Easy Dinner Meals

[dosekies]

Fiancé and I will be moving into our first apartment at the end of July. We want to try to eat a lot healthier than we have been and also have some easy meals to cook after work. We are also looking into recipes we can prepare before hand and possibly freeze and then bake/put into the crock pot when we want them.

Anyone have any go-to dinners they make? Any recipes we can freeze and cook later?

 

[Kaytie]

There's a recipe thread on the Budget Board, and there's a Cooking subforum here in the Just for Fun section.

 

[dosekies]

There's a recipe thread on the Budget Board, and there's a Cooking subforum here in the Just for Fun section.

Thank you! Sorry, I didn't see those before, but I will definitely look into them!

 

[Southernmiss]

Cooking all meat on the weekend is a huge help. Easy to pull together a salad or side as the meat is heating up on weeknights.

 

[Minnesota!]

I spend Sunday afternoons prepping/cooking for the week. Today I made:

A double batch of Pasta salad, 10 omlettes, veggie hash, 3 different veggie salads, a pork roast (some was for dinner tonight, the rest is for lunches), meatballs for spaghetti night, cut up/washed most of the fruit for the week, made a double batch of banana bread, and have the turkey thawing for turkey night. (That will be Crock-Pot).

Took about 2.5 hours but saves me time and sanity during the week!

 

[Minnesota!]

Sorry, my phone is acting up, so had to post before finished my thoughts.

We go to the butcher and get chicken breasts, italian sausage, and bacon.

Cook up the bacon and use it for breakfast, BLTs, salads, etc.

Italian sausage I mix with the same.amount of ground beef, make into meatballs, freeze on tray. When frozen, I put them ina huge Ziploc and take out what I need when I need it.

Chicken - marinate in different things, freeze in marinade. Thrown whole think in crock pot with veggies, etc. Serves over brown rice.

 

[Minnesota!]

Big salads with leftovers, too. I hate this phone right now..

 

[IDoDis]

Our InstantPot has been our lifesaver for cooking meals after work. We make lots of chicken breast dinners and roasts. I can make a full roast with potatoes, carrots, etc... in an hour from start to finish. Total cooking time in the instant pot is about 30 minutes, but the meals taste like they've been cooking in a crockpot all day. No more cooking ahead on the weekend. We can eat fresh meals every night in a fraction of the cooking time. You can google Instantpot healthy recipes for lots of good ideas.

 

[nene0182]

I second the Instantpot suggestion. It's been a wonderful addition for our family. We actually have two that permanently live on our counter. In addition to the quick dinners, I also use mine on Sundays to make a batch of yogurt or steel cut oats that I portion into mason jars and can use for quick grab and go breakfasts during the week.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Easy Oven-Baked Chicken Tacos

These oven-baked tacos are super easy to make and can be assembled even faster if you have cooked, shredded chicken on hand in your freezer. When I make them, I skip the refried beans because I can't get anyone in my family to eat them and then add extra chicken (I probably use closer to a lb. of chicken for 10 shells). I am also feeding children, so I substitute mild green chilies and original taco seasoning for the spicier versions called for and use petite diced tomatoes for the child who isn't crazy about big chunks of tomato. All of this to say that these are very adaptable and should provide you with leftovers which can be crisped up in the oven again the next night or reheated for lunch if you don't mind the taco shell being a little softer the next day.

Not exactly on the "healthy" spectrum, but Kenji's 3-Ingredient Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese recipe is awesome, cooks in one pot, and will have you never purchasing the fake macaroni and cheese in the boxes ever again.

Also on the flavourful, one-pot side of things is this recipe for Unprocessed Hamburger Helper. I have made this multiple times. It has good flavour, but fair warning, it doesn't look like much when you get it cooked, as it lacks the artificial colours, etc. of the original boxed version. If the combination of hamburger and pasta cooked in a cheesy sauce sounds appealing, I would give it a try. (Note: The link is not working right now for some reason, but I am hoping that the site gets back online soon so you can check it out.)

 

[powellrj]

I have started doing one pan meals. I had fixed what I called hobo dinners for years. The scouts meal with hamburgers, potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms all combined on a foil sheet and then baked so each person has their own foil packet as a meal.

I have started using chicken and fish and adding different veggies and seasonings to mix it up. The family seems to like them too.

 

[adelaster]

For those of you that crockpot-how do you manage it? I leave home around 6:45 am and get home around 6:30 pm. Everytime I've tried to crockpot something it's ruined when I get to it. Any suggestions?

 

[Magpie]

For those of you that crockpot-how do you manage it? I leave home around 6:45 am and get home around 6:30 pm. Everytime I've tried to crockpot something it's ruined when I get to it. Any suggestions?

I've done 12 hour or more crock pots. It's just a matter of choosing recipes that say (minimum) 10 to 12 hours or "all day". With the crock pot set on minimum. Then, if you're looking at 12 or more hours, consider add a little extra broth or liquid.

You'll mostly be making soups and stews. Anything that can simmer for a very long time.

Try Googling "extra long slow cooker recipes". You'll get a lot of suggestions!

Also, if you've got a fancier, programmable slow cooker, you can program it to flip over to "warm" after it's cooked on low for eight or nine hours.

To get you started: http://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-types-of-slow-cooker-recipes-for-extra-long-work-days-224316

 

[adelaster]

I've done 12 hour or more crock pots. It's just a matter of choosing recipes that say (minimum) 10 to 12 hours or "all day". With the crock pot set on minimum. Then, if you're looking at 12 or more hours, consider add a little extra broth or liquid.

You'll mostly be making soups and stews. Anything that can simmer for a very long time.

Try Googling "extra long slow cooker recipes". You'll get a lot of suggestions!

Thanks! Maybe it's the pot I have-it only has two settings, low and high.

 

[Magpie]

Thanks! Maybe it's the pot I have-it only has two settings, low and high.

Yes, that's a VERY basic slow cooker!

It might be cooking at a higher temp than it should, even when set on low (ie, if you regularly find things burn on the bottom or sides). Or, you could be losing liquid to evaporation, due to a dodgy seal between the cooker and lid. Try being more generous with the broth and focus on soups. And consider covering it tightly with tinfoil, in addition to the lid.

When you're cooking for a long time, you want to keep the moisture from escaping. But, if it's cooking at high of a temperature, there's not much you can do besides invest in a new crockpot.

 

[adelaster]

Yes, that's a VERY basic slow cooker!

It might be cooking at a higher temp than it should, even when set on low (ie, if you regularly find things burn on the bottom or sides). Or, you could be losing liquid to evaporation, due to a dodgy seal between the cooker and lid. Try being more generous with the broth and focus on soups. And consider covering it tightly with tinfoil, in addition to the lid.

When you're cooking for a long time, you want to keep the moisture from escaping. But, if it's cooking at high of a temperature, there's not much you can do besides invest in a new crockpot.

I should've figured, it was a gift from MIL & she really only buys clearanced clearance sale items. Or dollar store sales. I'm not joking either unfortunately, and it's not an income issue, it's just how it is. Oh well. Time to start looking at real crockpots!

 

[Magpie]

I should've figured, it was a gift from MIL & she really only buys clearanced clearance sale items. Or dollar store sales. I'm not joking either unfortunately, and it's not an income issue, it's just how it is. Oh well. Time to start looking at real crockpots!

Hey, it's not totally useless! I actually have two crockpots. I use the big fancy one for making all-day meals that have to feed multiple people. That's my workhorse. And I use the little basic one on special occasions when I want to make a side dish (ie, such as rice or a quick veggie dish). It's good for cooking something that takes 2 to 4 hours and means I can be out talking to people on Christmas, rather than hovering over pots in the kitchen.

So, keep your MIL's crockpot. It might still be useful, just not for what you thought.

 

[shoney]

Not a huge crockpot fan. I also think most things that freeze well are wintery meals like stews soups and sauces.
Get urself a calphalon hard anodized grill pan. Closest thing to actually grilling. Marinate and/or season proteins the night before. Cut and prep veggies to grill then night before. Summer salads such as potato macaroni or pasta salads can be made in a variety of different ways U aren't stuck to just mayo based traditional recipes. Google is ur friend. Find simple recipes.

 

[sksjasams]

Get urself a calphalon hard anodized grill pan. Closest thing to actually grilling.

Do you have the double sized one?
Can this be used on an electric coil stove top?
Do you prefer this over a cast iron grill pan?

TIA!

 

[shoney]

I have the 11 inch. I use it on a flat top but would be fine on a coil. I like how hot it gets and makes perfect sear marks.
Taste is similar to the grill. Things like the George foreman just never got hot enough and it seems like meat poached and not grilled.