Quick and Easy Meals

Spaghetti and meatballs, cooked veggies, and Italian Cheese Bread

After seeing our lunch of hamburgers, Lyn asked:

I wonder if you have any other good ideas for quick meals. Sometimes I only have enough energy for a very short time in the kitchen. Thanks.

Lyn, thanks for asking!

Taco Salad is one of my staple last-minute meals, especially since it's a favorite of Joshua's. :) Tammy's Chicken Rice Bake involves very little preparation (it has a long baking time though!) and I think it's yummy. :) Grilled cheese sandwiches are another fall-back on busy days. :)

I used to make a Homemade pizza with a pre-baked crust (crust can be frozen until needed), which, when using a bread machine to knead the dough, was a quick-prep meal. Now, I've gotten fast at making Tammy's Easy Pizza and it's another last-minute, less-prep-time solution for me. :)

Another thing I consider when searching for a quick meal to make, is this: What leftover ingredients do I have in my freezer or refrigerator that can be used for a fresh dinner?

If I have leftover chicken or cooked ground beef, I often make a simple gravy-based meal, like Chicken Gravy over Egg Noodles, or my Simple Beef Gravy Supper. Cheesy Chicken Vermicelli is very quick to assemble if you have leftover chicken to use. I have a page devoted to leftover ideas (which is in need of updating). :)

Here is an index of all of the recipes on this website that I've termed "quick and easy". There's quite a variety, and I think most take between 15 and 30 minutes to make. Trying a new recipe usually takes me longer than normal, though, so even a "quick" new recipe may not be extremely efficient.

Since I cook mostly from scratch, I don't have many 5-minute main dish recipes. Most of my "quick and easy" meals are actually meals that I planned and partially prepared ahead of time. Here's some more info about how I utilize "cooking ahead" to fit our needs.

For example, today we had spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. I boiled some pasta, and heated up some (homemade, frozen) meatballs and sauce. Because I do most of the work ahead of time, spaghetti and meatballs is a very quick meal for me to prepare.

So the two main ways I achieve homemade, from-scratch, low-prep meals are:

1. Cooking ahead and/or freezing leftovers
2. Using leftovers

This is just what works for me and our family. :) Does anyone else have any other tips or recipe ideas for Lyn? Thanks!

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Thank you!

Submitted by Lyn on Fri, 2007-03-30 14:41.

Tammy,
I am most grateful for you posting my question and some great ideas. Sometimes, even 30 minutes is a lot for me in the kitchen, but I think using some of your plan-ahead ideas & prepping can be helpful. Thank you!

I thought of that. :)

Submitted by Tammy on Fri, 2007-03-30 14:45.

Lyn, I was thinking that same thing... because I know when I have had a newborn baby, a full 30 minutes in the kitchen was very difficult to manage. ;) But really the only way I got through that was by either having stuff already prepared and frozen, or being helped by others. I couldn't imagine trying to cook from scratch, not feeling well enough to spend the time on each meal, AND not having any help!

Challenging

Submitted by Lyn on Fri, 2007-03-30 16:36.

Tammy,
It's funny that you mention that, because I do have to cook scratch due to health & food intolerances. In general I don't have help as it's just me and dh & I'm lacking in time only because of the energy factor. I overdid it today as I made a few things - but I will probably pay for it tomorrow.

I think the key for me is working on easier but healthy meals. Again, I really appreciate your ideas & I would also love to hear from others. Thank you.

Speghetti is something I

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 2007-03-31 10:55.

Speghetti is something I prepare if I want to get it done quick! ;) I know Tammy already mentioned it though! lol I don't usually put meatballs in it if I want to save time, I just ground the beef and put it in. :)

Another quick meal is tacos. :) Or tortilla wraps (get a tortilla and spread about 1 tbsp ranch sauce on it, put some chopped tomatoes, black olives, sweet onions, sliced turkey, and a little bit of shredded cheese...it tastes really good, and takes only a minute to prepare! :)

Tammy, your post has some really great ideas...I love the leftover category!

Tonight I'm going to be making your grilled Salmon recipe!

Hope this helps

Submitted by Big Mama on Mon, 2007-04-02 17:48.

When I find ground beef or such on sale, I go ahead and cook up half of it with peppers and onions and freeze it in 2 cup freezer bags. That way when we have had a busy day homeschooling or whatever, I can pull out some of the ground meat and mix up some type of dinner. One of our favorite quick meals is a Mexican lasagna. It is real similar to Tammy's Cheesy Tortilla Casserole. I just use 3 tortillas, no kidney beans-but refried beans and a 9 inch round dish. This mexi lasagna freezes well if you feel like making two and putting one in the freezer. We also do a Panini sandwich that is super quick and good. I don't know how authentic they are. But this is how we do it. Slice french bread about 1 inch thick. Brush the outsides of the bread with olive oil, the insides with lite mayo. Then add sliced ham or turkey, then sliced mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato, onion and sliced banana peppers-drained. Put this together and place in a heated iron skillet and use another heavy skillet to press the sandwiches while they are cooking until brown. Turn over and press until that side is golden brown. We serve this with fresh fruit and cottage cheese. Of course you could use the meat, cheese and veggies of your choice. Yummy!!

Easy meals

Submitted by Martha Artyomenko on Mon, 2007-04-02 21:53.

I understand not being able to spend much time int he kitchen while pregnant. I had trouble with food smells, so it also could not cook very long. I could not use the crockpot as the smell of it all day cooking would send me to the bathroom!
A couple of meals that i made that were really easy, may take longer to cook, but took only minutes in the kitchen were rice skillet dishes. I made several different ones.
Chicken and broccoli skillet-
Spanish skillet
Curried skillet

The basic principle was the same, just different ingedients. In frying pan heat a small amount of oil. Add 1 clove finely minced garlic and 1 c. rice, stir until lightly browned. Add spices according to flavor (Spanish- 1 t. cumin, 1 t. cailifornia chili powder or pasilla chili powder, 1 T. tomato paste- chicken broccoli one- parsley, 1/2 t. onion powder- Curried- 1-2 t. curry powder however strong you like it) Add 2 1/4 c. chicken broth and frozen chicken tender (or cooked meatof your choice). For the broccoli one add half a bag of frozen broccoli. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cover tightly and cook 25-30 min or until liquid is absorbed and meat is tender.

Also, Taco salad- I would make it without meat usually, just use a can of rinsed black or kidney beans (or home cooked ones I had frozen), lettuce, grated cheese, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream. It is pretty easy to throw together!
Quesadillas with chicken, sour cream and cheese inside and browned in a bit of olive oil with salad. these are very easy and surprisingly filling!
Soup- One that is really easy is chicken broth (or boullion cubes in water), cubed potatoes and diced celery. Cook until veggies are tender. Salt to taste and add a dash of dillweed. Serve with a spoon of sour cream. it is really good and light! i also will put cooked chicken in this if I feel like it! Serve with crackers like Triscuits or a hearty cracker.
I also have a good quick veggie beef soup I make that takes like 30 min, to cook and you can throw it together fast. the hardest part is getting the potatoes peeled! My husband usually does that for me as he likes to, but otherwise it can be done sitting down!