HELP!!!! Please read!!!

Invest in a food steamer...You can get a good one for under $25. Most of the new ones have three layers...which means that you can steam three different entres at one time.... Chicken, vegetables, boiled eggs, rice, etc...You can quickly cook an entire healthy, delicious meal while you study or take care of your family.

During the week I *live* on turkey sandwiches. Arnold's 100% whole wheat sandwich thins, deli turkey, miracle whip, mustard and some green pepper strips or whatever veggies I have lying around makes a great meal. The sandwich thins come 8 in a bag for $3.50 (in MD), turkey is a half pound for 4.50 (way less if it's on sale), miracle whip is a few pennies per serving, a green pepper is about a dollar for more than you'd need. So all together you pay about $1 per sandwich. And they're 180 calories, great protein, low sodium (if you get the right kind of turkey), and very satisfying. I'm going to go make one now...

Meats: tilapia will bake in 8-10 minutes in the oven at about 325 degrees. All it needs is salt, a slice or two of lemon, and a dot or two of butter (about 1/4 tbs)
skirt steak cooked in the broiler will reach medium-ish if you cook it 3 minutes per side
precooked sausage is tasty and technically takes no time to cook, although it's nicer sliced diagonally and browned for a few minutes in a pan

Starches: I love the "Near East" couscous mixes. Couscous will cook in boiling water in under 5 minutes, so adding time to get it to boil makes about 15 minutes
You can also buy rice steamers that are low-sodium and will cook in the microwave in 5 minutes or so
Corn on the cob will cook in the microwave, wrapped in a damp paper towel, in 8 minutes

Veggies: most people have covered this already, but to reiterate: an inch of water on the bottom of a pot boils very quickly, and you only need about 5-10 minutes to steam veggies. Carrots, broccoli, string beans, and spinach are my weekly staples.

Step One: But a crock pot
Step Two: Pick a recipe

Super easy, healthy and cooks while you are gone.

Buffalo Ranch Crockpot Chicken
1lb chicken breast (bonless/skinless)
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dip/Dressing mix
1 bottle Franks Hot WIng Sauce (ZERO CALORIES)


Put the chicken in the crock pot, sprinkle the ranch on top and pour the Franks Hot Sauce on top (as much as you want)
I put it on for 4 hours..
Then I turned it into wraps usin FlatOut (its like a flatbread) (90 calories, 9 grams of protein and 9 grams of dietary fiber)...
Added lettuce, tomato, wrapped it up.

Chicken noodle soup
8-10 oz chicken
1 bundle green onions
1 can low sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1/2 cup pasta
2 cups spinach

I season with only black pepper and garlic powder. It's 3g fat and 30g protein per bowl. (Makes 2 big bowls.) It's also really great with some shredded cheese mixed in, if you wanted more fat and protein.

Chicken Tacos
You'll need 1 or 2 lbs of chicken (I used thighs; they're cheaper), 1 jar of salsa and a packet of taco seasoning. Dump all three ing. into crockpot. Stir, if you're into that sort of thing. And then set your timer to low. You can do this with frozen or thawed chicken.

Here's the original recipe: http://mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html

Pulled Pork with Caramelized Onions
Recipe on Eating Well.com: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pulled_pork_with_caramelized_onions.html

NUTRITION
Per serving (without bun): 358 calories; 18 g fat ( 6 g sat , 9 g mono ); 90 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 9 g added sugars; 25 g protein; 3 g fiber; 664 mg sodium; 510 mg potassium.

Left overs can be used to make a really good Pulled Pork Torta: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pulled_pork_torta.html

NUTRITION
Per serving: 374 calories; 18 g fat ( 7 g sat , 7 g mono ); 68 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 4 g added sugars; 22 g protein; 3 g fiber; 574 mg sodium; 274 mg potassium.

Skinny Taste's sweet barbacoa pork
found here: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/slow-cooked-sweet-barbacoa-pork.html

Crock Pot Cabbage Soup
Minutes to Prepare: 45
Minutes to Cook: 300
Number of Servings: 10

Ingredients

1 can of Chicken Broth
1/2 head of Cabbage - chopped
3 large carrots - chopped
8 stalks of celery
1 onion chopped
1 cup of green peppers chopped (approx 2 large)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can of sliced mushrooms
1 pkg of lipton onion soup mix
12 oz can of v-8 juice

Directions
Chop all veggies into bite size pieces. Drain and rinse canned mushrooms. Add all ingredients in a large crock pot - cook on high for two hours and then on low for 3 hours. Very filling. Makes 10 servings of 1 cups. very low calorie.

Crockpot Taco Chicken:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 pack taco seasoning (or make your own)
1 jar of your favorite salsa or rotel

dump it all in crockpot cook on high for around 5-6 hours, take out chicken breasts and shredded with fork, then put it back in and mix it up let it cook on high for about 1 more hour.

serve with reg taco fixings or make it a taco salad with out the tortilla for and even lower calorie meal.
It is awesome and super easy.

Pulled Chicken BBQ
Put 6 boneless skinless chicken breast in crockpot with a little water and some mesquite seasoning cook on high 5-6 hours

Remove chicken and shred it with a fork, drain water, put shredded chicken back into crockpot and pour in you favorite BBQ sauce amount varies by how much you want on your chicken some people like it more saucy than others, stir it real good and cook another hour. Serve on wheat roll.

Chicken stroganoff
2-3 Chicken breasts - frozen,
1/2 pakage of Onion soup mix (I actually use 1/2 pkg due to sodium)
98% fat free cream of mushroom soup (+ 1/2 can water)
Onions
Mushrooms
16 oz Fat Free Sour Cream.

Put frozen chicken in the crock pot, top with remaining ingredients, and allow to slow cook all day (I usually cook on low for about 8-10 hrs). Once done, cut up the chicken breasts into bite size pieces (sometimes I shred it), and pour over your choice of either brown rice or whole grain noodles. I don't recommend putting the noodles to cook with the rest, the noodles always get over done...

People posted many excellent suggestions here. Just wanted to add that I can relate to that since I can't seem to find time to cook as much as I would like to, and many times I bring Lean Cuisine for lunch. I buy them at Walmart every time they are on sale, it costs me much less than any of the other options I have around here (restaurants/fast food) and I've lost 12lbs so far so my experience with them is very positive. I know that they are not the healthiest option on earth, but they help me with losing weight.
Good luck!