What is your simplest, quick, easy meal?

40lbslighter

Hi all!

I am new to cooking (my mother rarely cooked growing up, then roommates in college and previous mates did most of the cooking) and I am looking for low-fuss meal recipes.

No fancy ingredients or special kitchen gadgets please. Stuff that is readily available at standard grocery chains would be ideal.

Thanks so much for your contributions!

Heather4448

Rotisserie chicken would be great for you. Eat it as is with veggies for a side, shred it and make pasta/chicken salad, use the bones to make soup out of your leftovers at the end of every week. Eventually, you'll branch out and start experimenting with recipes. But, for now, keep it simple

OldHobo

Easiest for me is grazing on leftovers. Next easiest; put some protein, say a chicken breast or pork chop, some vegetable, maybe zucchini, and some starch like perhaps a potato or plantain all into an 8" casserole and cook in a toaster oven for however long the meat requires. Toss the whole batch with some extra virgin olive oil and season it all with salt, pepper and whatever you discover by trial and error you're fond of. Of course, you will have cut the veggies into the size that will be done at the same time as the meat. How long is that? You can get a rough idea by googling "recipe: baked [your meat]." As for the veggies; shorter, longer, or the same as last time depending on how they turned out. You can use the exact same system with a frying pan on the stovetop except it is called a sautée or stir fry.
You sound pretty young which means you probably have many decades ahead of you. My advice is don't worry about recipes. Invest a little time in learning a few techniques and your time in the kitchen will be a lot more rewarding and enjoyable.

40lbslighter

Thanks so much for the advice!

I appreciate it so much!

NeshiaP16

Google some healthy crock pot ideas, that way food will be done when you get home. Simple and easy.

toolzz

my 2 favourites are:

2 pcs light rye (toasted or not), 100cal wholly guacamole pack, fresh tomato slices and spicy pickle.

1 whole egg, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1 laughing cow cheese wedge - microwave till done

both are filling and versatile...you can add more or less to either with low cal toppings or seasonings.

rheddmobile

My can't be bothered to cook meal is Chicken Wicker's. It makes perfect chicken with zero brain power and almost no effort. Buy bone in skin on chicken thighs, a disposable roasting pan, and a jug of Wicker's BBQ marinade. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the thighs in the pan, skin up, shake the marinade thoroughly, and pour over the thighs so that the lower, skinless half is submerged and the skin is above the liquid. There should be seasoning left on top of the thighs. Roast for about an hour until chicken is done. Remove from the oven and aside to cool a little, while you make side dishes, such as steamer bags of microwave vegetables, ears of corn, canned greens or lady peas, or a salad. Although this recipe uses skin on chicken, most of the fat from the skin goes into the marinade and isn't eaten, so you wind up with crispy skin but less fat.

It's worthwhile to learn how to stir fry. Make a basic marinade of ginger, garlic or green onions, red or black pepper, soy sauce, and rice vinegar or lemon juice, and marinade thinly sliced chicken, beef or pork in a plastic bag in the fridge for half an hour. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet or wok and cook your meat - remove it to a plate - add sliced vegetables such as onions, peppers, snow peas. Cook until softened then return your meat to heat it back up. If you like you can reserve some marinade and add it. Serve with rice, brown rice, or quinoa. You can stir fry almost anything, and it takes hardly any time.

TeaBea

I agree with @rheddmobile - learn how to make stir fries.

Firm veggies go in the pan first - peppers, celery, bok choy, carrots. Softer/faster cooking towards the end - mushrooms, snap or snow peas.

I make a broth based "sauce." Broth, soy, rice wine vinegar, add a little corn starch. Add to your veggies & meat. Cook until thickened.
http://dish.allrecipes.com/super-easy-stir-fry/

Kikkoman makes bottled stir fry sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or teriyaki sauce if you don't want the fuss.

tcunbeliever

If you know a Pampered Chef person their recipes are usually simple and delicious, plus the seasonal cookbook is only $1...by the time you get those recipes tried and decide what you like then next seasons book will be out...you can probably find them used...they have other cookbooks too...

roseinvt86

Eggs! First thing I learned how to cook. Cheap protein, so it's low stakes if you "mess one up". Pair eggs with dinner food - like grains and veggies/greens. I'd also check out this book written to teach people how to cook and eat well on a food stamps budget. Lots of good ideas. Here is the free pdf version: https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf

DX2JX2

Eggs and rice. Get minute rice or cook a bunch ahead of time and reheat in the microwave when you want it (note that refrigerated rice has to be reheated until it's really hot or it won't get soft).

Cook some eggs any way you want them and throw them on top of the rice (my favorite on rice is sunny side up), hit it with S&P and your condiment of choosing and eat. Maybe even steam some veggies in the microwave. Dinner in literally 10 minutes.

It won't be long until you graduate to fried rice.

HDBKLM

In the last few days I've been into 1–1.5 cups of frozen peas warmed through with a tablespoon of butter, then 100 grams of smoked salmon on top/next to with the juice of half a lemon squeezed over. Sprinkle on some black pepper or dried mint to taste if you like. The 'cooking' is literally just warming (better to do it on the stove so the water from the ice steams off, as opposed to in the microwave). Under 400 calories, tasty, stupid easy, fast (under 10 minutes), well balanced on macros (according to my preferences anyway). A salmon filet would also work if smoked is not your thing, but of course requires more cooking.

ritzvin

Salad w/ balsamic vinegar, parmesan, garlic, pepper topped with protein source & a side of beans.
• Soup (throw beans, miscellaneous veggies, protein source into pot)
• microwaved frozen veggies topped with protein source.
• roasted veggies (drizzled with oil, parmesan, bread crumbs) topped with protein source.

protein sources:
• rotisserie chicken.. (I remove all the meat, chop it up, throw in a freezer bag for later use).
• smoked ham quarter (in my case, pre-chopped and bagged in freezer).
• hard boiled eggs (peel and crumble/chop when needed)
• ground beef/turkey (cooked up in advance, tossed in a freezer bag for later use)

On the go/snacks:
• greek yogurt + crumbled portion of Clif bar or protein bar.
• Clif bar/protein bar dipped in peanut butter (higher fat, lower protein than above)
• cottage cheese

epiclife88

BBQ on some chicken, with some cheese and throw them in some crescent rolls and bake them for 15 minutes once the chicken is cooked.

Or BBQ chicken cheese quesadillas.

Stir fried recipes, spaghetti and sauce with ground turkey

Ground turkey 21 day fix ranch burgers are amazing too.

TonyB0588

A bowl of cereal with milk

d2harvey

2 cups frozen normandy veggies, 1 can diced tomato, chicken. i use 3 thighs.

fully cook the chicken and veggies.

add the diced tomato and some garlic/oregano and let it cook down to a bit of a thicker sauce like consistency.

that's it!

650 cals and really fills you up without pasta.

you should see it piled on a plate.

VeronicaA76

Tuna salad: 1 can tuna, 1 hard boiled egg, 1Tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon salsa. Place on bed of spinach leaves. Eat. I hard boiled my eggs a dozen at a time for quick prep.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I'm making a huge pot of turkey chilli today and it couldn't be easier.

Through a packet of turkey mince in to a big pot with an inch of water.
Then throw in
Stock cube, crumbled up
2 tea spoons of crushed garlic. I buy it ready done in a jar. Life is too short to chop garlic
Chop up a whole packet of mushrooms
2 onions chopped
A bag of kale ( I buy the ready chopped at Aldi)
1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, 1 yellow pepper, chopped up
3 large carrots. I spiralise but you can just chop.
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Good pinch of chilli flakes
Chilli powder to the heat you like.

You could add kidney beans but I'm not a fan.

When it's cooked I serve it with cous cous or jacket potatoes.

Portion it up for the freezer as ready meals for those CBA nights.

Doesntplaynice82

This makes 2 meals for me:

Boil a boneless skinless chicken breast and shred (tip: use a hand mixer to shred faster than using 2 forks)
Microwave a bag of cubed sweet potatoes (found at walmart)
Mix some wing sauce of your choice with the chicken
Use a small amount of light ranch for added flavor!

jelly_potato

Well, you can always cook simple rice with mince/ chopped meat and veggies if you want some quick food for 1-4 days.

Throw in some onion, garlic, and mince/chopped meat in a hot pan with oil. Add some spices to the meat if you want (just salt and pepper works well too).
When the meat is mostly cooked, throw in some defrosted carrots and peas, and some chopped paprika.
Add the washed rice and when the liquid is absorbed, add hot water.
Throw in if you want a cube of beef/chicken/veggie stock. Check if it needs more salt and pepper.
You probably didn't add enough water, or some of it evaporated before being absorbed. Add more hot water until it's cooked.

sawyergarden13

My easy quick meals when im on lates at work are:

Wholemeal toast, 2 poached eggs, mushrooms, salad, maybe some sliced ham - less than 5 mins to make!
or
Baked sweet potato, lots of salad and a huge scoop of cottage cheese. Baked potatoes take about 7 mins in a micro and you can have a mountain of different choices to have along side.
Meat and pitta bread again with salad or veg.

hope this helps