Favorite quick meals

[child of 2]

what's you favorite/go-to quick meal, be it quick recipes or microwavable entrees. I like canned soup with vegetables. but I'm weary about anything that has along shelf life. My favorite quick recipe is scrambled eggs with some frozen vegetables, and some freah deli meat

[wanderingalbatross]

Spaghetti.

[sarab]

Sweet plantains! I microwave them with the skin on (cut a slit on top), for about 3 minutes (depending on the size), and then eat a piece with cheese and maybe I'll microwave some sweet peas and eat those things together. Yumm.

[child of 2]

I like spaghetti, except it takes forever to get the water to boil, and make a good sauce. I always add meat and seasoning to my sauce. Too much work.

 

 

I actually never had plantains. But I'll get some next time I go shopping. They look like bananas that's been sitting for too long.

[MsDarjeeling]

Potatoes.  They bake in the microwave in just a few minutes and can be topped with anything.... veggies, cheese, tomato sauce, curry, fresh herbs, chili, tikka masala, salad dressing, etc.

[MsDarjeeling]

I like spaghetti, except it takes forever to get the water to boil, and make a good sauce. I always add meat and seasoning to my sauce. Too much work.

 

 

I actually never had plantains. But I'll get some next time I go shopping. They look like bananas that's been sitting for too long.

 

You need a rice cooker.  Cooks things like pasta, rice, or soup much faster and you won't have tons of leftovers if you get a small one.  I've even used the rice cooker just to make meat sauce, stew, or chili.

[Roquentin]

poached eggs on toast and black coffee, with some fruit and cheese on the side

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

What I like to do is throw a large batch of food into a crock-pot (slow cooker) for 5-8 hours and then eat the leftovers for 5 days.... It can take a good bit of initial prep work depending on what you make, but it's well worth it if you make 8-10 meals... I make chili, jambalaya, roasted chicken, turkey, sausages, stew, goulash, and much more. You can vary up sauces, marinades and "mix-ins" to change things up.

A few specific and simple example recipes I use:

1) large chicken breast, marinade, mini red potatoes, carrots, broccoli onions,, and whatever spices I feel like throwing in (cayenne, garlic, basil, paprika, etc.) - combine it all together and let sit it sit on low for 6-8 hours and then save leftovers

2) 3 lbs of sausage, 2.5 pounds of saurkraut, 24 oz of beer, minced garlic, cup of onions, 2 chopped apples... Mix and let sit for 6-8 hours and then you have your next 8-10 meals.

[nugget]

Salad can be made under 5 minutes so I like to add a big salad to my dinner (or lunch) to cut down on the work, not to mention, it's healthy.

 

Other favourites... avocado sandwiches (made with toast), peanut butter sandwiches, omelet sandwich with onions and cheese.

 

Sometimes I make a batch of tacos using Old El Paso spice mix (I also add a can of kidney beans and an onion to the meat). It's quick to make and lasts a few meals.

 

I love jalapeno hummus so sometimes I dip Wasa crisp bread (or another brand) into the hummus for lunch, and eat grape tomatoes, chopped cucumbers and carrots on the side.

 

I also like making soup. It's very easy and quick if you get frozen, pre-cut vegetables and liquid broth. But it's cheaper to buy cubes and add water to make the broth yourself. It you have leftovers like chicken, roast beef, sausage, pasta or rice, they can be easily added into the mix.

 

I hear crock pots are great as you can put in your ingredients late at night and have it cook while you're sleeping or do it in the morning and when you arrive home your dinner will be ready (and you only dirty one pot). I bought one a while back and really need to give it a try. Everyone I know who uses one loves it. In the summer it's also great because (if you don't have air conditioning) you don't need to stand next to a hot stove.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Ramen takes 3 minutes. 

Chips, you just open the bag. 

Easy Mac. 

Beer 

[Usmivka]

Ice cream and cereal.

[TakeruK]

I like "fresh" (as opposed to dried) pasta that you can buy at grocery stores. They can be expensive but they are often really cheap at Costco. For $10, I can buy a 2-pack of e.g. tortellini where each pack can feed me for 4 meals or so. The "fresh" pasta cooks in only 2-3 minutes as opposed to something like 10-15 for dried pasta. This cuts the cooking time in half especially when it might take up to 10-15 minutes to boil the water in the first place.

 

While the water for pasta is boiling, I heat up a jar of sauce in a separate saucepan and throw in frozen veggies, e.g. peas. After the pasta is done, drain the water and add the sauce! Dinner ready in less than 20 minutes, only two pots to clean, and leftovers for the next few lunches too. If you have bread or rolls around, they make a nice addition too.

Edited July 29, 2013 by TakeruK

[33andathirdRPM]

Pancakes and scrambled eggs, quesadillas, salad

[St Andrews Lynx]

Gnocchi (mini potato dumplings). They take all of 3 minutes to cook in boiling water.

Couscous (usually bought in sachets). Again, very quick.

Veggie Stir fry. 

[C&C]

My method of attack is:

1. Search fridge for food that is close to going bad.
2. Heat up large skillet on stove.
3. Chop up the veggies / meat.
4. Season meat. (salt/pepper/anything you like)
5. Toss olive oil in pan.
6. Cook meat most of the way.
7. Toss in chopped veggies.
8. Cook until done...then ENJOY!

I'm the simplest cook around, but that dish never fails me and it has as many variations as you can think of!

 

[child of 2]

My method of attack is:

1. Search fridge for food that is close to going bad.
2. Heat up large skillet on stove.
3. Chop up the veggies / meat.
4. Season meat. (salt/pepper/anything you like)
5. Toss olive oil in pan.
6. Cook meat most of the way.
7. Add soy/teryacki sauce and/or bbq sauce and/or ketchup and/or seasoning and/or garlic
8. Toss in chopped veggies.
9. Cook until done...then ENJOY! most of the water evaporates, leaving behind the thick sauce and/or whenever the hell is more convenient
10. When in doubt, add frozen peas.

I'm the simplest cook around, but that dish never fails me and it has as many variations as you can think of!

 

 

That's my recipe... like every day.

 

 

and I tried the pasta in rice cooker idea. It's a good one. Except my rice cooker is small. Too bad pasta has to take so much space that you can't fit it in as well as rice.

Edited July 30, 2013 by child of 2

[comp12]

Bean and cheese burritos for me! (assuming the foresight to cook beans in bulk in advance)

[Monochrome Spring]

1. Instant ramen. Use the time it's cooking to chop up onions, jalapenos, oregano, other spices, tofu, red pepper, etc.

 

2. Tomatoes with: olive oil, oregano, basil, and crumbled feta.

 

3. Scrambled eggs with veggies. Throw on some sriracha sauce and a piece of toast.

 

4. Canned/Boxed soups with whatever veggies you have.

 

5. Fruit. Almost always easy to prepare.

 

6. Potatoes. Microwave then top with anything.

[nugget]

May I ask how you season the meat? I've tried to make stir fry many times and it usually tastes a bit bland. (But this is most likely because I'm not the best cook around). So I usually give in and add some kind of stir fry sauce to make it tastier, which then makes it unhealthy since most pre-made sauces are full of salt and sugar. If you have any tips on making this dish extra flavourful yet healthy, please share. I'd really like to learn how to make a decent stir fry.  

 

My method of attack is:

1. Search fridge for food that is close to going bad.
2. Heat up large skillet on stove.
3. Chop up the veggies / meat.
4. Season meat. (salt/pepper/anything you like)
5. Toss olive oil in pan.
6. Cook meat most of the way.
7. Toss in chopped veggies.
8. Cook until done...then ENJOY!

I'm the simplest cook around, but that dish never fails me and it has as many variations as you can think of!

 

[C&C]

At the very basic level, I put a generous amount of salt and pepper on the meat (both sides) before it hits the pan.

I noticed that if the veggies I'm using release a lot of water into the pan I'll usually have to re-season the meat towards the end of the cooking process. 

 

Since I'm half-Italian, I use tons of basil and garlic salt as well.

 

I've found that to make the dish flavorful it helps to use one or two ingredients that pack a punch. I LOVE green peppers and they're wonderful at flavoring the meat and other veggies. Sliced potatoes are great because they'll hold onto any seasoning you put on them. Chopped fresh garlic is always good as well. We have a great organic garden here, and I've found that the fresher the food, the more flavor it will add to your finished dish. I never use frozen or canned ingredients! I think those processes can take out a ton of flavor, put in too much salt, and aren't necessarily the cheapest.

 

Sometimes it also helps to cook the meat in veggies separately. You can even just partially cook the meat, then put them on a plate, cook the veggies most of the way, put the meat back into the pan, and finish cooking. 

 

Another way I like to season meat is I'll put steak in a glass pan with a bottle of cheap vinegar based salad dressing on top. (I usually go for Italian dressing.) Tenderize (AKA poke holes in the steak with a fork) and let the steak sit in the fridge for a few hours. (This is a great thing to prepare in the morning and then go to class and forget about it.) When you get back from class/work/whatever put the meat in the oven (still in the dressing) and cook it until it reaches medium rare, medium, well-done, etc. I think this is actually a Paula Deen recipe if that helps you locate it. Anything that she suggests is delicious.

 

In all, I never use pre-made sauces since they're unhealthy (usually) and simple spices with fresh ingredients are all you need to make an amazing dish!

 

As further help here are the ingredients I use the most (not necessarily all at once): 

chicken slices, pork chops, cheap/thin steak, green peppers (almost always), potatoes (scalloped, not from a can), tomatoes, kale, fresh garlic, fresh basil (so easy to grow!), onions, chick peas, whole wheat pasta, salt, pepper, garlic salt, ground basil, anything fresh that I find on sale.

 

I really don't know anything about cooking. I just learned this summer by busting out the pans and giving it a go! Hope this helps!

(Sorry that this post became a monstrosity...)

 EDIT: Sorry also that I have a gif addiction. I really can't help myself.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Calhoun&Caffeine

[TakeruK]

This is my favourite way to make stir fry veggies:

 

I do my stir-frys in a wok and I start with a little bit of olive oil and like the above person said, I chop up some fresh garlic and add it to the oil. I usually do this first and then heat up the wok and oil/garlic, which allows the garlic flavour to seep into the oil. There is some differing opinions about whether to add the oil/garlic to a cold or hot wok though. I then add the vegetables and maybe 50mL of water if necessary. I try to only initially use a small amount of oil and sometimes this is not enough liquid so I add water as necessary to avoid adding more oil. If the vegetables are really hard (e.g. carrots, brocolli), then I cover the wok with a pot lid of some kind and let it steam for a few minutes to cook the veggies faster. Then, I uncover and let the heat fry up the veggies and evaporate the water away. I usually take the veggies off the heat and finish with maybe 5mL of pure Sesame Oil (I use this one brand specifically -- one bottle lasts years: http://www.shoptheeast.com/buy-oil-vinegar-cooking-wine/1879-yeo-s-pure-sesame-oil-375-ml-077521941037.html)

 

I almost always cook the protein separately from the vegetables because of different cooking times (don't want to overcook the meat while waiting for vegetables to soften) and also because of the water release issue mentioned above. Also, my protein is often tofu, and stirring it up with vegetables will shred it to tiny pieces! 

 

Other ways I like to flavour is to cook something that is very flavourful first. Garlic is the above example, but onions and celery are also very good. A "mirepoix" is a mixture of finely chopped onions, celery and carrots and it's commonly used to create a base for wonderful flavours. So, sometimes I cook this mixture in a small amount of olive oil initially, cook until the onions and celery are translucent, then add the meat. I don't have to worry about these vegetables being overcooked since they are pretty "hard". 

[MsDarjeeling]

I like to season stir fry with citrus, so I'll squeeze some fresh lemon or orange and add some ginger, garlic, and cilantro.  Feel free to experiment with whatever citrus you like as I've also used lime, pomelo, grapefruit, and kumquat with yummy results.  If I want the dish to be a little sweeter then a dash of honey is good.

[nugget]

Thanks everyone for the stir fry ideas! They sound simple yet tasty. I'll be sure to try them all out and add to my repertoire of recipes in the fall.

[Lisa44201]

Slow-cooker meals are my favorite. 20 minutes or so of prep-work before I leave the house, and when I come home, the house smells like deliciousness. 

[rising_star]

I'm all about the slow cooker meals: chicken cacciatore, chili, spaghetti sauce, soup (I love tortilla soup and black bean soup), coconut curry chicken

 

Other easy meals:

- Baked chicken (simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary) with a little white wine in the pan to keep it moist, baked potatoes (put in oven at same time but separate pan), some kind of veggie

- Foil packets (boneless, skinless chicken, veggies, starch)

- fried rice

- macaroni and cheese (baked in oven, with veggies and/or meat)

- healthy frozen meals (Costco sells these chicken and cilantro frozen wontons that are very healthy, for example)

- beans and rice

- large salad with beans, cheese, or another protein plus loads of veggies