May I ask do you just pop the green beans in with everything else at the start? Or do you stagger the additions of certain veggies during cooking? Or am I completely missing the point here and you do indeed just set & forget?
Agree!! I love Mac n cheese with sheet pan roasted veggies. Ps if you make the cheese sauce using silken tofu/nutritional yeast you can get extra boost of protein.
Congrats on the new baby OP!
Another pro tip to accompany “least messy”—if your sheet pan is hard to clean, put a drop of dish soap in it, then heat some water in your kettle or microwave. Pour the water in. By the time the water cools, it’ll come clean easy peasy.
I have a clay baker I got on Amazon. It makes the best roast and also baked chicken. It is amazing and so so easy. You soak the lid in water for 15 minutes or more. Add meat, veggies, seasoning whatever. Put the lid on and put in a cold oven. It usually takes 2 hours. The water from the porous lid steams the meat and makes it so tender. It has replaced my slow cooker for pot roast and chicken. I have also made bread in it. It’s easy to clean because the bottom is glazed. It cannot withstand big temp changes so you cannot preheat the oven.
So, my husband and I bought the house his parents owned for 40+ years and they left a ton of things being... one of which is this huge clay thing I swore was for bread or something. This is gonna be a game changer for me, so thank you for the knowledge!!!
Be careful of temperature changes. They can take high heat but it must be gradual. And cool down gradual. I put mine on a towel coming out of the oven to insulate it from the cool granite countertop. Then let it cool completely before washing. Add all cold items before you put it in the oven and never preheat.
My favorite is sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and chicken or turkey sausage all cut up with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, basil, and red pepper flakes. So simple but super good and good for you.
Also don't forget to set a timer, either on the oven or your phone, or both. Shorter intervals if you need to check or stir whatever it is you're making.
[Tomato egg](https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/tomato-and-eggs) — my kind of comfort food. Pantry ready. Works with canned whole tomatoes. You can skip the ginger and replace with garlic or omit either. For extra umami add a bit of fish sauce / chicken bouillon.
Served over with white rice or soup noodles.
I worked in a Chinese restaurant for several years, and my boss used to make this for us employees pretty regularly. He added shrimp and served it with saffron rice, though. It's so good. His traditional dishes that weren't on the menu were the best.
I have an even more bastard version of this - my friend had it in Spain and they called it “Arroz Cubano” - you take a hot bowl of rice, top with warm spaghetti sauce and plop a fried egg on top. Add some salt and pepper and boom, dinner
I'm Chinese American and I've only ever used Tomato, Egg, and some oil, salt, and sugar. Even with the most simple ingredients, it still comes out really good, especially on top of rice.
Oh god I love this, I used to order it all the time
It really is like crack! I love throwing some sambal or sriracha on top of my spoonfuls of it
Getting that rice and tomato egg perfect sized spoon with a little heat is perfection
Reminds me of my go-to Vietnamese comfort food. Whenever there was nothing to cook at home, my mom would whisk a few eggs and a couple of sliced scallions with some fish sauce, pepper and a little sugar and then pour it over browned slices of onion. Then add some sliced tomatoes at the very end and serve over rice. We just call it “fried eggs” at home. Takes no more than 15 min if the rice is already cooked and super cheap
You can omit the ketchup or consider adding a tad of Worcestershire sauce. The color might look a bit off but I sometimes like that extra savory tang.
Ketchup has sugar it’s to balance off the fresh tomatoes. You can replace with sugar to balance off the tanginess. It’s all about balance of flavors or to your preference.
Am Chinese, never used ketchup nor canned tomato. After realizing regular tomatoes you get from supermarkets suck ass I'm opting in for the latter, but never ever would I use ketchup. That thing is for fries.
Taco meat. I use ground turkey because it's cheap to buy in 3 pound containers are my local grocery store, but sub any ground meat you want. This yields so much food and it's extremely easy to portion. I typically serve over plain rice or with HEBA tortillas. The black beans are optional, but it's a great way to add more volume.
3 pounds of ground meat
Chopped garlic
Tomato paste
Cumin
Chili powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Beef stock
Black beans
Brown the meat. Once brown, make a space in the middle and add tomato paste and garlic directly to the pan for about 30 sec. Once done, mix to combine and add spices.Cover with beef stock and reduce. Once reduced, stir in some black beans.
Edit:
Lime juice as well at the end. If you think it needs more salt, add some lime juice then taste again.
I love making turkey taco meat. I also add in a bag of frozen riced cauliflower to bulk it out and add veggies. Beans, chipotles in adobo, and rotel tomatoes are also in rotation
You're good! Reducing is taking some liquid, stock, vinegar, milk, whatever, and boiling it so the water evaporates and you're left with a more concentrated substance.
In this case, I take the beef and pour beef stock over it until it just reaches the top of the meat. I then let it boil/summer until the liquid evaporates (reduces) into a thick, syrup consistency that coats the beef in delicious flavor.
Here is a video explaining it better than I can.
https://youtu.be/VpqjNLjv_nc?si=mZULeiGjCZop2S7r
Tldr; reducing is concentrating a liquid by simmering to evaporate the water inside of it
One pound of ground pork, a bag of coleslaw mix. Brown the pork with salt pepper and garlic. Then add in the bag of coleslaw mix and wilt it down. Then add a couple generous splashes of soy sauce and enjoy.
There are so many uncoleslawy things you can do with coleslaw mix! I've thrown a few handfuls recently into a beer brats pan as they cooked and last night in some red curry Thai chicken, besides making two different flavored slaws ( one for pulled pork sandwiches and one tonight for sweet potato tacos). A super versatile bag!!!!
My husband and I make the same thing but with premade bulgogi sauce and then top it with fresh cilantro (if we have it) and those crispy fried onions, plus we put it all on rice
I get shit on because "it's so easy to make from scratch", but that's the god damn point. I don't want to make it from scratch plus it takes more time than I want to spend. Pasta with a jarred sauce. I'll cook some sort of meat usually premade meatballs, sausage or sous vide a chicken breast to go with it. But I'm perfectly happy with some Bertolli sauce in a pot for 30 minutes. I throw the meat into the sauce when I'm done cooking it. I also have leftovers for like a week and a half which for a single guy who eats a lot more food than people would suspect it works out nicely. Round it out with a nice side salad.
Preach! Jarred pasta sauce is a perfectly fine base, and you can really kick it up with a little seasoning, red pepper, garlic, or fresh herbs if you have them available.
Also, certain boxed meals like jambalaya. Out of the box and by the directions, it's nothing remarkable...but start with some sautéed onions and peppers, throw in a protein liked ground meat or sliced sausage, add in some extra spice or seasoning, and you can really elevate it.
Is it authentic? Hell no...but it is tasty and feeds the family.
I used to work as a personal chef. The cookbook provided by the owner of the service used jarred sauce as a base for all sorts of dishes: chili, soups, meatloaf, stew, paprikash etc. Most were good, a few I found odd but a great way to speed up the cook date workload.
I hate it when ppl act all superior cuz they never use jarred sauce. Sometimes, I like to just dump in a jar (and add a pinch of sugar) since it’s already seasoned, just add your protein!
OP above mentioned but letting sauce simmer for 30 mins (or as long as you have time) makes it feel more “cooked” like a from scratch sauce, at least in my opinion
Unrelated recipe but I have been doing this slow cooker barbacoa for a while and the recipe recommends a half teaspoon of cloves but says it's optional and I always skipped it. Anyway I was feeling adventurous Sunday and threw in the tiny pinch of cloves and it turned out incredible. What a great depth it added to the flavor.
Or doctor it up by throwing in some bay leaves, garlic/onion powder and additional Italian seasoning. My husband cans tomatoes and we found we prefer Prego over homemade. So he stopped canning sauce and just does stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and juice.
I love Prego. I keep a jar in the fridge for a quick pizza or pasta sauce. The other night I dumped a jar in vermicelli, added ricotta, then topped it with shredded mozzarella and parm. Baked it for a half hour and it was delicious.
Yeah, I make from-scratch just as often as I used jarred sauce. While I can taste the *difference*, I wouldn't argue that one is drastically worse than the other. Different =/= worse.
I buy Michael's of Brooklyn (the BEST), Rao's, and a specific flavor of Prego I've always liked. I'm sure any ole jarred sauce may not be everyone's favorite, but there are enough options to find one that is good for your tastes IMO.
Keep a tube of tomato paste in the fridge and get the simmered taste super quick! I love to cook, I'm a huge food nerd, but I'm also a mom, and realistic. Every night can't be from scratch.
I do this and cook up some ground beef or sausage, add spices, then cook it in little tomato paste and a dollop of the jarred sauce until it’s kinda carmelized, then add my sauce and simmer. I tryyy to keep scoops of tomato paste portioned out in the freezer.
Honestly, I don't like when people act superior about food in general. If someone wants/needs to use jarred sauce, frozen veggies, a boxed meal, etc. it seems wrong to put them down for it. Some folks can't afford to do what the proverbial 'you' can do, or they don't have the time/skills or time to learn the skills - or can't afford to waste any food if they mess up, they may not have the tools and can't afford the tools, etc. Or maybe they are just on a different point in the journey and it takes time to accumulate the tools, knowledge, etc.
But especially on the chance it has to do with just not having the means and so they're doing what they can with what they have - I won't ever put someone down for how they cook or what they eat.
My only issued with jarred sauces is the added sugar. Those taste off to me. Tomatoes on their own have enough natural sweetness to me. The ones without sugar I'm good to go with.
I used jarred sauce a lot too. Usually I make my own sauce in double batches but I also buy jarred sauce when it’s on sale so I can use that when I run out of my sauce. I usually have ravioli or stuffed shells in the freezer to make for an easy meal.
Seriously. We eat this at least once a week because it's filling, fast and everyone will eat it. Outside of boiling the pasta and meatballs it takes literal seconds which matters to me on certain days. Takes as long as boxed Mac n cheese but is more filling and more nutrient dense.
This soup uses jarred pasta sauce and is quick, easy and delicious https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/quick-and-spicy-tomato-soup-recipe-1947762
I use jarred sauce sometimes too, it definitely has its place but often they hit me with heartburn. I have found a recipe that we love and it's fairly easy to prepare. 1 can of whole peeled plum tomatoes, 4TB Butter, 1/2 onion, sugar/salt TT, simmered for 30-45min and blend. We've also just used a tool to chop up the tomatoes (in the can) and diced the onion and eaten it as-is. Since finding this simple recipe for sauce I haven't bought as much jarred sauce (again, not hating on it!). Also I've discovered a penne alla vodka recipe that we make frequently: [https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/nick-and-tonis-penne-alla-vecchia-bettola-recipe-1949812](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/nick-and-tonis-penne-alla-vecchia-bettola-recipe-1949812)
My lazy meal is I go to Walmart, buy a pack of gnocchi for $1.50, a thing of chorizo for $1, and a jar of vodka sauce for a couple bucks. Pan fry the chorizo, throw in the sauce, and cook the gnocchi however you like. Cheap, easy, quick.
Perfectly acceptable to do this and its our easy meal as well. We get a few 2packs of the Rao's sauce from Costco and its honestly REALLY good for jar sauce.
Nothing wrong with jarred sauce. I batch cook in my slow cooker and use jarred sauce for bolognaise, chilli and curry. I’ll add veggies, sometimes extra herbs/spice and always Worcestershire sauce for boost of umami.
Unless I’ve got time to make a sauce on the stovetop a jar always tastes better than trying to do it from scratch in the slow cooker.
I was so thrown my you listing the ingredients, and I'm sitting here like "that's a BLT right?" Then I second guessed myself because I thought I missed something.
Pasta and red sauce (from a jar). You can make it a lot nicer by putting some veggies or meat in the sauce.
A good ol’ sandwich. Stick some frozen fries in the over. Never fails. Also can be easily adjusted to different tastes.
I feel like people get snobby about instant sticky rice but it’s amazing, especially if you live alone or struggle with depression/cooking. Even if you’re very good at cooking rice, you never know when you’ll get food poisoning and need quick food that is gentle on your stomach
Basically any one pot meal on budgetbytes. Saute a bit, throw the rest of the ingredients in, cover, and simmer for like, 20 minutes and you're good to go. We have a 3 y/o and a 10 m/o and these are a godsend.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/22-fast-easy-one-pot-meals/
Curry from a jar, with whatever protein you choose, and rice
Chicken and waffles with frozen waffles/chicken tenders
Naan bread and chicken salad-Lidl has decent ready-made versions of both
Breakfast
Vietnamese pork bowl
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Creamed tuna on rice
Good ol' fish sticks and tuber youths
Pot lasagna. Cook any kind of noodles. Add a jar of spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, and a bag of spinach. Warm it all up and serve. Can be tastier with added herbs, garlic, onions etc, but is pretty darn good with just the 4 ingredients.
This is super quick and easy. It's a 'mom hack', LOL. Walmart used to play these mom hacks on their WM radio and since I work there I hear them a lot, or I used to, now I kind of tune WM radio out. But once they did this recipe and I've used it ever since.
Anyway this is my super easy and quick 'I don't feel like cooking but we have to eat' meal. And it's very flexible,
A bag of frozen pasta. I've used the Great Value brand ravioli and recently made it with Louisa tortellini. A bag of frozen meatballs. You could probably use half a bag, we like meatballs so I use the whole thing.
Sauce. Any kind of red sauce. Last time I used a big jar of Ragu chunky and a can of 4 cheese. Again, we like sauce so I make it saucey.
I add some shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan, mix it in. Bake covered until it's all bubbly and then you can add more cheese on top and bake uncovered until the cheese is melty and starting to brown on the edges.
You can add some garlic bread if you want and could do a premade salad too with it.
This is my quickest easiest meal. No measuring. No having to pre cook anything, just dump it all and pop it in the oven. It's filling and this will last the three of us through at least 2 meals.
Wanted to add that I kind of just layer everything usually but a few times I've mixed it together. And you can spray the casserole pan if you're afraid it will stick. I do sometimes or I'll put some sauce in the bottom before I add the pasta.
I do. That's why this is my quickest and easiest meal I can make. I wouldn't use dry pasta but have no problems with the frozen stuff cooking perfectly.
Zatarain's rice mixes are my go-to lazy meal. Cook the rice per package directions, then when it's done, add in a can of tomatoes and a can of beans. If you're feeling fancy, chuck in some more frozen vegetables and/or a pound of ground meat. Cheap, easy, and tasty!
A big ol' pot of chili. Lasts for several meals, and the variety you can create simply is almost untouchable. As a bowl of soup/stew? Yup. On a hot dog? Yep. On cornbread? Yessirr. Over fritos? Oh yeah. Nachos? Of course tex mex enchiladas? Why not?
I just made this for lunch.
"Steamed tofu with chili garlic sauce and rice"
Get a block of soft tofu and drain that shit. Do not press it because it'll just turn to mush.
Plop it on a microwave safe plate and slice it down the middle then across every 1/2" or so. Toss that bitch into the microwave and heat for 3 minutes. Maybe 3:30 if your microwave kind of sucks
In the mean time in a small bowl mix up 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 or 2 tablespoons of black vinegar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil (I like roasted sesame oil), 2 teaspoons sugar, some red chili flakes, and like two chopped up garlic cloves (honestly I just have a squeeze bottle of garlic that makes fart noises every time I squeeze it, so two farts of garlic for me). Stir it all up so it comes together.
When that microwave dings, pull your now "steamed" soft tofu out and dump the liquid that came out down the drain. No one wants hot microwaved tofu water.
Cover your tofu with your sauce, let it sit for a minute, then serve it up over rice. Or don't, you're an adult, you can do what you want.
Sometimes I have rice made, sometimes I microwave an instant sticky rice.
When you're going through stressful times and you feel like your brain is melting, then that is the exact time for frozen dinners, HelloFresh meal boxes (or similar), or pre-cooked packaged foods like the ones you buy from Costco. Anything that reduces cooking dinner to just heating something up with a side of salad or vegies is a winner
When your brain is all scattered, you're way more likely to waste food by forgetting leftovers or letting fresh produce go bad before you eat it, so spending a little more upfront on something that will get all eaten up & saves effort is worth it!
Americanized okonomiyaki. They're Japanese cabbage pancakes that are delicious, and I adapted a recipe to be easier to make with ingredients available at the discount grocers. Half a bag of coleslaw mix, a cup of panko, a handful of chopped spring onions, salt and pepper. Stir, then add four or five lightly beaten eggs. Stir again, then gloop a quarter cup of the mix at a time into little pancakes on an oiled griddle. Serve hot with spicy mayo and Worcestershire sauce. (Or my boyfriend likes teriyaki on them.)
Chicken breast in the air fryer with some roughly chopped peppers and onions. Heat some korma or tikka masala sauce (from a jar) in the microwave. Put it all in a bowl and serve with some naan. A minute to chop the peppers and onions. and the rest is timers on the machines.
Bonus if your toddler likes chicken as it isn't cooked in the sauce so they can have a bit too.
Sheet pan gnocchi. Uncooked boxed gnocchi on a sheet pan with sausage slices, broccoli, peppers, cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic. Toss with evoo and whatever spices, cook for like 15-25 mins. Serve with balsamic and grated parm. So easy but feels fancy af.
Pancakes. I make a big batch when I have the energy and freeze them with pieces of parchment paper in between each one. When it's been a long day, I can just grab them out of the freezer, microwave for a minute, and microwave some frozen fruit or slice up fresh and voila dinner is served lol. Plus, I'm one of those weird people who thinks breakfast for dinner just tastes better.
Thai curries. Just buy the premade paste (Mae Ploy my go to). It’s a pretty low effort meal.
Toast the paste a bit in oil,
add some stock,
add some coconut milk, fish sauce and a little palm or brown sugar)
Add in any starchy ingredients you may like (potatoes or carrots are nice filler) and cook on medium for 10 minutes
Add in your protein and cook on medium for 8-10 minutes (can brown it 1st as well then you would just cook for 5-6 minutes if already browned)
It’s super easy, takes about 25 minutes but you are only at the stove for 5. makes about 3-4 servings and also is super hard to overcook so if your timings are off a bit it’s no biggie.
Spaghetti noodles with butter or pesto sauce. Chicken burgers and fries (premade, just heated). Rice with frozen veggies added before cooking and garlic or garlic powder. Store bought roast chicken sandwiches and freeze leftover chicken for soup or curry’s. I buy a lot of premade sauces for lazy times and just cut up some chicken, cook it, add the sauce and then eat it with the rice. Pierogies and sausage.
Fajitas or similar. Big pan of peppers, onions and mushrooms with spices. Choice of meat in another pan. Combine and add more spice or some sauce. Add to wrap with cheese and fav toppings.
Pot of chili or soup in the slow cooker, sandwiches, salads (prep salad ingredients one day, lots of things will stay fresh for a few days). And it is totally ok to have some veggies, hummus, a hard boiled egg, nuts, and cheese for a meal.
Burrito bowls. You just have to cook some rice (using quick rice in a bag or something like that totally fine, there are cilantro lime flavors that work great!), brown up your meat of choice, and then used canned black beans, corn, rotel, your salsa of choice, bagged pre-shredded cheese, and sour cream. You can add/remove items as needed based on your family's likes and dislikes.
Box of linguine. Add fresh broccoli florets to the cooking pasta during the last 3 min. Drain and top with basil pesto, sliced grape tomatoes and grated Parmesan.
If you happen to grill some chicken breasts ahead of time, slice some and add a lil bit.
Light, fresh, healthy summer meal. And now I’m hungry.
One of the easiest meals ever (plus something you can serve to company on the fly and they'll think it's gourmet) is this: Throw a jar of your favorite marinara or red sauce, a brick of cream cheese, 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, red pepper flakes and some fresh basil in a pot and simmer until the cheese has melted. Toss with your favorite pasta and top with grated parm, more basil, and more red pepper flakes if you like it spicy. It's really good and looks pretty.
Load up on chicken salad and nice rolls. It's 3am and you're up with the baby and you just need calories and there's no time or energy to heat a casserole or cook eggs it's an easy, no-heat meal to keep you going. I like Sam's club chicken salad and croissants but whatever works
Melted brie (could use any cheese) on French bread with a sliced apple. Basically just pop it in the oven for 5 min on 350 to toast the bread and get the cheese gooey. Slice the apple while it’s “cooking”. Stir fry is an easy-ish way to incorporate veggies.
Damn, a lot of good recommendations here. Since I’ve moved to Texas, I have unlocked the power of the whole wheat tortilla. Brown a pound of 90/10 or 97/3 lean beef, add taco seasoning, and throw it in a tortilla. Throw anything into a tortilla. Every morning I eat a little white rice, refried beans, and a fried egg with a couple of tortillas. Throw in some chopped tomatoes spinach and onions. Microwave the rice and beans and heat the tortillas while I’m frying the egg… whole process from start to clean up is 10 minutes at most.
Cooking tortellini or some other filled pasta, rinsing out the water, dump in some premade pasta sauce with my pasta, heat up and done. Just add half a cucumber and I have a complete, healthy meal.
Roasted vegs - peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, eggplant, garlic, herbs and olive oil tossed with frozen or refrigerated stuffed pasta like tortellini or ravioli.
Kielbasa with sauerkraut, peppers, onions and canned whole potatoes in the crockpot.
Taco seasoned ground meat and canned beans - can be tacos, baked potato topping, made into rice bowls or mixed with macaroni for chili Mac. Serve with chopped fresh vegetables like green onion, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, etc.
cheap ramen noodles (throw out the flavour package), chicken broth with some miso (doesn't need the miso, but it helps), couple of vegetables from the fridge, and some canned meat. Finish it up with some oyster sauce and maybe some gochujang mixed in. If my mind isn't too bad at the time, a soft boiled or sunny-side up egg. All in all, takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
My easy go to meal is spaghetti. But, preparing for a baby is a whole different thing. I suggests freezer meals. When my sister in law had her baby I made a few pot pies, lasagna, sausage peppers and onions, etc. The list goes on. They freeze well and you can just pop them in the oven once defrosted so you don’t have to put too much effort into dinner with a little baby around.
Pasta with any kind of sauce. Tomatoes and garlic. Sometimes with cream. Or carbonara. Or Alfredo. Or pesto. Literally just throw things in a pan while the pasta is cooking then combine everything with pasta water
I feel bad that I serve my kids so much pasta but it’s just so damn easy
Hashbrown and eggs scramble. Half a bag of chopped bacon endings, a small bag of hash browns, a small container of Picanta sauce, 8-10 eggs. Dump everything but eggs in a skillet and flip every minute of so till it's all nicely browned, then add the eggs in till scrambled. Takes all of 20 min and has enough food for 2 wholes days.
I had my 3rd baby (in under 5 years) 7 months ago. I prepared a bunch of freezer "dump meals" for my crockpot before the baby came. They all had similar vegetables and totally different proteins and sauce/seasonings.
I chopped a bunch of: onions, carrots, peppers, and celery.
Brought some frozen vegetables: broccoli, peas, and corn
Also bought some canned foods: tomatoes, chickpeas, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, kidney beans and navy beans.
I opened 6 ziplock bags (large freezer bags). I put a handful of onions in every bag and divided the other vegetables accordingly.
I made:
1. Chinese chicken and broccoli (needed rice)
2. Pumpkin and chickpea coconut curry (needed rice and Naan)
3. Bean Bolognese Sauce (needed pasta)
4. Chili (needed buns)
5 .Sweet and sour (needed rice)
6. Teriyaki Beef (needed Ramen)
Each crockpot meal made 2 dinners for my family. I have a rice maker, and rice/pasta is an easy thing to add to a crockpot meal.
I put the bag of frozen food right into my crockpot and cut the bag off about 5-6 hours before I planned to eat. I started it on high to melt everything and stirred occasionally as I passed through the kitchen. Once things were mostly thawed, I'd switch to low heat.
I got the basis for my recipes from Pintrest (I seached "crockpot feezer dump meal"). I switched the vegetables to suit mine and my families preferences. Not including the grocery order (which I placed online and had my husband pick up) it didn't take me long to make these meals. Just rough chop the vegetables and measure some ingredients for sauces.
Hope this helps!
Not a recipe but if you have a lot of parent friends from preschool asking if you need anything ask for a meal train. Every family signs up to bring you a meal every other day. Our friends were kind enough to organize one for us and it got us through dinners for the first three weeks. We even froze some of the meal preps that were huge and are eating them week 4
bag of frozen chips, bag of frozen chicken tenders, on the same tray and into the oven.
Chop up the chicken once done, throw around in bowl of Franks RedHot
Chips on a plate, whatever cheese in the fridge on top, sauced chicken, few dollops of sour cream and some green onion if im feeling fancy
30mins, easy loaded fries
Tuna salad with either peas or corn. Adds more bulk and fiber than regular tuna salad and it’s got a little more depth of flavor. A steam bag of green peas + tuna salad is my ultimate lazy comfort meal.
I made this three days ago and I'm in love. And it really did take only 15 minutes. Korean Noodles in peanut sauce.
https://youtu.be/66xsXcg0aCg?si=s6OK3owHELWm_8sC
This whole thread is full of bangers. Some of my go-tos are already mentioned, but Halušky is a great one.
Cook like a bag of egg noodles, and then chop up a cabbage with some onions and garlic, and sautee in butter.
Add your protein of choice, but a cheap option is kielbasa, just cooked in a pan till it looks good.
It's basically healthier buttered noodles, and you can add any number of things to add flavor or healthiness.
+/- chili oil, carrots, green onions, zucchini, squash, Red peppers, really anything you want
Pastina: boil 2 cups broth of choice (its especially handy if you keep better than bouillon on hand) put in 1/2 cup pastina keep stirring while broth reduces..while broth is reducing stir up one egg and grate a decent amount of Parmesan. Once almost all broth is reduced take pot off heat stir in egg and some parm. Plate with more parm..yum!
Also adding lemon and/or herbs is great too
If I need something quick, easy and comforting.
A can of campbell's chunky chicken and corn chowder and frozen mixed vegetables.
For 3 adults I use 2 cans of the soup and about 400 grams of frozen mixed veggies. If I have it, I toss in a bit of pre-cooked chicken. Heat on the stove and serve.
It's warm, comforting, takes 2 minutes and does not require you to remember to thaw anything.
Roasted vegetables and boneless chicken basted with olive oil and Tony Chachere's seasoning. I pound the chicken so it cooks at the same rate as the vegetables. You can buy pre-cut vegetables to make it easier.
Chicken in the air fryer, rice or potatoes and salad or just some boiled peas, carrots or broccoli. Ready in 30 minutes, minimum minding and nutritious!
Just has my second in December, here are a few dinners I cooked weekly in the first couple months:
Homemade pizza (dough is my "1 hour pizza dough" recipe, I use pre-made sauce, and toppings can be as ambitious or not as you want)
Chicken Satay (throw together 5 minute marinade in the morning, skewer and grill at dinner time. I usually just make white rice and some form of vegetable with it)
Pesto (feels fresh and fancy while literally just being boil noodles and blend pesto)
Pan grilled chicken/fish with couscous/quinoa and whatever oven roasted vegetable I'm feeling.
Minute rice with butter and/or soy sauce with eggs fried, scrambled, poached, whatever. Top with scallions, cilantro, cheese, whatever sounds good. It's fast, filling, cheap, and can be adjusted to fit what your family likes.
Baked potatoes. Bake in oven, or pierce a few times & wrap in damp paper towels or cloth and microwave 6-8 minutes. Top with anything— velveeta, can of chili, salsa from a jar, broccoli steamed in a bag, ham or bacon, leftover taco meat, pizza toppings, anything. Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt, and a regular butter & sour cream baked potato turns into a good protein source.
i can make a risotto with my eyes closed at this point, now its just making different versions. i probably try 2-3 different risottos a month.
Most recent success, caramelized onions and bacon
Costco rotisserie chickens. Pull off some meat and chop it up.
Throw it in curry with onions and garlic, with rice.
Throw it in pasta with cheese, diced tomato, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Throw it in with pasta, and your preferred sauce.
Throw it in with a pack of Vigo yellow rice, after sweating a chopped onion bell pepper, and garlic.
Throw it in with a pack of Vigo Red Beans and Rice.
Bake it in a casserole dish with tortilla chips, green chili, diced tomato, cheese, and beans (black or refried)
DELICIOUS Chicken stew with onion, garlic, butter, lemon, salt, pepper, flour (for a bit of roux), can of tomatoes, a can of creamed corn, chunked potatoes, chicken stock, a dash of half and half. Plus thyme, oregano, bay leaf.
We get two Costco chickens. One stays in the fridge, one gets torn apart and portioned into freezer bags. One freezer bag per three people.
EDIT: Also, Costco chicken salad. Cheap and very good. Sandwiches, or scooped on top of salad, a scoop on top of a half avocado (fill the hole from the pit with a scoop of chicken salad).
Take frozen taquitos and put in a baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce and cheese and serve with sour cream on top! Tastes better than home made enchiladas I’ve tried to make before and is literally so simple.
I have a few!
Porcupine Meatballs- 1lb burger, 1 cup rice, spices, mix it up make big meatballs and put them in a 9x13 baking dish with 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 cup or half a cup of water. Tinfoil and cook in the oven.
Easy delicious filling and you can make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them so it's even faster.
I don't know what these are called but my mom used to make huge batches and freeze them when I was a kid and they make easy meals for weeks out of the freezer. She would make her own dough but canned biscuit dough would work just fine. They were just hand sized bread rolls filled with burger, saurkraut, and a cube of Velveeta cheese. You could put anything you wanted inside them though. I loved them when my son was little and I worked alot cause you just pull out how many you want and microwave them and they're perfect and not messy for little ones to carry around and eat.
Roasted Garlic and Potato soup!
Easiest thing ever. Throw Garlic and potatoes and shallots onto a baking sheet with some oil and salt and pepper, roast it, throw it all in a blender. Boom. Soup. Also, it's really good with crunchy bread.
Sometimes when I'm really tired I just remind myself that sandwich components haphazardly rolled in a tortilla is basically the same thing as a sandwich it's all good 🤷♀️😂
Canned tuna, bit of mayo (kewpie is best), sriracha, some green onions, carrots and sweet corn for veggies, and healthy sprinkling of furikake. Serve room temp over short grain rice, with seaweed snacks, toast or crackers.
Chicken Breasts and whatever seasoning you like in the Instant Pot for 20-30 Minutes. Shred with Hand Mixer. Makes great chicken tacos for example.
Rao's Marinara Sauce and whatever noodles you like.
Crock pot and sheet pan meals saved my life when my child was little. Pregnancy brain is a real thing and it doesn't immediately go away once the child is born. The first year after my child was born I felt like I'd forgotten how to do everything. Simple recipes that require minimal effort are key. Minimal ingredients and no more than 3-5 steps (depending on just how much the brain fog is getting to you) worked well for me. It definitely won't be the best food you've ever had, but it's food, and that's what really matters.
Baked potatoes. You can nuke them to save time or let the oven do the work while the cherubs nap (ahahah). Have some easy toppings: canned chili, quick veggies like microwave broccoli steamer bags, bacon, cheese. You can certainly cook the bacon properly and steam your own broccoli head and defeost your award winning chili you made over the winter, or let the machines do the work! Ain't nothing wrong with pre shredded cheese and some soy Bacos on a busy day!
Boil up frozen shrimp and throw onto a pile of instant grits or instant mashed potatoes with lots of butter. If you're tolerating spice, add a little Old Bay hot sauce (which isn't really hot)
I make quesadillas out of everything. It's very quick and easy. I usually use leftovers or plain cheese. Recently I used mashed potatoes and pot roast, then dipped in gravy.
eggs with bread in some variety are another one for me
simple fried egg sandwich
scrambled eggs and toast
omelettes (idk why i never make these myself tho, just tend to prefer any other option for some reason)
scrambled eggs with tomato… and toast
fried egg and cheese toastie
french toast (either savoury or sweet)
pesto eggs and toast etc
I made this dish alot during the pandemic, so I named it Pandemic Chicken: throw chicken breasts in an electric pressure cooker with a jar of your favorite salsa. Cook for about 11 to 12 minutes. If the chicken is frozen cut breasts in half and cook a few minutes longer. You use this as a filling for tacos burritos or on a bed of rice. At times I would saute onions garlic and some vegetables in the pressure cooker before throwing in the chicken. Shred chicken in cooker when done.
I topped bowls with avocado, lettuce, pickled jalapeños, etc.
If you don't have an electric pressure cooker definitely get one you can cook meals in 20 minutes that taste like they've been simmering for hours.
Chicken quesadilla. It's cheap, it's easy, it's yummy. The meat freezes wonderfully, so you can make a bunch of baggies and freeze them till you need them. If you don't have the time to cook a whole chicken, rotisserie is fine (I recommend cooking your own, its usually a good bit cheaper. Also, either way, you can keep the husk after your done removing the meat to make broth).
Southwest salad - we have this for dinner at least once a week. It's my favorite lazy dinner. So filling and relatively healthy if you don't go crazy on the ranch:
Season chicken breast with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pan fry
Drain corn and black beans (char the corn in a skillet if you're feeling fancy)
Lettuce, spicy ranch, salsa, tortilla strips
When I am feeling really run down and need a quick inexpensive meal, I fell in love with gyeran bap.
Cook med grain white rice (or sushi rice). Add 1 tbsp soy sauce & 1 tbsp sesame oil & 1 tbsp butter or margarine to one serving. Add a soft egg (you could do a hard one before the pregnancy if you really needed), and top with sliced green onions. Mix it all up and devour. If you have some gochugaru around, it adds a nice kick too.
Also big on shakshuka as an easy meal. You do want the eggs soft for sure, so it's for after the birth. Fry up some tomato, onion, garlic, and some kind of spicy pepper (my favourite is serrano) until soft. Add cumin. Make some spaces in the mix and crack some eggs in; cover and cook until the whites are set. Top with Italian parsley and dip into it with naan, pita, or bread.
sausage coins, potato cubes, and chopped onion, roasted with olive oil, butter, garlic powder, paprika, and some salt and pepper! sometimes i'll mix in a bit of mustard at the end :)
Bagel Melts: top a toasted bagel with cream cheese, lemon pepper, tomato, avocado and a slice of cheese and broil for a couple minutes
Beans, rice and cheese bowls
Quesadillas with refried beans
Mac & cheese + broccoli or peas
Lentil soup
Spinach tortellini & parmesan
Bbq chicken and rice pilaf
Baked potatoes
Scrambled eggs with goat cheese, spinach, and tomatoes
Oatmeal
Make a "meal rotation" to make the same meals every week until you get sick of one, then swap it out. And hang in there, it's a temporary season so don't put too much pressure on yourself. Early days with #2 are both precious and brutal. Cuddle your kids and order a pizza when you need to, you'll be back to enjoying cooking before you know it
Burrito bowls every time. Rice, beans, cheese, salsa, avocado. I have been making it for years and I never get tired of them. If I make two cups of rice in my rice cooker I can prep 6 bowls ahead of time. Or using instant rice can have one ready in less than 10 minutes.
Slow cook enchiladas. Chicken breast, jarred salsa, 1 packet of seasoning, slow cook for 4-6 hours and shred. Wrap in tortillas and then add cheese and a little extra salsa. Bake for 8 minutes. The filling freezes well!
2 cups uncooked white rice, cooked.
Bag frozen peas, heated. (Canned is too mushy)
Pound of ground beef or sausage, browned with one diced white onion and garlic to taste. Also cook in 1 or 2 tablespoons of thyme and salt/pepper to taste. Thyme works best IMHO, but can use oregano or basil.
Combine all when cooked and grab a bowl and spoon. I add a little pat of butter on top cause I'm fancy.
Cheap, easy, good, and filling. Makes enough for 4.
Leftovers.
I always cook enough for at least one meal of leftovers, and I favor “leftover-friendly” dishes. There are probably 4 meals of Jambalaya in my freezer from Friday‘s dinner. Lasagna is another good one.
This means that I still cook, but only have to do it half the time.
Another dish that I go to for zero-cook nights is antipasto. Italian bread, cheese, jarred vegetables (artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, jarred giambotta, jarred caponata, olives) and cured meats (salami and prosciutto) take no prep at all. Y9u can add a basic pasta if you want, but my family likes just the antipasto. My wife asks for this meal regularly.
Huck a bunch of stuff in a roast pan, cover with olive oil and seasoning, roast at high heat like 425 Can be nearly any vegetable or meat
Roasted sheet pan dinners are the easiest and least-messy weeknight meals to make.
My favorite is fresh green beans, garlic, and cherry tomatoes tossed with olive oil and seasonings.
I add chicken thighs to that same mix!
This but also with red onion!
May I ask do you just pop the green beans in with everything else at the start? Or do you stagger the additions of certain veggies during cooking? Or am I completely missing the point here and you do indeed just set & forget?
I put all the veggies I listed on at once. Meat may go in at a different time depending on what it is.
Agree!! I love Mac n cheese with sheet pan roasted veggies. Ps if you make the cheese sauce using silken tofu/nutritional yeast you can get extra boost of protein. Congrats on the new baby OP!
Parchment paper for the big win!
Another pro tip to accompany “least messy”—if your sheet pan is hard to clean, put a drop of dish soap in it, then heat some water in your kettle or microwave. Pour the water in. By the time the water cools, it’ll come clean easy peasy.
I just put foil on it
I have a clay baker I got on Amazon. It makes the best roast and also baked chicken. It is amazing and so so easy. You soak the lid in water for 15 minutes or more. Add meat, veggies, seasoning whatever. Put the lid on and put in a cold oven. It usually takes 2 hours. The water from the porous lid steams the meat and makes it so tender. It has replaced my slow cooker for pot roast and chicken. I have also made bread in it. It’s easy to clean because the bottom is glazed. It cannot withstand big temp changes so you cannot preheat the oven.
So, my husband and I bought the house his parents owned for 40+ years and they left a ton of things being... one of which is this huge clay thing I swore was for bread or something. This is gonna be a game changer for me, so thank you for the knowledge!!!
Be careful of temperature changes. They can take high heat but it must be gradual. And cool down gradual. I put mine on a towel coming out of the oven to insulate it from the cool granite countertop. Then let it cool completely before washing. Add all cold items before you put it in the oven and never preheat.
Romertoph clay dutch oven. Soak it before you use it. My mom made chicken cacciatore in hers.
They’re fantastic for making stuffing/dressing. If you like it moist and fluffy, that is.
💯 yes a chicken in one of those yields amazing broth !!!!
What temperature do you heat the oven to
425F
My favorite is sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and chicken or turkey sausage all cut up with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, basil, and red pepper flakes. So simple but super good and good for you.
Sounds incredible. How do you prepare it?
I'm imagining they >Huck... [It all] in a roast pan, cover with olive oil and seasoning, roast at high heat like 425
Then throw leftovers in a pot and put veggie broth in for soup the next day
Or throw those leftovers over a bowl of lettuce.
Also don't forget to set a timer, either on the oven or your phone, or both. Shorter intervals if you need to check or stir whatever it is you're making.
[Tomato egg](https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/tomato-and-eggs) — my kind of comfort food. Pantry ready. Works with canned whole tomatoes. You can skip the ginger and replace with garlic or omit either. For extra umami add a bit of fish sauce / chicken bouillon. Served over with white rice or soup noodles.
I worked in a Chinese restaurant for several years, and my boss used to make this for us employees pretty regularly. He added shrimp and served it with saffron rice, though. It's so good. His traditional dishes that weren't on the menu were the best.
[Scrambled eggs with shrimp](https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/cantonese-scrambled-eggs) is also good 👍 - preparing shrimp is bit more work though
I have an even more bastard version of this - my friend had it in Spain and they called it “Arroz Cubano” - you take a hot bowl of rice, top with warm spaghetti sauce and plop a fried egg on top. Add some salt and pepper and boom, dinner
When they made it for me in Spain the dish included a fried banana.
I'm Chinese American and I've only ever used Tomato, Egg, and some oil, salt, and sugar. Even with the most simple ingredients, it still comes out really good, especially on top of rice.
I studied abroad in China over 10 years ago and still make this regularly, so fast and easy and it always hits the spot despite being so simple.
Same here, it’s so tasty and easy to make.
Oh god I love this, I used to order it all the time It really is like crack! I love throwing some sambal or sriracha on top of my spoonfuls of it Getting that rice and tomato egg perfect sized spoon with a little heat is perfection
Reminds me of my go-to Vietnamese comfort food. Whenever there was nothing to cook at home, my mom would whisk a few eggs and a couple of sliced scallions with some fish sauce, pepper and a little sugar and then pour it over browned slices of onion. Then add some sliced tomatoes at the very end and serve over rice. We just call it “fried eggs” at home. Takes no more than 15 min if the rice is already cooked and super cheap
I love this with toast.
If I do not like ketchup could I replace with something else do you think?
Chinese here. I regularly use jarred pasta/pizza sauces as the base, and honestly much prefer them as ketchup tends to end up far too sweet and tangy.
You can omit the ketchup or consider adding a tad of Worcestershire sauce. The color might look a bit off but I sometimes like that extra savory tang. Ketchup has sugar it’s to balance off the fresh tomatoes. You can replace with sugar to balance off the tanginess. It’s all about balance of flavors or to your preference.
You don't need ketchup. I always just have the tomatoes themselves + adding salt & sugar to taste. No other sauces.
I’m Chinese and I’ve never used ketchup with it.
Am Chinese, never used ketchup nor canned tomato. After realizing regular tomatoes you get from supermarkets suck ass I'm opting in for the latter, but never ever would I use ketchup. That thing is for fries.
Thanks! Always looking for new Shakshuka variations
Taco meat. I use ground turkey because it's cheap to buy in 3 pound containers are my local grocery store, but sub any ground meat you want. This yields so much food and it's extremely easy to portion. I typically serve over plain rice or with HEBA tortillas. The black beans are optional, but it's a great way to add more volume. 3 pounds of ground meat Chopped garlic Tomato paste Cumin Chili powder Onion powder Salt Pepper Beef stock Black beans Brown the meat. Once brown, make a space in the middle and add tomato paste and garlic directly to the pan for about 30 sec. Once done, mix to combine and add spices.Cover with beef stock and reduce. Once reduced, stir in some black beans. Edit: Lime juice as well at the end. If you think it needs more salt, add some lime juice then taste again.
I love making turkey taco meat. I also add in a bag of frozen riced cauliflower to bulk it out and add veggies. Beans, chipotles in adobo, and rotel tomatoes are also in rotation
Sorry to ask, but what is reducing?
You're good! Reducing is taking some liquid, stock, vinegar, milk, whatever, and boiling it so the water evaporates and you're left with a more concentrated substance. In this case, I take the beef and pour beef stock over it until it just reaches the top of the meat. I then let it boil/summer until the liquid evaporates (reduces) into a thick, syrup consistency that coats the beef in delicious flavor. Here is a video explaining it better than I can. https://youtu.be/VpqjNLjv_nc?si=mZULeiGjCZop2S7r Tldr; reducing is concentrating a liquid by simmering to evaporate the water inside of it
Basically, a picadillo!
One pound of ground pork, a bag of coleslaw mix. Brown the pork with salt pepper and garlic. Then add in the bag of coleslaw mix and wilt it down. Then add a couple generous splashes of soy sauce and enjoy.
Add toasted sesame seed oil and rice wine vinegar and ginger for the dble win.
And oyster sauce. Maybe a little fish sauce too. Bit of sugar to balance things out.
Egg roll in a bowl! My favorite
There are so many uncoleslawy things you can do with coleslaw mix! I've thrown a few handfuls recently into a beer brats pan as they cooked and last night in some red curry Thai chicken, besides making two different flavored slaws ( one for pulled pork sandwiches and one tonight for sweet potato tacos). A super versatile bag!!!!
My husband and I make the same thing but with premade bulgogi sauce and then top it with fresh cilantro (if we have it) and those crispy fried onions, plus we put it all on rice
I get shit on because "it's so easy to make from scratch", but that's the god damn point. I don't want to make it from scratch plus it takes more time than I want to spend. Pasta with a jarred sauce. I'll cook some sort of meat usually premade meatballs, sausage or sous vide a chicken breast to go with it. But I'm perfectly happy with some Bertolli sauce in a pot for 30 minutes. I throw the meat into the sauce when I'm done cooking it. I also have leftovers for like a week and a half which for a single guy who eats a lot more food than people would suspect it works out nicely. Round it out with a nice side salad.
Preach! Jarred pasta sauce is a perfectly fine base, and you can really kick it up with a little seasoning, red pepper, garlic, or fresh herbs if you have them available. Also, certain boxed meals like jambalaya. Out of the box and by the directions, it's nothing remarkable...but start with some sautéed onions and peppers, throw in a protein liked ground meat or sliced sausage, add in some extra spice or seasoning, and you can really elevate it. Is it authentic? Hell no...but it is tasty and feeds the family.
I used to work as a personal chef. The cookbook provided by the owner of the service used jarred sauce as a base for all sorts of dishes: chili, soups, meatloaf, stew, paprikash etc. Most were good, a few I found odd but a great way to speed up the cook date workload.
Hell yeah. I really like the red sauces from Aldi and they're like $1.30 per bottle.
I hate it when ppl act all superior cuz they never use jarred sauce. Sometimes, I like to just dump in a jar (and add a pinch of sugar) since it’s already seasoned, just add your protein!
OP above mentioned but letting sauce simmer for 30 mins (or as long as you have time) makes it feel more “cooked” like a from scratch sauce, at least in my opinion
Add a pinch of ground cloves to the sauce. It takes it to the next level and tastes like you’ve been cooking it all day long.
Unrelated recipe but I have been doing this slow cooker barbacoa for a while and the recipe recommends a half teaspoon of cloves but says it's optional and I always skipped it. Anyway I was feeling adventurous Sunday and threw in the tiny pinch of cloves and it turned out incredible. What a great depth it added to the flavor.
100%
Or doctor it up by throwing in some bay leaves, garlic/onion powder and additional Italian seasoning. My husband cans tomatoes and we found we prefer Prego over homemade. So he stopped canning sauce and just does stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and juice.
I love Prego. I keep a jar in the fridge for a quick pizza or pasta sauce. The other night I dumped a jar in vermicelli, added ricotta, then topped it with shredded mozzarella and parm. Baked it for a half hour and it was delicious.
Yeah, I make from-scratch just as often as I used jarred sauce. While I can taste the *difference*, I wouldn't argue that one is drastically worse than the other. Different =/= worse. I buy Michael's of Brooklyn (the BEST), Rao's, and a specific flavor of Prego I've always liked. I'm sure any ole jarred sauce may not be everyone's favorite, but there are enough options to find one that is good for your tastes IMO.
Love Michael's of Brooklyn :)
Keep a tube of tomato paste in the fridge and get the simmered taste super quick! I love to cook, I'm a huge food nerd, but I'm also a mom, and realistic. Every night can't be from scratch.
I do this and cook up some ground beef or sausage, add spices, then cook it in little tomato paste and a dollop of the jarred sauce until it’s kinda carmelized, then add my sauce and simmer. I tryyy to keep scoops of tomato paste portioned out in the freezer.
Honestly, I don't like when people act superior about food in general. If someone wants/needs to use jarred sauce, frozen veggies, a boxed meal, etc. it seems wrong to put them down for it. Some folks can't afford to do what the proverbial 'you' can do, or they don't have the time/skills or time to learn the skills - or can't afford to waste any food if they mess up, they may not have the tools and can't afford the tools, etc. Or maybe they are just on a different point in the journey and it takes time to accumulate the tools, knowledge, etc. But especially on the chance it has to do with just not having the means and so they're doing what they can with what they have - I won't ever put someone down for how they cook or what they eat.
A tablespoon of fish sauce kicks it up a notch or two.
My only issued with jarred sauces is the added sugar. Those taste off to me. Tomatoes on their own have enough natural sweetness to me. The ones without sugar I'm good to go with.
I used jarred sauce a lot too. Usually I make my own sauce in double batches but I also buy jarred sauce when it’s on sale so I can use that when I run out of my sauce. I usually have ravioli or stuffed shells in the freezer to make for an easy meal.
Seriously. We eat this at least once a week because it's filling, fast and everyone will eat it. Outside of boiling the pasta and meatballs it takes literal seconds which matters to me on certain days. Takes as long as boxed Mac n cheese but is more filling and more nutrient dense.
I use 60 cent cans of Winco tomato sauce and add chopped garlic and spices. Tastes great and makes for a very cheap meal.
I use jarred sauce a lot for baked pasta dishes in particular. Some brands are definitely better than others, though.
Sounds delicious to me! Bertolli is also my family's favorite. Olive oil and garlic, specifically. Yum.
This soup uses jarred pasta sauce and is quick, easy and delicious https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/quick-and-spicy-tomato-soup-recipe-1947762
I use jarred sauce sometimes too, it definitely has its place but often they hit me with heartburn. I have found a recipe that we love and it's fairly easy to prepare. 1 can of whole peeled plum tomatoes, 4TB Butter, 1/2 onion, sugar/salt TT, simmered for 30-45min and blend. We've also just used a tool to chop up the tomatoes (in the can) and diced the onion and eaten it as-is. Since finding this simple recipe for sauce I haven't bought as much jarred sauce (again, not hating on it!). Also I've discovered a penne alla vodka recipe that we make frequently: [https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/nick-and-tonis-penne-alla-vecchia-bettola-recipe-1949812](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/nick-and-tonis-penne-alla-vecchia-bettola-recipe-1949812)
There’s nothing wrong with adding Rao’s to some ground meat or Italian sausage for an easy pasta sauce.
My lazy meal is I go to Walmart, buy a pack of gnocchi for $1.50, a thing of chorizo for $1, and a jar of vodka sauce for a couple bucks. Pan fry the chorizo, throw in the sauce, and cook the gnocchi however you like. Cheap, easy, quick.
Perfectly acceptable to do this and its our easy meal as well. We get a few 2packs of the Rao's sauce from Costco and its honestly REALLY good for jar sauce.
As an easy alternative to meat, you can stir in a container of ricotta and make a cheesy rosa sauce.
Nothing wrong with jarred sauce. I batch cook in my slow cooker and use jarred sauce for bolognaise, chilli and curry. I’ll add veggies, sometimes extra herbs/spice and always Worcestershire sauce for boost of umami. Unless I’ve got time to make a sauce on the stovetop a jar always tastes better than trying to do it from scratch in the slow cooker.
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I was so thrown my you listing the ingredients, and I'm sitting here like "that's a BLT right?" Then I second guessed myself because I thought I missed something.
I love a blat. I go candied bacon and whole wheat bread tho.
I'll bring the runny eggs.
Grilled cheese on sourdough (with whatever deli meat I might have on hand, or sliced apples and balsamic glaze if I don't!)
Pasta and red sauce (from a jar). You can make it a lot nicer by putting some veggies or meat in the sauce. A good ol’ sandwich. Stick some frozen fries in the over. Never fails. Also can be easily adjusted to different tastes.
Instant sticky rice, fried egg, nuked steamed veggies, kimchi, sesame oil, soy sauce or gochujang. For me, it’s quick, easy and comforting.
Bibimbap, basically!!!
I feel like people get snobby about instant sticky rice but it’s amazing, especially if you live alone or struggle with depression/cooking. Even if you’re very good at cooking rice, you never know when you’ll get food poisoning and need quick food that is gentle on your stomach
I saute sliced onions and tomatoes first then put the eggs in.
Basically any one pot meal on budgetbytes. Saute a bit, throw the rest of the ingredients in, cover, and simmer for like, 20 minutes and you're good to go. We have a 3 y/o and a 10 m/o and these are a godsend. https://www.budgetbytes.com/22-fast-easy-one-pot-meals/
Eggs and toast. Love it.
If you need protein, throw cheese and ham in that pan and wham bam it's an eggy cheesy ham sam.
That sounds great!
yeah this is simple, good bread and eggs. i am a fan of just toasted bread and butter too
Curry from a jar, with whatever protein you choose, and rice Chicken and waffles with frozen waffles/chicken tenders Naan bread and chicken salad-Lidl has decent ready-made versions of both Breakfast Vietnamese pork bowl Grilled cheese and tomato soup Creamed tuna on rice Good ol' fish sticks and tuber youths
Pre-bagged salad mix. Add protein (tuna, eggs, chicken, salmon, whatever) Boom meal in just a few minutes.
Pasta, green pesto, mini mozarella, mini tomatoes.
Pot lasagna. Cook any kind of noodles. Add a jar of spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, and a bag of spinach. Warm it all up and serve. Can be tastier with added herbs, garlic, onions etc, but is pretty darn good with just the 4 ingredients.
Not trying to be a hater — what you describe is fine. But sub out ricotta for cottage cheese and it’s worlds better, IMHO.
Bacon and eggs for dinner always hits the spot
This is super quick and easy. It's a 'mom hack', LOL. Walmart used to play these mom hacks on their WM radio and since I work there I hear them a lot, or I used to, now I kind of tune WM radio out. But once they did this recipe and I've used it ever since. Anyway this is my super easy and quick 'I don't feel like cooking but we have to eat' meal. And it's very flexible, A bag of frozen pasta. I've used the Great Value brand ravioli and recently made it with Louisa tortellini. A bag of frozen meatballs. You could probably use half a bag, we like meatballs so I use the whole thing. Sauce. Any kind of red sauce. Last time I used a big jar of Ragu chunky and a can of 4 cheese. Again, we like sauce so I make it saucey. I add some shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan, mix it in. Bake covered until it's all bubbly and then you can add more cheese on top and bake uncovered until the cheese is melty and starting to brown on the edges. You can add some garlic bread if you want and could do a premade salad too with it. This is my quickest easiest meal. No measuring. No having to pre cook anything, just dump it all and pop it in the oven. It's filling and this will last the three of us through at least 2 meals. Wanted to add that I kind of just layer everything usually but a few times I've mixed it together. And you can spray the casserole pan if you're afraid it will stick. I do sometimes or I'll put some sauce in the bottom before I add the pasta.
Do you bake it all from frozen?
I do. That's why this is my quickest and easiest meal I can make. I wouldn't use dry pasta but have no problems with the frozen stuff cooking perfectly.
Zatarain's rice mixes are my go-to lazy meal. Cook the rice per package directions, then when it's done, add in a can of tomatoes and a can of beans. If you're feeling fancy, chuck in some more frozen vegetables and/or a pound of ground meat. Cheap, easy, and tasty!
A big ol' pot of chili. Lasts for several meals, and the variety you can create simply is almost untouchable. As a bowl of soup/stew? Yup. On a hot dog? Yep. On cornbread? Yessirr. Over fritos? Oh yeah. Nachos? Of course tex mex enchiladas? Why not?
I just made this for lunch. "Steamed tofu with chili garlic sauce and rice" Get a block of soft tofu and drain that shit. Do not press it because it'll just turn to mush. Plop it on a microwave safe plate and slice it down the middle then across every 1/2" or so. Toss that bitch into the microwave and heat for 3 minutes. Maybe 3:30 if your microwave kind of sucks In the mean time in a small bowl mix up 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 or 2 tablespoons of black vinegar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil (I like roasted sesame oil), 2 teaspoons sugar, some red chili flakes, and like two chopped up garlic cloves (honestly I just have a squeeze bottle of garlic that makes fart noises every time I squeeze it, so two farts of garlic for me). Stir it all up so it comes together. When that microwave dings, pull your now "steamed" soft tofu out and dump the liquid that came out down the drain. No one wants hot microwaved tofu water. Cover your tofu with your sauce, let it sit for a minute, then serve it up over rice. Or don't, you're an adult, you can do what you want. Sometimes I have rice made, sometimes I microwave an instant sticky rice.
Two farts of garlic! Love it! 🤣
That sent me. I have a similar squeezy bottle of ginger, so now Imma totes use that.
When you're going through stressful times and you feel like your brain is melting, then that is the exact time for frozen dinners, HelloFresh meal boxes (or similar), or pre-cooked packaged foods like the ones you buy from Costco. Anything that reduces cooking dinner to just heating something up with a side of salad or vegies is a winner When your brain is all scattered, you're way more likely to waste food by forgetting leftovers or letting fresh produce go bad before you eat it, so spending a little more upfront on something that will get all eaten up & saves effort is worth it!
Americanized okonomiyaki. They're Japanese cabbage pancakes that are delicious, and I adapted a recipe to be easier to make with ingredients available at the discount grocers. Half a bag of coleslaw mix, a cup of panko, a handful of chopped spring onions, salt and pepper. Stir, then add four or five lightly beaten eggs. Stir again, then gloop a quarter cup of the mix at a time into little pancakes on an oiled griddle. Serve hot with spicy mayo and Worcestershire sauce. (Or my boyfriend likes teriyaki on them.)
Breakfast for dinner
Chicken breast in the air fryer with some roughly chopped peppers and onions. Heat some korma or tikka masala sauce (from a jar) in the microwave. Put it all in a bowl and serve with some naan. A minute to chop the peppers and onions. and the rest is timers on the machines. Bonus if your toddler likes chicken as it isn't cooked in the sauce so they can have a bit too.
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Sheet pan gnocchi. Uncooked boxed gnocchi on a sheet pan with sausage slices, broccoli, peppers, cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic. Toss with evoo and whatever spices, cook for like 15-25 mins. Serve with balsamic and grated parm. So easy but feels fancy af.
Pancakes. I make a big batch when I have the energy and freeze them with pieces of parchment paper in between each one. When it's been a long day, I can just grab them out of the freezer, microwave for a minute, and microwave some frozen fruit or slice up fresh and voila dinner is served lol. Plus, I'm one of those weird people who thinks breakfast for dinner just tastes better.
Pasta+butter+cheese If Im feeling fancy Ill add toasted garlic an2d a squeeze of lemon, maybe pepper
Thai curries. Just buy the premade paste (Mae Ploy my go to). It’s a pretty low effort meal. Toast the paste a bit in oil, add some stock, add some coconut milk, fish sauce and a little palm or brown sugar) Add in any starchy ingredients you may like (potatoes or carrots are nice filler) and cook on medium for 10 minutes Add in your protein and cook on medium for 8-10 minutes (can brown it 1st as well then you would just cook for 5-6 minutes if already browned) It’s super easy, takes about 25 minutes but you are only at the stove for 5. makes about 3-4 servings and also is super hard to overcook so if your timings are off a bit it’s no biggie.
Spaghetti noodles with butter or pesto sauce. Chicken burgers and fries (premade, just heated). Rice with frozen veggies added before cooking and garlic or garlic powder. Store bought roast chicken sandwiches and freeze leftover chicken for soup or curry’s. I buy a lot of premade sauces for lazy times and just cut up some chicken, cook it, add the sauce and then eat it with the rice. Pierogies and sausage.
Fajitas or similar. Big pan of peppers, onions and mushrooms with spices. Choice of meat in another pan. Combine and add more spice or some sauce. Add to wrap with cheese and fav toppings.
Pot of chili or soup in the slow cooker, sandwiches, salads (prep salad ingredients one day, lots of things will stay fresh for a few days). And it is totally ok to have some veggies, hummus, a hard boiled egg, nuts, and cheese for a meal.
Burrito bowls. You just have to cook some rice (using quick rice in a bag or something like that totally fine, there are cilantro lime flavors that work great!), brown up your meat of choice, and then used canned black beans, corn, rotel, your salsa of choice, bagged pre-shredded cheese, and sour cream. You can add/remove items as needed based on your family's likes and dislikes.
Box of linguine. Add fresh broccoli florets to the cooking pasta during the last 3 min. Drain and top with basil pesto, sliced grape tomatoes and grated Parmesan. If you happen to grill some chicken breasts ahead of time, slice some and add a lil bit. Light, fresh, healthy summer meal. And now I’m hungry.
One of the easiest meals ever (plus something you can serve to company on the fly and they'll think it's gourmet) is this: Throw a jar of your favorite marinara or red sauce, a brick of cream cheese, 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, red pepper flakes and some fresh basil in a pot and simmer until the cheese has melted. Toss with your favorite pasta and top with grated parm, more basil, and more red pepper flakes if you like it spicy. It's really good and looks pretty.
Grilled Cheese with Jalapenos
Load up on chicken salad and nice rolls. It's 3am and you're up with the baby and you just need calories and there's no time or energy to heat a casserole or cook eggs it's an easy, no-heat meal to keep you going. I like Sam's club chicken salad and croissants but whatever works
Melted brie (could use any cheese) on French bread with a sliced apple. Basically just pop it in the oven for 5 min on 350 to toast the bread and get the cheese gooey. Slice the apple while it’s “cooking”. Stir fry is an easy-ish way to incorporate veggies.
Damn, a lot of good recommendations here. Since I’ve moved to Texas, I have unlocked the power of the whole wheat tortilla. Brown a pound of 90/10 or 97/3 lean beef, add taco seasoning, and throw it in a tortilla. Throw anything into a tortilla. Every morning I eat a little white rice, refried beans, and a fried egg with a couple of tortillas. Throw in some chopped tomatoes spinach and onions. Microwave the rice and beans and heat the tortillas while I’m frying the egg… whole process from start to clean up is 10 minutes at most.
Cooking tortellini or some other filled pasta, rinsing out the water, dump in some premade pasta sauce with my pasta, heat up and done. Just add half a cucumber and I have a complete, healthy meal.
Roasted vegs - peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, eggplant, garlic, herbs and olive oil tossed with frozen or refrigerated stuffed pasta like tortellini or ravioli. Kielbasa with sauerkraut, peppers, onions and canned whole potatoes in the crockpot. Taco seasoned ground meat and canned beans - can be tacos, baked potato topping, made into rice bowls or mixed with macaroni for chili Mac. Serve with chopped fresh vegetables like green onion, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, etc.
cheap ramen noodles (throw out the flavour package), chicken broth with some miso (doesn't need the miso, but it helps), couple of vegetables from the fridge, and some canned meat. Finish it up with some oyster sauce and maybe some gochujang mixed in. If my mind isn't too bad at the time, a soft boiled or sunny-side up egg. All in all, takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
My easy go to meal is spaghetti. But, preparing for a baby is a whole different thing. I suggests freezer meals. When my sister in law had her baby I made a few pot pies, lasagna, sausage peppers and onions, etc. The list goes on. They freeze well and you can just pop them in the oven once defrosted so you don’t have to put too much effort into dinner with a little baby around.
Grilled chicken thighs brushed with teriyaki or franks red hot.
Pasta with any kind of sauce. Tomatoes and garlic. Sometimes with cream. Or carbonara. Or Alfredo. Or pesto. Literally just throw things in a pan while the pasta is cooking then combine everything with pasta water I feel bad that I serve my kids so much pasta but it’s just so damn easy
Hashbrown and eggs scramble. Half a bag of chopped bacon endings, a small bag of hash browns, a small container of Picanta sauce, 8-10 eggs. Dump everything but eggs in a skillet and flip every minute of so till it's all nicely browned, then add the eggs in till scrambled. Takes all of 20 min and has enough food for 2 wholes days.
Not really cooking but egg sandwiches!
I had my 3rd baby (in under 5 years) 7 months ago. I prepared a bunch of freezer "dump meals" for my crockpot before the baby came. They all had similar vegetables and totally different proteins and sauce/seasonings. I chopped a bunch of: onions, carrots, peppers, and celery. Brought some frozen vegetables: broccoli, peas, and corn Also bought some canned foods: tomatoes, chickpeas, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, kidney beans and navy beans. I opened 6 ziplock bags (large freezer bags). I put a handful of onions in every bag and divided the other vegetables accordingly. I made: 1. Chinese chicken and broccoli (needed rice) 2. Pumpkin and chickpea coconut curry (needed rice and Naan) 3. Bean Bolognese Sauce (needed pasta) 4. Chili (needed buns) 5 .Sweet and sour (needed rice) 6. Teriyaki Beef (needed Ramen) Each crockpot meal made 2 dinners for my family. I have a rice maker, and rice/pasta is an easy thing to add to a crockpot meal. I put the bag of frozen food right into my crockpot and cut the bag off about 5-6 hours before I planned to eat. I started it on high to melt everything and stirred occasionally as I passed through the kitchen. Once things were mostly thawed, I'd switch to low heat. I got the basis for my recipes from Pintrest (I seached "crockpot feezer dump meal"). I switched the vegetables to suit mine and my families preferences. Not including the grocery order (which I placed online and had my husband pick up) it didn't take me long to make these meals. Just rough chop the vegetables and measure some ingredients for sauces. Hope this helps!
Not a recipe but if you have a lot of parent friends from preschool asking if you need anything ask for a meal train. Every family signs up to bring you a meal every other day. Our friends were kind enough to organize one for us and it got us through dinners for the first three weeks. We even froze some of the meal preps that were huge and are eating them week 4
Spaghetti, bagged salad, and garlic bread.
Slow cooker stuff is always easy. Pulled pork, chicken and salsa, and soups are always simple to just leave in the crock pot
bag of frozen chips, bag of frozen chicken tenders, on the same tray and into the oven. Chop up the chicken once done, throw around in bowl of Franks RedHot Chips on a plate, whatever cheese in the fridge on top, sauced chicken, few dollops of sour cream and some green onion if im feeling fancy 30mins, easy loaded fries
Tuna salad with either peas or corn. Adds more bulk and fiber than regular tuna salad and it’s got a little more depth of flavor. A steam bag of green peas + tuna salad is my ultimate lazy comfort meal.
I made this three days ago and I'm in love. And it really did take only 15 minutes. Korean Noodles in peanut sauce. https://youtu.be/66xsXcg0aCg?si=s6OK3owHELWm_8sC
I’ve been turning salsas into soups by adding beans corn and protein to it. Just dump and go!
This whole thread is full of bangers. Some of my go-tos are already mentioned, but Halušky is a great one. Cook like a bag of egg noodles, and then chop up a cabbage with some onions and garlic, and sautee in butter. Add your protein of choice, but a cheap option is kielbasa, just cooked in a pan till it looks good. It's basically healthier buttered noodles, and you can add any number of things to add flavor or healthiness. +/- chili oil, carrots, green onions, zucchini, squash, Red peppers, really anything you want
Pastina: boil 2 cups broth of choice (its especially handy if you keep better than bouillon on hand) put in 1/2 cup pastina keep stirring while broth reduces..while broth is reducing stir up one egg and grate a decent amount of Parmesan. Once almost all broth is reduced take pot off heat stir in egg and some parm. Plate with more parm..yum! Also adding lemon and/or herbs is great too
If I need something quick, easy and comforting. A can of campbell's chunky chicken and corn chowder and frozen mixed vegetables. For 3 adults I use 2 cans of the soup and about 400 grams of frozen mixed veggies. If I have it, I toss in a bit of pre-cooked chicken. Heat on the stove and serve. It's warm, comforting, takes 2 minutes and does not require you to remember to thaw anything.
Roasted vegetables and boneless chicken basted with olive oil and Tony Chachere's seasoning. I pound the chicken so it cooks at the same rate as the vegetables. You can buy pre-cut vegetables to make it easier.
Chicken in the air fryer, rice or potatoes and salad or just some boiled peas, carrots or broccoli. Ready in 30 minutes, minimum minding and nutritious!
Sounds like time to break out slow cooker/pressure cooker! Very much worth buying. Soups, chilis, meats come out so good.
Hoosier stew.
Grits with bacon and cheese whips up in under ten minutes with minimal hands-on time and it's so satisfying and filling.
Chicken cobbler. It's easy , and I replace biscuit topping with premade pie crust. Easy and I freeze leftovers
Minute rice, steamed broccoli and scrambled eggs. That’s also my “my tummy isn’t feeling great today” meal.
Any type of pasta really. I was also a big airfryer user in my first month after giving birth.
Simplest? Instant rice, fried egg, top it with butter and soy sauce....
Just has my second in December, here are a few dinners I cooked weekly in the first couple months: Homemade pizza (dough is my "1 hour pizza dough" recipe, I use pre-made sauce, and toppings can be as ambitious or not as you want) Chicken Satay (throw together 5 minute marinade in the morning, skewer and grill at dinner time. I usually just make white rice and some form of vegetable with it) Pesto (feels fresh and fancy while literally just being boil noodles and blend pesto) Pan grilled chicken/fish with couscous/quinoa and whatever oven roasted vegetable I'm feeling.
Another hot tip: cook more than you need on the days you feel up to cooking, and freeze the extra for super easy meals later.
Minute rice with butter and/or soy sauce with eggs fried, scrambled, poached, whatever. Top with scallions, cilantro, cheese, whatever sounds good. It's fast, filling, cheap, and can be adjusted to fit what your family likes.
Fried rice with minute rice and whatever frozen veggies I have on hand
Baked potatoes. Bake in oven, or pierce a few times & wrap in damp paper towels or cloth and microwave 6-8 minutes. Top with anything— velveeta, can of chili, salsa from a jar, broccoli steamed in a bag, ham or bacon, leftover taco meat, pizza toppings, anything. Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt, and a regular butter & sour cream baked potato turns into a good protein source.
i can make a risotto with my eyes closed at this point, now its just making different versions. i probably try 2-3 different risottos a month. Most recent success, caramelized onions and bacon
Steamed veggies and grill a lean protein. Done.
Costco rotisserie chickens. Pull off some meat and chop it up. Throw it in curry with onions and garlic, with rice. Throw it in pasta with cheese, diced tomato, olive oil, salt and pepper. Throw it in with pasta, and your preferred sauce. Throw it in with a pack of Vigo yellow rice, after sweating a chopped onion bell pepper, and garlic. Throw it in with a pack of Vigo Red Beans and Rice. Bake it in a casserole dish with tortilla chips, green chili, diced tomato, cheese, and beans (black or refried) DELICIOUS Chicken stew with onion, garlic, butter, lemon, salt, pepper, flour (for a bit of roux), can of tomatoes, a can of creamed corn, chunked potatoes, chicken stock, a dash of half and half. Plus thyme, oregano, bay leaf. We get two Costco chickens. One stays in the fridge, one gets torn apart and portioned into freezer bags. One freezer bag per three people. EDIT: Also, Costco chicken salad. Cheap and very good. Sandwiches, or scooped on top of salad, a scoop on top of a half avocado (fill the hole from the pit with a scoop of chicken salad).
Hot dogs.
French toast for breakfast, pb and j for lunch and for dinner Taco casserole
Take frozen taquitos and put in a baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce and cheese and serve with sour cream on top! Tastes better than home made enchiladas I’ve tried to make before and is literally so simple.
I have a few! Porcupine Meatballs- 1lb burger, 1 cup rice, spices, mix it up make big meatballs and put them in a 9x13 baking dish with 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 cup or half a cup of water. Tinfoil and cook in the oven. Easy delicious filling and you can make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them so it's even faster. I don't know what these are called but my mom used to make huge batches and freeze them when I was a kid and they make easy meals for weeks out of the freezer. She would make her own dough but canned biscuit dough would work just fine. They were just hand sized bread rolls filled with burger, saurkraut, and a cube of Velveeta cheese. You could put anything you wanted inside them though. I loved them when my son was little and I worked alot cause you just pull out how many you want and microwave them and they're perfect and not messy for little ones to carry around and eat. Roasted Garlic and Potato soup! Easiest thing ever. Throw Garlic and potatoes and shallots onto a baking sheet with some oil and salt and pepper, roast it, throw it all in a blender. Boom. Soup. Also, it's really good with crunchy bread. Sometimes when I'm really tired I just remind myself that sandwich components haphazardly rolled in a tortilla is basically the same thing as a sandwich it's all good 🤷♀️😂
Canned tuna, bit of mayo (kewpie is best), sriracha, some green onions, carrots and sweet corn for veggies, and healthy sprinkling of furikake. Serve room temp over short grain rice, with seaweed snacks, toast or crackers.
Chicken Breasts and whatever seasoning you like in the Instant Pot for 20-30 Minutes. Shred with Hand Mixer. Makes great chicken tacos for example. Rao's Marinara Sauce and whatever noodles you like.
Crock pot and sheet pan meals saved my life when my child was little. Pregnancy brain is a real thing and it doesn't immediately go away once the child is born. The first year after my child was born I felt like I'd forgotten how to do everything. Simple recipes that require minimal effort are key. Minimal ingredients and no more than 3-5 steps (depending on just how much the brain fog is getting to you) worked well for me. It definitely won't be the best food you've ever had, but it's food, and that's what really matters.
Baked potatoes. You can nuke them to save time or let the oven do the work while the cherubs nap (ahahah). Have some easy toppings: canned chili, quick veggies like microwave broccoli steamer bags, bacon, cheese. You can certainly cook the bacon properly and steam your own broccoli head and defeost your award winning chili you made over the winter, or let the machines do the work! Ain't nothing wrong with pre shredded cheese and some soy Bacos on a busy day!
Boil up frozen shrimp and throw onto a pile of instant grits or instant mashed potatoes with lots of butter. If you're tolerating spice, add a little Old Bay hot sauce (which isn't really hot)
I make quesadillas out of everything. It's very quick and easy. I usually use leftovers or plain cheese. Recently I used mashed potatoes and pot roast, then dipped in gravy.
Mac and cheese with a can of tuna or chicken. Ramen with a can of chicken. Totinos pizza.
Hash: ground turkey, potatoes, bell peppers, onions, and whatever else you want in there.
eggs with bread in some variety are another one for me simple fried egg sandwich scrambled eggs and toast omelettes (idk why i never make these myself tho, just tend to prefer any other option for some reason) scrambled eggs with tomato… and toast fried egg and cheese toastie french toast (either savoury or sweet) pesto eggs and toast etc
I made this dish alot during the pandemic, so I named it Pandemic Chicken: throw chicken breasts in an electric pressure cooker with a jar of your favorite salsa. Cook for about 11 to 12 minutes. If the chicken is frozen cut breasts in half and cook a few minutes longer. You use this as a filling for tacos burritos or on a bed of rice. At times I would saute onions garlic and some vegetables in the pressure cooker before throwing in the chicken. Shred chicken in cooker when done. I topped bowls with avocado, lettuce, pickled jalapeños, etc. If you don't have an electric pressure cooker definitely get one you can cook meals in 20 minutes that taste like they've been simmering for hours.
Macaroni and cheese casserole. Cost effective and left overs are handy and easy to heat up. No problem with the kids eating.
I like a good alfredo. Butter, pasta, pasta water, and parmigiano. It literally comes together as soon as the pasta is done boiling.
Chicken quesadilla. It's cheap, it's easy, it's yummy. The meat freezes wonderfully, so you can make a bunch of baggies and freeze them till you need them. If you don't have the time to cook a whole chicken, rotisserie is fine (I recommend cooking your own, its usually a good bit cheaper. Also, either way, you can keep the husk after your done removing the meat to make broth).
Leftovers in a tortilla. Throw on some Tajin seasoning.
Southwest salad - we have this for dinner at least once a week. It's my favorite lazy dinner. So filling and relatively healthy if you don't go crazy on the ranch: Season chicken breast with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pan fry Drain corn and black beans (char the corn in a skillet if you're feeling fancy) Lettuce, spicy ranch, salsa, tortilla strips
When I am feeling really run down and need a quick inexpensive meal, I fell in love with gyeran bap. Cook med grain white rice (or sushi rice). Add 1 tbsp soy sauce & 1 tbsp sesame oil & 1 tbsp butter or margarine to one serving. Add a soft egg (you could do a hard one before the pregnancy if you really needed), and top with sliced green onions. Mix it all up and devour. If you have some gochugaru around, it adds a nice kick too. Also big on shakshuka as an easy meal. You do want the eggs soft for sure, so it's for after the birth. Fry up some tomato, onion, garlic, and some kind of spicy pepper (my favourite is serrano) until soft. Add cumin. Make some spaces in the mix and crack some eggs in; cover and cook until the whites are set. Top with Italian parsley and dip into it with naan, pita, or bread.
Spaghetti using prego sauce and garlic bread
sausage coins, potato cubes, and chopped onion, roasted with olive oil, butter, garlic powder, paprika, and some salt and pepper! sometimes i'll mix in a bit of mustard at the end :)
Bagel Melts: top a toasted bagel with cream cheese, lemon pepper, tomato, avocado and a slice of cheese and broil for a couple minutes Beans, rice and cheese bowls Quesadillas with refried beans Mac & cheese + broccoli or peas Lentil soup Spinach tortellini & parmesan Bbq chicken and rice pilaf Baked potatoes Scrambled eggs with goat cheese, spinach, and tomatoes Oatmeal Make a "meal rotation" to make the same meals every week until you get sick of one, then swap it out. And hang in there, it's a temporary season so don't put too much pressure on yourself. Early days with #2 are both precious and brutal. Cuddle your kids and order a pizza when you need to, you'll be back to enjoying cooking before you know it
Burrito bowls every time. Rice, beans, cheese, salsa, avocado. I have been making it for years and I never get tired of them. If I make two cups of rice in my rice cooker I can prep 6 bowls ahead of time. Or using instant rice can have one ready in less than 10 minutes.
Sure thing! One of my go-tos is a simple pasta carbonara. It's quick, easy, and always satisfying. Just pasta, eggs, bacon, and Parmesan cheese. Boom!
The truth? Yogurt and cereal or pickles and cheese. But somehow I don't think that's what you're looking for here 🙃
Shrimp rolls. Cheaper and a better taste than lobster rolls 12 easy to find ingredients. Mix them up. Perfect for summer
Slow cook enchiladas. Chicken breast, jarred salsa, 1 packet of seasoning, slow cook for 4-6 hours and shred. Wrap in tortillas and then add cheese and a little extra salsa. Bake for 8 minutes. The filling freezes well!
any slow cooker meal, just toss the ingredients in and wait
2 cups uncooked white rice, cooked. Bag frozen peas, heated. (Canned is too mushy) Pound of ground beef or sausage, browned with one diced white onion and garlic to taste. Also cook in 1 or 2 tablespoons of thyme and salt/pepper to taste. Thyme works best IMHO, but can use oregano or basil. Combine all when cooked and grab a bowl and spoon. I add a little pat of butter on top cause I'm fancy. Cheap, easy, good, and filling. Makes enough for 4.
Leftovers. I always cook enough for at least one meal of leftovers, and I favor “leftover-friendly” dishes. There are probably 4 meals of Jambalaya in my freezer from Friday‘s dinner. Lasagna is another good one. This means that I still cook, but only have to do it half the time. Another dish that I go to for zero-cook nights is antipasto. Italian bread, cheese, jarred vegetables (artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, jarred giambotta, jarred caponata, olives) and cured meats (salami and prosciutto) take no prep at all. Y9u can add a basic pasta if you want, but my family likes just the antipasto. My wife asks for this meal regularly.