Dinner on the table in 30 minutes......

mammytotwo

Hi!
So what is your favorite quick and easy dinner.....

I'm new here - been on MFP for 7 days and need some meal ideas to feed my husband and I on week-nights. Dinner is usually about 600 - 700 calories. We eat everything! No dietary requirements apart from taste!

All ideas welcome!

kathyk519

Hi

While we eat some meat, we don't eat it all the time - so here are some recipes that I use the most -

One of my favorites is a tex mex stuffed green pepper.
-prepare the pepper by cutting off the top and scooping any seeds, spray with oil spray, pop it into a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
-While that is in the oven, prepare the filling...you can use ground turkey with black beans, onion, whatever else you want. We usually just do beans with veggies. A packet (or less) of taco seasoning, or add your own (chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika) seasonings ...and cook in a pan until everything is heated through.
- once peppers are done, scoop your mixture into the peppers..add some cheese on top, and throw back into the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
- You can eat as is, with rice or tortilla chips, or whatever you like. It is filling and good - you can have more than one, depending on what you throw in. I make these various ways, and have multiple versions in my recipe builder. I would say that one stuffed pepper would be anywhere from 225 to 275 calories.

Soups are also great to throw together, that are quick and easy - bunch a veggies, broth, beans or meat (preferably cooked already like a roasted chicken from the store), have some bread with it -

I make pizza - whole wheat pizza dough (from the store), fresh mozzarella balls, tomato sauce, olives, mushrooms - pre heat oven to 500, and for my oven, I have to have in for about 26 minutes - but mine is old. It is about 200 calories a slice - but we slice it into 9 slices because we have 3 of us.

Black bean burgers - 1 can of black beans, mashed, an onion, an egg, 1/4 cup salsa, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 clove garlic, (you can add some other veggies - like mushrooms or broccoli slaw or whatever) - make into patties and cook on a pan. makes 4 patties and 204 calories (w/o added veggies) for the burger plus the calories for whatever buns you use.

Hope this helps!

AmazonMayan

Buying in bulk and putting correct portions of meat in baggies then freezing has sped up my meals. It's already weighed that way. I like to slice chicken breasts thinner so that helps with cooking time. Pre-cooking things like ground meats then freezing portions speeds it up too. After that, nightly you have meat ready to go into whatever sounds good for the day. The same with having veggies cut up and ready to throw in a pan with a quick weigh or portion those as well. I mostly don't portion veg ahead of time, but it helps if you are pressed for time often.

I like putting things on/in corn tortillas. Calories are better than flour tortillas generally and you can have more fillings. Heat/cook whatever meat, throw in peppers, onions, mushrooms, cumin, chili powder, cayenne or fresh hot pepper if you like spice. Warm the tortillas then top with the meat/veggies and a couple tablespoons of plain greek yogurt. Depending on your meat, you might still have calories to use. In that case I love a poached egg that is still running yolk on top of all that and/or some sliced avacado. Fast and amazing. Edited to add: you can also throw in a leafy green. Kale I would cook with the other veggies, fresh baby spinach you can throw on top as your "lettuce"

jessimeinhardt

My family has started doing simple dinners, (both for cost reasons and calorie reasons). Preportioned chicken breasts or fish fillets on the Foreman grill, a simple salad, frozen veggies and applesauce. Very quick and easy. We also have an abundance of salt free seasonings to change up the flavors.

DeliVibes

Stir fry!
Cut up chicken breasts and throw them into the wok.
Prepare peppers, onions, corn, lime juice, nuts/seeds, seasoning of your choice (cinnamon) etc. and toss them into the wok.
Most noodles take only 5 minutes to cook in boiling water so boil the kettle to heat the water to save time!

Ice_Arrows

Wraps are quick and easy.
Slice up the chicken/beef/pork whatever you want to use, onion, peppers, mushrooms, and a clove of garlic. Add the meat, garlic, mushrooms and onions to a pan with a little water and cook. Put in the peppers when almost done and sprinkle with black pepper, salt free mrs dash, lemon and lime juice, and a small splash of soy.
Transfer to tortilla and top with things like lettuce, tomato, cheese, or salsa.

Kattarra

I will cook up several pounds of ground beef and turkey at once then freeze them in one pound bags. That way I have already cooked meat for spaghetti sauce, tacos, soups, anything that uses ground meat.

MyChocolateDiet

babaontheway wrote: »

Hi!
So what is your favorite quick and easy dinner.....

I'm new here - been on MFP for 7 days and need some meal ideas to feed my husband and I on week-nights. Dinner is usually about 600 - 700 calories. We eat everything! No dietary requirements apart from taste!

All ideas welcome!

Rachel Ray has a show about this. Tinker with her+recipes to meet your cal goal+but watching her show+should+ help u get ideas on how to pre plan a weeks meals for fast dinners.

daw0518

I live alone & often will do a batch of baked chicken breasts on Sunday so I have food to eat for the week. I like to marinade it in whatever I'm feeling that week, then stick it in a glass baking dish & then bake at 400 F for about a half hour. Easy peasy!

I also like these Barber Foods Cordon Bleu chicken breasts. They're frozen and individually wrapped - they also bake at 400 F for 30 min.

Then I usually do veggies that come in the steamer bag & a baked potato in the microwave while the chicken is cooking & I'm set! All together, it's usually around 500 calories for dinner, depending on the veggie and size of potato.

I guess I'm not much of a help when it comes to variety... I pretty much eat the same thing every night for dinner. Chicken + potato + veggie. Haha, sorry! I would check Pinterest - there's some great stuff on there, I have a whole 'healthy recipes' board!

softblondechick

The key to quick food, breakfast, lunch and dinner is to prep food on the weekend, and have a loose plan. I prep all veggies, lettuce, celery, peppers, onions, cilantro, zucchini, and whatever else looked good. I wash, chop, spiralize..place them all in separate containers. I usually do this during football, or early am on Sunday.

So Monday is stir fry, I grab some shrimp and throw random veggies in a pan.

Tuesday, tacos...and on...
Dinner is quick, clean up minimal. Saturday, throw stuff away, or make chili, soup, or omelet. Start again on Sunday.

SnuggleSmacks

Steam or bake some cubed butternut squash. Bake or sautee some chicken cut in bite-sized pieces with balsamic vinegar. Meanwhile, cook some quinoa in a rice cooker. Combine all in a big bowl with a bunch of baby spinach. Top with white balsamic vinaigrette. You can add some extra salt, pepper, finely sliced red onion, red peppers, green onions, whatever, but it's really good with just the original 4 ingredients.

MaryCS62

Balsamic Chicken & Mushrooms

Servings 4 calories per serving182

2.00 clove(s), Garlic - Raw
8.00 oz(s), Mushrooms - Raw
1.00 tsp(s), Spices - Thyme, dried
1.00 tbsp(s), Dijon Mustard
0.25 tsp, Sodium Free Granulated Chicken Bullion
2.00 tsp(s), Oil - Olive
16.00 oz, Boneless, Skinless, Per oz
3.00 tsp, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Either cut chicken into 4 - 4oz pieces, or cut into bite size pieces -- your choice.
Mix 1 tsp balsamic vinegar with mustard & chopped garlic in a shallow dish. Add chicken & marinate for 10 minutes. Heat 1 tsp oil in pan, add chicken & marinade, cook 3-5 minutes (will take a little longer for whole pieces). Remove to plate & cover to keep warm.
Heat remaining tsp oil to pan, then add sliced mushrooms. Saute 2-3 minutes, then add remaining balsamic vinegar & dried time. Cook 1 minute, then add chicken back in (if cut small) or pour mushrooms on top of chicken pieces to serve.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 182
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g 7 %
Saturated Fat 1 g 4 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 2 mg 1 %
Sodium 165 mg 7 %
Potassium 472 mg 13 %
Total Carbohydrate 5 g 2 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g 3 %
Sugars 5 g
Protein 28 g 56 %
Vitamin A 0 %
Vitamin C 6 %
Calcium 3 %
Iron 8 %

I serve this with couscous (5 minutes to boil the water, 5 minutes to set up in the pot) & a vegetable. You could serve with rice, pasta, potatoes, or just vegetables-- I just like couscous b/c I can do it while the chicken is cooking.

taunto

Its all about what you have available and what you have prepped in advance. I usually keep some marinated chicken that I freeze in case I know I wont have time to make a propper meal. I usually get some "tikka masala" or "shawarma spice" from local ethnic stores and mar8nate bonellllllless chicken cut into cubes and put some black cinegar and olive oil etc. When i am ready to cook, i prepare some white rice , saute some vegfies like onions, bell peppers, tonatoes etc. I add some corn, some cooked beans and cilantro on the rice, the chciken gets fried on a drying pan with a spray of oil and then I make a burritto with all these ingredients or eat them as is. Takes less than 30 minutes but need oreperation in advance.

So, always be prepared for when you need quick fix and you won't need to find qquick recipes :-)