Every evening it's the same dreaded question: What's for dinner?
Meal planning? Yeah...ummm...not so much.
I have been getting better about keeping fresh fruits and vegetables on hand, and they always seem to round out my panicky-impromptu-scrounge-through-the-pantry-and-freezer meals.
It's easy to wash strawberries and steam asparagus or broccoli or carrots. And easy is good.
What are your secrets for pulling a meal together at the last minute?
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23 comments:
trader joes is greeeat for quick yummy meals. also we've got soe wonderful take out spots nearby. they know us by name--eeek!
I try to bake a whole chicken once a week. We eat it as the main course one night and then I use it in different forms for quick meals later on...
I'll chop some up and heat with barbeque sauce to serve over a cold salad.
I'll cook some strips of the white meat to serve in quick spinach/chicken quesadillas.
I'll chop up some of the brown and white meat as a topping for chicken pizza.
And finally, I'll boil the rest for chicken stock to make mexican chicken soup, some veggie soup or plain old chicken noodle.
I wrote about the daily maintenance of cooking and cleaning just yesterday...the mundane tasks are just always there...
www.burningbushes.org
frozen pizza!
I once asked my friend that same question... she gave me the phone number to Domino's pizza.
Hm, well, you've already been given the "pizza secret". Around here it's more like the Greek takeout secret! ;)
But really, I mostly cook on the weeknights and try to save dinners out for "we want to go for fun" rather than "we have to go because I can't think of a thing to cook"! One thing that helps me is to designate Monday for One Bowl Meals - mostly Soup or Pasta. They are pretty easy and it helps me narrow down on a hard night to think. Sometimes I run on a schedule for the other nights (Mexican, Chicken, etc)... but Mondays stay the same!
I would have to agree with Lisa!
we also love trader joes. breakfast for dinner is always a hit at our house... i usually have all of the stuff and it's super easy : )
Wraps... you can wrap anything in a tortilla and it makes a good dinner... simple as romaine and sauteed chicken, or ground turkey tacos, or grilled veggies with rice... wraps are my go to in a hurry meal!
Pasta is always quick and easy, and since that's about my daughter will eat these days, we have it often! (no sauce or veggies mixed in, thankyouverymuch! There goes my secret way to get some veggies in her!) We have fruit with it often, and love all the fresh fruit available in the summer!
Jill
Bean and cheese burritos, rice and a small green salad with italian dressing, yum!
Grilled cheese or BLT with a bowl of soup
Tiki Masala sauce(Trader Joes)with cooked chicken thrown in. Serve over basmati rice. I keep some of the chicken out for my picky eaters to eat plain. Mr. Chips and I love to top the dish with plain yogurt with cilantro mixed in it. Delish! TJ's Naan bread with hummus is huge hit too. Veggie is usually spinach sauteed with olive oil and garlic.
I try to roast a chicken each week like Nicole. We use leftovers for chicken and cheese quesadillas for lunch.
Oh, and our favorite occasional indulgence...
Tri tip, baked potato, and green salad!
p.s. Love your blog! I can't quite remember how I stumbled upon it?
Cold rice can make the best meals ever. :) We are also pasta eaters, which is also really fast. But I agree with you about the fresh ingredients. If you have a few of those, even leftovers can feel like a good meal. :)
Val
My question is, have your girls always been good veggie eaters? There would be starvation here if fruits and veggies were the only thing on the menu. I want to move more in that direction, and am sure open to great advice if you have any for giving picky kids (or husbands!) an affinity.
Those strawberries don't even look real in that picture they are so perfect. :)
Easy Soup:
Make up a a batch of base... I use "Better Than Bullion," cause I like the flavor. Bring to a boil.
Add in about 1/2 lb baby carrots cut on the diagonal, & boil about 5 min.
Add in a bag of Trader's frozen pot stickers and cook according to directions.
The last couple minutes, add in about 1/2 green cabbage cut in large pieces.
Season or not... sometimes hubby throws in some chili oil to his bowl.
Oh.. I forgot, I usually add in some chopped green onion at the end, too. :)
I'm so horrible with the dinner thing! I have books on meal planning and recipe books galore and I'm still last minute trying to throw dinner on the table!
Jen
My husband has been making his family's pasta sauce recipe every couple of months for the last ten+ years. We freeze it (like 10 containers) and always have it on hand for quick pasta meals. It is also great for pizza, meatloaf, casseroles, you name it!
I keep extra pasta sauce on hand because I always seem to acumulate a bunch of boxes of different kinds of pastas that are half full; so I just mix them together and serve w/sauce and parmesean cheese. i do try to plan ahead. I subscribed to this site recently and really love it:
www.relishrelish.com
i cook in double batches so more often than not there's something to eat in the fridge or freezer. just yesterday we had spaghetti with meat sauce, courtesy of our freezer :)
but, when all else fails, pizza delivery rocks!
we love asparagus grilled on the bbq! delicious!!
salads are our easy meals. left over tacos= taco salad. left over chicken=chinese chik salad.
asparagas and strawberries added to chinese chicken salad is YUMMY!
Pasta. The sauce possibilities are limitless and grated vegies can be hiddne in the sauce (for those of you with picky eaters). :)
We also eat a lot of cut-up fresh vegies or fruit salad (sans dressing) on the side - especially this time of year.
I thought of another one too - breakfast for dinner - the kids LOVE that!
Let's just say I'm glad I have a microwave.
I have a list of "tried & true" favorites that I make again and again:
* Pasta w/ sauce
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Grilled Salmon
* Crock Pot Beef Fajitas
* Crock Pot Beef Stew
* Chicken Salad sandwiches
* BIG salad
And, if I'm really strapped for time...
* Macaroni & Cheese
* Scrambled Eggs
* Veggies
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