Simple meals

[LuvOrlando]

I get it, some days it's better to be able to be selective when you move, a slow cooker helps a lot.
I have a slow cooker with a timer that goes to warm, making your own foods will allow you to keep your salt down. Just do it once in a while, make a good amount and freeze so. you can accumulate a selection of home made meals.

You cam make chicken soup in a slow cooker (bones from the rotisserie or roast chicken, celery and carrots.
You can make tomato sauce in a slow cooker, I like Tuttorosso but any crushed works for me with some fresh garlic if you can, 1 small clove per can.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sweet-n-tangy-pot-roast/ (ok with stew beef chunks or chuck)

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken-cacciatore-over-rice/ (I prefer thighs & add 3 TBSP capers, can use any can tomato)

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/rich-and-creamy-tomato-soup/ (can use over pasta or mix with beef & rice for stuffed pepper insides)

I hope you feel better and this helps.

 

[easyas123]

I always keep bell peppers in the freezer for later use, very helpful.

One meal we eat a few times a week is a simple protein over bag salad. Easy, simple...we use chicken, fish, shrimp, venison, pork, lamb...simple saute or grill and if you do enough you have enough for a few meals. Not terribly fancy or exciting but works for us.
We also often crock pot a small roaster once in a while, great for dinner, leftovers, chicken salad and soup if we are so inclined.

Good luck!

 

[Southernmiss]

I'm going to suggest a different direction. In addition to the ideas mentioned, how about adding in green vegetable smoothies?

Look up Dr. Brooke goldner Facebook and web) who has helped her own disease but others with green smoothies with flax and chia seeds.

Extra boost of nutrients and all fresh ingredients are just blended

3/4 blender ofgreens, broccoli, or cauliflower, 1/4 fruit-bananasberries, your choice, add water.

 

[easyas123]

I always keep bell peppers in the freezer for later use, very helpful.

One meal we eat a few times a week is a simple protein over bag salad. Easy, simple...we use chicken, fish, shrimp, venison, pork, lamb...simple saute or grill and if you do enough you have enough for a few meals. Not terribly fancy or exciting but works for us.

We also will often crock pot a whole roaster once a week or so, provides enough leftovers for sandwiches and chicken salad. Plus soup if we want or stock for later.

Good luck!

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I don’t have exact measurements for this....

Brown 1 pound of ground beef and a add a jar of marinara.

Cook about 3/4 box of spaghetti, drain, and rinse with cold water

Whisk two eggs, a splash of water, about 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Mix with spaghetti and place in casserole dish.

Top spaghetti with meat sauce, then top with shredded mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for around 30 minutes

 

[Imzadi]

I have recently discovered organic soup starters. I did not know such a thing existed all this time. My usual way of making fresh soups was so time and consuming, chopping, peeling, cutting up veggies & meat. Soup starters makes it MUCH easier. Many of the ingredients: peas, lentils, barley, etc., and a seasoning packet are assembled in the box for you. No need to open up so many packages of stuff and measure everything out. You basically add a meat and maybe a can of tomatoes & frozen, pre-cut veggies. The soups can be done in a crock pot or Instant Pot too.

Basically, depending on the soup starter, I dump the ingredients of the box in a pot, rinse and soak the beans for either 2 hours (for lentils & split peas,) or overnight for other beans. (The instructions will say.) Drain the water.

Then place in the required amount of water, (less for a heartier, thicker soup,) or broth in the pot with the meat on the bone. (I do chicken or beef or pork.) Don't bother cutting up the meat. It will shred apart or fall off the bone when done. Add in the soup starter seasoning packet or your own spices, if you prefer. Walk away for a few hours. Just before it's almost done, I take out the meat, cut or shred it up then. I add in some frozen stir-fry veggies from the bag. They are already pre-cut, as other people have said. Just heat them through. They don't need much cooking. DONE.

If you don't want to use the included seasoning packet, use your own spices. I've done it both ways. It actually stretches out using the same soup starter in different ways. You can also add pasta if you want a heartier soup. I've used the same soup starter in 3 different ways so far, by changing up the seasonings or the other ingredients I add. I've yet to work my way through all flavors of one brand.

@Frozen Canuck on another thread turned me onto the Buckeye Beans & Herbs brand that can be found at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshalls. They are also available at Amazon or their own website for a lot more money:

I have used the Buckeye Beans & Herbs brand of soup mix. Our favourite one that we have tried has been the Chicken 'n Thyme soup mix. They are good, but they make a LOT (like 12 servings!), so we usually end up freezing some. I have found packages of it at places like Marshall's and TJ Maxx in their food section for less than online.

I love the Chicken 'n Thyme soup mix and the Beefed Up Barley Soup mix. I've had the Beefed Up Barley with and without the tomatoes and seasoning packet. I made it with the liquid after I braised ribs in too much liquid. I tasted it, and it was basically a wonderful soup broth. So, I dumped in half a box of the rinsed & soaked Beefed Up Barley ingredients and then just kept going. It was that easy to suddenly decide to make soup.

At my local health food store, I found an organic split pea soup starter and also one for corn chowder in which basically I only have to add boiling water and after a few minutes of stirring, they are done. I don't know if my health food store has these specially made for them, (it's a mom & pop type shop,) or if they are available at other health food stores too. Check the bulk bins of your smaller health food stores,where you can buy bulk almonds, quinoa, etc.

 

[HeatherC]

How about pizza? Can make with English Muffin or tortillas or premade crusts. Just top with favorites and bake.

Tacos...can make a casserole with black beans, rice,cheese, etc. Or taco bowls or tacos in tortillas or shells.

‘Homemade soup. Sautée veggies you like with seasonings you like, dump in crockpot with chicken broth and add some chopped rotisserie chicken and cook for a few hours.

‘Hamburger soup...same thing but use beef broth, add a can of crushed tomatoes, rice or noodles, and hamburger meat.

‘Chili...for quick one I use McCormicks seasoning packets. Can add ground beef or ground turkey, or just add your favorite veggies for a vegetarian version.

I also find roasts to be super easy. Season and put in oven and serve with baked potatoes and a veggie.

 

[TwoMisfits]

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.



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.

Any restrictions other than soy?

I have a bunch of "fresh" ideas that work on an iffy stomach and dairy/tree nut allergies (aka - me), but I can handle soy (so that does take away tofu/soy sauce)....

PS - And if you have an HMart, let me know b/c they are wonderful for iffy stomachs, fresh, and not gonna bankrupt you (more than Aldi's, but less than Trader Joe's)...

 

[kanne323]

I have a hard time cooking during the week due to my work schedule. I often do big cooking on the weekend and freeze in individual portions- that helps a lot.

I'm a big fan of the slow cooker this time of year, and I love to make soups- current favorite is a kale-sweet potato chicken soup (low sodium chicken broth, kale, chicken breasts, 2 diced sweet potatoes, various seasonings- usually whatever I'm in the mood for), and I almost always keep some of my chicken soup in the freezer (low sodium chicken broth, chicken breasts, long grain wild rice, a few spices, carrots, celery, dandelion greens when I can get them, spinach when I can't, plus whatever other veggies I decide to throw in.) Other favorite slow cooker meals here include beef stew, chicken fajitas, spaghetti squash, veggie frittata, and pulled pork.

I very recently became a big fan of the air fryer, as well. I really had no idea how much could be done with it! My favorite easy meal right now is salmon with either a drizzle of fresh squeezed citrus (lemon, lime, or orange) or a Cajun seasoning blend I make myself, in the air fryer for about 12-16 minutes. I make a simple cucumber lime salsa (literally just diced cucumber, lime juice, olive oil) for the salmon, dice and air fry a sweet potato, and add a frozen veggie like broccoli, and I've got a delicious, healthy meal. Some nights, I just eat the sweet potato and frozen snap peas... I definitely eat too much sweet potato.

I also do a lot of big salads with protein. I'll cook up a bunch of chicken on the weekend (shredded in the slow cooker or I'll just throw it in the oven to bake) to add to bagged salads. I like the chopped salad kits, but I don't use the dressing and most mix-ins they come with. I also like to get a bag of mixed greens and then a bag of broccoli slaw to add to it, and I add cucumber and whatever else I feel like (green beans, peppers, broccoli, corn, peas, carrots, etc.) Add the protein on top and favorite safe dressing.

Tomorrow, I'm making pulled pork that will be added to salads during the week and will be used for nachos tomorrow night. Easiest recipe- pork tenderloin, add a little coarse sea salt (recipe says rub with but I'm really sensitive to the taste of salt so I use sparingly), and some liquid smoke. Slow cooker for about 6 hours and shred, add favorite barbecue sauce. I usually freeze in portions without the barbecue sauce and find that it doesn't even need it when I'm putting it on salad. For nachos, I'll put it over tortilla chips, add some vegetables and shredded cheese, and put under the broiler for a few minutes.

My not-so-healthy quick favorites are tuna melts and French toast for supper. And then there are many nights when I'm eating hummus and vegetables, or avocado on toast with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, or oatmeal.

 

[Christine]

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.

I can't do frozen veggies either with the exception of peas and lima beans and maybe some frozen corn here and there. Not sure why, but they are awful to me. I most definitely have not had any success using any of the pepper or onion blends to be used for stirfry. They just end up limp and soggy in my experience. I wish I could embrace them; the winter is a dearth of veggie eating for me.

 

[Soarin4us]

4 EASY, fast ideas:

1) Keep a big container of salad greens in your fridge. Top with any protein you have: fish, chicken, canned tuna, meat, cheese, seasoned black beans.... (When you cook, make extra for salad w/ leftovers.)

2) one pan oven meal: put fish or thin chicken fillets in a baking pan, with broccoli or green beans, brussel sprouts, cauliflower etc. Season or squeeze lemon on it all, bake on 400 about 20 mins.

3) frying pan stir fry. Cut small pieces of meat, chicken, fish, sauté a few minutes, add some veggies and seasoning, sauté another minute. Done.


4) (start this in the morning) 2-ingredient crock pot Buffalo chicken. You can do this with fresh OR frozen chicken breasts. Put them in the crockpot, cover with a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays Buffalo sauce. Done in 6-8 hours.

Pantry staples:
Kidney beans or black beans
Jar of minced garlic
Rice
Pasta
Jarred pasta sauce
BBQ sauce
Buffalo sauce
Salsa
Tabasco
Canned tuna

 

[mjkacmom]

I cook almost nightly, but one of my favorite comfort meals is to boil cheese tortellini in chicken broth to make a soup, add fresh baby spinach and Parmesan cheese.

 

[LilyWDW]

I have recently discovered organic soup starters. I did not know such a thing existed all this time. My usual way of making fresh soups was so time and consuming, chopping, peeling, cutting up veggies & meat. Soup starters makes it MUCH easier. Many of the ingredients: peas, lentils, barley, etc., and a seasoning packet are assembled in the box for you. No need to open up so many packages of stuff and measure everything out. You basically add a meat and maybe a can of tomatoes & frozen, pre-cut veggies. The soups can be done in a crock pot or Instant Pot too.

I have seen these before and used to get the ones from Harry and David. Those might be a great option for a "home cooked" meal without as much work. I will have to look at Fresh Thyme and maybe make a trip to Meijer to see what they have. If I can't find much I will look into ordering some online.

Any restrictions other than soy?

I have a bunch of "fresh" ideas that work on an iffy stomach and dairy/tree nut allergies (aka - me), but I can handle soy (so that does take away tofu/soy sauce)....

PS - And if you have an HMart, let me know b/c they are wonderful for iffy stomachs, fresh, and not gonna bankrupt you (more than Aldi's, but less than Trader Joe's)...

Soy is the big one I stay away some. I also restrict the amount of tomato, vinegar, and citrus. For example, I can have spaghetti and sauce, but only for a meal or so and I have to be careful what else I eat that same day. Or I can do salad dressing, but I can't do lemon chicken. It is about the quantity of the the items.

I use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce so recipes with that are fine. Tofu, obviously, would be out which makes me sad. I used to love tofu.

Sadly, no HMart here in Indy. I wish!

I wish I could respond to more posts! There is just so much information and suggestions!

 

[TwoMisfits]

I have seen these before and used to get the ones from Harry and David. Those might be a great option for a "home cooked" meal without as much work. I will have to look at Fresh Thyme and maybe make a trip to Meijer to see what they have. If I can't find much I will look into ordering some online.



Soy is the big one I stay away some. I also restrict the amount of tomato, vinegar, and citrus. For example, I can have spaghetti and sauce, but only for a meal or so and I have to be careful what else I eat that same day. Or I can do salad dressing, but I can't do lemon chicken. It is about the quantity of the the items.

I use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce so recipes with that are fine. Tofu, obviously, would be out which makes me sad. I used to love tofu.

Sadly, no HMart here in Indy. I wish!

I wish I could respond to more posts! There is just so much information and suggestions!

Okay - for winter, my suggestion is to buy as many fresh veg as you love that are on sale and split them into 2 groups - those that are best raw and those that are best roasted.

Then, I'd make a full sheet pan of the roasted veg every Sunday (heck, even two). Once you have a sheet pan of roasted veg, you've got the makings of a bunch of easy meals. You can uncap an Indian sauce or Thai Curry jar sauce (with added coconut milk for both to both add good fats and bland it out a little) and add it to the veg with either leftover chicken, leftover salmon, canned or frozen shrimp, or a jar of chickpeas or green peas (for Indian) or a can of pineapple (for green curry) or NOTHING (if you just want veg) for a tasty and easy meal served over a bag of microwave rice (for some reason, this makes me very happy - I always have microwave jasmine or basmati rice).

Or you can take the veg, blend it, and thin it out with broth for a nice hearty veg soup.

Or you can serve it as a side dish to your favorite protein.

Or, depending on the veg chosen, you can turn it into pasta sauce (with a blend).

As for what type of veg, I'm a fan of everything - sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, potato, peppers, onions, jicama, beets, celery root, taro, mushrooms, green papaya, etc...if you can dream it and like it, you can do it. Try to group veg to taste good together or "fit the cuisine" you want for that week.

Obviously, for good "shelving" things, I'd have non-tomato pre-made Indian sauces, green, yellow, and/or red curry Thai jarred sauces (use a little and buy the one with the least vinegar/tomato b/c some can be vinegary and tomaty - yellow/massamam might be best but I'd have to check), coconut milk (you can use up open coconut milks over bananas and/or fresh or canned pineapple with a little sugar, cinnamon, and (optional) coconut rum - SO good! And works as an Asian side if you also add some form of ginger (fresh grated or ground), which is great for the stomach)...canned pineapple, chickpeas, green peas, microwave rice, cans of broth, peeled frozen or canned shrimp, individually frozen chicken breast filets, individually frozen tilapia and/or salmon filets (fish is always very gentle on the stomach).

And the nice thing about roasted veg - it will be fine for 4-5 days...when it gets to the later days, that's when you blend it...and veg is cheap, healthy, and when roasted is easier to digest than raw/steamed...

EDIT TO ADD: This is perfect timing - it was in my inbox - if you don't have the separate pans, you can also just add at different times (and you don't need to be too anal - you can group some together, even if they normally cook 5-10 minutes apart)...and you can use aluminum foil "logs" to separate them https://www.cookinglight.com/syndic...utm_content=010321&cid=595021&mid=48069782152

 

[Imzadi]

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.

I can't do frozen veggies either with the exception of peas and lima beans and maybe some frozen corn here and there. Not sure why, but they are awful to me. I most definitely have not had any success using any of the pepper or onion blends to be used for stirfry. They just end up limp and soggy in my experience. I wish I could embrace them; the winter is a dearth of veggie eating for me.

Frozen veggies cook much faster than fresh ones. Maybe they blanch them first for a few seconds in boiling water. Basically, you canNOT cook add them in the way you would fresh cut veggies. If you add them at the time you normally would for fresh, they will be limp and soggy by the time the food is done cooking.

I add them in about the last 5 minutes. Remember, they will also absorb residual heat from whatever is around them. So they will continue to keep cooking even when you've turned off the heat. That's why, by the time they are forked up to your mouth, they are dead and limp. Factor that time and continued cooking into consideration.

Cans of mixed veggie are even more likely to get mushier faster as they are already mostly cooked for canning.


However, I find the pre-cooking is a plus for canned beans, as then I don't have to soak and cook them before adding them into a dish. I have found a few brands, (Goya for one,) to have low sodium canned beans. I get them or another brand delivered by Target. (I've been getting most of my pantry staples delivered from Walmart & Target for years, as I have an exhaustion problem due to thyroid issues. Who knew I was so ahead of my time? )

Low sodium canned beans, like white cannelini beans, also known as butter beans, (I think,) and black beans, when well rinsed, actually have very little flavor on their own. They are bland. Yet, they wonderfully absorb the flavors around them. I put them in tossed salads and they absorb the salad dressings beautifully. I can put them in cooked dishes as a protein replacement.

I make my own hummus with low sodium chick peas. On the days I don't feel like working the food processor/blender. I just make a chick pea salad by adding all the hummus ingredients together: chick peas, tahini (or sesame oil,) lemon juice, (a little sugar to balance the acidity,) garlic, olive oil and smoked paprika, sometimes cumin, a sprinkle of parsley for color, and toss and and have the chick peas whole, as a veggie side.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I always try to have a Costco chicken on hand for toasted chicken sandwiches. Once I get into it for a few days, cut off the rest of the breast and the thighs, throw the bones (and legs and wings if you haven't eaten them) and any congealed juice from the bottom into your crock pot with some carrots, celery, onion and maybe a few spices. Cook it all day and you have bone soup. Use that thigh meat (or the breast) to chop into cubes, boil a few noodles and ladle the soup into a bowl through a strainer. Very easy. The hardest part is you have to strain the rest to put away for leftovers.

If you don't want to bother with the bone soup, take the extra chicken you aren't using in sandwiches and cut it into some Liptons packet soup or some canned soups for more meat.

I also like to make tacos (taco spice mix and ground beef in 10 minutes) for a quick meal, or even, on occasion, ground beef and Hamburger Helper is a great meal within a half hour.

You could also get some chicken tenders or breasts you can cook from frozen... just put in a pan in the oven. Maybe do some oven fries or pop a potato in the microwave and then cut it up to fry into hash browns (or just have McCains hash browns on hand. Or just chicken tenders and a salad. Or kraft dinner (my kids' fave) or cut up veggies (pepper, carrots, cucumber, etc) as a side.

Keep fruit on hand for snacks and you don't have to feel guilty about a meal that isn't perfectly balanced.

Someone else mentioned spaghetti and meatballs. Well, you can buy the meatballs and have them in the freezer. Pop them in the microwave (or oven, but they can get dried out in the oven) or right in the sauce for added flavor to your sauce.

Or, buy a packet of stove top gravy, pop those meatballs in the gravy and have a salad on the side or bread, or potatoes (even those bought mashed ones).

Don't be ashamed to have breakfast for dinner. Eggs are great any time of the day. Or even those pancake mixes with some bacon on the side would be nice.

 

[TwoMisfits]

To add to your grocery list, I would put on things that make the single fish or chicken filet different (and that can also work on the veg or on a grain).

So, I'd buy a jarred pesto sauce, a jarred (not cheap, b/c cheap ones are nasty) Alfredo sauce, a roasted red pepper sauce (which you may have to make - but it's as simple as a jar of roasted red peppers added to carmelized onions and garlic, s&p, dried Italian herbs, and then blended with your choice of milk/cream/vegan milk product til you like it), and even a vinegar-free hot honey or hot maple syrup like this one https://www.amazon.com/Bushwick-Kit...W0D144VC7E9&psc=1&refRID=Y4D6EDJGEW0D144VC7E9.

You use that hot honey or maple on a frozen waffle topped with a baked plain salted chicken breast and some fresh fruit next to it...yumm...

Or you drizzle it on the roasted veg to give it a totally different flavor one night...

I think having sauce options and single protein options with already-roasted veg and fresh fruit will make dinners both really healthy, really easy, and really fast...let the jar people do the work for you, and you add the fresh stuff...

EDIT TO ADD: You can just get regular honey or maple if you don't like the heat (and it will work just as well, even on the veg), but sometimes the heat plus sweet is awesome...

 

[PigletsPal2]

One of my family's favorites is what we call Tuna Stuffies. You can make the tuna salad in about five minutes and put it in the fridge until dinner time. when you can do frozen fries in your Airfryer. Cut the medium sized tomatoes into wedges (don't cut all the way through) to make a cup, stuff them with the tuna salad and serve with the fries. We live in Florida so the weather is always good for a meal this light. We sometimes substitute chicken salad.

 

[TwoMisfits]

One of my family's favorites is what we call Tuna Stuffies. You can make the tuna salad in about five minutes and put it in the fridge until dinner time. when you can do frozen fries in your Airfryer. Cut the medium sized tomatoes into wedges (don't cut all the way through) to make a cup, stuff them with the tuna salad and serve with the fries. We live in Florida so the weather is always good for a meal this light. We sometimes substitute chicken salad.

For OP, since tomatoes can be an issue, this would also work really well in mini avocado halves - just make sure to salt the avocado halves before filling them with the tuna/chicken salad...plus avocadoes are gentle digestive superfoods...

 

[TheIncredibles!]

One pan chili mac. In a covered pan (I use a chicken fryer skillet)

1.5 lbs ground beef browned
1 med onion chopped
drain
salt and pepper to taste
chili powder to taste (I start with 1 TB)
cumin to taste (1 tsp for us)
oregano to taste
1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can (approx) rotel or any diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 15 oz can WATER
1/2 package UNCOOKED elbow noodles

Once the meat is browned with the onion add everything else in together, stir well, simmer for 20 minutes.Play with the measurements etc. Sometimes I add more sauce if I have more than a half pack of noodles etc.