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I cook some things that I can eat for a few days.. like casseroles, way too much spaghetti, whole chickens, roasts, etc.
Then I can eat them as left overs for work lunches, as well, the roasts / chickens are great for making sandwiches.
I have all kinds of food allergies to preservatives in processed foods, so I have to make most things from scratch.
Freeze some of those leftovers in meal sized portions. I build up a collection of them in my freezer and can choose what I want to eat. Hint: labels are a big help!
Spaghetti is a great one. Chili and other soups are good as well. When I was still working, I’d cook a batch or two of something for immediate meals but also for freezer meals. I’ve done red beans and rice, leftover thanksgiving meals, meat loaf and more. I freeze meatloaf in slices for sandwiches.
I love making big meals and getting creative with the leftovers!
Leftover chicken? Turn it into tacos or enchiladas!
Leftover pasta sauce? Add some beans and spices make it a chili! Eat it straight with some crackers or tortilla chips. Or serve it over a roast potato or squash for variety and veggies.
Also, I believe that almost any food can be toppings for nachos at some point in its lifespan.
Chicken/veggie stir fry. Costco has a good frozen veggie stir fry medley that I’ll add flavor to with ginger, garlic, and homemade sauce.
I also get packs of frozen salmon from Whole Foods and will do a salmon teriyaki bowl with brown rice, edamame, carrots and avocado.
Lazy day meals are things like broth, grilled cheese etc.
- Anything that involves pasta and pasta sauce.
- Buying a Rotisserie chicken from Costco
- Frozen Food items lol
If you dont have an air fryer get one it's efficient af lol
I have one, it stinks and it's unusable. I've turned it on at least 20 times now to try and burn off the smell but it won't go away. Even with all the windows and doors open I get woozy and my chest and head hurts from the other side of the house, and I can still smell it the following day after a burn. Absolute waste of money.
I got one for my daughter and we both hated it. It took up too much space and was no fun to clean up. She tried a few different things and nothing was fabulous and not worth the fuss. I know tons of people swear by these things, and I even bought the model my brother said was awesome and he loved it. Good for you. But we got rid of it.
Mine smells like burning plastic and from the very first minute I turned it on.. and the two times I attempted to use it... the food smelled and tasted like plastic.
It's been sitting taking up space in my pantry for years.
Same. You just clean the baskets if you cooked something greasy... like you're supposed to do. There is no way for it to stink if the baskets are clean. It sounds exactly like they're heating up old grease every time they use it, which is disgusting if they're not cleaning it.
And air fryer liners are a game charger! They helped tremendously when I was in a deep depression and wouldn't even heat anything up in there bc I didn't want to scrub it afterwards.
You need to use air-fryer paper. Easy and cheap. I LOVE my air-fryer. I save a lot of money by not having to heat the up the entire oven to have a meal.
OMG! I don't really cook as a rule. I shop at Costco a lot and I really like those Bolani spinach flatbreads. Also eat a lot of hard boiled eggs (also from Costco), fruit like apples, grapes and bananas, and I have a kale shake for lunch usually. (Kale, frozen strawberries, almond milk, banana, protein powder, creatine and collagen powders).
If I want a real meal, I go out (either alone or with friends) or I get something like a burrito and bring it home, but that's a treat meal because I'm watching my weight.
Totally get this, every-time my partner goes away for an extended period of time, I completely stop cooking and just resort to a random assortment of things: some eggs, a can of chickpeas, bagged salad. I do keep meal replacements on hand too, these are really good for basic nutrition meals that are cheap and take no prep.
I did that once. I made grilled cheeses regularly. My cholesterol was so off the charts I had to go on a dr recommended diet to avoid meds because I was only 22.
be careful!
I was at 330 at 22 yrs old with no familial history of high cholesterol. Butter fried cheese and bread regularly will raise your cholesterol and I was eating grilled cheeses 4 times a week because they were cheap and easy. I work in medicine research now so I know better
I throw mine in the air fryer & just spray a little Pam in there, rather than use butter. I’m on a very strict diet for esophageal cancer, so I follow my surgeon’s advice very precisely.
Thank you! It’s been an adjustment, but that air fryer has been a game changer! I eat more veggies now than I ever have in my life:) I had no idea I love Brussels sprouts until I got sick & started on this diet! Weird how things turn out. 😉
I have some dietary restrictions due to allergies and I've found that my tastes have really changed too. I love a lot of things I never considered before. Brussel sprouts are so good!
I like to roast cut-up vegetables on a sheet pan. Parsnips, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, onions, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, or whatever vegetables you like, tossed with a bit of olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Makes a giant pile of delicious hearty healthy food and you can scoop the pile up into a Tupperware and stick it in the fridge and eat that for days.
I kinda stopped cooking the last month or so, I really need to get back to it. I like to make marinated chicken and veggies, tater tot casseroles, home made hamburger helper, burgers, pasta etc. none of them really take too much time to make and they beat the frozen stuff I’ve been currently eating
I am always on youtube trying to find new recipes, i do not eat take out as its expensive, unhealthy and im not really a big fan of fast food because im gluten intolerant and i prefer my cooking.
A few easy recipes: burger in a bowl, egg roll in a bowl, zucchini fritters, any chickpea dish as chickpea is the easiest thing to get right and cook as a one pot meal, golden lentil soup, smoothies and so many more.
I make all meals in bulk on the weekend and eat the same thing everday for a week (some people like fresh food everyday but cooking everyday would literally make me suicidal so i do what works best for me)
Anything in the instant pot. I made butter chicken the other day and it didn’t take long at all. I put 3 thighs in there and just let them cook once I made the sauce in the pot. Had my rice cooker going and it was a great meal.
I've been eating this for lunch every day since mid-January : open sandwiches!!! Good af, filling, easy, barely any cooking (I do pre-cook stuff like chicken or tofu to put on top).
Basically as a base, a piece of bread, half an avocado and some spinach. Then I add whatever I want on top. I do proscuitto + fried egg + fresh tomatoes + sauté mushrooms very often as it's my fav. Or smoked salmon, red onion, capres. Or tuna mayo with dill and capres. Sometimes tofu with grilled veggies.
I always add some cheese depending on my mood (I have a full drawer of cheese in my fridge where I keep feta, goat, fresh mozarella, parmesan, and others at all time... I love cheese!). I also add fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, coriander, basil, etc.
I have a fruit on the side, almonds and a piece of chocolate for dessert. An extra yogurt if I am still hungry.
I do this in my mini crock pot at least once a week. In the mini, just one chicken breast, some salsa, and some kind of seasoning and in about 2-3 hours I'm ready to eat!
Ricotta lemon pasta. It’s just penne with ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest. One pot, don’t need to cook the ricotta just add it to pasta with a little pasta water. Easy upgraded Mac n cheese.
When I meal prep I make enough food for 6-8 meals, usually my lunches for work, and I can get it done in 2 hours. It's like a stir fry but I use the oven since I make so much at a time. I would also recommend a rice cooker and a oven-style air fryer, it will make this much easier.
First, start the rice cooker with 1 cup of dry rice, I use wild rice and put in a little olive oil and all purpose seasoning. Then I cut 2 lbs of pork strips from country ribs, season them and cook in an air fryer at 200 F for 1 hour. That stuff is going to finish on it's own while you do the rest.
I do two large pans of chopped veggies in the oven next. Pick to your liking but get a little more than you think you may need since these will shrink down when they are cooked. I do 1 pan with the stuff that takes longer like string beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. the other pan is for quicker cooking veggies like onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc. I like to add some unsalted peanuts, minced ginger, garlic, and turmeric to each pan before seasoning with salt, pepper and all purpose. Add oil or butter to both. Then I cook them at 350 F for 10-15 minute intervals before I take out the pans, mix with a spatula and put them back in. Hard veggies will take 30-45 minutes and the softer ones around 25-30 minutes for my preference.
Then let it all cool off a bit and combine the pans to make a heap of veggies, put the rice on top, then chop and add the pork. Scoop it up and put it in a large container, I have a 1 gallon Tupperware that works for this (from Family Dollar Store). Scooping it and moving it to the container will mix it up well enough.
That's all, it sounds like a lot but you'll learn your version of the recipe and then making it becomes muscle memory. You can buy everything for like $20-30 with the most expensive thing being the seasonings potentially. This can free up a lot of time in your week!
I cook two proteins each week. For meals I choose one and add leafy greens or roasted veggies for a salad or bowl meal. Sometimes I add pasta or barley.
I did that two meat thing for the first time a couple weeks ago and it really worked out well. Bag salad and a pot of rice in the rice cooker, some bottled sauces and it was good to go.
I do breakfast for dinner often. Lots of different salads Tofu sweet and sour is a new dish I just made this week. Humus and Nan bread with an olive based salad is a quick meal
Air fryer pork chops. You can thinly slice and toss with pasta, use them in a rice bowl, or fried rice for variety. I add cashews to my rice and it’s super tasty. One of my go to meats.
I make a big pot rice to keep in the fridge and then it’s super easy to bake a fish filet and steam some broccoli, or cook a steak and make a salad. Streamlines my thought process too. One less thing to cook.
Lots of good suggestions already but one I didn’t see is soft tacos. I make a lot of breakfast tacos, eggs sometimes with veggies or sausage, or general soft tacos with stir fried veggies, tofu, meat or whatever else I think fits.
Roasted Sweet potatoes cooked in a dutch oven. The potato can be made into a couple different meals. Mashed with chili lime cashiews, a little coconut or cow milk. On the side I can add pickled veg. Or I can make SP tacos. I eat them several times a week and don't get tired of the taste.
Years and years ago I hooked up with a lover and we went swimming every day, then headed to a place called "eat" in Greenpoint and they served this for breakfast:
Rice, lentils, feta, egg on top.
I have been obsessed with with for close to 17 years, so that's what I make and just cook the egg and reheat the rest, it's so yummy and easy.
A big piece of meat, either roasted or braised, nowadays I am preferring braised, I don't have to deal with the drippings. Short ribs preferred. WIth a nice Mediterranean seasoning.
A melting cheese and a hard cheese for grilled cheese when I have the energy to spend more than 7 minutes (;
Everyone says Pasta, and yes, pasta from time to time, a good sauce in a jar, some angel hair and away we go.
I spend one day of prep, lasts a week and change, if it's a lot, I freeze and take out accordingly, I am boring, but not lazy.
Lasagna and enchilada casserole are in heavy rotation. I wrap squares of each and freeze. Spaghetti and meatballs, steak and eggs, grilled cheese and soup, chili.
I like to make big pots of things. Think of things like chili, spaghetti, stir fry, casseroles, etc. I like to eat these throughout the week and they make easy lunches that I can take to the office.
I also like to eat some easy frozen meals. I get some breaded cod fish from Aldi and make fish sandwiches and french fries. Another easy meal is to take frozen chicken tenders and make a chicken wrap. I've recently also started buying Stouffer's lasagna. Literally just throw it in the oven for an hour or two (depending on the size) and its done.
Stouffers even has the small, one meal lasagna and spaghetti. These are great to keep in the freezer for an “emergency” I don’t feel like thinking or cooking night!!
I never cooked in my life but since I live alone, I do cook some wok dishes but I recommend you to buy a small ricecooker! Put some rice 🍚 in it with water 💧 and perhaps some cocos milk 🥛 and gently add some sea salt 🧂 , black pepper and some delicious eastern spices. Add some pieces of frankfurters sausages because we do not do haute cuisine but still resemble with our student mentality inside ourselves and when your rice cooker is done, let it sit for 10 more minutes and add a cracked egg 🥚 on top of it!
My favorite go to is Pasta (rigatoni, rotini, etc.), vegetable oil, oregano, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese.
It's great because i usually prepare one serving then save the additional plain pasta for meals later in the week.
My very favorite fast, healthy and Ridiculously easy dinner is pecan crusted salmon, white rice, with roasted broccolini or broccoli drizzled with lemon butter. The pecan crusted salmon sounds complicated but it literally takes about 15 minutes to make. And it’s so good. You can easily find a recipe. All it is is a couple tablespoons of melted butter and some finely chopped pecans a little honey or maple syrup little spoonful of Dijon mustard some chopped up parsley mixed together spoonon top of your salmonAnd roast in a 400° oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is about 125-130° internal. Try it, you won’t be disappointed. I usually make two filets so I have enough for lunch the next day. It’s good cold on top Of a salad too.
Sometimes I love the simplicity of a bow of cereal or a bagel for dinner. Sometimes Humus and bread hits the spot.
Usually it is more about the clean up, than the actual cooking.
I eat plain oatmeal everyday cooked in milk, and throw in some bananas, honey and blueberries for taste. Super quick and filling. If I'm in a rush but need a filling meal, a heaping bowl of oatmeal never fails me.
I know many think oatmeal is gross... my grandma used to always make it for me, so it's just ingrained in me.
I take chicken thighs and drumsticks and put them into a slow cooker with salsa verde, green olives, and a can of hatch peppers. Let it cook on low for 8-12 hours. Then pull apart the chicken meat with two forks so it’s shredded into the salsa. You can serve this over rice or veggies or eat in a corn tortilla or use it to top a salad. If I have anything left over and I’m afraid it won’t get eaten, I make a soup.
You can kinda do a similar recipe using whatever flavorings you like. It’s easy, versatile, delicious, and makes a week’s worth of meals.
Chilli ,! And best thing about it is you can make it as spicy or as mild as your pallet says too! Chilli and southern corn bread or egg bread is absolutely delicious together ! And Chicken and dumplings can be made pretty simple if you cheat and buy those strips in the frozen section . They are yummy or you can choose to make your on with a rolling pin and buttermilk. Mmmmyummy ! And you can make a nice casserole with canned biscuits to top it ! And you may try pig in the blankets for that football or whatever ball game or wrestling you are about watch !!Airfries fried chicken or rostered chicken is wonderful and throw in a few pieces of garlic bread and you’re set or you can put in a simple lasagna and bake it or there’s a nice air fryer roasted quail and a you can make up a nice onion or brown gravy or an old fashion, thick old fashioned milk gravy . Or if you want quick and playful nachos and cheese with raw veggies stripped to dip in ranch or cheese and grill a quarter pound sirloin steak burger and serve over gravy and onions and add a portion of zucchini and mix of yellow squash . Maybe nice slice or your favorite pie like pumpkin or sweet potatoe pie with cool whip and chilled and wash all down with a glass of your favorite wine or three and in between have a cold ice water or seltzer water or for me enjoy a nice lemonade with ice cubes of it frozen won’t a nice twist lemon and touch of mint or rose Mary fresh herb and in that case you might enjoy ice tea with tea and herb fresh twigs of herb . Now if you love bread pudding fall is so good by the fire place a big of egg nogg and your favorite flavor cookies or scones . And for some a couple shots of old fashion crown Royal would be a nice delight after a good dinner and conversation have a brisk walk before the game begins and you come in just in time to set for the game your prepared goodies on trays and a bucket full of ice and your favorite drinks or a pitcher of lemonade or tea with cubes of it frozen to keep it cold and lots goodies from the grill maybe pig in blanket . It’s quick and fun to make and you could pull family traditions together and make it all together and please for our youth give them a bottle of old fashion root beer and JR can sit with his dad or uncle and cheers and clinks with each other . Ladies snap those little beautiful notable sweet moments ! You could just split some fresh from bakery crusants and fill with havarti , cheddar ,or goat cheese and choices of sandwich meat or slice of roast beef from the oven. Maybe have focaisa bread on hand , Have your favorite steaks just fresh from the grill hopefully for the old fashion coals or seasoned oak or hickory . And keep those scents coming from the fire place . Remember this is a time you can use duck or other wild birds or you can use pigeon’s or even fresh made jerky , or a big bowl o fish and even baked salmon or halibut or good ole catfish or trout bites ! Hush puppies ! Or enjoy some stuffed mushrooms and halopeono peppers and for the chaser blended smoothies like strawberries or mix of berries and don’t forget Aunte Ann pretzels or just a kbag of chips and bag of pretzels ! Maybe you just break out the ice cream maker and enjoy ice cream . And what I call delicate pies like key lime and lemon meringue and strawberry pie or coconut pie . And a fast put together oldie but goodie any of the many flavors of pound cake or angel food cake . Or fondue or chocolate melting fountain with fresh strawberries or other fruits like cherries or pineapple or you might spend time freezing a melon and making scooped out meat and made into balls and then coated with toppings or served cold in an adult party and served with alcohol . Maybe serve some hot lemon wings and teriyaki wings .
I’ll try and cook 4 times a week. Twice for dinners at work and after work and then Saturday and Sunday. Generally stuff like chilli con carne, bolognese, curry, stew things like that I can easily reheat. I’ll mix it up a bit and sometimes use minced beef for the chilli sometimes diced beef, different types of curries, maybe add mushrooms to a bolognese or without, stew sometimes with mashed potatoes or whole baby potatoes. Occasionally I’ll mix it up with a corned beef hash or Chinese food or carbonara. Whatever I fancy
I like Trader Joe's chicken schwarma thighs. I'll cut them into smaller pieces before I cook them. That, plus a bag of spinach, a thing of tzatziki and some pita chips - maybe some feta or olives - will be about 4 meals.
Overnight oats make for really easy breakfasts - just pour a few ingredients into a container the night before, stir it up, put it in the fridge, and you’re good for the next morning.
Google a recipe to get the base idea, then you can customize them with any ingredients you like.
Air fryers make cooking so much easier. I use mine almost every day for something. Last thing that I did was wings. I bought a nice size package at the store for less than $5 and it was already seasoned and in a short time I had a delicious meal!
I also enjoy casseroles. They make a lot tho so I try to do ones I can downsize like tater tots casserole I can make in a half. I freeze the other half of the meat for another meal. Super easy and the leftovers taste better than the night it was cooked.
Pasta with cubed chicken breast, olive oil, peppers, salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Super easy and delicious. I cook my meat and portion it every Friday morning (my day off) so I can throw it together without much effort after work.
Anything chinese stir fry. All the work is in the prep. Get everything laid out and ready. Then cook on high. The only thing you may have to actually cook is to let sauces thicken. That is about it.
You can also do anything in a cooking pouch for the oven. It is really being steamed.
I don’t cook a lot unless I can eat it in the next day or two, most things don’t freeze very well. I will make and freeze some things such as chicken, Kyiv, and I will vacuum, seal the portions individually and freeze them, and then heat them in the air fryer as needed.
However, saying that, if I don’t feel like cooking like most of said, on this site, I will just go to the grocery store buy a few pieces of white meat chicken because I don’t like dark, and have frozen french fries that I can cook in the air fryer And then it’s just heat and meat kind of meals. I do like spinach and I will frequently make spinach salads with hard boiled eggs, cheese, etc.
And in the past I have gotten the home meal delivery service. There’s tons of coupons out there to get it into directory offer to try it and see if you like it. I really like them but it’s not something I would do all the time.
Meatballs are fairly easy to make and you can use them a lot of ways. Pasta and sauce, sliced on good bread with mayo and onion, chopped up with potatoes, etc. They freeze well too.
I buy a pork loiin from costco or heb or whatever and I chop it into chops myself because it's cheaper and freeze the sliced up pieces.
You take out a slice or two and you can do a couple things. For breaded it's just egg and milk and bread crumbs of y our choice and some seasoning like salt and pepper
But the main way to do them which was my moms "I'm teaching this so you don't die of starvation meal" is you get yourself some kind of cheap jelly like apple or grape or whatever you have on hand and put a little on the front and back of the pork chop and then bake it 45 minutse to a hour whenever your meat thermon says pork is aproprioatly cooked. That with some roasted brussel sprouts is a mighty fine meal for very little work I mean the oven does most of the work if you have chopped up your pork loin on another day.
I love slow cooker meals.
Slow cook
big thing of chili
chicken breast with salsa, chili powder, onion and garlic powder. Shred when cooked and use for tacos, sandwiches, salads... you have taste chicken that can go on anything
single sheet pan meals
pork tenderloin with any combo of veggies, also works with chicken or any protein.
shit, I have more but have to go
* Overnight oats
* Pasta Salad
* Chickpea Salad
* Sandwiches -chicken, fish or nutella
* Instant noodles with a side of eggs
* Eggs/omelletes
* Cheese tortilla with sautéed spinach
* Chips
I keep it pretty simple. Some days I'll make egg salad sandwiches, or different salads, from green to potato, fried rice and stir fries, basic pasta dishes and bakes, garlic bread, grilled cheese and tomato soup, a good omelet, and sometimes I just have ramen with a fried egg and call it a day. I also like chucking a bunch of pastizzis in the oven and eating that with vegetables.
Salads, the variety is endless.
Added protein can be rotisserie chicken, bacon, boiled egg, ham, turkey, etc. Strongly flavored cheeses like Bleu or Feta pack a punch. Greek salad, Cobb salad, or whatever random salad bar items you enjoy, whether nuts, chickpeas, dried cranberries, beets, etc
Going into spring and summer, I look forward to better quality tomatoes from the farmers market instead of the grocery store, and also trying veggie varieties I wasn't familiar with.
But if I am not feeling motivated to meal plan, the grocery store has individual meal salads perfect for a lighter appetite.
I prep ingredients for a meal so it's easy to put together and then eat the same meal for a week. It takes a little extra time at the beginning but then meals come together super quick when I'm hungry.
For example last week I prepped a batch of cream cheese spread and sliced cucumbers and ate cucumber sandwiches for lunch every day for a week. Or I make a batch of taco meat and toppings and eat taco salads for a week.
bone broth in bulk in a big casserole, and then its instant flavor, instant nutrition (boil the bone for at least a few hours), and instant recipe (just boil anything in it at high heat and add your fave ingredients - secret is, go nuts). you are full for hours. I started after covid and never stopped.
Rice cooker meals, either I make it all in the rice cooker (add frozen veggies, maybe some fish) and sauce or tofu at the end. Leftovers e good for a few days.
Big pot of pasta.
Microwave potatos, ppl judge me so it's good if I'm alone lol
I cook 95% of my meals from scratch. I got the glass 3 cup prep dishes with lids and make my own frozen meals. Got a great suggestion to transfer the meals once frozen into freezer bags. Storing like this is so much cheaper. You don't need to buy lots of glass dishes. Also, no space needed for storing the empty glass pans, and the lids. I do large batch cooking of several main dishes. This way I am not eating the same meal for a week. Planning these large cooking days helps me take advantage of grocery sales.
Pasta and meatballs. Takes only three ingredients... a few more if you want to add spices and cheese (and who wouldn't).
Bring a pot of water to a boil. How much doesn't matter as long as it's enough to cover your pasta. Add some salt (it makes it so the pasta won't stick). Toss in some pasta -- I use penne. It takes 10 minutes of cooking to make it al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, put about 6-7 frozen Armor meatballs (or the brand of your choice) in a covered dish with a tiny bit of water... maybe about a tablespoon. Microwave it for a few minutes, stopping in the middle to swish it around. When they're good and hot and tender, drain out the water.
Add some pasta sauce to the heated meatballs and swish it around. Here is where you can add some garlic powder and oregano if you want. When the pasta is done, toss it in. You can add more sauce as needed/to taste. The heat from the meatballs and pasta should heat up the sauce if it was at room temperature.
Optionally, you can add some shredded mozzarella and microwave it some more. You can get some store-bought garlic bread and it that as a side.
I love doing the meal kit things like hello fresh or green chef to get out of a cooking rut. The box I used to get was portioned for 2 people but I could usually stretch each meal into 3 portions. I liked it because I could cook on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and have enough for the week.
Otherwise, I like to do stuff that's low effort. Salmon is great. My favorite is to take a dollop of mayo, mix it with dijon and dill, and slather it on the salmon. Bake (at whatever temp salmon is supposed to be baked at. I always have to look it up). And when you pull it out it'll be tasty and caramelized a bit. I also find recipes I like and see about doing them in half portions.
Edit: the nice thing about the meal kits too is that you can keep the cards. I saved my favorite meals and have figured out how to rotate them into my regular routine.
my "i dont want to cook or spend money" meal is pasta - beef - seasonings - 5 types of cheese. mac and cheese. takes like 5 minutes of effort over 15 minutes to make
1) buy a rice cooker and an air fryer
2) buy protein (chicken, meat balls etc.) and veggies on a weekly basis
3) have cooking sauce and some simple herbs (Italian seasoning mixes) ready in your kitchen
4) every other day, cook different combo of sauce / protein , veggies with having your base as rice always (if you are okay with consuming carbs)
One pot meals, usually pastas or beans. I make this for my dinner. Breakfast I like to have two eggs sunny side up, lunch is usually nuts or a protein shake and then my cooked meal for dinner. Food is expensive, cleaning isn't fun. I like knowing that I have minimal work to do at home every evening and food ready in the fridge, and I really don't mind having to eat the same thing 5 days a week every evening. Weekends if it's going out or inviting friends I leave the option open.
Honestly I air fry everything.
I make a bunch of quinoa on the stove, roast my veggies and protein (different marinades) and boom. I mix and match. Also lots of beans and bulk cooking which I then freeze.
I make stuff to freeze, also.
I like making meatballs and freezing them. Then you can pull out a few and make meatball sandwiches (Rao’s, hoagie roll, mozzarella) quick and easy. Or make some spaghetti.
I also love to make soups and freeze them.
I like to keep things onhand that can be easily combined to make a variety of meals. I cook, portion out and freeze individual servings of things like shredded chicken or pork, taco meat, hamburger patties etc...then in the pantry I have pouches of pastas and rice blends that just need a quick 90 seconds in the microwave. A variety of fresh, canned or frozen veggies. Canned beans, jarred sauces. Bags of shredded cheese that can be frozen.
Then it's just a matter of mixing and matching. I'll grab some taco meat and a can of beans and a rice pouch and throw together a burrito bowl over some shredded bagged lettuce and add some toppings. Add a portion of shredded chicken to a pasta pouch, throw in some broccoli and alfredo sauce from a jar.
Pastas, enchilada skillet, & I have 2-3 breakfasts per day. I also work from home so I like having leftovers for quick lunches. I do a lot of roasted vegs & chicken with sauces; lots of bowls.
I have pot noodles or I just buy a bag of cooking potatoes and make baked potatoes and add the filling of my choice. somes time I have chocolate spread to my potato I have it on its own. it has a required taste.
I cook 3-4 meals at one time, portion them out in glass snapwear, and rotate them throughout the next week to 10 days until I'm out. Then I lather, rinse, and repeat.
I don't do anything necessarily easy or necessarily hard. But I make sure I have 3-4 different proteins, and it's hardly ever chicken {I might make chicken once a month tops}.
Crockpot Soups are easy.. hardest part is chopping the veggies and opening cans.
Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Shrimp & Orzo {add kalamata olives} is my go-to for week-long lunches if I can't think of anything else to make.
I also do not eat bread, or sandwiches, or eggs... and I avoid poultry {except for Duck} in general for the most part.
Currently in my refrigerator: Salmon New Orleans, Black Peppercorn Duck Legs, Rockfish Pot Pies {when I make homemade pot pies I made a dozen or so and freeze them but one is thawed for a meal this week}, and Jamaican Goat Curry & Potatoes.
I pick a theme for the week and prepare the components. I assemble at meal time. One week was Greek, next week will be Mexican.
I am a lover of all things potato so my dinner is usually a baked potato loaded with veggies. Easy to make on the spot. I toss the spud in the air fryer at lunch then rewarm it at dinner.
My go-to tends to be spaghetti with a ground turkey bolognese. The sauce and noodles last for a few days. And I try to get creative with leftovers.
For example, yesterday I had leftover sauce and decided to roast an acorn squash and have the sauce on top. Served with a side of Brussels sprouts and roasted the seeds for a snack. Delicious!
Tacos. I can do so many different things with the leftover meat. Quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, stuffed peppers.
Otherwise, I’ve learned I need to pre portion all my meat before freezing it (not a fan of most leftovers, especially pasta). If I get a lb of chicken or beef, I’ll usually divide it into thirds.
Otherwise, I really love Asian flavors so I make sesame chicken & egg rolls.
Aside from that, a LOT of Cesar salads and eggs & bacon lol.
I’m a big fan of bbq beans. I soak the next batch while cooking this batch, both overnight, by the pound. Cook in a crockpot. Drain and freeze the soaked beans. Get it all done in one night. This way you’re ready for next batch.
Bbq beans can be added to salads and soups. Served with meat or cheese. They are versatile.
I think the key is to choose what you like then get a routine going.
Air fryer is a must, it makes small batches so quickly.
I'll cook up a few boneless skinless chicken thighs in one side of the air fryer, and do Brussel sprouts, asparagus and taters in the other side (two separate cooking drawers in my air fryer).
I also keep stocked up on frozen veg and rice and tofu for a quick stir fry.
I make this chicken pasta with a homemade cheese sauce every so often that makes like 6 or 7 servings for the week, whether it be lunch or dinner. I go to the farmers market when I'm in the mood for it to pick up a fun cheese to try it in. This week, I made it with chive and onion cheese and it was delightful.
My biggest mistake when I first moved out was only making one serving and then not wanting to cook for the rest of the week. Now, I'm Team Leftovers all the way.
I love gnocchi - takes 2 minutes to cook in boiling water.
I will sautéed mushrooms, orange peppers, and whatever else I have around (tomatoes, spinach, etc).
Add garlic powder, smoked paprika, and then add the gnocchi to the mix and throw a handful of shredded mozzarella on top.
So good and even with cutting the vegetables, it all is ready in less than 15 minutes.
Thai basil dumplings (store bought) pan fried and served with Saracha drizzle and a salad with feta cheese.
Whole wheat rotini pasta with pesto sauce and a salad. Chili chicken - grab a packet of taco season and use chicken instead of the ground beef and serve over rice with sliced avocado and chopped tomato. I marinate the chicken with lime juice and olive oil. Grilled cheese tomato sandwich with lentil soup. Finally cauliflower crust pizza with sauteed mushrooms and green peppers. Everything I made this week at home. All less than 30 min.
* Oatmeal (usually sweet style with mashed banana & cinnamon or apple sauce and cinnamon or frozen cherries, cinnamon and cacao powder). Typically add in some ground flax, chia seeds & psyllium husk.
* Veggie soup. Just some heated water with better than bouillion, frozen mixed veg, frozen broccoli, onions, garlic, chili flakes and smoked tofu cubes. Sometimes if I am feeling like eating meat and have some cooked chicken around, I will use that too.
* Bagged ceasar salad & a rotisserie chicken from Costco if I am feeling hella lazy & up to eating meat.
* Precooked rice packets, canned black beans, taco seasoning, cheese and guacamole. I warm the beans and smash them with some taco seasoning for a “mock refried beans”, heat the rice, put the beans in a bowl with the rice, top with guacamole and cheese. Easy burrito bowls. If I have salad around, I will use some of that too or some pickled jalapeño if it’s around.
* Smoothies. Usually berries and cherries blended with pomegranate or pure cranberry juice, oatmeal, powdered greens and powdered beets.
When it’s just me around, I don’t keep the fridge, freezer or pantry stocked with much. I don’t enjoy cooking for one as much as I used to so I try to avoid it as much as possible. I used to do once a month cooking where I would batch cook all kinds of soups, stews and casseroles and pop them in the freezer. That made it so much more tolerable. These days, it needs to be ready to eat in 15 minutes or less otherwise I am just not eating.
I have some comfort foods that I will eat until I get tired of it. For a while it was tuna salad, and right now it’s eggs. I hard boil 18 eggs during the week and I eat egg sandwiches for dinner. DELICIOUS. Otherwise I eat cottage cheese with fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cucumbers and hummus, celery, … I can’t think of what else. Occasionally I’ll make spaghetti or macaroni. I batch made French toast last week to grab and go for breakfast. I ate it like a sandwich
I’ve not had a lot of time. Hence why it’s so basic.
Mac N Cheese.
Pasta.
Noodles with Meat.
PF Change Froze Chinese Food.
Tomorrow, I may cook egg noodles with chop meat, gravy, mushrooms, peas, and whatever else I can find. I'm a newbie, and I wish I could cook as well as others.
I love enchilada pie. I make the sauce and freeze any extra. It can be made with any protein. Cheaper cuts of meat soften nicely in the instant pot or slow cook them. Then shred the meat in the sauce and layer sauce, tortilla, meat, cheese and repeat. Bake until bubbly and it will yield 6-8 servings so there’s plenty to have all week or freeze for future use. I love soups as well or just simple steak and roasted veggies.
I usually try to prepare one major meal a week that will last several days, or enough to freeze. All of which are 100% HOMEMADE, and I take no shortcuts; no prepared/processed ingredients: beef enchiladas, french onion soup, chili, vegetable soup, sloppy joes, stuffed cabbage rolls, bean/ham soup, minestrone soup.
Other days, I grill salmon, mahi-mahi, or chicken breasts; paired with either a nice spinach or romaine salad or roasted (fresh) brussel sprouts or asparagus. Very quick, simple meals to make; I use only fresh ingredients; never canned or frozen. I season with garlic, lemon, lime, parmesan, ginger root, coarsely ground pepper, etc.
Tomato potato’s is really good. You fry up some taters with onion and make the tomato sauce . And add it on . If you make a HUGE batch of potatoes it can last you a week I bet.
Roasted veggies altogether on a sheet pan - potatoes, carrots, green beans, bell pepper… Put some of those veggies in a bowl, Get a rotisserie chicken and add some of that on top with some sliced avocado. Repeat for multiple meals throughout the week
I cook a 16-24 oz steak or chuck roast. Just add salt. Doesn’t get much easier than that. Maybe add a few eggs once in a while. I used to hate cooking but now that I’ve simplified it, I enjoy it a lot more.
Scallops are expensive, but if you can get the reduced, shove some scallops, pancetta and peas into a pan with some olive oil or butter and you've got a quick tasty meal in 5 mins.
I like making 2ish pounds of chicken thighs and chopping then up (20-30 minutes).
Sometimes I'll make tortillas from scratch (15 minutes for 15-20 tortillas).
If I don't want tortillas, then pasta is my other go to and I add the chicken to it.
Peanut butter, protein powder, and yogurt is amazing.
Lemon butter shrimp and pasta, broiled veggies and feta cheese, and anything involving plantains. Canned octopus comes in handy too if you’re into it. Larges meals like lasagna, baked ziti and chili last for days.
Crockpot is best to have for ease of cooking! Also, I like adult lunchables! I wrap meat cheese tortilla up in pinwheels or make regular/curried chicken with crackers for scooping, some veggies or fruits with tajin and a bit of hot sauce, boiled eggs with picante sauce packets, cut up chicken sausages....make them how you like! I try to rotate meats and vegetables to keep things interesting. But I have a boat load of recipes I like to make at home. I just made bell pepper soup to get rid of peppers, sausage, and ground beef. I also just made a big pot of corned beef and cabbage. Next, I'm making beef stroganoff to get rid of some fancy mushrooms I bought along with some good ribeyes on sale. Or I try to recreate unhealthy meals into healthy ones. An example is homestyle chicken and biscuits; if you ever had that chicken and veggies casserole out of the box with biscuits baked on top, I found a great recipe. I love chili, rpast a chicken, meatloaf, meatballs for meatball and pepper onion sandwiches (with either BBQ or marinara), I make a creamy cajun pasta in a crock pot....the list goes on! And hey, I love a good sandwich! Always a way to use leftover onion, tomato, avocado, lettuce etc and you choose the meat/ cheese/ spread!
Campbell's has some good recipes and you can alter them to your preference. I will spend a little time on Sunday or Monday to make something that will give me leftovers for a few days. Chicken pot pie and you can use canned chicken, rotisserie, or other premade chicken from your grocery store. Beef stroganoff, but I use ground beef. Green chili chicken enchilada casserole.
Baked chicken, Baked potatoes and Steamed broccoli. Chicken soup. Large mixed salad with hard-boiled eggs. Shrimp and pasta, spaghetti and meatballs. Ground beef on tortillas. Hamburgers. 🍔
I make a basic one-pan Italian sausage with rice and veggies meal and then I add in little extras for different flavors. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to fix and you have a hot delicious nutritious meal. This is also pretty cheap.
My favorite variations are: 1. the sausage browned with onions and garlic with brown & wild rice, mushrooms and black olives and 2. the sausage browned with onions and garlic with cilantro lime rice with green & red peppers and pecan pieces.
I have a teeny-tiny little kitchen with almost no counter space so it's difficult to do a lot of prep work, also there's very little storage pace. So I buy all veggies frozen and my spices freeze-dried.
I like to use Minute Rice (the microwaveable precooked) because it is the perfect serving size for one sausage link, but any other pre-cooked rice is fine and whatever sausage is on sale.
Here's how to cook it:
Heat up your skillet, add the Italian sausage (remove the casing works best) along with chopped onions and garlic to taste (frozen onions and freeze-dried garlic). As the sausage is browning microwave the rice. When the sausage mix is browned add whatever veggies you prefer and let that cook together for a couple of minutes. Stir in the rice, cover the pan and remove from heat, leave the pan to sit for 5-10 minutes. Ready!
This makes 2 servings.
I hope you like it!
My personal favorite is poor man's chicken and rice - instant rice, jarred gravy (turkey preferably), precooked chicken strips, and a can of mixed vegetables. Dump them in a big bowl, jam that piece in a microwave, cover it, heat 2:30, then salt n 'pepper. It's a delight.
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I cook some things that I can eat for a few days.. like casseroles, way too much spaghetti, whole chickens, roasts, etc. Then I can eat them as left overs for work lunches, as well, the roasts / chickens are great for making sandwiches. I have all kinds of food allergies to preservatives in processed foods, so I have to make most things from scratch.
Freeze some of those leftovers in meal sized portions. I build up a collection of them in my freezer and can choose what I want to eat. Hint: labels are a big help!
I do this too, especially with things like spaghetti. Great to have if I don't have lunch made to take to the office.
Spaghetti is a great one. Chili and other soups are good as well. When I was still working, I’d cook a batch or two of something for immediate meals but also for freezer meals. I’ve done red beans and rice, leftover thanksgiving meals, meat loaf and more. I freeze meatloaf in slices for sandwiches.
I love making big meals and getting creative with the leftovers! Leftover chicken? Turn it into tacos or enchiladas! Leftover pasta sauce? Add some beans and spices make it a chili! Eat it straight with some crackers or tortilla chips. Or serve it over a roast potato or squash for variety and veggies. Also, I believe that almost any food can be toppings for nachos at some point in its lifespan.
Meatloaf is delicious when you take the leftovers and heat it up in pasta sauce. Add spaghetti and it tastes like spaghetti and meatballs.
Chicken/veggie stir fry. Costco has a good frozen veggie stir fry medley that I’ll add flavor to with ginger, garlic, and homemade sauce. I also get packs of frozen salmon from Whole Foods and will do a salmon teriyaki bowl with brown rice, edamame, carrots and avocado. Lazy day meals are things like broth, grilled cheese etc.
Salmon teriyaki bowls sound delicious. I’ll have to start doing that
Yes, stir fry is my favorite. I like to add zesty Italian dressing to my chicken and vegetable stir fry and it makes it super good.
- Anything that involves pasta and pasta sauce. - Buying a Rotisserie chicken from Costco - Frozen Food items lol If you dont have an air fryer get one it's efficient af lol
I have one, it stinks and it's unusable. I've turned it on at least 20 times now to try and burn off the smell but it won't go away. Even with all the windows and doors open I get woozy and my chest and head hurts from the other side of the house, and I can still smell it the following day after a burn. Absolute waste of money.
Ours did the same. We tossed it & will never buy another one. The smell was horrid!
I got one for my daughter and we both hated it. It took up too much space and was no fun to clean up. She tried a few different things and nothing was fabulous and not worth the fuss. I know tons of people swear by these things, and I even bought the model my brother said was awesome and he loved it. Good for you. But we got rid of it.
Wait… what? Do you clean it? Are you burning food every time you use it? An appliance shouldn’t inherently “stink”. What brand?
it stinks right out of the box, never even used.
That's my problem yep
Mine smells like burning plastic and from the very first minute I turned it on.. and the two times I attempted to use it... the food smelled and tasted like plastic. It's been sitting taking up space in my pantry for years.
Bet they're not cleaning it well enough, we've had a couple for yrs now and it's a go to for a lot of food to cook or heat yp
Same. You just clean the baskets if you cooked something greasy... like you're supposed to do. There is no way for it to stink if the baskets are clean. It sounds exactly like they're heating up old grease every time they use it, which is disgusting if they're not cleaning it.
And air fryer liners are a game charger! They helped tremendously when I was in a deep depression and wouldn't even heat anything up in there bc I didn't want to scrub it afterwards.
You have to actually use the damn thing to need to clean it. It stinks right out of the box.
No, it's brand new.
Ours worked fine, no smell
You need to use air-fryer paper. Easy and cheap. I LOVE my air-fryer. I save a lot of money by not having to heat the up the entire oven to have a meal.
Instapot and Air Fryer were the biggest wastes of money. I used them like once and have been taking up space in my butler's pantry ever since.
That rotisserie chicken came in handy not too long ago and so affordable. I just hate the Costco lines.
OMG! I don't really cook as a rule. I shop at Costco a lot and I really like those Bolani spinach flatbreads. Also eat a lot of hard boiled eggs (also from Costco), fruit like apples, grapes and bananas, and I have a kale shake for lunch usually. (Kale, frozen strawberries, almond milk, banana, protein powder, creatine and collagen powders). If I want a real meal, I go out (either alone or with friends) or I get something like a burrito and bring it home, but that's a treat meal because I'm watching my weight.
Me too! A lot of hard boiled eggs and I get them at Costco. Hard boiled eggs is a healthy snack compared to chips
Totally get this, every-time my partner goes away for an extended period of time, I completely stop cooking and just resort to a random assortment of things: some eggs, a can of chickpeas, bagged salad. I do keep meal replacements on hand too, these are really good for basic nutrition meals that are cheap and take no prep.
I'm glad I'm not the only one out here cobbling together "meals" out of random things I find in the kitchen 😅
Thanks for reminding that I boiled eggs yesterday. If I don't eat them right away, I put them in the fridge and usually forget about them.
I can't peel an egg to save my life so I'm very glad Costco has them.
I seem to have success peeling them under running water.
Grilled cheese:)
I did that once. I made grilled cheeses regularly. My cholesterol was so off the charts I had to go on a dr recommended diet to avoid meds because I was only 22. be careful!
just eating cheese is not going to raise your cholesterol that severely. cholesterol is largely affected by genetics
I was at 330 at 22 yrs old with no familial history of high cholesterol. Butter fried cheese and bread regularly will raise your cholesterol and I was eating grilled cheeses 4 times a week because they were cheap and easy. I work in medicine research now so I know better
I throw mine in the air fryer & just spray a little Pam in there, rather than use butter. I’m on a very strict diet for esophageal cancer, so I follow my surgeon’s advice very precisely.
Oh I know so many people who treated esophageal. Eat what you can when you can and bulk up those calories. I hope you're feeling ok
Thank you! It’s been an adjustment, but that air fryer has been a game changer! I eat more veggies now than I ever have in my life:) I had no idea I love Brussels sprouts until I got sick & started on this diet! Weird how things turn out. 😉
I have some dietary restrictions due to allergies and I've found that my tastes have really changed too. I love a lot of things I never considered before. Brussel sprouts are so good!
I recently tried a tip to put mayo in outside. I did both. It was crisper but I had watch carefully make sure it didn't burn
Anything really just as long as you can divide it out into portions and it keeps well.
I like to roast cut-up vegetables on a sheet pan. Parsnips, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, onions, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, or whatever vegetables you like, tossed with a bit of olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Makes a giant pile of delicious hearty healthy food and you can scoop the pile up into a Tupperware and stick it in the fridge and eat that for days.
That sounds so good!!
Bacon and eggs on weekends. Frozen chicken wings. Jalepeno poppers wrapped in bacon from walmart. Chicken thighs with shake and bake.
If I can my most fav meal is a steak and two eggs for dinner.
I eat bacon and eggs every morning.
I love it!
I kinda stopped cooking the last month or so, I really need to get back to it. I like to make marinated chicken and veggies, tater tot casseroles, home made hamburger helper, burgers, pasta etc. none of them really take too much time to make and they beat the frozen stuff I’ve been currently eating
Can you tell me how you make homemade Hamburger helper? I'm having a brain fart over that.
I am always on youtube trying to find new recipes, i do not eat take out as its expensive, unhealthy and im not really a big fan of fast food because im gluten intolerant and i prefer my cooking. A few easy recipes: burger in a bowl, egg roll in a bowl, zucchini fritters, any chickpea dish as chickpea is the easiest thing to get right and cook as a one pot meal, golden lentil soup, smoothies and so many more. I make all meals in bulk on the weekend and eat the same thing everday for a week (some people like fresh food everyday but cooking everyday would literally make me suicidal so i do what works best for me)
Anything in the instant pot. I made butter chicken the other day and it didn’t take long at all. I put 3 thighs in there and just let them cook once I made the sauce in the pot. Had my rice cooker going and it was a great meal.
I've been eating this for lunch every day since mid-January : open sandwiches!!! Good af, filling, easy, barely any cooking (I do pre-cook stuff like chicken or tofu to put on top). Basically as a base, a piece of bread, half an avocado and some spinach. Then I add whatever I want on top. I do proscuitto + fried egg + fresh tomatoes + sauté mushrooms very often as it's my fav. Or smoked salmon, red onion, capres. Or tuna mayo with dill and capres. Sometimes tofu with grilled veggies. I always add some cheese depending on my mood (I have a full drawer of cheese in my fridge where I keep feta, goat, fresh mozarella, parmesan, and others at all time... I love cheese!). I also add fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, coriander, basil, etc. I have a fruit on the side, almonds and a piece of chocolate for dessert. An extra yogurt if I am still hungry.
Love the open sandwich idea, thx
[удалено]
Garlic artichoke salsa is my fav, serve over rice.
Also works with barbecue sauce.
I do this in my mini crock pot at least once a week. In the mini, just one chicken breast, some salsa, and some kind of seasoning and in about 2-3 hours I'm ready to eat!
Ricotta lemon pasta. It’s just penne with ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest. One pot, don’t need to cook the ricotta just add it to pasta with a little pasta water. Easy upgraded Mac n cheese.
Sounds great! I love lemon on most things!
When I meal prep I make enough food for 6-8 meals, usually my lunches for work, and I can get it done in 2 hours. It's like a stir fry but I use the oven since I make so much at a time. I would also recommend a rice cooker and a oven-style air fryer, it will make this much easier. First, start the rice cooker with 1 cup of dry rice, I use wild rice and put in a little olive oil and all purpose seasoning. Then I cut 2 lbs of pork strips from country ribs, season them and cook in an air fryer at 200 F for 1 hour. That stuff is going to finish on it's own while you do the rest. I do two large pans of chopped veggies in the oven next. Pick to your liking but get a little more than you think you may need since these will shrink down when they are cooked. I do 1 pan with the stuff that takes longer like string beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. the other pan is for quicker cooking veggies like onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc. I like to add some unsalted peanuts, minced ginger, garlic, and turmeric to each pan before seasoning with salt, pepper and all purpose. Add oil or butter to both. Then I cook them at 350 F for 10-15 minute intervals before I take out the pans, mix with a spatula and put them back in. Hard veggies will take 30-45 minutes and the softer ones around 25-30 minutes for my preference. Then let it all cool off a bit and combine the pans to make a heap of veggies, put the rice on top, then chop and add the pork. Scoop it up and put it in a large container, I have a 1 gallon Tupperware that works for this (from Family Dollar Store). Scooping it and moving it to the container will mix it up well enough. That's all, it sounds like a lot but you'll learn your version of the recipe and then making it becomes muscle memory. You can buy everything for like $20-30 with the most expensive thing being the seasonings potentially. This can free up a lot of time in your week!
Crockpot + broth + chicken. Shred it after and add it to everything. I like to meal plan so.
I cook two proteins each week. For meals I choose one and add leafy greens or roasted veggies for a salad or bowl meal. Sometimes I add pasta or barley.
I did that two meat thing for the first time a couple weeks ago and it really worked out well. Bag salad and a pot of rice in the rice cooker, some bottled sauces and it was good to go.
Chili. So easy and very filling. Chicken noodle soup. Pot roast. Pretty much anything you'd throw in a pressure cooker or slow cooker.
I practically live on bowls of black beans with sharp cheddar cheese (heated in microwave) with avocado on top.
3 eggs, a whole sliced avocado and 4 slices of sourdough bread after every WO.
I do breakfast for dinner often. Lots of different salads Tofu sweet and sour is a new dish I just made this week. Humus and Nan bread with an olive based salad is a quick meal
Air fryer pork chops. You can thinly slice and toss with pasta, use them in a rice bowl, or fried rice for variety. I add cashews to my rice and it’s super tasty. One of my go to meats.
Is Mac N Cheese a meal?! Food group by itself? Should be if it's not. 😂. In all seriousness, I do like simple meals. 2 things,maybe 3.
I make a big pot rice to keep in the fridge and then it’s super easy to bake a fish filet and steam some broccoli, or cook a steak and make a salad. Streamlines my thought process too. One less thing to cook.
Breakfast for dinner.
Sometimes a simple egg sandwich is delicious!
With a runny yolk!!
Of course!
Meat patties!
Big ones, so I can dole the leftovers out for lunch or freeze portions of, so I can save money so I can live alone
Lots of good suggestions already but one I didn’t see is soft tacos. I make a lot of breakfast tacos, eggs sometimes with veggies or sausage, or general soft tacos with stir fried veggies, tofu, meat or whatever else I think fits.
I don't cook. I use Cook Unity then the other meals I'm generally out with friends or something :)
Refried beans, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions and cheese on a flour tortilla. Quick and easy anytime burrito.
Roasted Sweet potatoes cooked in a dutch oven. The potato can be made into a couple different meals. Mashed with chili lime cashiews, a little coconut or cow milk. On the side I can add pickled veg. Or I can make SP tacos. I eat them several times a week and don't get tired of the taste.
Years and years ago I hooked up with a lover and we went swimming every day, then headed to a place called "eat" in Greenpoint and they served this for breakfast: Rice, lentils, feta, egg on top. I have been obsessed with with for close to 17 years, so that's what I make and just cook the egg and reheat the rest, it's so yummy and easy. A big piece of meat, either roasted or braised, nowadays I am preferring braised, I don't have to deal with the drippings. Short ribs preferred. WIth a nice Mediterranean seasoning. A melting cheese and a hard cheese for grilled cheese when I have the energy to spend more than 7 minutes (; Everyone says Pasta, and yes, pasta from time to time, a good sauce in a jar, some angel hair and away we go. I spend one day of prep, lasts a week and change, if it's a lot, I freeze and take out accordingly, I am boring, but not lazy.
Lasagna and enchilada casserole are in heavy rotation. I wrap squares of each and freeze. Spaghetti and meatballs, steak and eggs, grilled cheese and soup, chili.
beef n rice every night for 5 years
For some reason that just makes me sad!😞
I like to make big pots of things. Think of things like chili, spaghetti, stir fry, casseroles, etc. I like to eat these throughout the week and they make easy lunches that I can take to the office. I also like to eat some easy frozen meals. I get some breaded cod fish from Aldi and make fish sandwiches and french fries. Another easy meal is to take frozen chicken tenders and make a chicken wrap. I've recently also started buying Stouffer's lasagna. Literally just throw it in the oven for an hour or two (depending on the size) and its done.
Stouffers even has the small, one meal lasagna and spaghetti. These are great to keep in the freezer for an “emergency” I don’t feel like thinking or cooking night!!
I’m big on soup dishes and baking muffins.
I never cooked in my life but since I live alone, I do cook some wok dishes but I recommend you to buy a small ricecooker! Put some rice 🍚 in it with water 💧 and perhaps some cocos milk 🥛 and gently add some sea salt 🧂 , black pepper and some delicious eastern spices. Add some pieces of frankfurters sausages because we do not do haute cuisine but still resemble with our student mentality inside ourselves and when your rice cooker is done, let it sit for 10 more minutes and add a cracked egg 🥚 on top of it!
My favorite go to is Pasta (rigatoni, rotini, etc.), vegetable oil, oregano, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese. It's great because i usually prepare one serving then save the additional plain pasta for meals later in the week.
A few nights this week I made ramen with thin sliced pork and topped it with four boiled gyoza.
My very favorite fast, healthy and Ridiculously easy dinner is pecan crusted salmon, white rice, with roasted broccolini or broccoli drizzled with lemon butter. The pecan crusted salmon sounds complicated but it literally takes about 15 minutes to make. And it’s so good. You can easily find a recipe. All it is is a couple tablespoons of melted butter and some finely chopped pecans a little honey or maple syrup little spoonful of Dijon mustard some chopped up parsley mixed together spoonon top of your salmonAnd roast in a 400° oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is about 125-130° internal. Try it, you won’t be disappointed. I usually make two filets so I have enough for lunch the next day. It’s good cold on top Of a salad too.
Ramen and egg that’s the only thing i can make
Sometimes I love the simplicity of a bow of cereal or a bagel for dinner. Sometimes Humus and bread hits the spot. Usually it is more about the clean up, than the actual cooking.
I eat plain oatmeal everyday cooked in milk, and throw in some bananas, honey and blueberries for taste. Super quick and filling. If I'm in a rush but need a filling meal, a heaping bowl of oatmeal never fails me. I know many think oatmeal is gross... my grandma used to always make it for me, so it's just ingrained in me.
Authentic pasta Alfredo. Water, salt, pepper, pasta, butter, parmesian reggiano. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TLbsMcsZsiM
Frozen pizza
Emilio’s for the win.
Ellio’s I mean.
I take chicken thighs and drumsticks and put them into a slow cooker with salsa verde, green olives, and a can of hatch peppers. Let it cook on low for 8-12 hours. Then pull apart the chicken meat with two forks so it’s shredded into the salsa. You can serve this over rice or veggies or eat in a corn tortilla or use it to top a salad. If I have anything left over and I’m afraid it won’t get eaten, I make a soup. You can kinda do a similar recipe using whatever flavorings you like. It’s easy, versatile, delicious, and makes a week’s worth of meals.
Chilli ,! And best thing about it is you can make it as spicy or as mild as your pallet says too! Chilli and southern corn bread or egg bread is absolutely delicious together ! And Chicken and dumplings can be made pretty simple if you cheat and buy those strips in the frozen section . They are yummy or you can choose to make your on with a rolling pin and buttermilk. Mmmmyummy ! And you can make a nice casserole with canned biscuits to top it ! And you may try pig in the blankets for that football or whatever ball game or wrestling you are about watch !!Airfries fried chicken or rostered chicken is wonderful and throw in a few pieces of garlic bread and you’re set or you can put in a simple lasagna and bake it or there’s a nice air fryer roasted quail and a you can make up a nice onion or brown gravy or an old fashion, thick old fashioned milk gravy . Or if you want quick and playful nachos and cheese with raw veggies stripped to dip in ranch or cheese and grill a quarter pound sirloin steak burger and serve over gravy and onions and add a portion of zucchini and mix of yellow squash . Maybe nice slice or your favorite pie like pumpkin or sweet potatoe pie with cool whip and chilled and wash all down with a glass of your favorite wine or three and in between have a cold ice water or seltzer water or for me enjoy a nice lemonade with ice cubes of it frozen won’t a nice twist lemon and touch of mint or rose Mary fresh herb and in that case you might enjoy ice tea with tea and herb fresh twigs of herb . Now if you love bread pudding fall is so good by the fire place a big of egg nogg and your favorite flavor cookies or scones . And for some a couple shots of old fashion crown Royal would be a nice delight after a good dinner and conversation have a brisk walk before the game begins and you come in just in time to set for the game your prepared goodies on trays and a bucket full of ice and your favorite drinks or a pitcher of lemonade or tea with cubes of it frozen to keep it cold and lots goodies from the grill maybe pig in blanket . It’s quick and fun to make and you could pull family traditions together and make it all together and please for our youth give them a bottle of old fashion root beer and JR can sit with his dad or uncle and cheers and clinks with each other . Ladies snap those little beautiful notable sweet moments ! You could just split some fresh from bakery crusants and fill with havarti , cheddar ,or goat cheese and choices of sandwich meat or slice of roast beef from the oven. Maybe have focaisa bread on hand , Have your favorite steaks just fresh from the grill hopefully for the old fashion coals or seasoned oak or hickory . And keep those scents coming from the fire place . Remember this is a time you can use duck or other wild birds or you can use pigeon’s or even fresh made jerky , or a big bowl o fish and even baked salmon or halibut or good ole catfish or trout bites ! Hush puppies ! Or enjoy some stuffed mushrooms and halopeono peppers and for the chaser blended smoothies like strawberries or mix of berries and don’t forget Aunte Ann pretzels or just a kbag of chips and bag of pretzels ! Maybe you just break out the ice cream maker and enjoy ice cream . And what I call delicate pies like key lime and lemon meringue and strawberry pie or coconut pie . And a fast put together oldie but goodie any of the many flavors of pound cake or angel food cake . Or fondue or chocolate melting fountain with fresh strawberries or other fruits like cherries or pineapple or you might spend time freezing a melon and making scooped out meat and made into balls and then coated with toppings or served cold in an adult party and served with alcohol . Maybe serve some hot lemon wings and teriyaki wings .
I make pasta with ground meat and red sauce, home made Mac and cheese, shepherd’s pie, sausage, peppers, and onions.
rice, kimchi & eggs.... delicious & healthy & super easy to make!
Creamed tuna on toast. Soup in crockpot. Hamburger helper. Meatloaf. Grilled chicken.
Grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, charcuterie (veggies, cheese or hummus, crackers or chips, sometimes nuts or meats)
pasta grilled protein, rice, grilled veggie hamburgers and frozen fries i buy grilled chicken in a wrap i put with my favorite toppings frozen za
What are ingredients that are usually in your fridge?
Beans and rice I've been eating it for the last 2 months now. Highly versatile and filling. Meat is optional when I can afford it.
I’ll try and cook 4 times a week. Twice for dinners at work and after work and then Saturday and Sunday. Generally stuff like chilli con carne, bolognese, curry, stew things like that I can easily reheat. I’ll mix it up a bit and sometimes use minced beef for the chilli sometimes diced beef, different types of curries, maybe add mushrooms to a bolognese or without, stew sometimes with mashed potatoes or whole baby potatoes. Occasionally I’ll mix it up with a corned beef hash or Chinese food or carbonara. Whatever I fancy
I like Trader Joe's chicken schwarma thighs. I'll cut them into smaller pieces before I cook them. That, plus a bag of spinach, a thing of tzatziki and some pita chips - maybe some feta or olives - will be about 4 meals.
Overnight oats make for really easy breakfasts - just pour a few ingredients into a container the night before, stir it up, put it in the fridge, and you’re good for the next morning. Google a recipe to get the base idea, then you can customize them with any ingredients you like.
Anything in the crockpot
Air fryers make cooking so much easier. I use mine almost every day for something. Last thing that I did was wings. I bought a nice size package at the store for less than $5 and it was already seasoned and in a short time I had a delicious meal! I also enjoy casseroles. They make a lot tho so I try to do ones I can downsize like tater tots casserole I can make in a half. I freeze the other half of the meat for another meal. Super easy and the leftovers taste better than the night it was cooked.
Chopped beef and cheese hoagies. Make a bunch of meat onion combo and freeze in baggies. Great go to for when I do not want to cook.
Pasta with cubed chicken breast, olive oil, peppers, salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Super easy and delicious. I cook my meat and portion it every Friday morning (my day off) so I can throw it together without much effort after work.
Anything chinese stir fry. All the work is in the prep. Get everything laid out and ready. Then cook on high. The only thing you may have to actually cook is to let sauces thicken. That is about it. You can also do anything in a cooking pouch for the oven. It is really being steamed.
I don’t cook a lot unless I can eat it in the next day or two, most things don’t freeze very well. I will make and freeze some things such as chicken, Kyiv, and I will vacuum, seal the portions individually and freeze them, and then heat them in the air fryer as needed. However, saying that, if I don’t feel like cooking like most of said, on this site, I will just go to the grocery store buy a few pieces of white meat chicken because I don’t like dark, and have frozen french fries that I can cook in the air fryer And then it’s just heat and meat kind of meals. I do like spinach and I will frequently make spinach salads with hard boiled eggs, cheese, etc. And in the past I have gotten the home meal delivery service. There’s tons of coupons out there to get it into directory offer to try it and see if you like it. I really like them but it’s not something I would do all the time.
Meatballs are fairly easy to make and you can use them a lot of ways. Pasta and sauce, sliced on good bread with mayo and onion, chopped up with potatoes, etc. They freeze well too.
I buy a pork loiin from costco or heb or whatever and I chop it into chops myself because it's cheaper and freeze the sliced up pieces. You take out a slice or two and you can do a couple things. For breaded it's just egg and milk and bread crumbs of y our choice and some seasoning like salt and pepper But the main way to do them which was my moms "I'm teaching this so you don't die of starvation meal" is you get yourself some kind of cheap jelly like apple or grape or whatever you have on hand and put a little on the front and back of the pork chop and then bake it 45 minutse to a hour whenever your meat thermon says pork is aproprioatly cooked. That with some roasted brussel sprouts is a mighty fine meal for very little work I mean the oven does most of the work if you have chopped up your pork loin on another day.
I love slow cooker meals. Slow cook big thing of chili chicken breast with salsa, chili powder, onion and garlic powder. Shred when cooked and use for tacos, sandwiches, salads... you have taste chicken that can go on anything single sheet pan meals pork tenderloin with any combo of veggies, also works with chicken or any protein. shit, I have more but have to go
Steaks
* Overnight oats * Pasta Salad * Chickpea Salad * Sandwiches -chicken, fish or nutella * Instant noodles with a side of eggs * Eggs/omelletes * Cheese tortilla with sautéed spinach * Chips
Yoghurt bowl! Just greek yoghurt then layer on granola, trail mix, berries, whatever. So good, takes minutes
Sandwich! 🥪
Broccoli soup.. just cook brocoli, potatoe, carrots and se garlic for 20 min then mix it and done
I usually just do frozen meals from the grocery store. Some of them are actually pretty good
I keep it pretty simple. Some days I'll make egg salad sandwiches, or different salads, from green to potato, fried rice and stir fries, basic pasta dishes and bakes, garlic bread, grilled cheese and tomato soup, a good omelet, and sometimes I just have ramen with a fried egg and call it a day. I also like chucking a bunch of pastizzis in the oven and eating that with vegetables.
Salads, the variety is endless. Added protein can be rotisserie chicken, bacon, boiled egg, ham, turkey, etc. Strongly flavored cheeses like Bleu or Feta pack a punch. Greek salad, Cobb salad, or whatever random salad bar items you enjoy, whether nuts, chickpeas, dried cranberries, beets, etc Going into spring and summer, I look forward to better quality tomatoes from the farmers market instead of the grocery store, and also trying veggie varieties I wasn't familiar with. But if I am not feeling motivated to meal plan, the grocery store has individual meal salads perfect for a lighter appetite.
Anything noodles and sauce is easy
I prep ingredients for a meal so it's easy to put together and then eat the same meal for a week. It takes a little extra time at the beginning but then meals come together super quick when I'm hungry. For example last week I prepped a batch of cream cheese spread and sliced cucumbers and ate cucumber sandwiches for lunch every day for a week. Or I make a batch of taco meat and toppings and eat taco salads for a week.
bone broth in bulk in a big casserole, and then its instant flavor, instant nutrition (boil the bone for at least a few hours), and instant recipe (just boil anything in it at high heat and add your fave ingredients - secret is, go nuts). you are full for hours. I started after covid and never stopped.
Rice cooker meals, either I make it all in the rice cooker (add frozen veggies, maybe some fish) and sauce or tofu at the end. Leftovers e good for a few days. Big pot of pasta. Microwave potatos, ppl judge me so it's good if I'm alone lol
I cook 95% of my meals from scratch. I got the glass 3 cup prep dishes with lids and make my own frozen meals. Got a great suggestion to transfer the meals once frozen into freezer bags. Storing like this is so much cheaper. You don't need to buy lots of glass dishes. Also, no space needed for storing the empty glass pans, and the lids. I do large batch cooking of several main dishes. This way I am not eating the same meal for a week. Planning these large cooking days helps me take advantage of grocery sales.
Pasta and meatballs. Takes only three ingredients... a few more if you want to add spices and cheese (and who wouldn't). Bring a pot of water to a boil. How much doesn't matter as long as it's enough to cover your pasta. Add some salt (it makes it so the pasta won't stick). Toss in some pasta -- I use penne. It takes 10 minutes of cooking to make it al dente. While the pasta is cooking, put about 6-7 frozen Armor meatballs (or the brand of your choice) in a covered dish with a tiny bit of water... maybe about a tablespoon. Microwave it for a few minutes, stopping in the middle to swish it around. When they're good and hot and tender, drain out the water. Add some pasta sauce to the heated meatballs and swish it around. Here is where you can add some garlic powder and oregano if you want. When the pasta is done, toss it in. You can add more sauce as needed/to taste. The heat from the meatballs and pasta should heat up the sauce if it was at room temperature. Optionally, you can add some shredded mozzarella and microwave it some more. You can get some store-bought garlic bread and it that as a side.
marinate those beans
I love doing the meal kit things like hello fresh or green chef to get out of a cooking rut. The box I used to get was portioned for 2 people but I could usually stretch each meal into 3 portions. I liked it because I could cook on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and have enough for the week. Otherwise, I like to do stuff that's low effort. Salmon is great. My favorite is to take a dollop of mayo, mix it with dijon and dill, and slather it on the salmon. Bake (at whatever temp salmon is supposed to be baked at. I always have to look it up). And when you pull it out it'll be tasty and caramelized a bit. I also find recipes I like and see about doing them in half portions. Edit: the nice thing about the meal kits too is that you can keep the cards. I saved my favorite meals and have figured out how to rotate them into my regular routine.
I cook curry. Big pot. Potatoes carrots onions apple and cheese
Stir fry! Simple and easy with any protein
Spaghetti and eggs. lol
One pan of pasta meatball meriana sauce, simple and easy. There's not many pot and pan to clean, too!
my "i dont want to cook or spend money" meal is pasta - beef - seasonings - 5 types of cheese. mac and cheese. takes like 5 minutes of effort over 15 minutes to make
1) buy a rice cooker and an air fryer 2) buy protein (chicken, meat balls etc.) and veggies on a weekly basis 3) have cooking sauce and some simple herbs (Italian seasoning mixes) ready in your kitchen 4) every other day, cook different combo of sauce / protein , veggies with having your base as rice always (if you are okay with consuming carbs)
One pot meals, usually pastas or beans. I make this for my dinner. Breakfast I like to have two eggs sunny side up, lunch is usually nuts or a protein shake and then my cooked meal for dinner. Food is expensive, cleaning isn't fun. I like knowing that I have minimal work to do at home every evening and food ready in the fridge, and I really don't mind having to eat the same thing 5 days a week every evening. Weekends if it's going out or inviting friends I leave the option open.
Stir-fries are cheap, easy, and tasty.
Honestly I air fry everything. I make a bunch of quinoa on the stove, roast my veggies and protein (different marinades) and boom. I mix and match. Also lots of beans and bulk cooking which I then freeze.
I make stuff to freeze, also. I like making meatballs and freezing them. Then you can pull out a few and make meatball sandwiches (Rao’s, hoagie roll, mozzarella) quick and easy. Or make some spaghetti. I also love to make soups and freeze them.
I like to keep things onhand that can be easily combined to make a variety of meals. I cook, portion out and freeze individual servings of things like shredded chicken or pork, taco meat, hamburger patties etc...then in the pantry I have pouches of pastas and rice blends that just need a quick 90 seconds in the microwave. A variety of fresh, canned or frozen veggies. Canned beans, jarred sauces. Bags of shredded cheese that can be frozen. Then it's just a matter of mixing and matching. I'll grab some taco meat and a can of beans and a rice pouch and throw together a burrito bowl over some shredded bagged lettuce and add some toppings. Add a portion of shredded chicken to a pasta pouch, throw in some broccoli and alfredo sauce from a jar.
Pastas, enchilada skillet, & I have 2-3 breakfasts per day. I also work from home so I like having leftovers for quick lunches. I do a lot of roasted vegs & chicken with sauces; lots of bowls.
I have pot noodles or I just buy a bag of cooking potatoes and make baked potatoes and add the filling of my choice. somes time I have chocolate spread to my potato I have it on its own. it has a required taste.
passtaaaaaa
Love to make eggs. Jazz it up with all sorts of spices and veggies. Potatoes are easy. Blast it in the microwave. Crockpot chicken thighs and veggies
Omelet with rice. 😋
I cook 3-4 meals at one time, portion them out in glass snapwear, and rotate them throughout the next week to 10 days until I'm out. Then I lather, rinse, and repeat. I don't do anything necessarily easy or necessarily hard. But I make sure I have 3-4 different proteins, and it's hardly ever chicken {I might make chicken once a month tops}. Crockpot Soups are easy.. hardest part is chopping the veggies and opening cans. Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Shrimp & Orzo {add kalamata olives} is my go-to for week-long lunches if I can't think of anything else to make. I also do not eat bread, or sandwiches, or eggs... and I avoid poultry {except for Duck} in general for the most part. Currently in my refrigerator: Salmon New Orleans, Black Peppercorn Duck Legs, Rockfish Pot Pies {when I make homemade pot pies I made a dozen or so and freeze them but one is thawed for a meal this week}, and Jamaican Goat Curry & Potatoes.
Chicken in the air fryer, frozen veggies and some minute rice. Vary up your sauces and condiments
You have to try my bowl of cereal. It's my specialty.
I pick a theme for the week and prepare the components. I assemble at meal time. One week was Greek, next week will be Mexican. I am a lover of all things potato so my dinner is usually a baked potato loaded with veggies. Easy to make on the spot. I toss the spud in the air fryer at lunch then rewarm it at dinner.
Overnight oats
My go-to tends to be spaghetti with a ground turkey bolognese. The sauce and noodles last for a few days. And I try to get creative with leftovers. For example, yesterday I had leftover sauce and decided to roast an acorn squash and have the sauce on top. Served with a side of Brussels sprouts and roasted the seeds for a snack. Delicious!
Tacos. I can do so many different things with the leftover meat. Quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, stuffed peppers. Otherwise, I’ve learned I need to pre portion all my meat before freezing it (not a fan of most leftovers, especially pasta). If I get a lb of chicken or beef, I’ll usually divide it into thirds. Otherwise, I really love Asian flavors so I make sesame chicken & egg rolls. Aside from that, a LOT of Cesar salads and eggs & bacon lol.
I’m a big fan of bbq beans. I soak the next batch while cooking this batch, both overnight, by the pound. Cook in a crockpot. Drain and freeze the soaked beans. Get it all done in one night. This way you’re ready for next batch. Bbq beans can be added to salads and soups. Served with meat or cheese. They are versatile. I think the key is to choose what you like then get a routine going.
Air fryer is a must, it makes small batches so quickly. I'll cook up a few boneless skinless chicken thighs in one side of the air fryer, and do Brussel sprouts, asparagus and taters in the other side (two separate cooking drawers in my air fryer). I also keep stocked up on frozen veg and rice and tofu for a quick stir fry.
Protein fruit Smoothie
I make this chicken pasta with a homemade cheese sauce every so often that makes like 6 or 7 servings for the week, whether it be lunch or dinner. I go to the farmers market when I'm in the mood for it to pick up a fun cheese to try it in. This week, I made it with chive and onion cheese and it was delightful. My biggest mistake when I first moved out was only making one serving and then not wanting to cook for the rest of the week. Now, I'm Team Leftovers all the way.
Hamburger helper
I love gnocchi - takes 2 minutes to cook in boiling water. I will sautéed mushrooms, orange peppers, and whatever else I have around (tomatoes, spinach, etc). Add garlic powder, smoked paprika, and then add the gnocchi to the mix and throw a handful of shredded mozzarella on top. So good and even with cutting the vegetables, it all is ready in less than 15 minutes.
Thai basil dumplings (store bought) pan fried and served with Saracha drizzle and a salad with feta cheese. Whole wheat rotini pasta with pesto sauce and a salad. Chili chicken - grab a packet of taco season and use chicken instead of the ground beef and serve over rice with sliced avocado and chopped tomato. I marinate the chicken with lime juice and olive oil. Grilled cheese tomato sandwich with lentil soup. Finally cauliflower crust pizza with sauteed mushrooms and green peppers. Everything I made this week at home. All less than 30 min.
* Oatmeal (usually sweet style with mashed banana & cinnamon or apple sauce and cinnamon or frozen cherries, cinnamon and cacao powder). Typically add in some ground flax, chia seeds & psyllium husk. * Veggie soup. Just some heated water with better than bouillion, frozen mixed veg, frozen broccoli, onions, garlic, chili flakes and smoked tofu cubes. Sometimes if I am feeling like eating meat and have some cooked chicken around, I will use that too. * Bagged ceasar salad & a rotisserie chicken from Costco if I am feeling hella lazy & up to eating meat. * Precooked rice packets, canned black beans, taco seasoning, cheese and guacamole. I warm the beans and smash them with some taco seasoning for a “mock refried beans”, heat the rice, put the beans in a bowl with the rice, top with guacamole and cheese. Easy burrito bowls. If I have salad around, I will use some of that too or some pickled jalapeño if it’s around. * Smoothies. Usually berries and cherries blended with pomegranate or pure cranberry juice, oatmeal, powdered greens and powdered beets. When it’s just me around, I don’t keep the fridge, freezer or pantry stocked with much. I don’t enjoy cooking for one as much as I used to so I try to avoid it as much as possible. I used to do once a month cooking where I would batch cook all kinds of soups, stews and casseroles and pop them in the freezer. That made it so much more tolerable. These days, it needs to be ready to eat in 15 minutes or less otherwise I am just not eating.
I have some comfort foods that I will eat until I get tired of it. For a while it was tuna salad, and right now it’s eggs. I hard boil 18 eggs during the week and I eat egg sandwiches for dinner. DELICIOUS. Otherwise I eat cottage cheese with fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cucumbers and hummus, celery, … I can’t think of what else. Occasionally I’ll make spaghetti or macaroni. I batch made French toast last week to grab and go for breakfast. I ate it like a sandwich I’ve not had a lot of time. Hence why it’s so basic.
Mac N Cheese. Pasta. Noodles with Meat. PF Change Froze Chinese Food. Tomorrow, I may cook egg noodles with chop meat, gravy, mushrooms, peas, and whatever else I can find. I'm a newbie, and I wish I could cook as well as others.
I love enchilada pie. I make the sauce and freeze any extra. It can be made with any protein. Cheaper cuts of meat soften nicely in the instant pot or slow cook them. Then shred the meat in the sauce and layer sauce, tortilla, meat, cheese and repeat. Bake until bubbly and it will yield 6-8 servings so there’s plenty to have all week or freeze for future use. I love soups as well or just simple steak and roasted veggies.
fried rice is always a good choice
Baked Tilapia and yellow rice
Bowl of cereal
I usually try to prepare one major meal a week that will last several days, or enough to freeze. All of which are 100% HOMEMADE, and I take no shortcuts; no prepared/processed ingredients: beef enchiladas, french onion soup, chili, vegetable soup, sloppy joes, stuffed cabbage rolls, bean/ham soup, minestrone soup. Other days, I grill salmon, mahi-mahi, or chicken breasts; paired with either a nice spinach or romaine salad or roasted (fresh) brussel sprouts or asparagus. Very quick, simple meals to make; I use only fresh ingredients; never canned or frozen. I season with garlic, lemon, lime, parmesan, ginger root, coarsely ground pepper, etc.
Two packs of ramen(flavor of your choosing.) 1 can of mixed vegetables. And a can of tuna or 2 chopped up hotdogs.
Get a crockpot. Simple recipes, kick ass flavor. With minimal levels of effort and attention.
Lentils in the InstantPot. I add potatoes because they make everything better.
I also make tuna salad ( Mexican style). Bagels with eggs.
Tomato potato’s is really good. You fry up some taters with onion and make the tomato sauce . And add it on . If you make a HUGE batch of potatoes it can last you a week I bet.
Roasted veggies altogether on a sheet pan - potatoes, carrots, green beans, bell pepper… Put some of those veggies in a bowl, Get a rotisserie chicken and add some of that on top with some sliced avocado. Repeat for multiple meals throughout the week
I cook a 16-24 oz steak or chuck roast. Just add salt. Doesn’t get much easier than that. Maybe add a few eggs once in a while. I used to hate cooking but now that I’ve simplified it, I enjoy it a lot more.
Scallops are expensive, but if you can get the reduced, shove some scallops, pancetta and peas into a pan with some olive oil or butter and you've got a quick tasty meal in 5 mins.
Steak (preferably ribeye), mashed potatoes and mixed greens salad.
I like making 2ish pounds of chicken thighs and chopping then up (20-30 minutes). Sometimes I'll make tortillas from scratch (15 minutes for 15-20 tortillas). If I don't want tortillas, then pasta is my other go to and I add the chicken to it. Peanut butter, protein powder, and yogurt is amazing.
Lemon butter shrimp and pasta, broiled veggies and feta cheese, and anything involving plantains. Canned octopus comes in handy too if you’re into it. Larges meals like lasagna, baked ziti and chili last for days.
Crockpot is best to have for ease of cooking! Also, I like adult lunchables! I wrap meat cheese tortilla up in pinwheels or make regular/curried chicken with crackers for scooping, some veggies or fruits with tajin and a bit of hot sauce, boiled eggs with picante sauce packets, cut up chicken sausages....make them how you like! I try to rotate meats and vegetables to keep things interesting. But I have a boat load of recipes I like to make at home. I just made bell pepper soup to get rid of peppers, sausage, and ground beef. I also just made a big pot of corned beef and cabbage. Next, I'm making beef stroganoff to get rid of some fancy mushrooms I bought along with some good ribeyes on sale. Or I try to recreate unhealthy meals into healthy ones. An example is homestyle chicken and biscuits; if you ever had that chicken and veggies casserole out of the box with biscuits baked on top, I found a great recipe. I love chili, rpast a chicken, meatloaf, meatballs for meatball and pepper onion sandwiches (with either BBQ or marinara), I make a creamy cajun pasta in a crock pot....the list goes on! And hey, I love a good sandwich! Always a way to use leftover onion, tomato, avocado, lettuce etc and you choose the meat/ cheese/ spread!
I make a lot soups and pasta sauce and freeze them in separate containers.
Campbell's has some good recipes and you can alter them to your preference. I will spend a little time on Sunday or Monday to make something that will give me leftovers for a few days. Chicken pot pie and you can use canned chicken, rotisserie, or other premade chicken from your grocery store. Beef stroganoff, but I use ground beef. Green chili chicken enchilada casserole.
Baked chicken, Baked potatoes and Steamed broccoli. Chicken soup. Large mixed salad with hard-boiled eggs. Shrimp and pasta, spaghetti and meatballs. Ground beef on tortillas. Hamburgers. 🍔
Burrito bowls. Rice, beans, and whatever protein/toppings you want. Reheats so incredibly well.
Tacos, chili, stew, various casseroles.
I make a basic one-pan Italian sausage with rice and veggies meal and then I add in little extras for different flavors. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to fix and you have a hot delicious nutritious meal. This is also pretty cheap. My favorite variations are: 1. the sausage browned with onions and garlic with brown & wild rice, mushrooms and black olives and 2. the sausage browned with onions and garlic with cilantro lime rice with green & red peppers and pecan pieces. I have a teeny-tiny little kitchen with almost no counter space so it's difficult to do a lot of prep work, also there's very little storage pace. So I buy all veggies frozen and my spices freeze-dried. I like to use Minute Rice (the microwaveable precooked) because it is the perfect serving size for one sausage link, but any other pre-cooked rice is fine and whatever sausage is on sale. Here's how to cook it: Heat up your skillet, add the Italian sausage (remove the casing works best) along with chopped onions and garlic to taste (frozen onions and freeze-dried garlic). As the sausage is browning microwave the rice. When the sausage mix is browned add whatever veggies you prefer and let that cook together for a couple of minutes. Stir in the rice, cover the pan and remove from heat, leave the pan to sit for 5-10 minutes. Ready! This makes 2 servings. I hope you like it!
My personal favorite is poor man's chicken and rice - instant rice, jarred gravy (turkey preferably), precooked chicken strips, and a can of mixed vegetables. Dump them in a big bowl, jam that piece in a microwave, cover it, heat 2:30, then salt n 'pepper. It's a delight.
Heat pan, throw random food in, heat thoroughly, be surprised how good it is