Need HELP with quick meals at home

[barkley]

LOL. He's up for trying new things but they are usually weird and exotic things that I don't care to try, much less cook! I try to freeze servings of soups and casseroles and that has been helpful. My main prob is those days where I failed to plan ahead (or the plans fell apart) and dinner time rolls around and there's nothing to eat. I'm fine w eating cereal or whatever but I just wish I had some more ideas for "quick" stuff.

If he's for weird and exotic things, you can pick up really good jarred Indian sauces (Tikka Masala, Jalfrezi, Korma) and cut up and pan cook some chicken breast (or have it precooked in the fridge) and then dump in a can of chickpeas with the jarred sauce, warm for 5-10 minutes and serve over a quick-cooking rice. This transitions well to kid food by keeping some chicken plain and serving with the rice and a banana/apple.

I keep already browned ground beef portions in my freezer- I pull it out in the am

I always have salad fixings

CROCKPOT!! My best friend! Yes, you still need to do some prep work usually.... but WOW...you can create SO MANY great foods in a crockpot!

frozen veggie burgers

yes, yes, yes to all of these ideas!

on the 'exotic' front-we keep trader joe's indian simmer sauces on hand b/c they can be used to create something OR we can do something quick like grilled chicken fairly plain for ds but either brush it on (ala bbq sauce) or use it as a dipping sauce for dh and I (and I've also taken a traditional Spanish rice recipe and substituted the simmer sauce for the salsa-works great and I can have a batch sitting in the fridge all week to pull from).

if you're not big on trying new recipes give a try to putting an 'exotic' spin on an existing. my kids like shake and bake pork chops, dh and I not so much-but I found a recipe for 'bolivian spiced pork' that I can make in the same time frame and cook at the same temp. it's just using different spices (and you can make up a baggie of the spices ahead of time to keep on hand for a quick batch). we do a greek version of sloppy joes that just entail different spices (and sprinkled feta on top with I keep in a container in the freezer-softens/melts when it hits the hot meat)-I do a larger batch of normal sloppy joes and then separate part out to another pot when the ingredients start to change. with both if it's a planned meal I make extra in containers to freeze (we do the same with lamb chops-make twice as many as we need and put them in the freezer for dh/I to pull out quickly-I keep a couple of cans of trader joe's dolmas on hand so it's more of a themed meal.

pre-browned ground beef is a LIFE SAVER. if you forget to pull it out to defrost in the morning it can be quickly flash defrosted in the microwave or in a pan as you add other ingredients.

salad fixings-I take the canned ones we use, drain them and put them into containers in the fridge-with precut greens and baby tomatos it's fast to put salads together.

crock pot-SO MUCH BETTER NOW THAN YEARS AGO. different settings, keep warm functions for up to 14 hours, automatic stirrers.....and so many more recipes. we're running errands tomorrow so I've got one of those all in one bagged soups (just need to add meat, water, canned tomatoes). i'll quickly brown the meat tonight so tomorrow morning I can toss everything in so we have soup when we get home (and since dd will be here the extras can get put up in freezer containers for her to take home for quick/easy meals). db was visiting last summer and marveled at what we could do with a crockpot-he got himself one so for Christmas I found 2 cookbooks to suit his/dsil's tastes-it's AMAZING the variety out there-many with more exotic ideas (whole books on indian, mediterranean...). for Christmas dh found at target a variety of crockpot mixes that are somewhat 'out of the norm' than I had seen-Korean pulled pork, Cuban black beans and pork, hawaii chicken...

zatarn has a variety of boxed items that take start to finish 20 minutes in the microwave-jambalaya, caribbean rice (my kids like this b/c of the pineapple bits in it), red beans and rice...near east has a mediterranean couscous that's awesome-and only 5 minutes in the microwave. I can have these going while dh quickly grills up chicken breasts or an andouille sausage (pretty common in most grocery stores these days).


frozen veggie burgers-burgers in general can be quickly cooked from frozen but we also keep a supply of the morningstar portobello 'burgers' along with southwestern black bean and salmon patties (gotta love Costco!). we don't nesc. eat them as burgers b/c we can do them open face (we keep a jar of lighthouse brand salsa ranch and opa brand dill/feta dressings-similar to tzaiki sauce-to use as a sauce) more quickly absent the buns, toppings and condiments.


honestly-unless it's a BIG container of a leftover most small containers flash defrost in the microwave really well, several proteins cook up quickly and easily on the grill (or in a grill pan) from frozen (we traditionally do steak this way) and there's a wealth of premade (fairly inexpensive) boxed items that cook very quickly stovetop or microwave so if you can set yourself up to always have a few of the types of items people have suggested on hand you could still whack out meals that will satisfy everyone in 20-30 minutes (and NOONE is starving such that they can't wait that long-if they are then they can pitch in and make the work go allot faster).

 

[QueenIsabella]

Another thing--it takes hardly any additional time to prep vegetables for the week, compared to just one meal. Again, a little planning ahead works wonders. But, if you have time on the weekends (or whatever day/evening you have some time), clean, wash, and chop all the veggies you'll need throughout the week.

Also, as you get comfortable with cooking, you learn which recipes are hard-and-fast (don't mess with the amount of flour in chocolate chip cookies, for example), and which ones are flexible. Soups are a great way to use up little bits of leftovers, and the results usually taste great. Small amounts of vegetables can go in spaghetti sauces or taco fillings.

Mostly, though, don't beat yourself up if every meal isn't 4-star. Grilled cheese with tomato soup is my youngest's favorite meal. It's not gourmet, but it's quick and sort of healthy.

 

[ElenaRN]

My go to one skillet meal is so easy, I can't believe everyone in my family loves it. All ingredients I buy at Trader Joes.

Dice chicken and cook in skillet with a bit of olive oil, minced garlic and a sprinkle of italian seasoning.

Throw in a jar of undrained marinated artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and either frozen peas or frozen chopped spinach.

When it's all cooked I spoon it over brown rice. I buy the frozen bags of brown rice and brown rice medley. It cooks in 3 min in microwave.

Takes about 20 min. Less if you dice chicken ahead of time.

 

[jenrose66]

We spend WAY too much money getting take out/fast food bc there are many days that we just aren't home to cook or get in too late to prepare a full meal. What are some of the things y'all keep on hand or can throw together super fast?? We have 3 kids (9,6,2) and DH is a pretty picky food snob so its hard to make everyone happy, but whatever suggestions you have I will happily take! Thanks!!

Your family sounds like mine. I also have three kids and a husband that balks at kid food and we have been doing tons of takeout since I returned to work in September. I'm interested to see what other people suggest.

We do have a couple quick meals. I like shake n bake pork chops with a box of Betty Crocker potatoes and a bag of frozen green beans.

We also will do a bag of frozen meatballs with pasta and sauce and a bagged salad.

My kids will tolerate chili if I serve it with noodles mixed in....

 

[Marionnette]

Pasta is my last-minute dinner go-to meal. Any kind of pesto or red sauce works. Frozen garlic bread and bagged salad. Instant dinner.

I also keep cooked, seasoned chicken strips in the freezer and a variety of frozen veggies on hand. I just heat the chicken in a skillet and then saute some onions in the same pan. Deglaze with a little chicken stock and reduce to make a pan sauce. Serve with instant rice and microwaved veggies.

The key is to make sure that you have one go-to recipe and to always have the ingredients on hand for that busy night.

 

[Hikergirl]

Another thing to consider is a pressure cooker. I just bought one, haven't used it yet but you can do things like a whole chicken in it in 30 minutes.

 

[barkley]

Another thing to consider is a pressure cooker. I just bought one, haven't used it yet but you can do things like a whole chicken in it in 30 minutes.

do you like corned beef? if so take advantage of the St. Patrick's day sales this week and break that pressure cooker in. the BEST (let alone the fastest) way to get tremendously tender, flavor infused corned beef ever!

 

[barkley]

Your family sounds like mine. I also have three kids and a husband that balks at kid food and we have been doing tons of takeout since I returned to work in September. I'm interested to see what other people suggest.

We do have a couple quick meals. I like shake n bake pork chops with a box of Betty Crocker potatoes and a bag of frozen green beans.

We also will do a bag of frozen meatballs with pasta and sauce and a bagged salad.

My kids will tolerate chili if I serve it with noodles mixed in....

one thing that helped us reduce defaulting to takeout when our kids were younger/ our lives busier was for me to make a list of what everyone's
'go to' food choices were when we did takeout.

pizza was always one so I started getting those multi packs of individual bobolis (price at Costco is pretty reasonable)-they come with the sauce so if I made sure I kept a package of presliced pepperoni or salami on hand I could always open a can of sliced mushrooms or pineapple chunks, throw some cheese on top and by time the oven preheated we were good to go (they take maybe 8-10 minutes).

chicken nuggets and deep fried mozzarella sticks were popular with the kids-I got the premade kind from the freezer section to toss in the oven (most of the sticks come w/small bags of marinara for dipping). pasta-I got the individual stouffers or lean cuisine ones when they went on sale-maybe 6 minutes in the microwave from frozen.

Mexican food-kids liked tacos and 'wet burritos' so like others I precooked and froze bags of ground beef but I preseasoned it with taco seasoning. I kept canned refried beans, taco shells and flour tortillas on hand-and for the 'wet' on the burrito I got the small cans (about the size of Campbell's soup) of mild enchilada sauce. real quick to throw together (and meat can be frozen-just microwave amount you need).

Asian food-there's a ton of frozen bagged stuff on the market these days that just entail using the microwave, and if you get a small container of miso paste to keep in the fridge (keeps for a long time) along with a package of dried seaweed (also keeps a long time on the shelf) it takes maybe 5 minutes to make a batch.

for a while ds was meatball sub junkie-those bags of small meatballs were a godsend. I could heat them with some sauce to toss on a sandwich roll. he also wasn't big on chili by itself, but since he would always opt to order chili cheese fries I just started getting bags of fries/tater tots to have on hand (and I finally found a brand of canned chili he liked to use in a pinch if I didn't have any homemade stuff).


btw-betty crocker potatoes are our go to w/shake and bake as well (with mac n cheese or stovetop stuffing running close seconds)

 

[Hikergirl]

do you like corned beef? if so take advantage of the St. Patrick's day sales this week and break that pressure cooker in. the BEST (let alone the fastest) way to get tremendously tender, flavor infused corned beef ever!

Thanks, I will try that. I have never cooked a corned beef much to the shame of my very Irish Dad so maybe this year I'll surprise him!

What would I put in there with it to get the flavor?

 

[joannamet]

Take a few hours each week to plan, shop and prep and meals will come together really quickly. I make a quick list with our usual breakfasts, lunches and 5 dinner ideas and from that I make my grocery list. After shopping I prep some fruit and make a big bowl of fruit salad to keep in the fridge; just cut up fruit with some orange juice to keep it fresh. Don't add sugar or the fruit will get mushy. We're more likely to eat it if its ready to go. You can do the same with veggies but I usually just prep those as I use them.

Quick dinner ideas for us are:

Mexican; a pound of ground beef with taco seasoning, a can of refried beans (heat and eat), salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, lettuce, soft or hard tortillas, etc. This is a hit with my family because its super simple and quick and everyone makes their food the way they want it. We have Mexican night once a week.

Italian: nothing is simpler than pasta and, again, make it the way your family likes it with or without ground beef or frozen meatballs, your favorite jarred sauce and your favorite kind of noodle. Add some cannellini beans or black beans, cooked kale or spinach; stir in mozzarella and bake it in a casserole dish until the cheese melts; make buffalo chicken pasta with shredded rotisserie chicken, black beans, cheddar and a mixture of pasta sauce and buffalo sauce. Add a bag of salad. (Mueller's gluten free pastas are really good.)

Soup and sandwich; sometimes we do chili and peanut butter sandwiches; chili can be quick just use a packet of chili seasoning or mix with ground beef, canned tomatoes and kidney beans and cook for 20 or 30 min. My mom taught me the secret to good chili is to 'crack' the beans with a potato masher after the chili cooks for a while. It releases the starch and makes the chili thicker and more cohesive. Sometimes we have our favorite canned soup, Campbell's homestyle chicken noodle, with ham and cheese sandwiches.

Another poster suggested the Indian cooking sauces. We love these! You can buy a bag of frozen Asian vegetables or just steam up your own green beans, carrots, etc. Cut up some chicken breast and saute in olive oil. Add the steamed veg and sauce. Serve with rice. I love my rice cooker but the microwave rice is fine.

Someone suggested chicken cutlets. I use those a lot. They're thinly sliced boneless skinless breast and they cook really quick. I just salt and pepper or use Monteray seasoning then saute in olive oil You can do the same with tilapia fillets; so quick. You can also throw the chicken on the grill for no clean up. Throw some potatoes in the microwave and open a can of seasoned green beans or microwave some frozen corn.

The crock pot is definitely your friend if you can take a few min in the morning to put it together. The internet is loaded with great recipes and ideas.

I can't tell you how many times I want to pick up something for dinner on the way home but I talk myself out of it. In the time it takes to decide on food and go through a drive thru, I can make something at home that's 100 time better if my fridge and pantry are stocked with some basics. I applaud your effort to make a positive change. Good luck!

 

[TwoMisfits]

For exotic, you can also do the same thing you do with the Indian sauces with a Thai curry paste and a jar of coconut milk. Rather than chickpeas, you can chop up some bell peppers and/or onions, or you can toss in some matchstick carrots or sugar snap peas and top with a touch of basil. You can add fish sauce and/or brown sugar and/or chicken broth (if it needs more "salt" or more "sweet" or "less strong Thai flavor"), but you can leave those out (heck, you can leave the basil out - it will still taste good). Again, serve over quick cooking rice and call it a day (and again, to be kid friendly, save the parts (protein/veg) from the sauce and serve)...this would also work with white fish or pork if you get sick of chicken. And it takes about 20 minutes...

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

I prepare most dinners before we leave the house in the morning for school and work. Sometimes everything is cooked, others everything is prepped and ready to go in the oven. When that happens, foods can be baked by whomever is home first or while DD is taking a shower.

Yes. This is key for us. I am usually the first one home, and I don't have kids . Everything is prepped for dinner and just needs to go into the oven. If something frozen from a bag needs to go into the oven, I take out the baking sheet/pan so it's ready to go and I don't have to dig around for something.

Pyrex glass baking dishes are amazing for this reason also. They can go from the fridge to the oven.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...age-2-piece-oblong-baking-dish-set/1015804696

I also have a set with lids.

 

[Minnesota!]

We do our meal plan for the week on Sundays, based on what's in the house.

In the morning I look at what's up for that night, and do any prep..throwing in crockpot, taking out of freezer, marinating, etc.

I cook up 5 plain 2 egg omlettes on Sunday, putting in fridge. I grab one and some addins each morning. Takes 30 sec in micro. Thee are good options for quick dinners.

Some nights it's just cheese, crackers, pepperoni, fruit, and the like (baseball season).

 

[Cajun_country]

My husband loves when I put some boneless pork chops in the oven with Shake and Bake BBQ flavor...I also sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the meat before I put it in the bag to shake with mix (i'm sure unhealthy with my added salt). It can be used on chicken as well. I usually buy the pork chops when they are on sale and buy one get one free. I also like to make pulled pork in crock pot with these same pork chops or pork loin- which ever is cheapest. I put equal parts of water and usually a Kraft BBQ honey sauce. I only need maybe 1/2 a bottle of BBQ sauce, if that much and then i put a packet of frozen picsweet season blend (onions, bell peppers, celery) and locally we have something called Guidry's Creole mix which is fresh chopped onions, bell peppers, garlic, parsley, and celery (if i use that I use 1/2 a pack). I season meat with salt and pepper. My husband is very simple and likes to eat tacos all of the time too, which is super quick. I have recently been putting different pieces of beef in my crock pot (tender chuck steaks, petite sirloin steaks) and I add 2 cans of Cambell's French Onion soup, one packet of brown gravy mix, picsweet seasoning blend or 1/2 container of Guidry's Creole mix, season meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and 1 can of sliced carrots undrained, and usually a cup of water or can of beef broth and I serve over rice. My husband loves this and I usually break the beef up into small pieces.

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

Make a meal plan and sticking to it is everything. Try simple things first and work your way up.

You can make a deli platter with assorted breads, grapes, strawberries and chips. Have it all ready to go for before or after your activities.

Try oven tacos, but make the filling ahead of time so all you have to do is warm them up. Have toppings ready to go in the fridge.

Make your pasta and sauce ahead of time and warm on the stove. Have your salad ready to and add a loaf of Italian bread.

Make greek salad and toss pasta in the dressing and add on top of the greens and veggies then top with slices of Pre grilled chicken.

I know what busy is and I refuse to have my kids grow up on take out and drive thru food. It can be done!

 

[pampam]

I'm wondering if perhaps we are not looking at this clearly. Why do you like takeout? If it is for lack of time, I suggest you have meals prepared ahead of time. Casseroles - soups, stews, lazy mans cabbage rolls, etc. in the fridge are great to come home to. If you don't have room in the fridge, try pulling a prepared dish out of the freezer to thaw while you are gone and then just a few minutes in the microwave when you get home. If it's the thoughts of clean up afterwards, there are ways around that too by using disposable (tinfoil) containers perhaps from the dollar store. Disposable dishes may be in order once or twice a week if that helps . Delegating responsibility is good too. Perhaps the youngest one can set the table, an older child can peel a few potatoes, or Dad can preheat an oven, or pop something into the microwave while you have a bath or collect your thoughts for what activities are next. Prepare most of next weeks meals on a day when you have lots of time, for fridge or freezer. If you are too tired when you get home to plan a meal, try to plan it ahead of time. If the kids routine upsets your plans, then you may have to adjust your dining times. Sorry if this is out of line. I didn't take note of how old your children are.

Everyone here has offered great suggestions. I'm going to try some of these ideas myself.

 

[LuckyBelle81]

Thanks so much for all the ideas! I know that they key to a lot of the problem is in the planning but it seems that even when I plan things go awry but I'm working on it.

I had never thought about pre-cooking the ground beef and portioning it out. I already divide the larger pkgs I buy and freeze them but having the meat already done would help a lot. Thanks for that!

I've tried to intentionally think about meals that I know everyone will like and actually make a list of them so I have a reference on the days that I'm drawing a complete blank (which seems to be a lot lately ). I also had a little chat w DH about the meal issue...it makes no sense that although he is the food snob, he is often the one that ends up deciding to "go grab something" which 9.5 times out of 10 results in nasty fast food. I have made menus and extensive grocery lists for years and even though I ask for his input BEFORE I do all this he inevitably whines about there being NO FOOD in the house when there is; its just not exactly what he wants at that moment. For instance, we always have some kind of sandwich stuff in the house bc I make both of the older kids' lunches for school everyday but bc he doesn't like the bread we have he won't eat a sandwich. But even when I buy "better" bread (I just use white wheat for the kids' lunches and he prefers the fancier breads) he might make one sandwich and then the rest gets thrown out after the moldy spots start popping up. I don't mean to complain about DH or bad mouth him; he's wonderful, but I'm just really frustrated w the whole meal planning fiasco bc I know how much money we're blowing.

I do use my crockpot but, like some other posters mentioned, it can be hard to find recipes that don't just turn to much - DH is def not down with that. I do soups and stews in the cp and I have a really great recipe for red beans and rice for the cp. In the last year or so I've started making "baked" potatoes in the cp and thats a hit with everyone but DS. I also try to freeze portions of larger recipes and utilize those on the "no time" nights.

Here is the list I've got so far for "Go To" ideas:
Grilled Cheese w/ Tomato Soup (DH won't eat canned tom soup but I guess he can have another sandwich)
Frozen Leftover Soup/Stews
Mac & Cheese w/ Frozen Chicken Tenders (DH usually won't eat these either but its a good option for the kids)
"Baked" (slow cooked) Potatoes w/ Bacon, Cheese, Sour Cream, Broccoli, etc
Frozen Pizzas or Pizza Crusts w Toppings
Frozen Leftover Casseroles/Dishes
Frozen/Refrigerated Tortellini or Ravioli w/ Meat Sauce
Pasta w/ Meat Sauce

I'm cool w just eating cereal but I've learned that if I don't have an actual meal planned DH and the kids end up just filling up on junk. I'm continually looking on Pinterest for ideas. Drop me a line if you think of something else.

Thanks again y'all!

 

[shoney]

watch lots of Rachel Ray. She does a great job with quick easy meals.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Thanks so much for all the ideas! I know that they key to a lot of the problem is in the planning but it seems that even when I plan things go awry but I'm working on it.

I had never thought about pre-cooking the ground beef and portioning it out. I already divide the larger pkgs I buy and freeze them but having the meat already done would help a lot. Thanks for that!

I've tried to intentionally think about meals that I know everyone will like and actually make a list of them so I have a reference on the days that I'm drawing a complete blank (which seems to be a lot lately ). I also had a little chat w DH about the meal issue...it makes no sense that although he is the food snob, he is often the one that ends up deciding to "go grab something" which 9.5 times out of 10 results in nasty fast food. I have made menus and extensive grocery lists for years and even though I ask for his input BEFORE I do all this he inevitably whines about there being NO FOOD in the house when there is; its just not exactly what he wants at that moment. For instance, we always have some kind of sandwich stuff in the house bc I make both of the older kids' lunches for school everyday but bc he doesn't like the bread we have he won't eat a sandwich. But even when I buy "better" bread (I just use white wheat for the kids' lunches and he prefers the fancier breads) he might make one sandwich and then the rest gets thrown out after the moldy spots start popping up. I don't mean to complain about DH or bad mouth him; he's wonderful, but I'm just really frustrated w the whole meal planning fiasco bc I know how much money we're blowing.

If he always has one sandwich with the bread and then bails on it, have a plan to use it 3-5 days after he buys it if there's anything left. My favorite plans for fancy breads are either french toast (just made this with croissants last week b/c I refused to throw them out) or breadcrumbs for meatloaf/meatballs...although you can also food process them down, toss them in a skillet with butter and a little salt and make a gorgeous crumb to put on top of haricots vert (or roasted/steamed fresh green beans - my grandma made this using beans from her garden and it is still my favorite way to eat green beans...or you can make a beautiful bread pudding dessert...stale-ish bread works best for all of these plans, so consider him doing you a favor and giving you some nice stale bread to work with...

 

[LuckyBelle81]

If he always has one sandwich with the bread and then bails on it, have a plan to use it 3-5 days after he buys it if there's anything left. My favorite plans for fancy breads are either french toast (just made this with croissants last week b/c I refused to throw them out) or breadcrumbs for meatloaf/meatballs...although you can also food process them down, toss them in a skillet with butter and a little salt and make a gorgeous crumb to put on top of haricots vert (or roasted/steamed fresh green beans - my grandma made this using beans from her garden and it is still my favorite way to eat green beans...or you can make a beautiful bread pudding dessert...stale-ish bread works best for all of these plans, so consider him doing you a favor and giving you some nice stale bread to work with...

Hadn't thought if it that way!!! Def going to remember this suggestion.