Quick & easy meal ideas

[glitzy07]

I know this gets asked every once and a while, and I even tried searching back a while but couldn't find a good thread.

What are you favorite quick and easy meals? I found a lot of old threads with great meal ideas, but most were a little more involved than I am looking for.

I'm pregnant and don't have a lot of energy right now, so I'm looking for something I can make pretty simply for two or three people. Bonus if it makes good leftovers!

I'm placing an online shopping order for this afternoon and browsing through photos of groceries isn't giving me any inspired meal ideas. Help!

[zarapipe]

My recent obsession is quesadillas. I got a quesadilla maker and we use it once a week now.

Chop chicken, onion and pepper and fly to mostly cooked. Sprinkle some taco seasoning over it and pour some water in (about a 1 1/2 cups) and let it simmer. When most of the water avaporates put it in the quesadilla maker. I use two borrito sized shells, place your chicken and veggie mixture in and some cheese. Cook until the shells are crispy and then load it up with sour cream and salsa!! I usually make enough for two meals. To make it easier you can get pre chopped onions and peppers in the freezer section.

[mellymel]

This is pretty easy (requires 25 min of simmer time but it's super simple and makes great leftovers): PW's Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/?s=pasta+with+tomato+cream+sauce

Pulled Pork in the crockpot: buy a pork roast, cook it all day on low in the crockpot with a little water or some people like to use root beer! When it's ready, take it out of the crockpot and shred it (this should be easy - it should be falling apart). Put it back in the crockpot and smother it with BBQ sauce. Serve on hamburger buns with pickles. Super easy and makes great leftovers.

I'll keep thinking...

[mbcdefg]

London broil - sprinkle with S&P and Worcestershire sauce, and broil (or grill) about 7-10 minutes per side depending on how well you want it.

Bone-in chicken breasts, with S&P and a brush of butter, can also be broiled. About 10-12 minutes.

Tuna steaks only take a few minutes on a grill or pan. Shrimp cooks up fast, too.

Mac and cheese is easy. Butter in a pan, add flour and whisk to form a light brown roux, add S&P and a squirt of mustard, add milk and whisk, then add cheese. Boil your noodles in the meantime, drain them, combine with the cheese sauce, and bake for 25 minutes.

Last night I made penne pasta and added vegetables (mushrooms, spinach, sliced grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic). When I was sauteing the vegetables in the pan I added goat cheese and a little sour cream to make a sauce.

Or be really quick about it and just add some minced garlic to a pan of olive oil and drizzle over spaghetti/angel hair, and add some cooked broccoli or green beans. Add chicken or shrimp for protein.

Salads are fast. I like red leaf lettuce with cucumbers and goat cheese, and walnuts if I have some, plus raspberry dressing.

Boneless chicken breasts or pork chops, dipped in beaten egg and coated in panko bread crumbs, are fast. Sometimes I make chicken fingers and I whisk up a honey mustard or maple mustard sauce to dip them in. Or brush the chicken/pork with either of these sauces and bake. (The maple mustard is really good on bone-in chicken thighs or on a pork roast.)

Pasta with vodka sauce: saute some chopped onion and garlic, add vodka (I have a bunch of those tiny sampler bottles), add a can of tomato sauce, then add milk or half and half. S&P to taste. Make up a large batch of sauce and freeze for future use.

I make a double batch of pizza dough when I have time, and freeze it in Ziplock bags. I put it in the fridge the night before to defrost, and at dinnertime it only takes maybe 25 minutes to top and bake: www.annies-eats.com/2008/08/15/perfect-pizza-crust/

Baked potatoes are a quick side - wash and dry them, prick them with a fork a few times, and microwave for about 8 minutes.

I stock up when my local Shop Rite sells the frozen steamer vegetables, either store brand or Birds Eye, for 99 cents a bag.

If you want a fresh vegetable, asparagus or zucchini don't take very long or a lot of prep. I roast it with oil, S&P, and squeeze a little fresh lemon on it when I remove it from the oven. Or I'll boil some fresh broccoli and then afterward do a quick saute in a pan with some garlic and a little olive oil.

Chili doesn't take a ton of prepwork, you just have to be around for a couple hours to babysit it on the stovetop. Or do it in the crockpot. That'll last you several days. And you can also use it to top hot dogs or nachos for something a little different.

An easy crockpot meal is a beef roast, a can of whole berry cranberry sauce, and a shot of soy sauce. It makes a really nice pot roast and gravy.

A lot of people suggest breakfast for dinner, but I'm not much of a hot breakfast person even in the mornings.

[livinitup]

I highly recommend a meat thermometer. I know it sounds simple but it is the absolute best for roasting whole chickens, chickn parts or any roasts of meats. I have a digital that cooks in the bird (or roast) and alarms when the internal temp reaches the perfect time. It's amazing when you can buy a 6 lb chicken for $6.00 and have 2-3 great meals out og it. I can't think of anythign easier than rinsing a bird, hiting it with a little olive oil or butter and sticking it in the oven. Most of the time I even put in veggies and potatoes for baking, too. And DH adors Stove Top with leftovers. I do the same for roast beefs, slice thin and they make great leftover sandwiches, too. Several great meals.

[Deleted]

This stuff is amazing: www.food.com/recipe/creamy-rice-cooker-macaroni-and-cheese-270800
Sub low fat milk for the cream if you want to live to see 40.

[speckledfrog]

There was recently a post over on ML about this same thing.

pandce.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ml&action=display&thread=114254

[egishere]

chicken or steak stir fry with chopped veggies. I usually just buy a stir fry sauce in the Asian foods aisle and it is always pretty yummy and semi healthy too. Serve with microwavable rice.

[glitzy07]

These are all great ideas, and thank you for the link to the other post!

[FWP]

Discovered a new quick meal the other day:
Tortellini soup: www.annies-eats.com/2011/02/15/tortellini-soup/

We added a chopped zucchini. This is pretty inexpensive, tasty, and quick. I recommend buying some bread to go with it as a side (I forgot so I made biscuits from scratch - took about as long as it took my H to make the soup).

[gardengal]

Bag of frozen potstickers, bag of frozen broccoli & some teryaki (sp?) sauce. BAM! Dinner.