Favorite QUICK and EASY meals?

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13

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  • KristinD1977
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    Really quick, really simple but I love it.

    Heat Coconut oil in a frying pan, season thin cut chicken breast (I use McCormick perfect pinch original chicken) cook 3 to 4 minutes each side depending on thickness.

    Because I am usually cooking this just for me I have room in my pan to cook up peppers & mushrooms at the same time as the chicken
  • I made this soup in like 30 min. last time. Thought I'd share another recipe.

    Not everyone likes coconut and Thai inspired food, so just be aware that it might be a little exotic (pronounced strange) to some palettes.

    Spiced Coconut Soup:

    1 Can Coconut Milk
    1 Can Low Sodium Chicken Broth (Sub with Veggie stock if Vegetarian)
    1 heaping tablespoon of curry paste (Thai or Indian curry paste is fine)
    Zucchini
    Bean Sprouts (The Asian ones, look like this: http://static2.thaitable.com/images/ingredient/5bean-sprouts.jpg)
    Baby carrots (Any kind of cut carrot is good, frozen is fine)
    Water Chestnuts (Drained and rinsed)
    Baby corn (Drained and rinsed, or frozen niblet corn)
    Broccoli cuts (Frozen is fine)
    Cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks (optional, omit if Veg.)
    Sweet onion
    Garlic clove
    Coconut Oil
    Olive Oil
    Assorted herbs/spices: Black pepper, curry powder, ginger, coriander, cilantro, chive; all to taste

    Now that's a big list of ingredients.

    So you put some Olive oil in your pot along with your diced onion and garlic. You cook those until just barely translucent, then you throw the stock in and stir. Add carrots, water chestnuts, baby corn, chicken, and broccoli. Add a tblsp coconut oil and 1-2 tblsp curry paste reduce heat to medium. Stir some more. Add bean sprouts and coconut milk. Bring to simmer. We don't want the mixture to get to a rolling boil, because that's when the coconut products burn. If it boils a little, that's fine, but simmer is ideal. Once it's well combined and hot throughout, add spices to taste.

    Now the fun part. First time I made this, I sat there for ten minutes playing with spices, because I have fun doing so. But if you don't wanna do that, just give the broth a taste, and add spices accordingly. If you want it to be very spicy, add curry powder and cayenne, along with ginger, cilantro, and coriander.

    If you don't want it spicy, omit cayenne, add barely a tsp of curry powder, be more generous with ginger and garlic, and be very touchy with cilantro and coriander. Add more onion powder for more onion if you didn't cook enough earlier.

    Because of the saltyness of the soup in general, I do NOT recommend adding garlic or onion SALTS as they will drastically make the soup saltier.

    For one hefty 2c serving:
    326 Calories
    9g Fat
    31g Protein
    483 mg Sodium
    14g Sugars

    Pics, because it happened:
    https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/720x332q90/42/s6hq.jpg

    Note: In my pic, I added mushrooms instead of broccoli. While it tasted fine, I prefer broccoli.
  • lpeace2u
    lpeace2u Posts: 94 Member
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    bump
  • measem1
    measem1 Posts: 16 Member
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    These recipes sound great. Will have to post some of my own recipes soon.
  • skvbrevity
    skvbrevity Posts: 14 Member
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    WalMart deli roasted chickens are a lifesaver. We use only the breast meat, but it's still cheaper than buying and preparing raw or frozen chicken breasts. I pair this with whole green beans (Publix store brand is best I've found) cooked in just a little olive oil, pop an individual container of Minute Rice's Multi-grain Medley (which is brown rice w/quinoa), and throw together a green salad. I like to make either a vinegar/olive oil dressing or a Ranch made with plain Greek yogurt. It's a tasty, healthy and cheap dinner meal. My husband is very slim, but he enjoys a meal like this with me, so I don't feel singled out, either.
  • catsaunt
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    Mmmmmm sounds great
  • catsaunt
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    Is there a way to save these recipes. Could you please explain how to do that? Thanks for your time.
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
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    Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles

    Chopped Peppers ( I use red, yellow and orange)

    Little bit of frozen spinach

    Eggs (mixed to scramble)

    Start by thawing the spinach in your pan then add sausage. It's pre-cooked so your really just warming it up. Then I add the peppers and cook a few minutes more before I add the eggs.

    I usually make this for one person with 2 eggs but you could just toss in what you need for 2 people. 1/4 cup of the sausage crumbles is one serving. You can also change or add veggies.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    My boyfriend has finally decided to take the plunge with me and so we're losing weight together. I'm trying to cut down fast food to only once a week so with that being said..what are your favorite quick and easy meals?

    Last week we threw some quesadillas on the george foreman and they were pretty darn good! That thing works super fast!
    Yeah, making sandwiches, paninis etc with thinner tortillas is great, and super fast. We have a waffle iron that doubles as a sandwich maker and on sandwich night we put all sorts of yummies in there.
  • tniemiec1
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    bake at what temperature?
  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
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    My family calls this recipe: Tater's with Andouille Sausage (catchy - I know)

    Peel and dice some potatoes. I usually do about 200 calories worth per person. Spray zero-call cooking spray in pan and brown potatoes (it really works). I also add a little dried onion and sometimes a little bit of green/red peppers towards the end.

    Slice one link (per person) of Aidelle's Andouilee Sausage (160 calories) into medallions (or chunks, or whatever) Add the sausage to the potatoes and peppers and cook the mixture for about 3-5 minutes - stirring often. The sausage is pre-cooked so all you are doing is warming it up.

    This makes a tasty, spicy, quick meal. Takes about 20 minutes. 360 calories per serving. BTW - the whole family loves this.

    ALSO - leftovers reheat easily.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Easy Chicken Pot Pie

    Cook chicken breast in a non-stick pan. Add 2 C of mixed veggies (you can sub whatever veggies you like here). Add 1 can of Healthy Request cream of chicken soup & 1/4 C milk. Simmer until warm.

    Pour chicken filling into a pie plate, sprinkle with 1/2 shredded cheese. To with a ready to bake pie crust (cut a couple of air vents). Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.


    Easy Chicken Divan

    Cook chicken breast in a non-stick pan. Thaw 2 C of brocolli (you can sub whatever veggies you like here). Put chicken & brocolli in a 2 Qt baking dish. Stir together 1 can of Healthy Request cream of chicken soup & 1/4 C milk. Pour over chicken/brocolli. Sprinkle with 1 C shredded cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, top with chow mein noodles, crushed crackers or chopped croutons. Bake 5 minutes more.
  • klkateri
    klkateri Posts: 432 Member
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    I do a broiled pollock.

    Wrap fish in tin foil, drizzle with lemon juice, pepper, garlic and some basil. Cook at 450 for about 10 minutes, just enough time to throw a bag of steam fresh veggies into the microwave and dinner is done!! I might even do a brown rice boil in a bag as well with lemon juice and basil to add some zing if I'm really hunger.
  • beccala18
    beccala18 Posts: 293 Member
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    Omelet with some fresh, frozen or leftover veggies and some leftover meat is a really easy meal.

    My go to when I'm lazy is grits with veggies (and meat).
    1/4 c grits (the quick-5 minute kind)
    1 c water (more or less depending on taste)
    1 c frozen veggie of your choice (I really like chopped spinach or green beans)
    2 tsp parmesan
    1 serving chicken/meat of choice (optional)

    Put water in small saucepan with frozen veggies. Boil. Add 1/4 c grits and reduce heat to low and cover for 5 minutes. Stir in parmesan and meat. Eat and enjoy! Without meat, it's about 250-300 calories. This is really easy to double (or triple) for whomever. Also, it's done in 10 minutes or less.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    My boyfriend has finally decided to take the plunge with me and so we're losing weight together. I'm trying to cut down fast food to only once a week so with that being said..what are your favorite quick and easy meals?

    Last week we threw some quesadillas on the george foreman and they were pretty darn good! That thing works super fast!
    Since you mentioned the foreman grill, if you guys like seafood it is crazy easy to take frozen tilapia and toss it on there for about a minute or so to thaw it (you can toss it on still frozen), then add lemon juice and whatever spice you like (I use McCormick's Lemon Pepper seasoning) and cook until it flakes apart with a fork. Hella-easy and really tasty.

    I've also had good results doing paninis on there. Take a bread you like and a basting brush, paint on each slice with some olive oil (with spices in it if you're fancier), mozzarella/provolone (or whatever you like really), tomato (if desired, my wife hates tomato so it's usually left off) and some oregano and basil as the filling. Grill until melted and you get those perfect grill marks. You could probably also toss some baby spinach in there for extra nutrition if you like.
  • ashzacher
    ashzacher Posts: 114 Member
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    A tip that could benefit both of you is to prepare some things beforehand, say on Sunday, and put it in tupperware for the rest of the week. Freeze it if you hate leftovers, but I usually put mine in the fridge and it's fine for lunch/dinner during the week.

    Some of my favorites:
    - Frozen seafood (tilapia, shrimp, salmon) and veggies. Very easy to toss some fish and olive oil with some seasonings into a pan! You can buy fresh or frozen veggies and cook them up easily as well.

    - Chicken tenders (my boyfriend LOVES these): Buy chicken tenderloins (or boneless skinless breasts and cut them into strips). Coat in egg whites, roll in breadcrumbs (panko or regular), and bake in the oven @ 350 for 30-40 minutes. If you are only cooking a few, you can cook them in a frying pan.

    - Salsa Chicken: Cut up chicken breasts into chunks. Cook on the stovetop and drain (if there's liquid coming off), dump in a can of fresh salsa. Serve over rice or pasta, or in a tortilla.

    - Tuna Noodle Casserole: Mix tuna, chopped celery, onion, fat free Greek yogurt, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, in a bowl.. Add to cooked elbow or shell whole wheat noodles.

    I also love simple things like ground turkey in tomato sauce, sauteed veggies over rice, etc. I'll add more ideas when I think of them!
  • Loraluvs
    Loraluvs Posts: 50 Member
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    Sounds amazing :)
  • jujaws
    jujaws Posts: 192 Member
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    ALL of these ideas sound GREAT! Keep them coming guys! Tilapia (OR ORANGE ROUGHY!! :P) is one of my faves and definitely never tried it on the George Foreman..but that thing seems to cook everything super fast so why the heck not!

    I made steak on the George Foreman a few nights ago and did a dry rub with garlic salt, onion powder, regular salt, pepper, a small amount of chicken bouillion, and penzey's sandwich sprinkle. It was pretty delicious, only would probably be a lot better on the grill..just didn't have the time! I bought a tub of bob evan's potatoes but I love how quick baked potatoes can be.

    For breakfast I've always gone with eggs cooked different ways, but I love doing this as an easy alternative (and fulfilling for any meal!)
    Healthy Life whole grain English muffin (80 cals ea)
    Frozen Sausage Patties (can use turkey sausage of course)
    Kraft skim milk cheese (25 cal ea)
    Lightly butter English muffin, place butter side up inside of a toaster oven (until your desired crispiness)
    Microwave sausage patty, assemble while still hot and YUM! :) Easy breakfast AND just as good if not better than the fast food breakfasts--same wait time, too!) This takes about 5 minutes TOPS.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    Tacos or taco salad.

    Pasta. Usually I do chicken black olives feta green onions and tomatoes. I season it with crushed red pepper and salt and splash whit wine on it. Very good and quick you just have to get the ingredients cut up and ready to go.

    Stew. I do beef stew a lot. Same with stroganoff. I do them both in the crock pot.
  • jujaws
    jujaws Posts: 192 Member
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    Oh yum! I love chicken stroganoff with mushrooms. My mom would make that in the crock pot, I really should get the recipe from her sometime. She's a total crockpot person. I have to say I have never used one in my life.