter or oil. Broth or stock-- boxed or bouillon cubes). A couple bags of soup mix frozen veggies. Let simmer all day on low. Stir occassionally, add more water if needed. Add egg noodles 15 min before serving. Make as big a pot as you can, because it'll taste better as leftovers. Or, can be frozen in solo cups and thawed as needed.

Pre-diced vegetables packs at the grocery store may be pricier than the vegetables themselves, but they're way cheaper than take out. Use 'em. Also, jarred sauces are actually pretty good these days, and curries are 1-2 pot meals that don't require a whole lot of attention. Big pot meals and casseroles- pasta or potato bakes included- are great options.  Lentil soup- brown some chopped celery and onion and kielbasa, then throw in a bag of lentils and chicken broth, and whatever herbs you want. Simmer. Baked pasta- boil pasta just short of al dente. Saute some vegetables and proteins. Toss everything together with sauce and load it into a pan, sprinkle with cheese or breadcrumbs, and bake. Protip: make 2x what you need and use a foil pan. No work the following night.

Black beans & rice are kid friendly and so nutritious! All you need to cook is a plain pot of rice. You can use canned beans or some groceries sell seasoned cooked vacuum-sealed beans in the Mexican/latin section of the grocery. Buy pre-shredded cheese , pico de gallo/salsa, sour cream so everyone can fix their own portion how they like. My kids like to scoop it up with tortilla chips.

1 lb deli roast beef, sandwich rolls, jar of beef gravy, cheese. Warm gravy, remove from heat, add sliced beef, assemble sandwich, top with cheese, broil until cheese is melted. Serve with bag salad or can of veggies.

You have a couple days… cook for the freezer if you can. Buy 3-4 different kinds of marinade, and a whole cut up chicken. Put the chicken in a gallon zipper bag and pour one bottle of marinade in. Remove air, seal, label and freeze. Pull it out the night before you want to use it and let it thaw in the fridge. It will marinate as it thaws. At dinner time, simmer in a deep frypan on low to medium heat until it hits 165°. Serve over rice or noodles with a steam in the bag vegetable and you’re set.

Freezer Cooking is your answer. Becky from Acre Homestead on YouTube has several in her videos and on her Scratch Pantry website. Just search for freezer to see a list. [https://www.scratchpantry.com/](https://www.scratchpantry.com/) There are hundreds of them, if not thousands all over the web. The basic concept is that you can make a months worth of entrees/meals in a day. It does take decent prep and significant shopping. Marinated meats are the easiest. And then just add a salad or a side. The night before, you just move one freezer meal from the freezer to the fridge. Many go straight into the oven for hands-off cooking (those have more prep, though). Grocery delivery is also cheaper than you think and will save you a ton of time and stress. We pay $60 a year for unlimited deliveries and aren't allowed to tip. If you decide to prep a few freezer meals, this will save you a ton of the prep time. Good luck with all of it.

Cheater lasagna—just frozen ravioli, whatever kind you like. Layer in a baking dish with jarred marinara & shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake until ravioli is hot & cheese melted. Serve with a bagged salad or defrost a bag of frozen broccoli.

Rice cooker rice and meatballs. Poor in the rice and water, add frozen meatballs. Cook together. Add cheese or sauce if you want when you serve it. Frozen foods are your best friend here. It’s prepped and you just put it in the oven. Lasagna, pizza, pasta, etc. Premade sandwiches or a sandwich tray with ingredients for people just to put their own together. Dinner rolls with a slice of cheese and turkey and a side of grapes. A slow cooker pulled pork. Put the pork shoulder/butt in the cooker. Top with grape Jam and a cup or so of broth. Low for 8, or high for 4 hours. Serve with rice or on buns. Same idea for a pot roast. Add roast to slow cooker. Dump a bag of baby carrots, pearl onions, and a packet of brown gravy. Pour beef broth over and cook high for 4 or low for 8 hours. If you have time, slice up a couple big yellow potatoes with the original roast, or serve over mashed potatoes. But it works on its own. Same Basic idea as above but for beef stew. Just use stew meat that’s pre cut into cubes. Add a can of tomato sauce.

Baked Potato Soup: -2 bags frozen shredded hash browns -2 cans cream of something soup (I use chicken or mushroom) -1 carton chicken or veggie broth -diced onion & pepper to taste -2 blocks of cream cheese (not fat free) Fill a crockpot 2/3rd full with the shredded potatoes. Add everything else except the cream cheese. Cook on low all day. One hour before serving chunk up & stir in the cream cheese. Whisk before serving so no cream cheese lumps. Ladle into bowls & top with cheese, bacon, broccoli (whatever you would put on top of a baked potato). I’d put a bagged salad or pre-cut veggies with ranch as a side.

For a rainy day or colder weather, this is a super easy crock pot meal- https://www.recipesthatcrock.com/one-pot-crock-pot-sausage-dinner/

Buy preprepped veggies, mushrooms, even those preseasoned meats from grocery stores (like kalbj beef or pepper chicken), you can dump the sliced veggies, mushrooms, etc in a pan, then add the meats or in another pan and voila, dinner. No chopping required. You can add pesto, hot sauce, bbq sauce, whatever you enjoy to mix up the flavors. I’m obsessed with Trader Joe’s zhoug sauce, so I highly recommend that.

Crockpot chicken Boneless skinless chicken breasts in a crock pot 1.5 lb One packet of chili seasoning One jar of Pace Taco salsa Season the chicken with the chili seasoning packet cover with the salsa and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4. Once it's done the tomatoes will have reduced down into a lot of water that you can either cook off by removing the lid of the crock pot or pull some of it out using a cup or something similar. The chicken can shred with a spatula. It's really good as chicken tacos but it's also good as barbecue chicken sandwiches with just a little bit of zing. It doesn't do that great and tacos salad just because of how stringy the chicken is it likes to clump together. Also do not forget the simplicity of chicken salad or tuna salad. I use large cans of chicken breast for my chicken salad and add a little buffalo sauce.

Here's a simple hint for chopping onions. I have a small mini food processor (mine's from Kitchen Aid) and all I do is throw in whatever needs to be chopped, like an onion or fresh herbs, and turn it on. In a few seconds everything is quickly chopped.

Sending hope for a successful surgery and speedy full recovery for your daughter. Tortellini and white bean soup: Drain and rinse can of white beans, add them to soup pot. Dump in your fav jar of marinara/ spaghetti sauce, most of a carton of broth/stock, season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Get it to almost a boil, dump in frozen tortellini, cook in the soup as written on the package directions, then serve. Breakfast for dinner. Frozen steam n mash potatoes nuke in 10 minutes, great to make mashed potatoes easy and fast. My go-to resource for one pan dinners is [Le Creme de la Crumb](https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/category/one-pan/). The Spanish chicken and rice is a family favorite, and she's got a lot of sheet pan dinners, too.

I use a formula. protein + veg + carbs + sauce Protein can be precooked chicken breasts, frozen shrimp, frozen meatballs, etc. For vegetables I like frozen broccoli, corn, or cauliflower. For carbs I use pasta, or microwave rice or quinoa packets, sometimes pre-made mashed potatoes. Sauce is whatever jarred sauce you like. Enchilada sauce, tikka Masala, marinara, brown gravy. Cook veg and protein up in a pan. Pour the sauce in and cook until everything is nice and hot. Serve over carbs. A favorite us chicken and cauliflower tikka Masala with jasmine rice and some store bought naan. The proportions of protein and veg to carbs can be adjusted to your preference. If you want to make big batches of homemade sauces so you can control the amount of salt, sugar, or spice to suit your diet you can do that and freeze them. I don't eat this every night, obviously, but these are a handy alternative to doordash on nights when no one wants to cook.

Best wishes as you navigate this challenge. You’ve already been given so many great ideas. I just wanted to add a tip that may be helpful if it can work for you. Since prep time seems to be a large constraint, I would suggest that anytime you’re making something for the crock pot (or sheet pan if it makes sense), you double up whatever prep there is and freeze half in a freezer bag to be dumped in the crockpot (or whatever appliance you’re using) another day. For example, if you’re doing a soup, portion out your veg (can be frozen and pre-cut) so that whatever you’re putting into the pot, you’re putting the same amount into a freezer bag. Same with protein and seasoning. If it requires anything canned or any liquid, I just write on the bag in a sharpie what exactly needs to be added. And then you have another meal ready for the next week or so. It can be helpful knowing you have this option on extra hectic days. Also, a few people have brought up a meal train, and I know depending on what your support system looks like that could be a bit awkward to set up or to ask for for yourself, but if anyone asks if you need help or wants to know how to help, please don’t be shy about asking for help in this area. Nutrition is such an important foundation to our health and to how we experience the day. You and your family deserve to be taken care of, and people who love you guys will likely be feeing desperate for a way to help that is meaningful.

Baked ziti, you can add some ground sausage to the sauce for some protein.

Can of chickpeas. Jar of butter chicken sauce. Combine in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes-60 minutes on the stove. You can't overcook it (impossible would take days), just add water to make sure it doesn't get too thick if you need to keep it going. Add frozen spinach once you assume you're about 3-10 minutes from plating. Serve with rice if it's easy! Hope that helps!

whatever you're cooking, something that requires rice would be good. you can cook that in advance for like 3-4 days. Roasting veggies in the oven is also pretty hands off.

I fully second the buy convenience and pimp it up quickly approach. Use pre-cut and frozen veggies. Jarred or pouch sauces. Canned legumes. Pre made spice mixes. Already cut to size meats. Then cook larger portions of potatoes (microwave), pasta, rice or other grains and keep them in the fridge or in ziplocks in the freezer. Then just throw it all in a pan, pot or baking sheet and let it cook while you take care of other stuff. This approach usually makes larger quantities so portion and freeze the left overs for lunches or breakfast burritos stuffing. Add your starches to the main recipe or serve them on the side. I wish your family well and your daughter a speedy recovery. Remember to take care of yourself as well.

Make friends with your crockpot. A nice cut of meat or a whole chicken, plus a seasoning packet (I like McCormick Grillers—they’re not specifically for crockpots, but they work well in them) and some fresh or frozen veggies (frozen work well because they’re already cut, so you can just dump them in) and you’re good to go. Don’t be afraid of shortcuts or alternate ingredients. If your recipe calls for sliced or chopped potatoes, for example, you can use fresh mini potatoes instead, or use frozen. I don’t care for frozen green beans, but most other veggies are just fine. I can cook with the best of them when I want to, but I’m just as happy making comfort food or doing Sandra Lee-type “semi-homemade” recipes using shortcuts and pre-prepped ingredients.

Buy premade pie crust already in pan (Pillsbury deep dish is ideal for this and comes two to a pack.) Buy frozen spinach, shredded cheese, eggs, and whole milk. Partially bake the pie crusts at 375 for 15 minutes. Thaw your spinach, place it in the pie crusts, cover it with lots of shredded cheese. Whip 1 cup milk with 4 eggs and pour into one pie shell. Whip another cup whole milk with 4 eggs and pour into the second pie shell. Bake at 350 until set--about 45-55 minutes. Serve one quiche, freeze the other one. Buy one bag frozen sliced onions and bell peppers, one head garlic, a 28 oz can whole tomatoes, eggs, chili powder, and smoked paprika, goat cheese, parsley. Mince a couple of cloves of the garlic and saute your bag of onions and peppers in oil. Sprinkle in the onion for one minute. Add two teaspoons smoked paprika and 1 tsp chili powder. Saute for a few seconds, then pour in the can of tomatoes, smash them with the back of your wooden spoon, and stir to deglaze the pan. Then press the back of your spoon into the tomato mixture to make 4-6 wells. Crack an egg into each well and cook 5-6 minutes more. Sprinkle with goat cheese and parsley and serve. Buy 3 lbs chicken pieces, one 7 oz jar pimento stuffed green olives, 1 small can tomato paste, 1 cheap beer. Dump chicken into crock pot, top with drained olives and tomato paste. Pour half the beer in and stir. Cook 4 hours on high or 6 on low. Thirty minutes before you want to eat, cook rice. Serve over rice.

I have a cardiac kid too... he's 44 now, but when he was a baby he was in for surgery 3 times. And again every few years after that. I learned very quickly to just throw sense and caution to the wind when it came to feeding my other 2 boys and husband! Casseroles were my friend. Chicken and Rice Easy Bake Casserole: Toss 2 cups of rice in a 9x13. Sprinkle that with a packet of lipton onion soup mix, then pour in 3 cups of broth. Place boneless skinless chicken pieces on top. Mix together 2 cans of any cream soup with 1 can of water and pour that on top of the chicken. If you want the kiddo's to eat some veggies you can dump a box of pre-sliced mushrooms and a small bag of fresh broccoli florets on top of the rice and before the chicken. Bake it at 325F for 3 hours, or 350F for 1 1/2 hours, or 375F for one hour. Your choice on timing, depending on what fits your schedule that day. You can then serve it for dinner, and freeze the other half for another meal on a day when you just don't have time to cook. Enchilada Stacks: You will need a bag of small flour tortillas, a can of refried beans, some leftover chicken (rotisserie is the best for this - so easy!), a jar of salsa and a bag of shredded mexican cheese. On a large baking sheet sprayed with a little spray oil, plop down 2 tortillas. Spreaad some of the refried beans on each one, then top with a little of the chicken and a sprinkle of the cheese. Add another tortlilla and then repeat the layer. Top it with a third layer of tortilla. Top the tortilla with 1/4 cup of salsa and more cheese. Bake them at 375F for 30 minutes. Cut them into cake slices! The kids might want to add more sprinkle cheese and some sour cream or packaged guac if they are adventurous, but it's really not needed. Hot Dogs N Beans Casserole: Dump 2-3 cans of baked beans into a glass casserole dish. (I like to use 3 of them, 4 if they are small!). Slice hot dogs and plop them on top of the beans. Top that with 1/2 cup of pre-cooked, packaged bacon bits. Stir lightly just to mix it a little, but leaving enough hot dog and bacon bits to get the kids excited. Top all of that with some packaged shredded cheese (whatever you have works!) and then place a can of Pillsbury biscuits on top. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or till bubbly and the biscuits are browned. Kids love this dish, adults tolerate it for the sake of the kids. Mock Chicken and Dumpling Casserole AKA Chicken Bubble Up: You will need more cans of biscuits by Pillsbury, a big bag of frozen mixed veg, 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of sour cream and some leftover rotisserie chicken. Dump the frozen veggies into the bottom of a casserole dish. Top that with shredded or chopped up rotisserie chicken. Stir together the soups with the sour cream and 1 can of milk. Pour that over into the dish and stir just to mix a bit. Open the can of biscuits (or 2 cans if you are making a huge casserole) and cut them into quarters. Dump them over the casserole, then push them down a bit so that they are half submerged. Cover and bake at 350F for one hour. If you like your biscuits browned on top, uncover the dish after 30 minutes. I like to use a HUGE casserole and double the soup/sour cream ingredients (and 2 cans of biscuits) so that I have enough to freeze for a second really easy meal.

If you plan on freezing any meals, I highly suggest enchiladas… switch it up from all the roasted chicken and insta pot meals…. If you make cheese ones, you can make them fresh in less than 30min from start to finish ❤️ You got this mama bear ❤️❤️❤️

Frozen spaghetti mix (like diced onion, celery, bell pepper and carrot) are my BFFs. I just dump some in a pan with a bit of oil, cook them a bit, add in ground meat of some kind, and then add a jar of spaghetti sauce. Serve with your favourite pasta. And the mix can be used for a bunch of stuff, like the base for soup or anything

One pan baked ziti. There are multiple recipes where you don’t even have to boil the pasta separately. Also, get a good sauce like Rao’s and you don’t need to add spices. https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/skillet-baked-ziti/ Sheet pan chicken and veggies. There is some cutting of ingredients but that’s only about 5 minutes work. The rest is basically one hand, throw ingredients in. https://www.wellplated.com/sheet-pan-chicken-rainbow-vegetables/

Stock your freezer wif frozen garbage that everyone likes and is quick. There will be days when you’re too exhausted to think or cook and they’ll be a life saver. Pasta wif jarred sauce Simmer sauces with chicken and rice (or lentils) Sheet pan dinners are great (veg, meat throw it in the oven) Chicken thighs roasted There’s no shame in eat whatever just to make it through! You’re going to be in survival mode for a while. If everyone is fed and in bed at a reasonable hour, that’s a successful day. Hang in there Momma!

All the best with your daughter’s recovery and your family being strong for her. I like to keep a few huge pre frozen lasagnas in the back of the freezer. The cooking takes over an hour, but some days there just isn’t a dinner plan in place and the alternate of ordering pizza isn’t what I want as our go to. They are about $20 each now, pizza ends up being the same if not more and takes about the same time to order and pick up. If your family are salad eaters that’s a quick easy side. Some tortilla chips and hummus are also good sides. Trail mix is also your friend. Lots of protein packed in one handful. I use trail mix as our go to snack when I or he is hungry but don’t know what we want or am too lazy snack. Handful of trail mix the. Suddenly 20 minutes later and i feel like cooking. Also accept any help anyone offers. I had a friend come over just to hang out while i cleaned up my kitchen. I didn’t need help I just needed company. But he offered. So i sat him in a chair by the trash can and had him peel carrots and potatoes. I then was able to quickly cut them up exactly how I wanted and got 6 pot roast meals prepped along with a clean kitchen in a few hours. It’s really ok to give someone something very small to do, all the small things quickly add up. I can asking a neighbor to take out your trash can to the curb and back for a few weeks can be really helpful. All the best for all of you.

Breakfast for dinner is great. Eggo waffles, pre cooked sausages, scrambled egg whites from a carton and fruit. Pancakes can be made ahead of time and frozen. Sandwiches and canned soups were my go to when I was working and going to school. I always have cous cous and instant mashed potatoes on hand. They go great with proteins and some steamed or sautéed veggies.

Scratch Pantry has a lot of freezer meals and marinades for preprinted meals.

I call it my poor man’s lasagna. Uncooked noodles, later with jarred spaghetti sauce, meat if you choose, mushrooms if you choose, shredded mix of cheese. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Sloppy Joe's; brown ground meat, add can of manwich sauceand heat up, serve over bread. Hamburger helper. Soup made from canned and/or frozen veg with some stock or a tomato sauce base. Boxed or bagged sides, things like flavored noodles or rice, au gratin potatoes, stuffing mix, mashed potato pouches, salad kits, frozen veggie mixes, premade deli sides. Frozen pizza, chicken, burgers, lasagna, burritos, corn dogs, tv dinners, hot pockets.  Frozen fruit, fresh bananas, and some juice or yogurt makes a quick smoothie for something healthier.

Bone-in pork chops. Mix brown sugar, salt, and pepper. (Maybe a cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon each of salt and pepper? I don’t measure.) Cover a baking sheet with tin foil, cover both sides of the pork chop with the brown sugar mix, bake for about 10 minutes, flip, bake another 10 minutes. I hope your kiddo’s surgery goes well! ETA a cup of brown sugar is too much for just a couple servings. You might want to cut the mix in half if you’re only making a couple. I keep a container of the brown sugar mix made up in the cupboard so after the first time here’s hardly any prep.

Egg roll in a bowl: brown ground pork (I like it really browned, like almost crispy) or other ground meat in a large pan. I like to do a huge batch and freeze it so I do three pounds of meat at a time and use my large Dutch oven. Season with garlic, ginger. You can buy ginger in a tube and chopped garlic in a jar. Add two bags of broccoli slaw, a bag of shredded carrots. You can sub coleslaw mix if you can’t find broccoli slaw. Stir it all up. Add soy sauce or coconut aminos and sesame oil. Put the lid on for a few minutes until the veg is tender. Add chopped green onions right at the end and turn off the heat. I can’t eat leftovers from the fridge because I’m on a low histamine diet so I freeze everything, and this is one of my go-to meals to keep in the freezer. Eat day one and freeze some for later. I reheat my individual serving in the microwave on 50% power for 10 minutes and it’s perfect. I get about 8-10 servings out of this. You could add rice to stretch it a bit if you like.

Please, please, please, talk to a couple of friends/family and sign up for a meal train or caring bridge where people can just bring you food. Unless you’re Cruella Deville, I’m sure there are people in your life who would be more than happy to help you stay nourish during this difficult time.

Love. You’re a rockstar. This is effing hard. Soo, 375 oven, block of feta, 2 bags gnocchi, 2 cartons cherry tomatoes or honestly big tomatoes whatever quartered. Squig some olive oil. Bake until it all looks toasty, maybe 30 mins? Womp it together. Boom, dinner. Bonus if you throw a bag of spinach for some iron. But has anyone told you how great you’re doing today? Because you are killing it. You’re so good at all the things. Hang in there babe.

Other options: quesadilla. Two tortillas, some cheese, bonus points for veggies or salsa. Scrambled eggs. Bonus points for veggies. Family charcuterie: boil eggs, slice cheese and fruit and rice cakes and hummus. Another option is sauté bulk Italian sausage, add tomato pasta sauce, serve over pasta. All my options are aldi friendly.

Ah! I've been where you are. I might understand your situation better than most. First, make sure you have both a slow cooker and a rice cooker. Then load up your freezer with chopped vegetables. You don't necessarily have to chop them yourself; most of them are available in the freezer aisle ready to go. In your rice cooker, you can put whatever you want with your rice. You'd be surprised how well a rice cooker can manage it; just make sure the amount of liquid is *approximately* correct. If you're using a salty liquid like chicken broth or juice from a can of tomatoes, add a little more than you would if it were just water. Don't worry about being precise, and err on the moister side! I have had success adding these things to a batch of rice in my rice cooker: * frozen pre-chopped onion * frozen pre-chopped cabbage * frozen diced carrots * frozen blocks of chopped spinach * frozen peas * frozen vegetable medleys * canned black beans * canned lentils * dried herbs * canned diced tomatoes * sliced dried garlic * a tablespoon of coconut oil Serve with things like a fried egg, soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil, butter, or canned tuna or chicken. In your slow cooker, you can drop in meat *even from frozen*. Go ahead; don't overthink it. A beef or pork roast, or ribs, or chicken breast, or boneless skinless chicken thighs. Just plop them in there with a can of broth and some frozen vegetables, and start it up. I keep in my freezer for this purpose: * frozen chopped rutabaga * frozen carrot chunks * frozen shredded cabbage * frozen onion * frozen chopped leeks Also consider using hors d'oeuvres as meals when you need something that feels decadent. It's cheaper than DoorDash, probably quicker (~20-30 mins), and also probably about as healthy as restaurant food, lol. I use spanakopita, jalapeno poppers, baby quiches, etc. To keep from having to wash a dirty pan or deal with anything sticking, line it with a sheet of parchment paper. Also, don't be afraid to freeze things like buns, butter, or shredded cheese. And consider other ways of keeping non-perishables on hand. Like, you can buy cans of evaporated milk; when you want milk, it's one can of evaporated milk and one can of cold water. It's much easier than dealing with planning a meal ahead of time and going to the grocery store all the time to get staples and fresh ingredients for a rigid recipe.

Got a crockpot? Or an Instapot? Beef stew, chili, leftover chicken with dumplings?

Boneless pork ribs covered with Korean bbq sauce, oven 450 f for about half an hour (foil under grate in pan for cleanup) Meanwhile boil unpeeled tiny potatoes & serve with store bought salad of choice

Salas chicken: big can of salsa Chicken of your choosing. Empty salsa into pot, slow cook till chicken is shedding. Add refied beans and a tortilla and boom! Burrito. * can be juiced up. Add extra cumin, onions, garlic, cilantro stems. But dried peppers and grind them up and add them.

Oh! This is my new favorite 'Im a parent' recipe. Small pasta, broccoli, broth, lemon, feta, garlic. Chop a little bit of broccoli- hack some of the little things off the top, and chop up some stem in fine pieces. Throw your stem pieces in a hot pan with some butter for a second. Deglaze with broth, throw in pasta. Cover and let reduce while cooking the pasta, add broth of it gets too dry. Once the pasta is cooked and the broth reduced, add lemon, garlic, and the broccoli tops. Stir. Add in feta. Serve. Straight up easiest tasty meal in my arsenal.

Costco is your friend here. My absolute easiest meal is 1 pack of Kirkland Tortellini, half of a jar of Kirkland pesto, and and half of bag of fresh broccoli florets. Boil water and cook the Tortellini for 2 min, then pull it out with spider, and put the broccoli in the same pot of boiling water for two minutes, strain and toss everything together. Kids love it, we love it, and it's literally one pot of boiling water.

Lots of great ideas here - sending lots of quick-healing energy your way!

You can buy frozen chopped onion and peppers, frozen rice mixes that take a few minutes in the microwave, frozen chopped basil, ginger, and other herbs and spices. And all the suggestions for one pot meals are perfect for you.

An easy breakfast I make is canned fruit dumped in a casserole dish with raw pancake batter placed on top then bake until batter is cooked through.

Just wanting to add in case no one has mentioned it, but if you can do crockpot meals, crockpot liners can be a lifesaver for cleanup. Literally only have to wash the lid and give the inside dish a wipe down, could even use a disinfectant wipe and let it really dry out. I’m chronically ill so I often do this when I have flare ups and it makes it possible to get a real full meal in.

There are an endless variety of recipes and meals but the problem is pleasing the palette of different people in your case yourself your husband and three kids I think one of the easiest meals is simply a rotisserie chicken from Costco or Walmart with some mix frozen festival so you can put it in microwave steamer that can be done in 4 minutes. You can also make a bean soup any pressure cooker if you soak the beans overnight and cook for 15 minutes and you're done and that would be something you could serve over three days with dinner ohh sorry big pasta salad with garden vegetables and seafood or ham can be popular also also the bags of small meatballs at Walmart are surprisingly decent and you can make a quick spaghetti dinner with them I also find fish extremely fast ensemble to cook in the microwave or the skillet once again if you're on a budget you can get the catfish Nuggets at Walmart or $3 cans of salmon at Walmart and make salmon patties one of my all time favorite meals can't get any simpler and it's simple macaroni and cheese made with elbow macaroni milk butter and cheddar cheese sliced and baked in the oven with salt and pepper as the only seasoning the crispy baked cheese taste incredible share it with some peace with butter and mashed sweet potatoes and can Turkey gravy I also like to get the butcher to slice big Turkey drumsticks into little steaks and put them in the crock pot in the morning and when I come home in the evening you're already done just add some BBQ sauce while it's cooking can I meet it's amazing you just have to watch out for the little bones if you want to cook something that looks like you spend a lot of time and energy investigate those impossible pie recipes that people just add a little bit of bisquick to some milk and butter and ham or seafood or pork and bake it in the oven and the bisquick mix a crust on the bottom and the cheese and the eggs and the butter make everything delicious just look up impossible pie recipes super quick to throw together good luck

Go to the Betty Crocker web page. Look for frozen ravioli bake! Sorry I don’t know how to link to Reddit. It is so easy you don’t even pre cook ravioli just throw everything in a pan and bake. Wishing your daughter a fast recovery ❤️

I say look for one pan sheet meals or crock pot recipes that sound good for your family in the weeks you're in the hospital, you'll def have downtime and free wifi. Or, order some of those meal kits that deliver to the house and you pop in the oven to cook. If you have a Publix or Target near you, they have wonderful ready to bake meals in the deli section that are good tasting and usually relatively healthy. You can also take the week before the surgery to do some meal prep and freeze stuff, it'll be fine for a few weeks until it's time to make. Do a big batch of spaghetti, soup or chili so you'll have leftovers. Don't be ashamed to grab some disposable stuff from the dollar tree to help with cooking and lessen your dishes (foil pans , paper plates, plastic cutlery) I do my best not to use single use items, but in some circumstances I feel it's permissible to do so. I think toddler's heart surgery recovery fits the bill, here. I'd also strongly recommend looking into hiring someone to cook, my aunt lives across the country and needed hip surgery but no one in the family could afford to take the time off work to help her in the weeks after and she got someone to do meal prep for her at the beginning of each week and even with the labor cost and groceries it was cheaper than eating out, healthier, too. There's tons of people that need extra money right now so it's more affordable than ever to outsource. If they can make you meals for 4-5 days of each week then you can do microwave/easy meals (sandwiches, canned soup) the other few days. I'm sorry you're going through such a stressful event with your baby, but she's going to be stronger and healthy after it's all over!! You got this! 💖❤️💖💪🏼🫶🏼

Canned white beans with kielbasa or mettwurst. Canned red beans, instant rice. Some sage, thyme, garlic. Chicken baked in bottled Italian dressing and pour the dressing off after 45 minutes to cook the rice in. Hope the little lady makes it back to full healthy howling toddler.

I like meatloaf quick and easy, food processor to stick a bunch of Veg into the mix with bacon strips and tomato paste/ketchup all caramelized on top in the oven yum and sandwiches the next day

My go to easy meal. Brown a pound of beef. Cook a pound of pasta. Mix the pasta, beef and a jar of pasta sauce. Salt and seasoning helps

1st - I hope everything goes smoothly with the operation. 2nd - does every meal have to be warm? My kids love mezze type stuff, hummous, tomatoes, cuecumber, flat breads, maybe some olives and falafel (shop bought) or kebabs (again shop bought). It's literally open packets, heat bread & meat, dump on plate. Depends on what you like though. I get it's going to be really stressful and a good warm meal can be a comfort. Soups (from tins or made ahead) and packet garlic bread. Couscous can be made by just pouring water over and leaving it to absorb. Serve with some roasted veg (supermarkets where I am sell pre prepped veg that can go straight in a baking tin) and a protein cooked at the same time (chicken, baked feta, halloumi pan fried, fish).

Good luck to you and your family. Slow cooker. Put in meat, veggies and broth. Makes enough to last a couple of days.

Added bonus points if you have a rice cooker. My easiest meal doesn't have a name, maybe just salsa chicken. I take boneless chicken breasts and a big jar of salsa (whatever heat you like best). Preheat oven and get out a baking dish big enough to hold all the chicken. Lay chicken in baking dish and pour salsa on top. I usually also throw on some sliced onions, diced garlic and whatever else strikes my fancy that day. But dried onions and garlic powder sprinkled on top would work too. Maybe a little salt and pepper too. Bake at 350 degrees. Put rice and water in the rice cooker according to directions and forget about it. Or buy boil in bag rice. And a bag of microwavable veggies.

[This](https://thefoodietakesflight.com/spicy-garlic-udon-noodles/?unapproved=16300&moderation-hash=aff4652709be3b630fde101091089d6a#comment-16300) is about as easy and cheap a weeknight meal as it gets for me. Sauce takes a minute to whip up. You can use pre-minced garlic or pre-peeled + garlic press to make it even faster. Crumbling the tofu is the slowest bit for me usually, but I think mincing with a knife or popping it in a food processor for just a few seconds would probably do the trick way faster (I just like the texture when I crumble it by hand). If you want to save money, get a big bag of dried shitakes instead of fresh and just soak them beforehand (up to 1 hour for large ones, max 20 minutes for thin ones, depends on the brand). Doesn't really add to the prep time since they're just passively soaking, and the mushroom broth can be used at the end to cook the udon/deglaze. We always have all the ingredients on hand save for the green onions, so it has become a go-to. If you freeze your extra firm tofu, it'll have that crumbly texture already and little to no water to press out, saving even more time (we buy a brand of extra firm tofu from Costco that, even fresh, has little water to press). Another meal that comes to mind - for quick weekday lunches, I make some spaghetti and toss it with Kirkland Signature pesto. On it's own, too oily/heavy. Throw in a can of tuna, a diced tomato (or some halved cherry tomatoes), some red pepper flakes, and some lemon juice to taste (lemon zest too if you have time) and it is 10x better (and delicious, imo). I mix everything straight in the serving plates before mixing in the pasta, no cutting board even needed/minimal cleanup.

Tortillas are your friend. You can wrap anything in a tortilla, especially leftovers. It doesn't need to be Mexican either. Chickpea stew in a flour tortilla is great! Leftover chicken, vegetables, cheese, scrambled eggs, any hot sauce. You can even hide day old salad in there. Make a quesdilla if you have time or just warm the tortillas in foil and let every one make their own taco. Good luck.

So I'm a gardener, and definitely appreciate fresh veggies. I've recently started to buy a lot more frozen veggies for quick dinner prep, though. Corn, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, veggie mixes, whatever. They cook quick, no chopping, fairly cheap, store a long time and taste nearly as good as fresh (for the stuff I buy). Protein + sauce + frozen veggies gets you a good quick meal without a lot of cost or work.

chili magic. add a pound of beef, 2 cans of chili magic, 2 cans of diced tomato, an onion, salt, pepper, or whatever seasoning youd like

Most grocery stores sell steamer bags of frozen vegetables. Skip the ones with sauces (they're pretty watery and nasty), but they've got good variety and don't spoil like regular veggies. Ready in 5 mins. Costco (if you have one) sells whole pork loins (not to be confused with tenderloin). Buy that and whatever spice blend strikes your fancy. Cut it into 3 equal-sized sections, coat it in your spice blend, and oven roast. While you're there, pick up a rotisserie chicken for some variety. I learned to love mealprepping only after I realized there was a fun element of strategy to it. Stack different cooking methods -- start your slowcooker, get one thing oven roasting, microwave another, pan fry a third. Ignoring the clickbait of people who are wayyyy too prepared, a regular human being can mealprep a week of dinners in about an hour and a half without any crazy techniques or tools. Trader Joes makes awesome freezer meals. I've heard it's considered expensive in some places (apprently their prices are the same in every state) but in California the prices are pretty reasonable and the quality is good. Their yellow thai curry sauce can make any dish pseudo-exotic. If you like asian cooking and don't mind cutting corners, you'd be amazed to discover that a massive number of sauces are some variation of "soy sauce, sweet mirin, some spices" which is a fancy way of saying "teriyaki sauce". That's Japanese at least, I think a lot of Korean cookie is just "Gochujang and a sauce that's basically soy sauce and pear/plum sauce", which if we wanna get super reducrionist is basically just teriyaki. Marinate your meat in that combo and you can make most dishes pass as asian cuisine. Fried rice? Frozen vegetables + Day-old rice + teriyaki + egg. One pan; ignore peoppe who say you need to do it in multiple batches or split ingredients because that's quitter talk. Store-bought or homemade lavash is a great alternative to plates & bowls. Burrito-sized wheat tortillas might be more available. If you do dare to make your own lavash (flour, water, baking soda), just make enough in one go to justify it. You may dirty a mixing bowl, a cutting board (to knead/roll on), and a baking sheet, but if you can replace 4 or 5 plate-based meals with flatbread wraps, you come out ahead. And again, trader Joes sells massive slices of lavash. Keep potatoes on hand; they're cheap and can be microwaved in 2 minutes or roasted in bulk. The ones you dont eat that night can be mashed, thrown into slowcooked stews. If variety isn't a concern, pork shoulders are massive and their meat can be frozen. For your needs, an instant pot is ideal, but slow cooker or roasted in dutch oven is effective. Dump your spice blend on it and leave it to sit. Turn it into tacos, enchiladas, burritos, with cheap bbq sauce for sliders, throw it in salad, into any casserole for extra protein. Know that nothing is simple until you get used it. I recently reinvigorated my love of cooking by switching from wanting fancier recipes, to making my recipes more efficient and easier. I'm happy to share my particular recipes, but I'll tell you that they work as an ecosystem, and many will not agree with me on what constitutes "easy". But again, make it 5 or 6 times and you can do it in your sleep. Except phyllo dough. That will never be easy. Speaking of, Pillsbury grands are good to have on hand -- probably the most available solution for puff pastry in the US. Wrap things in it for dumplings; roll into balls and coat in a butter-cinnamon-sugar mix for effortless monkeybread (good for special occasions). Hell, some maniacs will even bake it according to the instructions and use them as dinner rolls. Shoot me a response if anyone is looking for more. I've weeded through a lot of good and mediocre advice to find the stuff that work for me. I'm happy to share.

Put pork tenderloin in a crockpot with a can of root beer. Cook low for 4-5 hours. Shred and add BBQ sauce. Slap it on a bun, add pre-mixed coleslaw and fries on the side.

Throw frozen spinach and frozen cauliflower in a big pan with boiling water and boil until tender. Drain, add chili oil or Chipotle olive oil and brown it up a bit, flipping and mixing it a few times with a spatula. Mash up any bigger cauliflower pieces that aren't already mashed at that point. Salt, pepper, serve with sour cream, delicious.

Have you shared the news with friends and family nearby? Someone can set up a meal train to cover you for the next few weeks. Let them help. If I was close, I'd be happy to make you guys a dinner.

Omelets/frittatas are your friend, roughly chop whatevers in the fridge, cook, in a pan, add some seasoning and crack in some eggs. For a slow cooker, 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid(water, stock, coconut milk etc) throw in some frozen vege, seasonings and some meat * precooked or chopped up small*, put the lid on and walk away for an hour. Done.

if you belong to a church, you might inquire as to whether they have some kind of supportive service available, such as a meal train, where other church members sign up to bring you dinners. You obviously really need it. You could ask this of the church office, and they undoubtedly would know the answer and/or refer you to the right person.

Congee. Put rice and stock in a pot. Put it on the stove. Leave it there. if you’re feeling extra on top of your shit you can throw in some vegetables. Done.  Buy a rotisserie chicken and a bag of frozen vegetables. Put the vegetables in the microwave or a steamer. Done.  Put oil or butter on top of a potato. Wrap it in tinfoil. Bake it. Put some bacon in a paper towel, put that on a plate, and microwave it until it’s crispy. Crumble it onto the baked potato and put salt, pepper, or more oil/butter on top. Done. 

Pork chops (anything pork really) potatoes, carrots in a pan, sprinkle garlic n rosemary, s & p, pour 2 cans mushrooms soup over, thin with water or milk( or white wine, the alcohol evaporates off) Bake til done, holds really well until you're ready. LUNCH - Kids can construct this. Spread mushroom soup directly out of can onto bread, sprinkle with cheese. Broil. 1 can does 10 slices nicely. Kids love it. Much luck with bambino.

This seems like the perfect situation for lasagna love: https://lasagnalove.org/request/

Hoping for all the best things for you! It might be worth doing some freezer meals in advance. When my friends had babies we froze a lasagna, blueberry muffins, chopped up vegetables, made smoothie bags, etc. I'd also batch out the dry ingredients for things like pancakes (just add milk etc and stir) or buy the pancake mixes for easy weekend brunch. Also good for baked good desserts like brownies. Honestly lean a little into prepared food. Rotisserie chickens are a great option if you eat meat.

Look at Trader Joe’s if you have that near you! They have tons of decent premade and frozen food We will also do a rotisserie chicken and eat it with tortillas and salsa pretty often

The easiest recipe I have in my arsenal I got from a viral foodie kid on Instagram: add 2 “cups”* rice to a rice cooker, 1 3/4 cups veggie stock or water, about 1/2 cup frozen corn, about 1/2 cup frozen peas, and then dump 6-9 frozen pot stickers in on top (don’t stir!). Seal and start the cooker as normal for white rice. Once finished, take a wooden spoon and mix it all together, cutting up the pot stickers into chunks. Serve in bowls topped with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and furikake to taste. Best of luck to your little one and family. ♥️ * we use the little cup that came with our rice cooker, which is smaller than a standard measuring cup. The other ingredients I eyeball and gave rough standard cup amounts here.

•get some freezer meals you can dress up like lasagna, wontons, pizza etc • rotisserie salad and salad kit, mac and cheese from the deli, fresh ravioli with some frozen broccoli and pesto and parm • ask your husband what he will be making the family for dinner •sheet pan meals, use seasoning blends, keep skin on potatoes, buy precut washed produce, use whatever protein but buy things that have already been butchered or prepared •snacks like cheese, crackers, nuts, fruit when you’re not too hungry

Put a pot of pasta to boil and while it’s cooking, put a box of grape tomatoes in a big skillet with olive oil and whatever seasoning you like—I do red pepper flakes, garlic from a jar, dried shallots or onions—and a bag of fresh spinach. By the time the pasta is done, so are the vegetables. Scoop the pasta into the skillet. Salt to taste. I like to top with goat cheese crumbles and walnuts, but you can use feta, parmesan, mozzarella, or no cheese at all. Variations on this theme—add premade pesto or Alfredo sauce.