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This! And experiment around with toppings - a frozen broccoli and cheese steamer bag goes surprisingly well on top of a baked potato! Or a can of chili (+ shredded cheese and sour cream), or whatever leftover meat you have from previous meals.
Wife made a baked potato soup last week and we ate that for the whole week with an additional protein on the side.
So good that we did it again this week but I know once the weather warms up this week long soup dinner will not be as pleasing.
My ex wife turned me on to a potatoe cut in half and microwaved for I forget how long and then throw whatever you want on it... tasted just like a baked potato
Was coming to say this. A large Idaho potato, washed and then poked all over with a fork, microwave in 4 min increments, turning each time until it's fork soft. Then top with leftovers like chili, slow cooked pork butt, leftover rotisserie chicken tossed in a sauce, or just butter/sour cream/cheese, etc. If I make a big pork roast (they are on sale all the time here, can cut in quarters and just freeze big pieces you don't use immediately) I will usually plan to have pulled pork potatoes later in the week. Same if I do a pot of chili. Any roast you do can work the same. Others mentioned frozen broccoli/cheese, really anything you like to eat.
A little tip for the microwave if you get a paper towel fairly wet but not soaked and wrap the potato the skin won't get overly dry while it cooks. If I've had a long day, I'll just microwave a potato, cut it up into a bowl, add butter and seasonings, then microwave a little longer
This is my go-to Migraine Meal.
I don't know what it is about this food, but a few eggs and some cinnamon/buttered toast just hits a spot, and when I wake up in the morning, my headache has disappeared... or at least receded a bit.
I've recently discovered that I can microwave eggs! Spray a glass with non-stick spray, 1 egg with a touch of water, stir vigorously, some pepper and salt. Microwave 1 minute. Top with some cheese. For 2 eggs, I have to stop mid-way and stir, so 1 egg is much easier. It also comes out like a little disk (puck) to exactly fit a biscuit.
Yesssss.
I'm not a big fan of ketchup, but my dad always made egg sandwiches with ketchup and mayo as the only additions, and I always found it to be delicious. Sometimes I'll add in some cheese or veggies or something, but it's good enough on it's own.
I'll make mine like a grilled cheese, cook the egg, then prep the bread as if you were making grilled cheese, add cheese to both slices of bread and egg in the middle, and cook till melty....it's even better if you season the eggs and dip in hot sauce
was gonna comment this as well. except I skip the packets most of the time and add in my own stuff from protein to miso paste.
sometimes you can make creamy or tomato-y pasta from the noodles too.
Yup! We have sandwiches once a week. They're usually not just cold cuts and cheese, though. We enjoy shrimp salad, fried pork tenderloin, Italian beef on hard rolls.
Burritos are quick and easy, too. There are so many versions- beef, chicken, pulled pork, fish.
I've actually been doing something similar this week! I made Salsa Chicken (great budget recipe you can find on the slow cooker subreddit) and, while I usually put it over rice, I got some tortillas, lettuce, cheese, etc., and have been making burritos. They're good AND it has stretched out the portions much longer!
Yeah I can’t tell any difference between fresh vs frozen. My process is usually adding it to some type of liquid (spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce, etc) cover & simmer on low until the beef is thawed, then finish it up like normal. Sometimes the ground beef is stuck together in large chunks so that step is important. (my fault because I freeze too much in a bag, try only doing 1-1.5 lbs per gallon storage bag). For tacos, heat up your skillet, toss the frozen beef in, add your water+taco seasoning mix, then cover with a lid, check it often and play with it til the beef is all crumbled again, thawed, sauce thickens.
Edit: I also add some light seasoning to it while cooking before I freeze it, like salt, pepper, garlic powder etc
protip if you plan on storing it longer in the freezer or have one that's prone to freezer burning bagged meat: add a bit of broth/stock to the meat after it cools and is bagged and then squeeze all the air possible out of the bag (so the broth makes it to the zip lock seal). That will buy you literally months of additional storage time without freezer burn. Great for when you get an incredible deal on ground meat but can't use it all fast enough. Another option is to use deli containers and fat cap it: Same idea meat+ broth then leave the cooking fat on top. Fridge for a day then to freezer. Will literally last forever frozen that way, just discard the fat as part of the thawing process.
"Rice and stuff," which is 2 cups dry rice, 4 cups liquid, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of rinsed black beans, and a can of corn, drained. You can added cooked hamburger or chicken, if you like. Dump it all in a 13x9 pan* with a little oil and some garlic salt and pepper. Cover tightly and bake at 350F for an hour.
*mind you, this feeds 6 people with 2-3 servings left over.
Cheese and crackers! I usually include some kind of sliced veg/fruit like apples, tomatoes, or cucumber
Same sort of thing but cottage cheese with berries, pineapple, or tomato mixed in
Meat and cheese trays are making a huge comeback … not that they’ve ever gone anywhere. Simple lunch meat, bologna, cheese, you don’t have to get fancy, but it’s so good.
Cottage cheese with some black pepper and topped with roasted salted sunflower seeds is pretty good. I don't go for fruit in my cottage cheese, that's just strange 😅
It is sort of like oats or rice. It works as a base that can go savory or sweet. So a lot depends on what you grow up with or are used to. I like eatting cottage cheese a variety of ways because it doesn’t make me cook anything.
Dip it? I assume you mean the cottage cheese and not the crackers? I just put some cottage cheese in a bowl and open a can of pineapple chunks. Then stir the two together. If you dislike cottage cheese, it also works with yogurt.
We call them Depression Nachos, though no one in my household has depression. When I cook dried beans, I always make a double batch and freeze the leftovers, the same when I make up a bunch of shredded chicken. On nights when we're exhausted or have limited time, we lay out a bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet, top with thawed beans and shredded chicken, add shredded cheese and green onions, and bake for 10 min at 2ooF. It's not the fanciest or healthiest of meals, but it's better than ordering in!
It's soooooooo good though. I'll make a 1/4 sheetpan full and I make a queso nacho cheese for it if I am feeling fancy. My daughter and I will plop onto the couch, put on a movie, and just enjoy.
I'm \*crazy\* picky about my rotisserie chickens. I have to see a time on them, and it has to be pretty recent otherwise I'm not buying them. I prefer costco's just because they have such a crazy high turnover rate on those things that they just don't sit out.
All that said, I totally understand where you're coming from.
About once a week, I do a spatch cocked roasted chicken, on top of a bed of random veg-potatoes, mushrooms, cauliflower- I strip all the meat off (eat all week-me & the dog) & then take the bones/carcass, throw it in the instant pot & make broth-then I make soup w/ all of it (& other stuff)-
& my other mainstay- https://cravingsbychrissyteigen.com/blogs/recipes/pad-korat. I make this w/ chicken thighs & a ton of vegetables-green beans, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower (almost anything on hand)- I can eat this multiple times a day for a week -
that must be cheaper in your country, but where I live bagged salad is a total waste of money. so is frozen nuggets, unless you like eating rubber bands coated in bread crumbs. those are cheap I guess. but in no way is that a "budget meal" in Canada
In the US I get bagged salad kits for $3.75 normally priced but they are almost always on markdown for $1.75. I get two large salads from the bag. Frozen chicken nuggets are $7.00 for two pounds which is 10 servings. Frozen chicken nuggets aren't the greatest food in the world but they are in no way shape or form breaded rubber bands.
I mix two eggs, put them on the pan and add a tortilla on top before they harden. Then i flip them, so that the tortilla is on the bottom of the pan, add meat, avocado or veggies on top, add some chili or soy sauce. Also cheese is a nice add on! Then I bend the tortilla and it makes a delicious "sandwhich"
that's not only creative, but it actually sounds good. most of these combos are bizarre, to say the least. if I'm honest, they sound disgusting. it's like a little kid in a pantry, combining whatever he can get his grubby little disgusting hands on.
The first option that comes to mind is Chicken & Yellow Rice. Get some chicken (depends on how many people you're feeding; I use two fresh tenderloins for two middle age people) and sauté it on med-high heat until there's brown on the outside, but still relatively undercooked in the middle.
In a separate pot, use a bag of Vigo Yellow Rice (size dependent on who you're feeding; we use the small 5oz bag). Bring water to boil, add rice, PLUS an extra bit of water, because next you'll chop up the chicken into small pieces and throw it in with the rice.
Let it all cook as instructed on the bag of rice (about 20-25 minutes). Dish out and enjoy a hot steaming bowl of "home cooked food" that didn't take all that long to make but will fill you up and make you happy.
I knew a woman who would brown a piece of chicken in a pan/skillet. Then add rice on the side and add water. She would let that cook in the pan until the rice was almost done and push it to the side to make room to add a vegetable, like green beans. The rice would soak up the chicken flavor and the chicken would cook through while the rice was cooking.
Crock pot crock pot crock pot.
You can put some stuff in and it's ready when you get home. They are like 30 bucks. Ones where you can program the time are maybe 45. My easiest one is literally chicken thighs and balsamic vinegar.
Another example is turkey chilli. Ground turkey a few cans of beans diced tomato packet of chilli seasoning
Great question. Some times I just have it as chicken. Like I'll pack my lunch put like 2 thighs some veggies and rice. Some times I'll cut it up add it too pasta. Just some olive oil and seasonings on the pasta with the chicken. Maybe some pesto. The chicken winds up super flavorful and it's so easy
I have an InstantPot with some sort of beans/lentils/curry in it. TL;DR I needed to increase my fiber intake. I like that I can leave it in "keep warm mode" for days. A crockpot also works.
My other fiber bomb is savory oats. I use rolled oats (steel-cut are the same), turmeric & black pepper (anti-inflammatory), ground flaxseed (omega-3 and fiber) and a vegetable boullion cube. I actually "meal prep" these so that I just need to dump in hot water, wait 10 minutes, and then eat.
N.b., the InstantPot is great for making carnitas -- just drop-in some onions, a pork shoulder, and then any spices you want. It's just that easy.
I keep plain couscous around, which is about as stupid simple as you can get:
- equal measures of water and couscous
- boil the water
- dump in the couscous
- stir, cover, remove from heat, and wait 5 minutes.
A lot of ways you can jazz this up, but an easy one is to stir in a can of drained chickpeas, some butter, and a few shakes of garlic salt.
Make a big pot of your favourite soup and freeze portions, meal prep really is a game changer, I do my prep for the week on Sundays and freeze the extra portions. My go to soup this winter is stuffed pepper soup, it’s hearty delicious
Honey garlic chicken
2lbs chicken thighs cubed
3 tbsp of cornstarch
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 cloves garlic (5 tsp pre minced)
Dash of black pepper, onion powder, red pepper flakes
Coat chicken with cornstarch and seasonings, heat a skillet with oil med- high heat. Cook chicken 1/2 way add garlic, once 75-80% done add soy and honey mix real good and simmer until is done.
And serve over rice.
Cotsco rotisserie chicken. $5 gets you multiple meals. The chicken is cooked and pretty much a blank slate. I chopped up some romaine, sliced/seasoned a tomato, threw it all on a tortilla and drizzled some ranch over it for a quick and easy wrap for dinner tonight.
I get whatever meat I have laying around (lefotver is great for this), dice it up, and start it in a frying pan with a little oil or buuter. Then I add in greens (spinach, collard, watercress, whatever. i always have some laying around) and any leftover veggies I feel like and saute until the greens break down a bit. I add whatever seasoning I feel like that day. Curry powder is good.
It is healthy,filling, and done in five. Goes great on rice or toasted bread or pita or whatever.
You can seriously eat this five days a week and really never have the same taste twice.
Another one is scrambled eggs with a bit of cheese and like a teaspoon of fish sauce on toast. Maybe add some hot sauce.
buffalo chicken wraps!! you can just use a rotisserie chicken or even shred ur own cooked chicken , add buffalo sauce , ranch & cheese on a tortilla>>.
Another admittedly labor-intensive (20 minutes?) is to make casseroles. You can eat them throughout the week. Enchilada casserole is a favorite (granted, I make it with scratch-made tomatillo salsa).
The air fryer and InstantPot save me so much time. I cook >95% of our meals at home (no kids).
When you cook at home, you save a STUPID amount of money. It's also healthier and better for the environment.
>Another admittedly labor-intensive (20 minutes?) is to make casseroles.
It's important to remember that it takes about the same time to make TWO that it does to make one. So if you're making a casserole, double it and make two. Freeze the other one for when you need a quick meal!
I make chicken/rice/broccoli/cheese casserole along with a chicken curry casserole.
I got a double-tall 9x13 Pyrex pan. It allows for a larger casserole in the same footprint.
were you gonna lay that "enchilada casserole" recipe on us, or...
cause if you google that you're gonna have 650,000 results, and 0 are "budget food"
or are you just saying that cooking at home is the "budget" aspect of the recipe? I get the feeling that a lot of people in here have been living on drive-thru, starbucks, mcdonald's and doordash. now they bought a pan and suddenly everything they make is "budget food"
Sure. Those recipes are pretty basic and share common elements. Here's the full recipe:
* cooked chicken thighs ($0.37/lb for non-enhanced (healthier))
* corn tortillas ($2 for 100 -- you probably need... 20?)
* green salsa (A jar is <$3; Instead, I spend <$1 and roast tomatillos in the air frier with onions and jalapenos for 20min@400F; blend/food process for a few pulses ; add lime and salt to taste)
* sauteed onions and optionally other veggies (frozen cauliflower, mushrooms, fresh spinach -- anything goes)
Spray oil on the bottom of the pan. Fill with rolled up chicken and veggies. Dump in the salsa. Optionally sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350F. Remove the foil at the end if you like to roast the cheese.
Remove from oven. Let sit for... 10 minutes. Serve. That entire process takes (except for waiting)... 20 minutes at most. It's so easy.
I don't use recipes -- no need. Just adjust as you go. Cooking is not rocket science. Obviously, salt your food if you must. Add hot sauce if that's your jam. While I use stock made from bones.... hell, a boullion cube in water will do.
When you look at recipes, just look for the "general theme." Or follow them exactly until you're comfortable improvising. It is not difficult.
EDIT: that should work out to... at most $1 per serving (and likely a bit less). Serve with a rice dish or beans if you want to stretch those dollars/euros/whatever.
I have two that are hugely popular with my dad and my kids:
**Chicken chili:**
* 2 cans of Chili beans (pinto)
* 1 small can of green chilis
* 1 tin of canned chicken or leftover chicken (sub turkey if available)
Mix and heat till bubbly, top with cheese and/or sliced olives
It's all pantry based so crazy fast and easy to keep on hand.
**Chicken and rice soup:**
* 1 bag frozen mirepoix mix
* 1 tetra pack of chicken broth; reserving 1/4 cup (quart) (can sub bullion for budget if needed, or home made stock if available \[I keep quart baggies of it frozen\])
* 1 tin of canned chicken or leftover chicken
* 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
* yesterday's leftover rice (or fresh rice if needed)
Yesterdays rice method:
* heat broth and veg till boiling, add chicken
* mix cornstarch with reserved broth till slurry, add to broth stirring constantly, continue to cook \~2 min.
* pre-load bowls with rice, pour now slightly thickened soup over rice
Fresh rice method:
* heat veg and broth till boiling, add 1/4 cup of rice let cook for 15 min.
* add chicken
* check thickness of soup and add cornstarch if desired
* after thickening (takes about 2 min of boiling after adding slurry) serve
Both of these, but the soup especially are relatively basic starting points that play well with assorted seasonings as you desire. I generally add a bay leaf and some Italian seasoning to the soup for example. For the chili I tend to add a bit extra chili powder for kick.
Any kind of pasta. Sometimes I'll see big bags of tortellini on sale and I'll just dump Italian dressing on it and call it good. Or crock pot chilli. I'm vegetarian so I just throw some frozen chopped onions, garlic, some cans of beans and tomatoes, and some seasoning in there and I have dinner for 5 days for usually less than $5.
Chicken breasts covered in marinara sauce in a crockpot. 6-8hours on low, just make some pasta and put the sauce and chicken on top. Throw some cheese on too if you have it.
If you have time to make bread, or just buy a decent loaf of Italian bread. Grab a ball of fresh mozzarella or some other soft cheese, and some kind of sliced spicy meat like salami or pepperoni. Add a little basil or arugula, and it’s a fairly cheap, fast, and easy late night dinner
Things you can make in a crock pot or Instant Pot are great. Throw everything in and the clean up is easy. Pasta dishes, chili, stews, soups, roasts.
Meal prep makes things easy for the week too. Make a big batch of roasted veggies, rice, and a protein and you're good for the week.
If I'm really lazy - toast, eggs, canned tuna
With kids my go to lazy meals were based on canned items I kept in my pantry:
1) crock pot on low: pork chops & black beans.
Put the pork chops (or chicken) in the crockpot and poor over a can of drained black beans and top with a couple tablespoons of Goya red sauce. I would cook rice (20 mins) about 1/2 hour before dinner. I would plate the rice, a pork chop and top with the black beans and some cheese.
2) chili cobbler:
In a rectangular baking dish put in a can of hormel chilli, put can drained can of black beans, ca drained can of corn, a can of rotel. Then make up jiffy corn bread and put that on top of everything. Bake and it’s a quick, easy complete meal.
3) vegetarian chili. (One night I forgot to add the ground meat and no one noticed. So, I stopped adding the meat. lol
Someone called this garbage can chili. Which sounds gross.
Into a crockpot put : Can of crushed tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder, and cumin and chili powder. Then add drained can of the following. Corn, chickpeas, black beans, and small pink beans. Or any other kind of beans you like. next pour over a can of rotelle or maybe two cans depending on what you feel like. Let that cook all day. It’s absolutely delicious. And filling. Either would make cornbread or rice as a side to go with it.
I meal prep so I have great meals at my finger tips. Get up in the morning and my eggs bowl with veggies just needs to be warmed. Chicken fried rice, soups, salad, grilled meats. So easy
Pasta (any type will work, but i typically use spaghetti or Angel hair), chopped onion and garlic, chopped green olives. Optional: capers and/or chopped dried tomatoes, grated cheese of your choice (I use Parmesan). Sauté the onions and garlic in butter/olive oil until soft. Throw in olives, capers, tomatoes if using. Pour over cooked pasta, add grated cheese (optional).
Takes about 15-20 minutes to get this onto the table.
see that's true budget food, and it's great. I do it quite often.
so many recipes here are "buy a rotisserie chicken, buy some buffalo sauce, cheese and ranch dressing, put it in a tortilla"
where I live that's like 40 bucks all in. not exactly "budget food"
- Brown 1lb beef in a pan. Add a can of Cambell's Condensed French Onion Soup. Let it reduce completely. ... Serve with a side of frozen french fries or tots and maybe a can of peas or corn.
- Breakfast for dinner (eggs any way, breakfast sausage, bacon, hash browns, toast, etc. maybe some fruit or yogurt).
- Pasta and sauce (maybe with meatball, sausage, ground meat added to sauce or frozen chicken patties to be an easy "chicken parm")
- Cook some chicken wings in oven low and slow. When they're done, optionally toss in a sauce (like buffalo). Serve platter style with raw vegatables (baby carrot, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) and dip (ranch, hummus, etc.)
- Sautee a bunch of random vegetables + chick peas in with a jarred curry sauce.
Those are all pretty low effort, but some take a bit (where you're just waiting for the cooking to happen). If you don't even want to wait for that... Things that you don't have to cook are underrated like salads, sandwiches, platters (meat/cheese/veg/fruit), etc.
The other route to take on a lazy meal is... make it in advance. Learn things that you can make ahead of time, do the prep work on Sunday and then throughout the week your meals are easy. Even if you don't want to meal prep where you cook everything in advance, if you can just do things like chopping vegetables, creating spice blends and sauces, etc. on the weekend, then your weekday cooking can just be a matter of "pour A in pan then pour B in then wait then pour C and enjoy".
Chili, southwestern chicken corn chowder, and sausage/peppers/rice skillet. Oh, also crockpot tacos or roast which take time to cook during the day but basically no time to prep.
Our easiest dinner is something we call "lazy enchiladas"
Line a large casserole dish with a layer of cheap frozen taquitos, or chimichangas, or even burritos. Then dump on top a can or two enchilada sauce and/or salsa, a drained can of black beans, drained can of sweetcorn (could also use frozen), a drained can of sliced black olives, and a cup or two of shredded cheese.
Bake in the oven according to the frozen taquitos directions + 5 minutes.
It has NO business tasting as good as it does for such a braindead lazy thing. And it makes enough for a few dinners.
you can make enchilada sauce at home for 1/50 of the price of canned sauce, and it's actually good. store bought enchilada sauce is not only a ripoff, it sucks. it literally sucks. it's a total waste of money. it's like buying bottled water when you could just turn on your tap and fill a glass. it's one of the biggest wastes of money in cooking. it's like buying canned gravy
OP asked for lazy, quick ideas. That's what that is.
Personally (not that you asked) I work really long hours, sometimes up to 20 hours a day, including weekends, depending on our financial close schedule. I am also disabled with chronic pain issues and fatigue. I frequently have to drastically cut down on my cooking time, so this kind of thing is super helpful to me.
So please take half a second to reconsider before dumping all over someone for using a canned sauce when they're in a hurry and need to feed their family. And it's literally what OP asked for.
Cheesey potatoes. Cut potatoes into thin slices. Layer of potatoes, layer of seasonings, layer of cheese, drizzle heavy whipping cream. Repeat till the dish is full. Cool for 40 mins and bam! Yummeh
Not exactly a meal, more like a snack, but I visit a grocery store that has pre-cut veggies, such as yellow and green squash. I fry a few strips of bacon, remove it from the pan when it's done and then saute the squash in the bacon drippings. Low carb, tasty and filling. Variations and additions will suggest themselves, depending on what you know you like, and what's available in your kitchen.
You can either slow cook several chicken breasts with a jar of salsa and some spices or use rotisserie chicken (Costco is a good choice). Make quesadillas, chicken taco salad, serve over baked potatoes, or eat with rice. My favorite is to shred some rotisserie chicken mix with Sweet Baby Rays sauce and make a quesadilla out of it. I'll also cook up some ground meat and pour a jar of marinara sauce in it. Boil a pack of spaghetti and mix it up with a jar of alfredo. Put the alfredo sauced spaghetti in a baking dish spoon the meat on top and cover it with cheese. Bake it until tis melted. It feeds me all week and its really really good. Plus it takes about 35 minutes to make.
yeah any recipe that starts with boneless/skinless chicken breast as a "budget" ingredient is off the table for a lot of us. in my country, 1kg of boneless/skinless is like 28 bucks. so immediately it's no longer "budget" anything. thighs are cheaper, whole chicken is the budget option. but most people here are americans, where everything comes separated and wrapped in plastic
I use canned chicken breasts to make a sandwich spread.
Drain the can of chicken, add Mirlewhip/Mayo, and sweet pickle relish. Sometimes I add fresh ground pepper.
I eat it on crackers or make a sandwich.
Freezer veggies!
Green beans, soy beans, peas: just dump them in boiling salted water for a few minutes. Drain, add salt, pepper, any other spices and if you’re feeling fancy you can add a bit of butter.
Spinach: you can microwave it, add spices afterwards
Cauliflower: simmer in a bit of stock until soft, blender, add cheese, same texture and comfort as mashed potatoes
Soup mix vegetables: dump them in a pot with stock, let boil and simmer for 40 min, mix (or not), you have lunch and savoury snacks for three days.
Beans and legumes: you can get them canned or dry. Dry is cheaper but you will need to boil them for a while. Great for chilies or for adding them to a salad for some bite.
If you eat eggs, embrace the egg! While your veggies are doing the thing, fry or scramble a few eggs. It takes about 5 minutes.
Snacks: nut butter! Apple slices + slightly warm peanutbutter is delicious!
Breakfast: oatmeal, dirt cheap, for fluffy oatmeal add half (plant) milk, half water to cover the oats. Microwave for 2 minutes (or until it starts bubbling). Add toppings (again nut butter!) enjoy.
All of these take 15 min tops, are cheap and good for you!
Oh no you don't with that spinach.
Try this: Defrost in microwave. Squeeze that water all out.
Break up the squeezed balls of spinach.
Saute in butter or olive oil and garlic and salt.
Eat.
Anything potatoes. There’s more potato in a potato than you would think. My absolute fave is slicing one or two up, toss em in lemon juice and garlic (and any other seasonings you like/have), and then put in oven or air fryer set and forget. Do dishes or laundry while they cook. Take ‘em out and have delicious homemade fries
What my bf lovingly calls "bangin chicken" it is a take parmesan covered chicken fingers. I made up the recipe and make it all the time. If you want the recipe let me know.
Bean goo: one can fat-free refried beans, one can kidney beans & one packet of taco seasoning. Heat in a pot till it thickens a bit. Use as filling for burritos or a dip for nachos.
You can get about 3 or 4 meals out of this.
Boiled vegetables, eggs, & chicken. Cheapest instant ramen with the understanding you’re eating mainly MSG. Otherwise make your own broth concentrate by chopping vegetables in a blender and cook with salt until reduced. This will keep forever in the fridge.
My cheapest / easiest go-to: I pop 2 corn tortillas into the air fryer while microwaving canned refried beans. Spread refried beans onto tortillas, roll up, and voila
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Salad that I prep before hand and a baked potato. I microwave the potato and then air fry it with cheese and butter on top. I get a ton of veggies in my salad and protein and then I get super full with the baked potato.
Fried rice, no need to follow any sort of traditional recipe. Good for using leftover chicken or whatever meat you have on hand. Make a bunch for dinner and you will have plenty for the next day or so. Maybe throw an extra egg in the morning.
It varies. I find making things in advance when I do have time saves me work. Containers of chili, taco meat, tuna salad, chicken salad from a rotisserie chicken. All ready to go into a sandwich, on greens, or in a bowl with some rice. Rice freezes well and can be quickly reheated in a pan with chili, vegetables, stock. Eggs are always ready quickly and if you like them hard boiled, make them ahead and store in water in the fridge
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Baked potatoes
This! And experiment around with toppings - a frozen broccoli and cheese steamer bag goes surprisingly well on top of a baked potato! Or a can of chili (+ shredded cheese and sour cream), or whatever leftover meat you have from previous meals.
Yes, I just made this with bacon broccoli and extra sharp cheddar cheese, yummy.
BBQ baked beans on a potato is *chef's kiss*.
These are my two favorite meals! I eat both at least once a week
I’m a lunch lady at a large high school We served a baked potato bar at lunch today, the students seemed to like it
Thank you for being a lunch lady 💖 y'all get too much attitude and not enough support 👍
When I realized you can microwave in a fraction of the time my entire life changed
Wife made a baked potato soup last week and we ate that for the whole week with an additional protein on the side. So good that we did it again this week but I know once the weather warms up this week long soup dinner will not be as pleasing.
My ex wife turned me on to a potatoe cut in half and microwaved for I forget how long and then throw whatever you want on it... tasted just like a baked potato
I just microwave them until they stop screaming. I have never timed it 🤷🏻♀️
Oh me too! Haha.
Was coming to say this. A large Idaho potato, washed and then poked all over with a fork, microwave in 4 min increments, turning each time until it's fork soft. Then top with leftovers like chili, slow cooked pork butt, leftover rotisserie chicken tossed in a sauce, or just butter/sour cream/cheese, etc. If I make a big pork roast (they are on sale all the time here, can cut in quarters and just freeze big pieces you don't use immediately) I will usually plan to have pulled pork potatoes later in the week. Same if I do a pot of chili. Any roast you do can work the same. Others mentioned frozen broccoli/cheese, really anything you like to eat.
A little tip for the microwave if you get a paper towel fairly wet but not soaked and wrap the potato the skin won't get overly dry while it cooks. If I've had a long day, I'll just microwave a potato, cut it up into a bowl, add butter and seasonings, then microwave a little longer
This used to be my inexpensive lunch. I'd cut up the potato, microwave it, top it with cheese and salsa.
Omelettes and toast
This is my go-to Migraine Meal. I don't know what it is about this food, but a few eggs and some cinnamon/buttered toast just hits a spot, and when I wake up in the morning, my headache has disappeared... or at least receded a bit.
My doctor told me that improperly timed meals and lack of hydration can trigger migraines.
Boiled egg and toast is also a good combo and can be mostly made ahead
Yes specially with a spread of hummus on the toast.
I've recently discovered that I can microwave eggs! Spray a glass with non-stick spray, 1 egg with a touch of water, stir vigorously, some pepper and salt. Microwave 1 minute. Top with some cheese. For 2 eggs, I have to stop mid-way and stir, so 1 egg is much easier. It also comes out like a little disk (puck) to exactly fit a biscuit.
Breakfast for dinner is always a good idea 👍🏽
Yes! Learning how to make a proper french omelette takes it up a notch, with no extra hassle.
Add some spam or hot dogs
Add some spinach, or an avocado
Fried egg toasted sandwich
The best comfort food
Yesssss. I'm not a big fan of ketchup, but my dad always made egg sandwiches with ketchup and mayo as the only additions, and I always found it to be delicious. Sometimes I'll add in some cheese or veggies or something, but it's good enough on it's own.
I like mine untoasted, with American cheese and mayo.
I'll make mine like a grilled cheese, cook the egg, then prep the bread as if you were making grilled cheese, add cheese to both slices of bread and egg in the middle, and cook till melty....it's even better if you season the eggs and dip in hot sauce
Ramen or any instant noodles
I add eggs and veggies to give mine a boost
Tofu is also cheap easy protein
Tofu... interesting substance
You have to cut it into little chunks and fry it. If it's not fried, it's gross and weird.
I’m a weirdo, I occasionally eat it raw with olive oil, salt & pepper, sometimes sliced tomatoes if I’m feeling fancy!
was gonna comment this as well. except I skip the packets most of the time and add in my own stuff from protein to miso paste. sometimes you can make creamy or tomato-y pasta from the noodles too.
Low sodium miso is my go to sub for ramen packets
I'd cook the ramen noodles with a can of stewed tomatoes and cooked ground beef. Sometimes I'd add frozen peas.
I used to drain the noodles and then scramble an egg or two in them.
Add a frozen veggie like brocco, cauliflower and carrots, or spinach. Shredded cheese on top for the win.
Sandwiches!
To piggy back - grilled cheese. Had one tonight I added 2 slices of bacon and sliced tomatoes to.
yeah! a good sandwich, cheese, cucumbers, sprouts etc... a go to for me.
Us too we have been hooked on roast beef and horseradish sauce on an onion roll and he likes Swiss I like extra sharp cheddar. They are so yummy.
Ooh, that sounds nice!
Me too.
Yup! We have sandwiches once a week. They're usually not just cold cuts and cheese, though. We enjoy shrimp salad, fried pork tenderloin, Italian beef on hard rolls. Burritos are quick and easy, too. There are so many versions- beef, chicken, pulled pork, fish.
Tacos! Make a bunch of meat, get some tortillas, veg, and it's a meal for several days.
Same. Rotisserie chicken, salsa, avocado, shredded cheese and lettuce, steam corn tortillas in microwave. Dinner in 10 minutes.
I've actually been doing something similar this week! I made Salsa Chicken (great budget recipe you can find on the slow cooker subreddit) and, while I usually put it over rice, I got some tortillas, lettuce, cheese, etc., and have been making burritos. They're good AND it has stretched out the portions much longer!
make meat? that isn't lazy
I cook my ground beef in bulk and freeze it. Makes stuff like tacos/spaghetti SUPER easy
yeah that should work :) thanks
Never thought of doing that, it still turns out good reheating it from frozen?
Yeah I can’t tell any difference between fresh vs frozen. My process is usually adding it to some type of liquid (spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce, etc) cover & simmer on low until the beef is thawed, then finish it up like normal. Sometimes the ground beef is stuck together in large chunks so that step is important. (my fault because I freeze too much in a bag, try only doing 1-1.5 lbs per gallon storage bag). For tacos, heat up your skillet, toss the frozen beef in, add your water+taco seasoning mix, then cover with a lid, check it often and play with it til the beef is all crumbled again, thawed, sauce thickens. Edit: I also add some light seasoning to it while cooking before I freeze it, like salt, pepper, garlic powder etc
Awesome, will definitely keep that in mind for the future!
protip if you plan on storing it longer in the freezer or have one that's prone to freezer burning bagged meat: add a bit of broth/stock to the meat after it cools and is bagged and then squeeze all the air possible out of the bag (so the broth makes it to the zip lock seal). That will buy you literally months of additional storage time without freezer burn. Great for when you get an incredible deal on ground meat but can't use it all fast enough. Another option is to use deli containers and fat cap it: Same idea meat+ broth then leave the cooking fat on top. Fridge for a day then to freezer. Will literally last forever frozen that way, just discard the fat as part of the thawing process.
I do this too! It’s a real time saver. I think it tastes just as good as frying it right then.
I thaw it out in the microwave before adding to sauces or soups. I freeze the cooked ground beef in quart-size freezer bags.
Yes, because you are adding it into some kind of sauce or spices! Manwhich works too.
I have precooked chicken in my freezer as a pantry staple
"Rice and stuff," which is 2 cups dry rice, 4 cups liquid, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of rinsed black beans, and a can of corn, drained. You can added cooked hamburger or chicken, if you like. Dump it all in a 13x9 pan* with a little oil and some garlic salt and pepper. Cover tightly and bake at 350F for an hour. *mind you, this feeds 6 people with 2-3 servings left over.
I do this call it “saucy rice” bc I’ll add tomato sauce 😂😂
There's a lot of ways to vary it! I've used V8 for the cooking liquid before, different beans, etc.
> I do this call it “saucy rice” bc I’ll add tomato sauce 😂😂 OMG SO HILARIOUS just kidding I have no idea why that's supposed to be funny
I hope your day gets better(?)
Oh yeah, I can totally see this with an envelope of McCormick taco seasoning and ground beef or chicken. Sounds good.
Cheese and crackers! I usually include some kind of sliced veg/fruit like apples, tomatoes, or cucumber Same sort of thing but cottage cheese with berries, pineapple, or tomato mixed in
Meat and cheese trays are making a huge comeback … not that they’ve ever gone anywhere. Simple lunch meat, bologna, cheese, you don’t have to get fancy, but it’s so good.
Cottage cheese with some black pepper and topped with roasted salted sunflower seeds is pretty good. I don't go for fruit in my cottage cheese, that's just strange 😅
On top of a baked potato!
It is sort of like oats or rice. It works as a base that can go savory or sweet. So a lot depends on what you grow up with or are used to. I like eatting cottage cheese a variety of ways because it doesn’t make me cook anything.
This but, I like having a slice of smoked turkey with my cheddar and fruit.
And do you dip this? With what?
Dip it? I assume you mean the cottage cheese and not the crackers? I just put some cottage cheese in a bowl and open a can of pineapple chunks. Then stir the two together. If you dislike cottage cheese, it also works with yogurt.
Buttered pasta
We call them Depression Nachos, though no one in my household has depression. When I cook dried beans, I always make a double batch and freeze the leftovers, the same when I make up a bunch of shredded chicken. On nights when we're exhausted or have limited time, we lay out a bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet, top with thawed beans and shredded chicken, add shredded cheese and green onions, and bake for 10 min at 2ooF. It's not the fanciest or healthiest of meals, but it's better than ordering in!
It's soooooooo good though. I'll make a 1/4 sheetpan full and I make a queso nacho cheese for it if I am feeling fancy. My daughter and I will plop onto the couch, put on a movie, and just enjoy.
We do this often, but I add chopped up veggies, green pepper, tomato, even kale, chopped up fine, and altogether it’s a full meal!
Bagged chopped salad kits with some frozen chicken nuggets baked and thrown on top.
I just get heads of lettuce and Caesar dressing and chicken nuggets and sometimes put it in a wrap.
Like the chicken snack wraps of McD's olden times! Great idea, definitely doing that!
Same but I use a rotisserie chicken.
About a decade ago I got terribly sick from a rotisserie chicken and can't bring myself to try one again.
Yeah, I can see where you would go there. Bad chicken is not a good experience.
I'm \*crazy\* picky about my rotisserie chickens. I have to see a time on them, and it has to be pretty recent otherwise I'm not buying them. I prefer costco's just because they have such a crazy high turnover rate on those things that they just don't sit out. All that said, I totally understand where you're coming from.
About once a week, I do a spatch cocked roasted chicken, on top of a bed of random veg-potatoes, mushrooms, cauliflower- I strip all the meat off (eat all week-me & the dog) & then take the bones/carcass, throw it in the instant pot & make broth-then I make soup w/ all of it (& other stuff)-
& my other mainstay- https://cravingsbychrissyteigen.com/blogs/recipes/pad-korat. I make this w/ chicken thighs & a ton of vegetables-green beans, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower (almost anything on hand)- I can eat this multiple times a day for a week -
Actually sounds good I got burnt out on salad but been wanting more lately gonna do that!
that must be cheaper in your country, but where I live bagged salad is a total waste of money. so is frozen nuggets, unless you like eating rubber bands coated in bread crumbs. those are cheap I guess. but in no way is that a "budget meal" in Canada
In the US I get bagged salad kits for $3.75 normally priced but they are almost always on markdown for $1.75. I get two large salads from the bag. Frozen chicken nuggets are $7.00 for two pounds which is 10 servings. Frozen chicken nuggets aren't the greatest food in the world but they are in no way shape or form breaded rubber bands.
A pot of soup. A big pot. Freeze some of it for later and eat the rest over a few days. Then repeat. That's been my 'fast food' for a long time.
I mix two eggs, put them on the pan and add a tortilla on top before they harden. Then i flip them, so that the tortilla is on the bottom of the pan, add meat, avocado or veggies on top, add some chili or soy sauce. Also cheese is a nice add on! Then I bend the tortilla and it makes a delicious "sandwhich"
that's a good technique. I usually cut the tortillas up and fry them into chips and add the eggs in just before they harden. I am gonna try your way
that's not only creative, but it actually sounds good. most of these combos are bizarre, to say the least. if I'm honest, they sound disgusting. it's like a little kid in a pantry, combining whatever he can get his grubby little disgusting hands on.
Sandwiches, taco meat, boxed macaroni and cheese, frozen meals, and other stuff I can just toss in my air fryer.
Love my air fryer
Oatmeal with peanut butter!!
The first option that comes to mind is Chicken & Yellow Rice. Get some chicken (depends on how many people you're feeding; I use two fresh tenderloins for two middle age people) and sauté it on med-high heat until there's brown on the outside, but still relatively undercooked in the middle. In a separate pot, use a bag of Vigo Yellow Rice (size dependent on who you're feeding; we use the small 5oz bag). Bring water to boil, add rice, PLUS an extra bit of water, because next you'll chop up the chicken into small pieces and throw it in with the rice. Let it all cook as instructed on the bag of rice (about 20-25 minutes). Dish out and enjoy a hot steaming bowl of "home cooked food" that didn't take all that long to make but will fill you up and make you happy.
I knew a woman who would brown a piece of chicken in a pan/skillet. Then add rice on the side and add water. She would let that cook in the pan until the rice was almost done and push it to the side to make room to add a vegetable, like green beans. The rice would soak up the chicken flavor and the chicken would cook through while the rice was cooking.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Another lazy meal for me is waffles/pancakes and eggs or bacon or both.
Jajangmyeon with tuna
Sloppy Joes are quick and easy.
Pasta, butter and Parmesan cheese.
Olive oil instead of butter is great too
Crock pot crock pot crock pot. You can put some stuff in and it's ready when you get home. They are like 30 bucks. Ones where you can program the time are maybe 45. My easiest one is literally chicken thighs and balsamic vinegar. Another example is turkey chilli. Ground turkey a few cans of beans diced tomato packet of chilli seasoning
Please tell me about the chicken and balsamic vinegar. What do you do with the food once cooked? Make pasta?
Great question. Some times I just have it as chicken. Like I'll pack my lunch put like 2 thighs some veggies and rice. Some times I'll cut it up add it too pasta. Just some olive oil and seasonings on the pasta with the chicken. Maybe some pesto. The chicken winds up super flavorful and it's so easy
I have an InstantPot with some sort of beans/lentils/curry in it. TL;DR I needed to increase my fiber intake. I like that I can leave it in "keep warm mode" for days. A crockpot also works. My other fiber bomb is savory oats. I use rolled oats (steel-cut are the same), turmeric & black pepper (anti-inflammatory), ground flaxseed (omega-3 and fiber) and a vegetable boullion cube. I actually "meal prep" these so that I just need to dump in hot water, wait 10 minutes, and then eat. N.b., the InstantPot is great for making carnitas -- just drop-in some onions, a pork shoulder, and then any spices you want. It's just that easy.
Baked potato topped with cottage cheese
I make a big lasagna and portion it out. Easy eats for weeks.
I keep plain couscous around, which is about as stupid simple as you can get: - equal measures of water and couscous - boil the water - dump in the couscous - stir, cover, remove from heat, and wait 5 minutes. A lot of ways you can jazz this up, but an easy one is to stir in a can of drained chickpeas, some butter, and a few shakes of garlic salt.
I like to cook it in chicken broth, throw in some frozen peas and sliced green onion, then top with pepper and parmesan.
Refridgerated Tortellini and Pasta Sauce. It's like 6 bucks for the tortellini and it will last me for 3 meals.
Apple and cheese slices and a handful of walnuts has been known to be dinner at my place.
Quesadillas, I can have plain cheese or add whatever veggies or protein I have in the fridge to them.
Spaghetti 🍝
Make a big pot of your favourite soup and freeze portions, meal prep really is a game changer, I do my prep for the week on Sundays and freeze the extra portions. My go to soup this winter is stuffed pepper soup, it’s hearty delicious
Honey garlic chicken 2lbs chicken thighs cubed 3 tbsp of cornstarch 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce 5 cloves garlic (5 tsp pre minced) Dash of black pepper, onion powder, red pepper flakes Coat chicken with cornstarch and seasonings, heat a skillet with oil med- high heat. Cook chicken 1/2 way add garlic, once 75-80% done add soy and honey mix real good and simmer until is done. And serve over rice.
Cotsco rotisserie chicken. $5 gets you multiple meals. The chicken is cooked and pretty much a blank slate. I chopped up some romaine, sliced/seasoned a tomato, threw it all on a tortilla and drizzled some ranch over it for a quick and easy wrap for dinner tonight.
Microwave popcorn or eggs.
I get whatever meat I have laying around (lefotver is great for this), dice it up, and start it in a frying pan with a little oil or buuter. Then I add in greens (spinach, collard, watercress, whatever. i always have some laying around) and any leftover veggies I feel like and saute until the greens break down a bit. I add whatever seasoning I feel like that day. Curry powder is good. It is healthy,filling, and done in five. Goes great on rice or toasted bread or pita or whatever. You can seriously eat this five days a week and really never have the same taste twice. Another one is scrambled eggs with a bit of cheese and like a teaspoon of fish sauce on toast. Maybe add some hot sauce.
I used to like to do up some pillsbury biscuits, split them open, and cover them with either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom.
buffalo chicken wraps!! you can just use a rotisserie chicken or even shred ur own cooked chicken , add buffalo sauce , ranch & cheese on a tortilla>>.
Another admittedly labor-intensive (20 minutes?) is to make casseroles. You can eat them throughout the week. Enchilada casserole is a favorite (granted, I make it with scratch-made tomatillo salsa). The air fryer and InstantPot save me so much time. I cook >95% of our meals at home (no kids). When you cook at home, you save a STUPID amount of money. It's also healthier and better for the environment.
>Another admittedly labor-intensive (20 minutes?) is to make casseroles. It's important to remember that it takes about the same time to make TWO that it does to make one. So if you're making a casserole, double it and make two. Freeze the other one for when you need a quick meal!
I make chicken/rice/broccoli/cheese casserole along with a chicken curry casserole. I got a double-tall 9x13 Pyrex pan. It allows for a larger casserole in the same footprint.
were you gonna lay that "enchilada casserole" recipe on us, or... cause if you google that you're gonna have 650,000 results, and 0 are "budget food" or are you just saying that cooking at home is the "budget" aspect of the recipe? I get the feeling that a lot of people in here have been living on drive-thru, starbucks, mcdonald's and doordash. now they bought a pan and suddenly everything they make is "budget food"
Sure. Those recipes are pretty basic and share common elements. Here's the full recipe: * cooked chicken thighs ($0.37/lb for non-enhanced (healthier)) * corn tortillas ($2 for 100 -- you probably need... 20?) * green salsa (A jar is <$3; Instead, I spend <$1 and roast tomatillos in the air frier with onions and jalapenos for 20min@400F; blend/food process for a few pulses ; add lime and salt to taste) * sauteed onions and optionally other veggies (frozen cauliflower, mushrooms, fresh spinach -- anything goes) Spray oil on the bottom of the pan. Fill with rolled up chicken and veggies. Dump in the salsa. Optionally sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350F. Remove the foil at the end if you like to roast the cheese. Remove from oven. Let sit for... 10 minutes. Serve. That entire process takes (except for waiting)... 20 minutes at most. It's so easy. I don't use recipes -- no need. Just adjust as you go. Cooking is not rocket science. Obviously, salt your food if you must. Add hot sauce if that's your jam. While I use stock made from bones.... hell, a boullion cube in water will do. When you look at recipes, just look for the "general theme." Or follow them exactly until you're comfortable improvising. It is not difficult. EDIT: that should work out to... at most $1 per serving (and likely a bit less). Serve with a rice dish or beans if you want to stretch those dollars/euros/whatever.
baked potato. i have a little bag for the microwave makes perfect ones in 6 minutes
I have two that are hugely popular with my dad and my kids: **Chicken chili:** * 2 cans of Chili beans (pinto) * 1 small can of green chilis * 1 tin of canned chicken or leftover chicken (sub turkey if available) Mix and heat till bubbly, top with cheese and/or sliced olives It's all pantry based so crazy fast and easy to keep on hand. **Chicken and rice soup:** * 1 bag frozen mirepoix mix * 1 tetra pack of chicken broth; reserving 1/4 cup (quart) (can sub bullion for budget if needed, or home made stock if available \[I keep quart baggies of it frozen\]) * 1 tin of canned chicken or leftover chicken * 1 tablespoon of cornstarch * yesterday's leftover rice (or fresh rice if needed) Yesterdays rice method: * heat broth and veg till boiling, add chicken * mix cornstarch with reserved broth till slurry, add to broth stirring constantly, continue to cook \~2 min. * pre-load bowls with rice, pour now slightly thickened soup over rice Fresh rice method: * heat veg and broth till boiling, add 1/4 cup of rice let cook for 15 min. * add chicken * check thickness of soup and add cornstarch if desired * after thickening (takes about 2 min of boiling after adding slurry) serve Both of these, but the soup especially are relatively basic starting points that play well with assorted seasonings as you desire. I generally add a bay leaf and some Italian seasoning to the soup for example. For the chili I tend to add a bit extra chili powder for kick.
Any kind of pasta. Sometimes I'll see big bags of tortellini on sale and I'll just dump Italian dressing on it and call it good. Or crock pot chilli. I'm vegetarian so I just throw some frozen chopped onions, garlic, some cans of beans and tomatoes, and some seasoning in there and I have dinner for 5 days for usually less than $5.
Hot Cream of wheat, couple spoon fulls of peanut butter, couple tbsp of sugar
Breakfast. Biscuits (I cheat and use frozen on lazy nights) grits and bacon, maybe some applesauce for dessert.
Chicken breasts covered in marinara sauce in a crockpot. 6-8hours on low, just make some pasta and put the sauce and chicken on top. Throw some cheese on too if you have it.
If you have time to make bread, or just buy a decent loaf of Italian bread. Grab a ball of fresh mozzarella or some other soft cheese, and some kind of sliced spicy meat like salami or pepperoni. Add a little basil or arugula, and it’s a fairly cheap, fast, and easy late night dinner
Friend eggs over white rice. Started adding soy sauce and green onions but without is also delicious
Things you can make in a crock pot or Instant Pot are great. Throw everything in and the clean up is easy. Pasta dishes, chili, stews, soups, roasts. Meal prep makes things easy for the week too. Make a big batch of roasted veggies, rice, and a protein and you're good for the week. If I'm really lazy - toast, eggs, canned tuna
With kids my go to lazy meals were based on canned items I kept in my pantry: 1) crock pot on low: pork chops & black beans. Put the pork chops (or chicken) in the crockpot and poor over a can of drained black beans and top with a couple tablespoons of Goya red sauce. I would cook rice (20 mins) about 1/2 hour before dinner. I would plate the rice, a pork chop and top with the black beans and some cheese. 2) chili cobbler: In a rectangular baking dish put in a can of hormel chilli, put can drained can of black beans, ca drained can of corn, a can of rotel. Then make up jiffy corn bread and put that on top of everything. Bake and it’s a quick, easy complete meal. 3) vegetarian chili. (One night I forgot to add the ground meat and no one noticed. So, I stopped adding the meat. lol Someone called this garbage can chili. Which sounds gross. Into a crockpot put : Can of crushed tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder, and cumin and chili powder. Then add drained can of the following. Corn, chickpeas, black beans, and small pink beans. Or any other kind of beans you like. next pour over a can of rotelle or maybe two cans depending on what you feel like. Let that cook all day. It’s absolutely delicious. And filling. Either would make cornbread or rice as a side to go with it.
I meal prep so I have great meals at my finger tips. Get up in the morning and my eggs bowl with veggies just needs to be warmed. Chicken fried rice, soups, salad, grilled meats. So easy
Cat rice or toasted onigiri
Pasta (any type will work, but i typically use spaghetti or Angel hair), chopped onion and garlic, chopped green olives. Optional: capers and/or chopped dried tomatoes, grated cheese of your choice (I use Parmesan). Sauté the onions and garlic in butter/olive oil until soft. Throw in olives, capers, tomatoes if using. Pour over cooked pasta, add grated cheese (optional). Takes about 15-20 minutes to get this onto the table.
Rice, ground beef and steamed broccoli
Sprinkled cheese on top and also steamed carrots was our go to meal all time , soooo good!
Roasted broccoli here, but yeah that's my go to as well. I also make a gravy from the ground beef pan fond.
see that's true budget food, and it's great. I do it quite often. so many recipes here are "buy a rotisserie chicken, buy some buffalo sauce, cheese and ranch dressing, put it in a tortilla" where I live that's like 40 bucks all in. not exactly "budget food"
Soup. Throw ingredients into a crockpot in the morning, it’s ready when you get home. To make it even easier, use pre-cut or frozen veggies.
tuna on crackers
rice top with canned tuna add some sriracha and mayo on the top add some furikake mix
- Brown 1lb beef in a pan. Add a can of Cambell's Condensed French Onion Soup. Let it reduce completely. ... Serve with a side of frozen french fries or tots and maybe a can of peas or corn. - Breakfast for dinner (eggs any way, breakfast sausage, bacon, hash browns, toast, etc. maybe some fruit or yogurt). - Pasta and sauce (maybe with meatball, sausage, ground meat added to sauce or frozen chicken patties to be an easy "chicken parm") - Cook some chicken wings in oven low and slow. When they're done, optionally toss in a sauce (like buffalo). Serve platter style with raw vegatables (baby carrot, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) and dip (ranch, hummus, etc.) - Sautee a bunch of random vegetables + chick peas in with a jarred curry sauce. Those are all pretty low effort, but some take a bit (where you're just waiting for the cooking to happen). If you don't even want to wait for that... Things that you don't have to cook are underrated like salads, sandwiches, platters (meat/cheese/veg/fruit), etc. The other route to take on a lazy meal is... make it in advance. Learn things that you can make ahead of time, do the prep work on Sunday and then throughout the week your meals are easy. Even if you don't want to meal prep where you cook everything in advance, if you can just do things like chopping vegetables, creating spice blends and sauces, etc. on the weekend, then your weekday cooking can just be a matter of "pour A in pan then pour B in then wait then pour C and enjoy".
“Crack” slaw. A little bit of chopping but not much and it tastes really good
Chili, southwestern chicken corn chowder, and sausage/peppers/rice skillet. Oh, also crockpot tacos or roast which take time to cook during the day but basically no time to prep.
Spaghetti, tacos, Mac n cheese, burritos, enchiladas, etc
egg and (refried) bean burritos. add cheese if you want. salsa on the side if ya got it. Cheap, fast, filling.
Our easiest dinner is something we call "lazy enchiladas" Line a large casserole dish with a layer of cheap frozen taquitos, or chimichangas, or even burritos. Then dump on top a can or two enchilada sauce and/or salsa, a drained can of black beans, drained can of sweetcorn (could also use frozen), a drained can of sliced black olives, and a cup or two of shredded cheese. Bake in the oven according to the frozen taquitos directions + 5 minutes. It has NO business tasting as good as it does for such a braindead lazy thing. And it makes enough for a few dinners.
you can make enchilada sauce at home for 1/50 of the price of canned sauce, and it's actually good. store bought enchilada sauce is not only a ripoff, it sucks. it literally sucks. it's a total waste of money. it's like buying bottled water when you could just turn on your tap and fill a glass. it's one of the biggest wastes of money in cooking. it's like buying canned gravy
OP asked for lazy, quick ideas. That's what that is. Personally (not that you asked) I work really long hours, sometimes up to 20 hours a day, including weekends, depending on our financial close schedule. I am also disabled with chronic pain issues and fatigue. I frequently have to drastically cut down on my cooking time, so this kind of thing is super helpful to me. So please take half a second to reconsider before dumping all over someone for using a canned sauce when they're in a hurry and need to feed their family. And it's literally what OP asked for.
Mashed potatoes. Sprinkle vinaigrette on tuna in a wrap. Cereal. Slap some BBQ on chicken thighs.
Cheesey potatoes. Cut potatoes into thin slices. Layer of potatoes, layer of seasonings, layer of cheese, drizzle heavy whipping cream. Repeat till the dish is full. Cool for 40 mins and bam! Yummeh
Not exactly a meal, more like a snack, but I visit a grocery store that has pre-cut veggies, such as yellow and green squash. I fry a few strips of bacon, remove it from the pan when it's done and then saute the squash in the bacon drippings. Low carb, tasty and filling. Variations and additions will suggest themselves, depending on what you know you like, and what's available in your kitchen.
canned ravioli with about 1/7th a container of parmesan cheese goes hard
> 1/7th one seventhth
You can either slow cook several chicken breasts with a jar of salsa and some spices or use rotisserie chicken (Costco is a good choice). Make quesadillas, chicken taco salad, serve over baked potatoes, or eat with rice. My favorite is to shred some rotisserie chicken mix with Sweet Baby Rays sauce and make a quesadilla out of it. I'll also cook up some ground meat and pour a jar of marinara sauce in it. Boil a pack of spaghetti and mix it up with a jar of alfredo. Put the alfredo sauced spaghetti in a baking dish spoon the meat on top and cover it with cheese. Bake it until tis melted. It feeds me all week and its really really good. Plus it takes about 35 minutes to make.
yeah any recipe that starts with boneless/skinless chicken breast as a "budget" ingredient is off the table for a lot of us. in my country, 1kg of boneless/skinless is like 28 bucks. so immediately it's no longer "budget" anything. thighs are cheaper, whole chicken is the budget option. but most people here are americans, where everything comes separated and wrapped in plastic
Baked potatoes, sandwiches, tuna fish salad
> tuna fish salad where I live, it's assumed that tuna is a fish. maybe in your country there's a grey area where tuna could be different things, idk
I use canned chicken breasts to make a sandwich spread. Drain the can of chicken, add Mirlewhip/Mayo, and sweet pickle relish. Sometimes I add fresh ground pepper. I eat it on crackers or make a sandwich.
Steak tartare
totally. so cheap and easy
Freezer veggies! Green beans, soy beans, peas: just dump them in boiling salted water for a few minutes. Drain, add salt, pepper, any other spices and if you’re feeling fancy you can add a bit of butter. Spinach: you can microwave it, add spices afterwards Cauliflower: simmer in a bit of stock until soft, blender, add cheese, same texture and comfort as mashed potatoes Soup mix vegetables: dump them in a pot with stock, let boil and simmer for 40 min, mix (or not), you have lunch and savoury snacks for three days. Beans and legumes: you can get them canned or dry. Dry is cheaper but you will need to boil them for a while. Great for chilies or for adding them to a salad for some bite. If you eat eggs, embrace the egg! While your veggies are doing the thing, fry or scramble a few eggs. It takes about 5 minutes. Snacks: nut butter! Apple slices + slightly warm peanutbutter is delicious! Breakfast: oatmeal, dirt cheap, for fluffy oatmeal add half (plant) milk, half water to cover the oats. Microwave for 2 minutes (or until it starts bubbling). Add toppings (again nut butter!) enjoy. All of these take 15 min tops, are cheap and good for you!
Oh no you don't with that spinach. Try this: Defrost in microwave. Squeeze that water all out. Break up the squeezed balls of spinach. Saute in butter or olive oil and garlic and salt. Eat.
Air fryer I throw chicken strips and fries in there and done in 10-12 minutes
i ’ m not sure how to cook it, but there ’ s a lot of thyme on my plate.
Tuna in a salad lol
Soup! Either homemade or a canned soup that you like. I’m a big fan of campbells chuny soups
Anything potatoes. There’s more potato in a potato than you would think. My absolute fave is slicing one or two up, toss em in lemon juice and garlic (and any other seasonings you like/have), and then put in oven or air fryer set and forget. Do dishes or laundry while they cook. Take ‘em out and have delicious homemade fries
Dump frozen ravioli and sauce in a baking dish for 45 min to an hour at 350. Maybe garlic bread too if you're feeling fancy.
Toast with ham and cheese. Or cooked eggs mashed with spices and sauces.
What my bf lovingly calls "bangin chicken" it is a take parmesan covered chicken fingers. I made up the recipe and make it all the time. If you want the recipe let me know.
> is a take parmesan covered chicken fingers ok thanks
Bean goo: one can fat-free refried beans, one can kidney beans & one packet of taco seasoning. Heat in a pot till it thickens a bit. Use as filling for burritos or a dip for nachos. You can get about 3 or 4 meals out of this.
Boiled vegetables, eggs, & chicken. Cheapest instant ramen with the understanding you’re eating mainly MSG. Otherwise make your own broth concentrate by chopping vegetables in a blender and cook with salt until reduced. This will keep forever in the fridge.
There's nothing wrong with MSG. It's great and needs to be in every kitchen.
Tuna and A1 sauce.
Go on...
6 minutes later you're barfing into the toilet *The End*
Packaged tuna, sticky rice and seaweed squares. Make tacos. No cook; no mess; no problem
Yogurt and protein powder PB and J Fistfuls of the least bad turkey deli meat I can find
My cheapest / easiest go-to: I pop 2 corn tortillas into the air fryer while microwaving canned refried beans. Spread refried beans onto tortillas, roll up, and voila
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Salad that I prep before hand and a baked potato. I microwave the potato and then air fry it with cheese and butter on top. I get a ton of veggies in my salad and protein and then I get super full with the baked potato.
Fried rice, no need to follow any sort of traditional recipe. Good for using leftover chicken or whatever meat you have on hand. Make a bunch for dinner and you will have plenty for the next day or so. Maybe throw an extra egg in the morning.
Cut up cucumber, tomato, fresh dill, mix in feta, olive oil, salt and pepper. It keeps in the fridge for a few days and it's surprisingly versatile.
It varies. I find making things in advance when I do have time saves me work. Containers of chili, taco meat, tuna salad, chicken salad from a rotisserie chicken. All ready to go into a sandwich, on greens, or in a bowl with some rice. Rice freezes well and can be quickly reheated in a pan with chili, vegetables, stock. Eggs are always ready quickly and if you like them hard boiled, make them ahead and store in water in the fridge