Simple meals

[QueenIsabella]

Meant to add: they also sell frozen potatoes (as hash browns, but you could use the diced ones in soup), onion and pepper mix, even frozen beans, although I prefer canned. Not only are they handy, but you don't have to worry about using up that pepper before it turns or whatever.

Also, if you don't already do so, consider Walmart pick-up or similar. Free and easy--a time saver for anyone, but especially for someone who has mobility issues.

 

[Campari Spritz]

This website is the jam: https://www.budgetbytes.com/

They break each dish down by total cost & cost per portion. Super easy & cheap recipes. Nutrition facts with each recipe too.

I started using Cronometer yesterday. They have a website for free accounts; I downloaded the free app. You can scan barcodes on everything you make & tracks calories but most importantly, all vitamins & minerals. After 2 days, I know Im lacking in calcium. Highly recommend this! https://cronometer.com/

 

[neverlandsky]

Keep fresh tortellini onhand.
*Tortellini, 1 jar spaghetti sauce, mix in bowl, dump in casserole dish, top with sliced moz cheese. bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
*Tortellini and your favorite broth (veggie, chicken, beef) Warm broth to boiling dump tortellini, instant tortellini soup.

Take one day to slice or dice and store veggies for 5 days worth:
Cucumbers
Carrots
Celery
Bell Peppers
Onions

Lettuce for salads or sandwiches
Wash lettuce. Store in container. Place paper towel on top. Then turn upside down to store in fridge so excess water drains on paper towel. Lettuce will last 3-5 days. If paper towel is soaked just change out for a fresh one.

Canned Tuna
Eggs
Bread for toast/sandwiches
Overnight oats all way
Quart freezer bags for instant smoothie prep

 

[xjillianpaige]

I love baked empanadas and you can make them in bulk and freeze them and heat them when you want to eat them. It's both easy to make and can become an easy grab and go. I buy frozen empanada shells from the freezer section of the grocery store.

1. Boil chicken or buy a roasted chicken at the grocery store and shred it.
2. In a large bowl, mix the shredded chicken, salt and pepper, frozen or fresh corn, green chiles, Mexican cheese, and onion (that's what I add to the chicken, you can literally put anything inside of an empanada. I was pescatarian for a while and used tuna instead of chicken. You can also do veggies, beef. Anything you want. Any spices. Any meat. Any veggies. Make it sweet. The world is your oyster.)
3. Spoon a bit of the mixture into the center of a defrosted empanada shell and fold, pressing the edges. (My dad has a tool for this, but I just use a fork.) Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

(The spooning of the mixture part would be the longest time on your feet, but you could absolutely bring it all to a table and sit down to assemble.)

I also have a DELICIOUS avocado sauce that I dip them in. That's also pretty easy.

1 avocado
½ c mayonnaise
2 tsp lime juice
Cilantro (optional) to taste/as a garnish

I usually double the recipe.

 

[dvcgirl67]

One thing I like to do is have veggies (bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, scallions, etc) and meat (usually chicken) in the fridge already defrosted and chopped up and ready to go. I store them in ziplocks and just pop them into a pan with a little cooking spray or olive oil, seasonings and I have a simple stir fry type meal. You can also keep some rice in the fridge, warm that up and serve the meat and veggies over the rice.

Same here. I always have stir-fry veggies on hand. At this time of the year I keep Trader Joe's frozen stir fry, peppers and onions, and frozen rice (which is really easy...and surprisingly good). Then I'll add a protein, or some beans if I'm in a rush....and it's dinner. I'll do an asian stir fry, or a warm burrito bowl....just change up the spices...etc. Very easy!

Another go to for un that is usually on hand in the freezer is a 4 bean turkey chili. I'll make a big batch of that and freeze in portions for the two of us.

 

[MrsPete]

If you have a Wegman's, they have a nice bottled stir fry sauce (35 calories for 2 TBSP) and you just open it up.

Yeah, but I don't count calories -- I count carbs, and pre-bottled sauces tend to be full of sugar. That's one reason we like that quick-mix-up sauce.

Even better, buy FROZEN, pre-diced veggies.

Yes, pre-diced frozen veggies are cheaper than fresh, and I can't let them sit too long /go bad.

This website is the jam: https://www.budgetbytes.com/

I love that website!

 

[sk!mom]

Keep sandwich fixings on hand.

Grilled cheese is a fave around here and a childhood comfort food that has carried over to adulthood for my kids.

Veggie wraps- cheese slice, avocado, pepper strips, lettuce or whatever you like/have.

Bagged salads- while not budget, they are much healthier and cheaper than ordering in. I like to pop a salmon filet in the oven to have with it. I have the meat counter cut 4 ounce portions so that they are quick and easy to bake.

Omelet

 

[ramee]

My easy meal is hamburgers

1lb burger
McCormick hamburger seasoning
Garlic powder
Worcestershire

Cook about 6 minutes each side. Top with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheese...or I just settle for pickle and ketchup sometimes. Serve with oven fries. Microwave canned green beans or collard greens.

Another easy one is tacos from El Paso Taco kit. Just brown the beef and add desired toppings. I usually buy shredded lettuce and only have to dice some tomato and onion. Add cheese and sour cream.

 

[Owlpost23]

My shopping list for my kids when they started in their own places, this can make it about 2 weeks.

2 dozen eggs
bag of potatoes
2 loaf of bread
celery
bag of carrots
bag of onions (cut up and freeze in ziplock)
mayo, mustard & ketchup
2 jar tomato sauce
2 or 3 lbs pasta, spaghetti can be broken up before boiling for soup
american cheese
4 cans tuna
ground beef
2 Roast chickens from wherever, Wegmans are under $7 each and not very salty
So well thought out!
*Roast chickens are great for regular meals, save all the bones for soup within the week or freeze in a ziplock for soup, can be cut up for chicken salad with mayo and bread, cut some up for protein with pasta
*chicken soup, boil the bones with a few carrots and the leafy part of the celery, drain and then put new carrots and celery with pasta
*eggs can be scrambled, in a sandwich with american cheese or hardboiled, egg salad with mayo
*cheese, on sandwiches or grilled cheese
*pasta goes in soup, with butter for a meal, can be mac and cheese
*tuna salad with mayo is great as a sandwich
*ground beef is great for burgers, some onion and breadcrumb with 1 egg per pound meatloaf, sloppy joes with tomato sauce
*potatoes are great as a side, microwave and have with some ground beef and tomato sauce, microwave and make with eggs
*carrots are a good side, boil and saute with some onion and butter

One chicken can feed a person for a week if you do the soup

 

[fly girl]

Salsa Verde Chicken. This is the easiest meal I have. Assembling takes all of 3 minutes. I serve with cilantro lime rice (you don't even have to do fancy, just slice limes and chop cilantro to put on top of meal. EASY! Typically I serve this with a tomato cucumber salad.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a50766/baked-salsa-verde-chicken-recipe/

 

[NYCgrrl]

Hey all!

Not sure how much traction this will get, but I need some help.

I suffer from multiple health issues, physical and mental, that makes it so I sometimes have little to no energy by the end of the day. As such, I have been ordering in food WAY to much the last few months and my wallet and waist line are not happy about it. So one of the things I want to start focusing on is eating at home more, but this is where I need help. I need people to tell me their favorite easy meals. Either fast and easy in total or fast to put together and then it can cook without me paying attention to it. Standing at the stove for extended periods can be painful as I have back and hip issues (I am looking to buy a stool to help with that). I have an Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer, stove, oven, and microwave. I do have a few food restrictions, but I have a lot of ways to substitute the things I can't have so not worried about it.

Also, if you have favorite "keep on hand" items for the pantry or freezer for those "I just can't" sort of days, tell me about those too!

Thank you!!!

I’m going a suggest a website with recipes at many different levels of meal prep time and skills that is a fall back for me when eating healthily is a priority:

https://www.cookinglight.com/
HTH!

 

[ramee]

Salsa Verde Chicken. This is the easiest meal I have. Assembling takes all of 3 minutes. I serve with cilantro lime rice (you don't even have to do fancy, just slice limes and chop cilantro to put on top of meal. EASY! Typically I serve this with a tomato cucumber salad.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a50766/baked-salsa-verde-chicken-recipe/

That was my other thought too! I’ve only recently come across it and made it once, but so easy and delicious.

Edit: My kids don’t like any type of spice, or I’d have made it more.

 

[LilyWDW]

Even better, buy FROZEN, pre-diced veggies. They'll be there when you need them, and there are a bunch of "styles"--stir-fry, vegetables for soup, seasoning vegetables, and so on. I buy boneless pork ribs, and earlier in the day I cut them into bite-size pieces and put them in teriyaki sauce (you could easily do this, then put the pork and sauce in dinner-sized portions, then freeze them). Then for dinner, I cook the pork with a diced onion, cook some pasta and a bag of stir-fry veggies, and voila! My family raves about it! Obviously, you could use rice--we're more of a pasta family.

Also, I have a ravenous family of 5, including 2 teens and an adult son. I go through a lot of food. So, my recipes tend to be super-sized. But if the OP has a smaller family, she'll have leftovers that can then be used for another meal.

I luckily only have to worry about myself. My cats get the same dinner every night LMAO.

I need to get more frozen veggies. I don't know why I have a "problem" with them. Love frozen broccoli and I also keep frozen cauliflower rice to mix with real rice in some applications. But stir fry and fajita veggies would be great as they can be used in different applications.

That pork recipe though? OMG that looks so good. Gonna have to remember that one.

Also, if you don't already do so, consider Walmart pick-up or similar. Free and easy--a time saver for anyone, but especially for someone who has mobility issues.

I have enough food restrictions and allergies that I don't trust grocery pickups and deliveries. I did it a couple of times at the start of the pandemic and both times they brought me food I could not eat. They made substitutions that I didn't approve (even if I picked a specific sub or no sub). So it was a waste of money for me. Soy is a big one that is a lot of stuff, especially "easy" foods. I have substitutions for things like soy sauce which is why I don't worry about recipes with it... but as an ingredient in a product it is a problem.

I do 95% of my shopping at Aldi and Fresh Thyme. So small stores that don't get as busy as the "normal" grocery stores. I fill in with rare trips to bigger stores for specific products or ethnic markets for specialty items. Oh, and Trader Joe's lol.

 

[leebee]

I make a pan of baked chicken with Ken's low-fat Italian dressing squirted on top, and some garlic powder. Bake at 375 until the chicken is done. You can do this with BBQ sauce, too. Quick and easy. I serve it with rice (my recipe: 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 1T butter and some salt. Bring just to a boil, stir, cover, reduce heat to low. Cook 20 mins, remove from heat. Stir with a fork. Leave the fork in the pan and put the cover back on so it's ajar and steams some more, maybe 5 mins)

Grocery store rotisserie chicken is your friend. I like the ones at Sam's best.

Bagged lettuce and a veggie tray and salad is ready. I get the veggie tray at Sams- it has baby tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, sometimes small peppers, cauliflower, and dip.

Easy "wonton" soup. Get a bag of frozen gyoza/dumplings. Steam in some water in a frying pan with some sesame oil, and let the water evaporate. Put a quart of chicken broth and a quart of miso broth (from Trader Joe's) in a pot. Add some frozen asian veggie mix and simmer until the veggies are done. Add the dumplings/gyoza, or put them in a bowl and add veggies/broth on top. You can do this with chicken (from the rotisserie chicken, or pre-cooked chicken strips) instead of the dumplings and it's pretty good, too.

I am not a fan of frozen veggies; I grew up on canned, and that's what I like, so quick and simple to heat up a can of veggies and serve with supper.

 

[LilyWDW]

And for everyone else.... you all rock! Some great suggestions out there. I will need to go back through again and take notes! Thank you!

 

[fly girl]

Instant Pot meal. This one is very quick on your feet. (longer than my previous recipe, but I think it is easy enough)

FYI, I add 3/4cup of Orzo.

Serve with small baguette of bake at home French bread and a salad (Dole Ultimate Caesar is a quick one we love.)

And, I don't know if this helps - but I hated peeling and mincing fresh garlic. For a while I splurged and bought the fresh garlic that was pre-peeled in the packages. But my grocery store was out of them for weeks so I decided to try the minced garlic in the jar. Yeah, the one that looks kind of gross in the juice. Well, to my surprise, nobody in my family can taste the difference! I use it all the time and hooray hoorah I save time in the kitchen. If you don't already use it, buy a small jar and give it a whirl. It will definitely save you time.

https://thekitchengirl.com/wprm_print/20507

 

[MataHari22]

My health issues are now so bad that I can no longer eat or drink by mouth and I am totally peg tube reliant, but I definitely struggled for a few years trying to be able to cook because my health was so bad. My Instant Pot was my savior since it can be hands off cooking and has the keep warm function.





I bought a step ladder/stool so that I could sit by the counter and chop my fruit and veg. When I eventually had trouble with chopping, I moved over to using pre diced frozen veggies and some fresh pre cut if they weren't too expensive. I made a lot of soups and stew type meals since they were great for a one pot, dump and press start meal. One of my favorites was Split Pea soup. Split peas are versatile and a good pantry staple (so are lentils). Plus, they are good nutritionally. I used this recipe and if I added meat I skipped the smoked paprika. You can add a ham hock, leftover ham bone, leftover diced ham, smoked sausage, or even some bacon.





https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/10/pressure-cooker-split-pea-soup/







I also loved making yogurt in my IP. I would eat it for breakfast with some fruit and nuts or fruit and granola, etc. Way cheaper than buying yogurt and it's delicious. Also made a lot of oatmeal for breakfast, because it was easy and oats are a great staple. I would make it pot in pot style instead of directly in the liner. Worked excellently, easy clean up and I love the way the oats cook up.





Always had rice on hand. This dish was one I made often and you can use the same technique to make other dishes with rice, like beef and broccoli, bourbon chicken, sweet and sour or Swedish meatballs....





https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/one-pot-pressure-cooker-teriyaki-chicken-rice/




Sometimes, I cheated and instead of making just the white rice, I added all the ingredients you would use when you make fried rice and even though it wasn't a true fried rice, it still had the flavor of it, and was good.





Eggs and potatoes are great staples. Keeping hard cooked eggs on hand as a snack or to make an egg salad sandwich is easy. Cooking up a batch of potato salad is super easy and is a nice side dish for lunches. I just cooked the diced potatoes and eggs in the IP at the same time.

Edit: your post with not being able to have soy wasn't here when I was answering you. Didn't read it until now. Sorry

 

[marthachick]

One point I have is if you are going to try a new recipe, read over it (while sitting) before you begin. This way you know for sure what you will be doing or can figure it out while sitting.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hey all!

Not sure how much traction this will get, but I need some help.

I suffer from multiple health issues, physical and mental, that makes it so I sometimes have little to no energy by the end of the day. As such, I have been ordering in food WAY to much the last few months and my wallet and waist line are not happy about it. So one of the things I want to start focusing on is eating at home more, but this is where I need help. I need people to tell me their favorite easy meals. Either fast and easy in total or fast to put together and then it can cook without me paying attention to it. Standing at the stove for extended periods can be painful as I have back and hip issues (I am looking to buy a stool to help with that). I have an Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer, stove, oven, and microwave. I do have a few food restrictions, but I have a lot of ways to substitute the things I can't have so not worried about it.

Also, if you have favorite "keep on hand" items for the pantry or freezer for those "I just can't" sort of days, tell me about those too!

Thank you!!!

Crock pot pulled chicken.
1 chicken breast
BBQ sauce
Onion
Place chicken breast in crock pot
Cover with BBQ sauce
Cook on high 2-3 hours
Slice onion into strips
Remove chicken breast & shred, return to pot with onions
cook additional 1/2 hour.
Serve over hamburger bun

Garlic chip chicken
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, while pre-heating place pan with 2 tablespoons butter and garlic salt (to taste) in oven to melt
Crush potato chips fairly fine,
Coat chicken breast with crushed chips
Place in pan, cover with foil
Cook 30 minutes, remove foil and turn chicken over, recover loosely and return to oven
Cook 20 minutes, uncover and cook 5 more minutes

Grilled cheese sandwich & tomato soup

Always on hand - macaroni & cheese
frozen chicken nuggets & french fries

 

[MataHari22]

Duplicate post.