Eco-Friendly Family

I need easy meals please

or I'm going to lose my mind. Something has to give around here and I'm thinking meal time is going to be it. I can't handle the prep time on dinner while the kids shriek around my ankles followed by me running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to clean up after we've eaten. Dh has the kids in the tub and I haven't had a breather since he came home at 5 and I haven't even made a dent in the kitchen!

So please please please give me your easy meal ideas/ recipes if you've got them! I'm talking like 15-20 mins hands on time or less! 

Thank you thank you thank you

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Re: I need easy meals please

  • Crock pot meals! I like to do soups and things in mine.

    If I'm really rushed I will just do grilled cheese sandwiches with soups/salads.

    Black beans and rice is easy. Brown rice is what I use, which takes longer. If you used white it would only take 20 mins.

    Bean and cheese burritos.

    Taco night.

    Homemade pizza using store bought crust. I make my own crusts and freeze portions to use later.

    In fact, freezer cooking is a GREAT idea. Cook extra portions of things you normally make and freeze them for later. Another thing I do is prep things for the week on the weekend, ie chopping veggies, making stock, browning ground turkey for different meals.

    Pasta with either canned or sauce that you have previously made and frozen. Or just toss with some olive oil and veggies and parm cheese.

    Soups are quick and easy for me. If you chop up the veggies beforehand, it shaves a lot of prep time off. We love cabbage vegetable soup. Also vegetarian chili is quick.

    Scrambled eggs or other breakfast for dinner ideas are usually quick.

     

     

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    Cambria, Keira, and Bonnie Quinn
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  • I also do most of my cooking without recipes, but if you want to know how I make something just let me know!
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  • Thanks! Great ideas!
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  • A whole roasted chicken requires minimal hands on time.  Salt, pepper and olive oil and throw it in the oven for about 1.5 hours.  Steam or saute some quick veg and you've got a meal.  You could also cut up some veggies really fast and put them in the same pan as the chicken for even less clean up.  Sweet potatoes, onions, potatoes, and other root vegetables work well for this.

    Use leftover chicken during the week for quick quesadillas, quick panini sandwich, pour some bbq sauce on it by itself or for a sandwich. season it and put it in tacos or over a salad.

    Put a whole pork shoulder in the crockpot.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic.  Cook on low all day.  Slice and serve with quick cooking veggies.  You can do potatoes in the microwave really quickly.  Leftovers can be used for pulled pork, pork tacos, pork fried rice, etc.

    Roast in the crockpot with carrots and potatoes and onions is delish.  

    We also cook a lot of meat on the weekend when we have time (when DH is home to watch the kids).  We really like to grill so we will cook a ton of chicken or whatever meat and throughout the week use it for salads, chicken salad, or just reheat, etc.  

    Paninis are really quick.  Some kind of cheese, maybe meat, roasted red peppers, spinach, pesto, artichokes, etc.  Whatever you like.  Pop it on the George Forman Grill or in a pan with butter an toast.

    Stir fry:  Cut up whatever veggies you have in the fridge and throw them in a large pan with olive oil as you go.  Throw in some garlic and season with soy sauce when veggies are crisp tender.

    Prepping veggies ahead of time also helps.

    Check out this website.  You have to pay for her subscription but if you browse through the archives you can get some good ideas for meals without paying.   https://5dinners1hour.blogspot.com/

    Pizza is quick if you already have a crust made.  Make your own and put it in the freezer or buy a premade one.  

    Frittatas:  Eggs, cheese, veggies, maybe some meat.  Easy and quick.

    Fish and porkchops cook very fast on the stove or in the oven.

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  • imageGenevieved:
    Do you eat meat?

    Yep! Big Smile

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  • Thanks babybird!!!!! And your siggy picture is absolutely precious!
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  • LinnyaLinnya member
    One of my favorite easy crockpot meals is this one.  You throw it all in and let it cook.  You can leave out the cream cheese and/or use sour cream instead.  This is great over rice (which you can cook in the oven, making it very low maintenance.)  It is also yummy with tortilla chips or with soft tacos, etc.  Lots of ways to serve it and our whole family loves it.
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  • Not the healthiest but gets the job done is garlic bacon pasta.  How much bacon you need depends on how much pasta you make.  I usually use 1/2 or a 1/4 package. (it will also depend on how much fat is on it too)  My friend uses a whole package.  Cut into about 1" pieces cook in pan until almost done.  Add diced garlic to pan and finish cooking.  When I'm really lazy and don't feel like dicing garlic I use garlic powder.  I just put some in the pan how much will depend on how much garlic you like.

    Once the pasta is cooked you will mix everything from the pan over it and you are done.  If the bacon has a lot of fat I don't always use it all.

    Sometimes I will add diced tomato toward the end when cooking  the bacon so I feel like it is a little healthier.   

     

  • I will often make a large pasta salad and keep it in the fridge for lunches or when DH grills and we need a starch, to go along.  cut up whatever veggies you like cut in cooled pasta and add dressing.

    I really like tomato , cuc, red onion, feta cheese, and Greek dressing. 

  • We've been trying to make at least 2 meals a week that will have leftovers for the next night. For example, last night we made grilled chicken with a mango/cucumber salsa, but instead of 2 breasts, we made 4. Tonight we ate the leftovers.
  • Salads are always good. All three of us love this chicken taco salad with sour cream-lime dressing. Mixed greens with Dijon vinaigrette and roasted portabellos is another great salad.

    If you have a grill (or a broiler works as well), kabobs are easy and delicious. Plus, I don't know about your kids, but mine instantly thinks anything skewered on a stick is the bomb. I know a lot of these have to marinate, but you could always throw it in the marinade in the morning or even the night before. Pacific pork kabobs with pineapple rice, garlicky chicken satays, chicken souvlaki, garlic lemon chicken kabobs.

    Some other ideas:

    Spinach pesto pasta salad

    Taco lettuce wraps

    Guacamole salad (with or without chicken)

    Spicy bean burritos

    Portobello, broccoli and red pepper melts

    BLTs

     

     

  • imagesmurfetteinred:

    imageGenevieved:
    Do you eat meat?

    Yep! Big Smile

     

    Awww thanks.  And you're welcome.  Smile

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