quick dinners-heeeelp me

alanargreen

Working two jobs, the last thing I want to do on a few and far between day off is meal prep. Looking for some no-cook or quick dinner ideas to help keep don't track so I don't hit up the fast food or spend lots of money on eating out. Any help is appreciated- I haven't worked this much in a long time

ForeverSunshine09

Tacos, Spaghetti, chicken tenders, anniversary chicken, french toast, ground beef tortellini, cheeseburgers. The possibilities are almost endless if you have a crockpot.

Suzy5678

Throw a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your crockpot. Add a container of fresh salsa and whatever seasonings you like. Cook all day on low. When it is done shred the chicken with a couple of forks, heat a few corn tortillas and make cantina tacos. I also add fresh cilantro, diced onions and a squeeze of fresh lime. Quick, easy and healthy!

oreo_whore

Cook a turkey burger, veggie burger, or some tofu in a pan [should take about 5 minutes]. While it's cooking microwave some frozen veggies. Add ketchup or soy sauce. Voila cheap, healthy, and quick

This is not so healthy but the other main meal i make is a tortilla with some canned beans, salsa, and cheese microwaved and folded into a burrito

try2again

We've been having a lot of tilapia in the microwave. Defrost however many individual filets you want during the day. I melt about 1/2-1 tsp butter on a plate, dredge both sides of the filets in it, sprinkle it with a little parsley & lemon, and microwave 2 min. or so. Start checking after about 1 1/2- only cook until the thickest part flakes with a fork (if I'm doing 2 or more filets, I layer the thinner sections over each other to achieve a uniform thickness.) I use a small amount of prepared tartar sauce with it. We usually have this with a microwaved potato (done in a potato bag) and microwaved/steamed broccoli.

mistikal13

If you have the energy to do some batch cooking on one of your days off, this would also really help you. You could portion everything out and freeze it so all you have to do is defrost and re heat!

beankid

Crock pot. Chicken breasts and bbq sauce. 3 hours on High or 5.5 on low. Shred. eat on salads, with eggs, potatoes, on a bun etc

lozz20782

simple dinners not extremely healthy, not bad, super quick and easy! KIDS FAVS

Butter chicken
diced chicken breast cooked on stove top add a jar of chicken tonight butter chicken .
Meanwhile i have rice cooking in the rice cooker
Put rice in bowl chicken and sauce on top.
DONE!!


Chilli con carne
500gm mince,
tin of diced tomatoes
tin of red kidney beans
rice
maggie chilli con carne packet mix
water
cook mince in pan, add tomatoes and beans, let simmer for 10mins, add the packet mix and water meanwhile have rice cooking in rice cooker.
DONE!

Tuna mornae
1 tin of tuna
1 onion
handful of bacon pieces
1 tin of creamed corn
shell pasta
Grated cheese
Boil pasta, cook onion and bacon in pan, add tuna and creamed corn, add some salt and pepper to taste, add a touch of milk if the mixture is too thick. Drain pasta then tip all ingredients in together and mix. put all ingredients in an oven dish, add a layer of grated cheese to the top and sprinkle with parsley and paprika for some colour. Place uncovered in the oven until the cheese melts.
DONE! ( I sometimes sneak some peas in there too)

23susu23

You didn't say if you are cooking for anyone else, so I'm assuming not. I try to keep tuna handy to mix up some tuna salad to have on a sandwich or on top of some greens. Scramble up some eggs with veggies or make an omelet. I don't know if you have access to a Costco but they sell individual cups of guacamole (probably can find them in the regular grocery too) that are handy to jazz up a salad or add to some grilled chicken in a tortilla. Costco also sells a big package of the shredded breast meat from their roasted chickens. You can use that on salads, sandwiches, in casseroles or soups. I also like to just throw it in a skillet with a little oil and let it get very brown, add a little greek dill yogurt sauce and slice up some cucumbers with it. I also like to add a little sirirachi red chili sauce to it. Peanut butter on a toaster waffle with a banana sliced on top and maybe a drizzle of honey.

Also bags of frozen veggies will save you time over prepping fresh ones. You can cook in the microwave or in a skillet with meat for a stirfry. Don't forget to use prepared sauces and dressing to jazz up your meats and veggies. I used to just eat everything plain but a lot of bottled sauces have under 50 calories for a Tablespoon and will give your plain dishes a little zing--chinese, salsa, BBQ, flavored mustards, etc. Maybe factor in a snack for after work or while you are cooking so you will be less tempted to just stop for takeout because you are too hungry to wait to fix something.

The main thing since you are working so much, is to make sure you take the time to shop so that you do have various ingredients at home. Good luck!

Jimsterintexas

Get a pressure cooker. You can cook meals in minutes without using pots and pans. We use ours all the time and the food is ready fast.

trisH_7183

If you have space,cook ground beef or turkey,maybe sausage,then freeze in zip lock bags Don't forget to put a name on each.. Today was busy,so Pizza with a bit of already cooked meat,some mushrooms & onions....add cheese All done while oven heats. Also,meat balls bought frozen or homemade are so handy with pasta or a quick sub.Add meat to tacos with salsa,add to scrambled egg. Top baked potato with meat,veggies & cheese.