Your nicest 20 minute meals!

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Woodsmoke
Woodsmoke Posts: 360 Member
I am literally asking for 20 minutes here, for rushed times and after a late shift. I fed up with 'healthy' ready meals. Salt content aint great.

(No beans, chickpeas or lentils!)

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  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Kroger frozen wild caught salmon, grilled on the stove. Frozen asparagus added toward the end, with Kirkland Pesto on both.
  • Lynnie1017
    Lynnie1017 Posts: 1 Member
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    Giambotta (chunky Italian vegetable stew). Heat some olive oil and sauté some chopped garlic, add and sauté rough cut onion, sliced peppers and zucchini, then add peeled cubed eggplant and sauté a bit more - the eggplant will absorb a lot of the moisture. then add cubed potatoes and 1 can of chopped tomatoes with juice, (salt, pepper, oregano - and fresh basil, if you have it (I don't like dried basil but that's a personal choice). Simmer for about 20 mins or until potatoes are done. I serve with Italian bread. There are many recipes on the internet.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 984 Member
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    I cook bolognaise, different curries (Indian, Thai, chicken, beef, turkey, prawn) and different stir fries, in bulk, and freeze as individual portions. If I'm organised, I get something out in the morning and just re-heat in the evening. If I'm not organised, I defrost in the microwave (although I usually still re-heat on the stove). It doesn't take long to cook some pasta, rice or noodles, especially if you heat the water using a kettle, initially.

    Alternatively, something like a fish fillet or steak with veg and potatoes. (I usually boil loads of potatoes at a time, mash them and freeze that in portions too).

    A stirfry doesn't take too long to cook if you buy ready-made bags of veg. The prep of cutting up loads of different vegetables takes the time, which, as well as ensuring I have less food waste, is why I prefer to make them in bulk.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Chicken supreme:

    Fry onions till softened. Add crushed garlic and a little flour and cook briefly. Add milk to make up the quantity of sauce you want. Cook til thickened. Add cooked chicken and cook gently till warmed through. Frozen peas or sweetcorn are good added at the end and warmed through. I like it with rice, or you could bake a little puff pastry at the same time and stick it on top and call it a chicken pot pie.
  • fatgirlandrobin
    fatgirlandrobin Posts: 34 Member
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    Turkey bacon, veggies of your choice, cheese of your choice (if you want cheese), and a soft taco tortilla. Really quick, really tasty, and it's healthy!
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I batch cook..more often than not, [lunch/early dinner] it's rotisserie chicken (ready made from supermarket, cut into ~8 servings to eat as is and a small pile of small pieces ripped off the bones) with roasted veggies and a small side of rice & beans with veggies/chorizo (which I usually make in very large batches). The roasted veggies = dump a few bags of frozen veg on foil-covered pan, drizzle with oil, parmesan, onion/garlic/spices, heat ~30ish minutes at 375ish. Late night after dancing, I usually have soup (I make a 3.5-4kg batch about once per week - pretty much beans, some frozen/canned veggies, optionally some seasoning - let it go overnight in crockpot then transfer into lighter container to store in fridge) with an extra heap of chicken (the previously mentioned pile) and some crackers. (Writing down the quantities and entering into the recipe database takes longer than it actually takes to make soup). (You can leave the beans out of the items I listed - I'm usually pretty generous with them since they are a good protein & fiber source).
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Omelets are always my go to when pressed for time. Also quesadillas with mozzarella cheese and whatever meats and veggies I have on hand. I love this beef and cabbage stir fry from Budget Bytes too. If you buy shredded cabbage with carrots, it takes about 10 minutes total.
    https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/08/beef-cabbage-stir-fry/
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    I do a recipe of soup on the weekend, and then freeze in 1-2 portion containers to use for quick meals.

    Weeknight meals:
    Omelets
    Salmon - ok, this takes 30 min, but only 5 to make it: http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/baked-thai-pineapple-salmon-in-foil/. Throw some baby potatoes in the oven too, with some other veg (I really like roasted broccoli).
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    My go-to is some leftovers combines with some steamed veggies. I always cook enough to make leftovers.
  • shandy82165
    shandy82165 Posts: 184 Member
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    I like to buy precooked italian sausages, like Adelle's, and saute them with pepper and onions, add some sauce and serve over penne. Alternatively, you could add tomatoes instead of sauce and serve over rice or pasta.

    I also cook soup and chili and freeze in serving size portions. Makes for a quick chili mac or bowl of soup.

    Another idea is cream of broccoli soup. 2 cups frozen broccoli, 1.5c chicken broth, .5c chopped onion. Simmer for 10 minutes, then blend with a stick blender. Mix 2 tbls flour into 1c milk and add to pureed broccoli, simmer a few minutes until thickened. So good and so low in cals!

    Or a quick black bean soup using canned beans? Cumin, oregano, garlic, onion, black beans...delicious!

    So many great ideas in this thread, and the possibilities are endless!
  • kmg3614
    kmg3614 Posts: 83 Member
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    For a quick and easy meal I boil 2 oz pasta (200c) While the pasta is going, I spray a pan with nonstick spray and cook zucchini 2c (36c), when that is almost done I add imitation crab (80c). I toss it all together and top with a little butter spray (5 sprays 0c) and garlic salt and pepper. 316 calories, filling and quick... You can also add Laughing cow cheese...
  • BootCampC
    BootCampC Posts: 689 Member
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    6oz canned chicken , franks red hot sauce , 1 flatout wrap.
    prepare in a bowl cover all the chicken with red hot ,then fill the wrap with the prepared chicken and drizzle on a tablespoon of low fat ranch or blu cheese salad dressing .. 5 min meal. 300 calorie buffalo wrap