Even if you love to cook, and make great meals, there are days that you are not interested in being the "Family Gourmet". Not even when you work full time would you have time to cook that way except at the weekends, I know that I certainly had no energy at the end of a busy workday especially after the long commute. So, in the next few posts I will give you several ideas for quick dinners, that are not only tasty, but healthy and takes no more than 20-30 minutes from start to finish.
Grocery List Pantry Items
No refridgeration necessary
Quick seasoned/flavoured noodle or rice packages(uncle Bens, Lipton, Knorr)
Any type tortilla chips
Canned Salmon
Canned Tuna
Canned crab
Canned thick soup, any flavour
Canned mushroom soup
Canned mushrooms
Jar artichoke hearts in oil
Jars of olives, different types
Canned hot peppers, Mexican type
Pasta
Macaroni and cheese dinner
Packaged or Canned gravy,
packaged hollandaise sauce
Packaged guacamole seasoning
Any type of canned beans, including pork and beans
Jar best pasta sauce
Plain tomato sauce (hunts)
Canned whole tomatoes
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Dried spices, including minced garlic, onion
Dried herbs
Pantry items
Refrigerator
Eggs
Side bacon
Back bacon
Sausages, any type
Frozen preformed hamburgers
Chicken thighs, breast
Thin pork chops, boneless
Flour tortillas
Crusty bread
Pizza dough, frozen
Canned Biscuit, Pilsberry
English muffins
Bagels
Bagged salad, any type
Prepared carrots, celery
One of the biggest time savers is to double any recipe, such as chili, stew, pasta sauce, soup, even vegetables, scalloped potatoes, any rice dish or plain rice (except boiled potatoes) can be successfully frozen and pulled out for dinner, along with a bagged salad, (rinsed and spun dry) or frozen vegetables.
Breakfasts and Lunch Ideas
I have made muffins/small loaves of corn bread, zucchini bread, banana bread, and date/nut loaf, for delicious but super fast breakfasts, or snacks, or accompanying any dinner. I have even been known to make a loaf or two of sandwiches, using cold cuts, minus the veggies and condiment, so lunch making is simplified, all that needs doing is at the same time you make the loaf of sandwiches, put together a few small snack sized ziplock bags with carrots, celery, lettuce, grape tomatoes, even olives, that can be put together with your frozen sandwich and a piece of fruit, for easy, fast lunch making.
The thing with frozen dinners that you have previously made, you have to remember to take it out of the freezer.....in the morning, or the night before, put it in fridge to defrost, then, just heat it up and eat, most soups, stews and pasta sauces are better after a day or so, anyway, so you will not lose any flavour. Also, slow cookers are great for throwing your frozen soup/stew into, just put it on low, if you have a timer, great, just put it on to start after lunch,so your dinner will have defrosted, then by the time you are home it will be hot, great invention. Although I really never cook in mine, just use it for keeping things hot at my buffet table. So in the next few posts, I will endeavor to give you ideas on how to make quick easy and nutritious meals without calling your favourite pizza place.
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