What's your FASTEST recipe to prepare?

[daizieduck]

I love this one from the Kraft recipes site. I have made it several times and it comes out really yummy! It's suppose to be a healthy version of chicken parm because it's not breaded and fried. Which also makes it QUICK and EASY!

Ingredients
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
6 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1-1/2 lb.)
3/4 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions
HEAT oven to 375°F.

POUR sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir in 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) Parmesan. Add chicken; turn to evenly coat both sides of each breast with sauce. Cover.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as directed on package, omitting salt.

TOP chicken with remaining cheeses; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted. Drain spaghetti. Serve topped with chicken and sauce.

 

[ellone]

We eat very few processed foods so dinner for us is grilled chicken, burgers, or steak. No sauces on them. Can add a little salt. Then we have fresh veggies as a side.


My 4 year old is extremely happy with her chicken, cucumbers, and tomatoes with sour cream on top for dinner.

 

[hearts8701]

Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Green Peppers
Ingredients 4 green bell peppers 1 lb small steaks (can use steak ums) 1 onion, chopped 8 oz mushrooms, washed and sliced 2 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil 8 slice provolone cheese
Directions 1. Saute onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the steak and a little salt and pepper and cook until nearly done. When there is a little pink left in the meat, add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 more minutes. 2. Meanwhile, remove the tops, ribs, and seeds from the green peppers, and blanch the green peppers in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove with tongs and place upside down on a drying rack with a towel underneath. 3. Spray the inside of a 8 X 8 baking pan or a large bread pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the peppers in the pan (openings facing up). Tear 4 of the pieces of cheese into strip and place inside each pepper. Then fill them with the steak and onion mixture and place another slice of cheese on top. 4. Cover the pan with tented aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake about another 10 minutes, until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. Enjoy!

 

[mcuoghi]

I've found lots of great recipes on Pinterest as well--both crockpot and dinner in 30 min type recipes.

If you thin you're going to use a crock pot a bit maybe think about investing in one that has a built in timer. I can set my temp and how long I want it to cook. After the time is up the crockpot goes to warm. Helps with over cooking.

 

[threecrazykids]

Another option with the crockpot is to either put the meat in frozen or (like I do) buy a small appliance timer. They are under $10 and it's a lifesaver! It prevents the worry of under/overcooking even if your work hours don't jive with the crockpot hours.

If I want to have dinner complete around 5-6 I will set the timer to turn the crockpot on at around 10am even though I leave for work at 6am. I can also program for it to shut off at any particular time I choose as well. It prevents things from being overcooked. When it comes to soups or a beef roast, I personally don't think you can really "overcook" it unless it's gone HOURS beyond the recommended time and not enough liquid, but you can have it shut off to prevent that worry.

I know some people may argue against this or say it's not safe, etc. but I have been using my crockpot for 20 years and not ONCE have I had any issues doing this.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

My gang loves the recipe daizieduck posted! Definitely a favorite here.

Another thought is, on the weekends, if you grill, throw on a few extra chicken breasts (or thighs). Slice them up, and you can easily toss them on a salad or use them in a recipe. I also like to have grilled chicken sandwiches.

I do a barbecue chicken in the crockpot, but instead of pineapple, I put in sliced peppers and onions, and use Sweet Baby Ray's sauce. You could also use this for pulled chicken sandwiches.

 

[TinkTock]

I think a combination of approaches will help. I agree that when you're cooking rice, you should make a big batch and save some. In fact, cooked rice freezes well, so you can freeze meal-size portions and then microwave as needed. Also, cold cooked rice is great for fried rice. You can put almost any leftover proteins and vegetables in it, as long as you have the rice, eggs, and some soy sauce.

I think buying precooked, sliced chicken breast will be good for you too. You can use it in that fried rice, to top a big salad, to put over pasta, to make quesadillas, etc.

BLT's are quick and great for dinner. If you want it to be really fast, buy the precooked bacon. Or buy sliced roast beef at the deli, and just warm it with a jar of gravy and put over a slice of bread (or the prepared mashed potato flakes that a PP mentioned).

Also, try to think of some snacks you can have in the car for your DD on the way home that are reasonably healthy and won't ruin her appetite. Maybe she'd like dried fruits/veggies or a handful of nuts so she's not starving when you walk through the door.

 

[runwad]

Crock Pot Beef Roast

I use a sirloin tip roast in a crock pot with a "keep warm" setting. Put the roast and seasonings in, cover with aluminum foil, cook for about 8 hours. You can put carrots and potatoes in with it, but those are better if you can drop them in about 6-7 hours in (if I don't have that option, I typically just scrub potatoes, poke holes in them, and cook them in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes or until soft instead).

.

I didn't know I could cook on the keep warm setting? I always have a problem with boneless chicken breasts drying out because they don't really need to cook for 9 hours. So I can cook them on "keep warm?"

 

[bookluvingbabe]

I cook on the weekends. If I make it on Sunday, I assume it is going to be okay through the week in the fridge. I'll make chili or stroganoff (I make it with ground pork and everyone adds their own yogurt when it reheats) or red sauce or meatballs. There is always at least one ground meat dish for the week. A bonus is that I can put a ton of veggies in those and no one notices. Or I'll throw a chicken into roast when I put DS down to bed and it will be done while I'm cleaning the kitchen. Once it cools I can take it apart. Or I'll cook the tongue so I can cube it and make tacos the next night.

We almost never have a "freshly cooked" meal at night. But dinner can be on the table in 5-10 minutes. DS will eat veggies while I heat up something.

If I am doing something immediately, I will do pan seared pork chops or lamb chops. 4-5 minutes per side in butter, let them rest for a few minutes. Add spinach, kale or chard to the pan you cooked the meat in and let it wilt while the meat is resting. But that is the longest I will take to make dinner during the week.

 

[sarah4770]

black beans and rice with fried plantains on the side
grilled cheese and tomato soup
frozen tortellini or ravioli with sauce
sauteed or broiled fish with microwave baked potatoe or sweet potatoe and veggie
veggie quesadillas
make a pot of chili on the weekends, you can serve it over rice or baked potatoe
soup, salad and bread
pasta with fresh tomatoe, olive oil, garlic, mushroom.... whatever you have on hand
keep a couple easy meals in the freezer for nights you are just too tired to cook.
my kids always like macaroni and milk.. weird I know... heat up the milk with salt pepper and butter
I would give your three year old a little snack to hold her over if you cannot rush in the door and start supper or once in a while give her spaghettios and bread and butter, some other child friendly food.

 

[dromio42]

Loved reading all these ideas!

I cook ahead and definately have a 1 week menu on the fridge; that way I waste less food and do take out very little.

Things that freeze well:
Pulled pork (crockpot)
beef stew (crockpot)
Taco soup
Pea soup
brown rice
taco meat (ground turkey cooked with spice mix)

Things that I prep:
I wash a few days worth of Kale or lettuce (for salad)
roast small potatoes (a 9x13 pan's worth - served as is or sliced and browned/fake fries or cut up in salad or mashed)
chopped cabbage and shredded carrots (use in fish taco and then fried rice)
spaghetti (later reheated by being tossed in sauce in a sautee pan or dipped in boiling broth the add peanut/seasame sauce and chiken)
a few few cups of rice if none is frozen

 

[crisi]

Sandwiches. The kids like grilled cheese and tomato soup - that cooks up easy. Quesadillas.

Shelf stable boxes of tofu do not have to be defrosted. Nor does canned chicken or tuna or beans (or Spam, but well...Spam). Nor do eggs. Meals made out of those things cook up really fast.

We also do a lot of polenta and serve a chicken sausage and vegetable mix over it. Cornmeal takes about five minutes to cook up, and sausage and vegetables can be cooked up in about the same.

If you buy frozen fish in a bag (like tilapia), it defrosts in ten minutes in warm water in the sink. Serve that with couscous (cooks faster than rice) and a vegetable.

I'm not fond of leftover rice - too dry. Or leftover pasta. Same issue.

 

[flamingglobessigmund]

Breakfast for dinner: eggs, hash browns, bacon is my fastest meal.

If you have a crock pot you can bake potatoes in it & have potato toppings ready in the fridge for dinner.

Today I'm trying a new recipe in my crock pot. I've got pork chops & mushroom gravy in the bottom, then a layer of aluminum foil covering the chops. Next I have small potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil and individually wrapped frozen half ears of corn surrounding the potatoes packet. In 6-7 hours we'll have a complete meal. No hot oven or slaving over a hot stove for me today!

 

[Dancemomof3]

A Favorite in our house is Slow cooker chicken taco soup. 3 shredded chicken breasts, 1 can black beans drained and rinsed, 1 can chili beans, 1 8 oz can tomato sauce, 1 can tomatoes with green chilis 1 can corn, 1 pkt taco seasoning, 1 can chicken broth. I have cooked this for as long as 12 hrs and it still tastes great. It makes a ton so we usually freeze half of it. My kids eat it with a little cheese on top, I like sour cream and my husband usually does those with some crumbled tortilla chips or Doritos also. I make this for parties often and double the recipe because it's so easy. A lot of my extended family are on special diets so I buy all no salt added canned ingredients and low sodium taco seasoning. Everyone loves it.

 

[Rowdymom81]

I didn't know I could cook on the keep warm setting? I always have a problem with boneless chicken breasts drying out because they don't really need to cook for 9 hours. So I can cook them on "keep warm?"

I think the "keep warm" setting means the crockpot will switch to "Keep warm" after it finishes its 5 (or whatever) hours on low.

 

[denneg]

I do a crockpot BBQ chicken that is fast and so good. Put up to 6 frozen chicken beasts in the crockpot, cover with 1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup Italian dressing and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. It comes out like pulled chicken, it's amazing and so easy.

 

[luv2sewtjr]

The grill is my fastest. We grill pretty much year round, except when it is bitter cold. Grilled veggies are one of our favorites and that is quick prep and cook time.

Kabobs can be assembled ahead of time, marinate overnight and cook super fast. Side of couscous is equally fast.

When I buy boneless chicken, I often pre-dice it and freeze it in marinade. I'm very picky about my marinades but some of my favorites are fajita, Iron Chef garlic teriyaki and there's a Thai one I can't remember. I have frozen it cubed, too. It's not the end of the world if I forget to defrost it because I freeze it in a ziploc.

I also love simmer sauces. Trader Joe's has a lot of them, but we don't live near one and shop there very infrequently. I'm finding more of them at a nearby grocery store and Target has their own line, too.

We always have a couple boxes of beans and rice in the pantry and the fixins for tuna casserole. My crew loves pierogies, so once swim team is in full effect, I have a couple boxes in the freezer.

Shrimp is a quick one. I'll sautee it and then serve it with pasta, olive oil and spinach.

I don't like much in the way of crockpot meals and generally only freeze components of meals, if that makes sense. I will make a quiche from time to time because it is one of those foods that is good for any meal.

Other quickie things are quesadillas, breakfast for dinner and tacos. My kids also LOVE frozen burritos, which are a special treat around here. Is it possible to grab the occasional rotisserie chicken? They are a pretty good deal and tasty.

Most days, I get dinner on the table in 30 minutes and I am pretty much a scratch cook. It took me planning and practice to get there. And I also don't have any problem giving my kids a (small) snack while I'm getting things ready. Since we are both working now, my dh cooks on the nights when I go to class. He is getting the hang of it, so that makes life easier. We talk and I get his feedback on what he wants to cook on "his" nights.

Find what works for your family and go with it.