Your quickest meals to minimize meal prep and time in kitchen, please.

[IfIOnly]

I need at least 7 simple meals that come together quickly. I've been struggling with cooking for some time because of health challenges and need to better manage so I'm spending as little time as possible standing, stirring, etc. We've been eating out way too much as well because it's just easier. 

Thank you!

[Farrar]

Our go to, I don't want to cook today meals are...

* Pasta with jarred sauce and veggies and leftover or frozen proteins (frozen meatballs, frozen chicken strips)

* Big salad that includes protein (most typically frozen chicken strips, cheese, nuts, bacon) and frozen garlic bread

* scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, cheese

My go to, I want something proper but don't want to spend time in the kitchen meals are...

* sheet pan suppers - potatoes, veggie (asparagus, green beans, brussel sprouts, broccoli, or peppers and onions) and protein (chicken thighs, boneless chicken breasts, a pork tenderloin, or a package of Italian sausage) on a sheet pan - I generally toss the veggies and potatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Sometimes I use other seasonings - lemon pepper, cumin, thyme... just depends on the meal

* slow cooker bbq or slow cooker chicken thighs/drumsticks

[mommyoffive]

Slow cooker is always my go to.  I hate cooking, but I am ok with super easy crockpot meals. 

[City Mouse]

Sheet pan meals might work if you can cook large enough amounts for your family all at once.

for 2-3 people I take I package of smoked sausage and cut into thick circles and mix with about 2 lbs of baby potatoes. Put in oven at 425-450 until the potatoes are cooked, I don’t usually add oil because the sausage is greasy enough on its own. This can be done more cheaply by using larger potatoes, but sometimes the convenience of the small potatoes is worth the expenses. 

Another easy meal - baked chicken (could make 2 to have leftovers) and potatoes baked at the same time. Add bagged salad or frozen steamer bags of vegetables for something green.

I realize that these suggestions are not quick in total cooking time, but they are low on prep timE.

Pre-cooked chicken from the grocery a long with deli sides like potato or macaroni salad are quick and still cheaper than a restaurant meal.

Edited January 1, 2021 by City Mouse

[Ali in OR]

My easy weeknight meals are taco night (often with already-cooked meat from the freezer), breakfast-for-dinner (pancakes or waffles, bacon or sausage, eggs for a few of us, fruit), soup-and-sandwich night, take-out night. You've got kids old enough to help out--I can sometimes get one of my girls to make dinner.

[Ausmumof3]

Thai green curry - put rice on to cook - dice and fry chicken thigh fillets till brown, add 1/4 a 1/2 a jar of green curry paste, cook for a minute till fragrant, add a bag of frozen green veg, add a tin of coconut cream and simmer about 5 minutes or until cooked through and sauce thickens slightly. You can fancy it up by adding fresh coriander, you don’t have to use frozen veg etc but it’s super quick and reliable.

[athena1277]

Jambalaya.  Buy the Zatarain’s mix.  Cut up precooked, smoked sausage to cook with it.  Top with shredded cheese if desired.

Salsa chicken nachos.  Put a couple chicken breasts in the crockpot (I use frozen without thawing).  Mix together a jar of salsa, small container of sour cream, and a taco seasoning packet and pour it on the chicken.  Cook on high about 4 hours.  Shred chicken (it should be falling apart, so it doesn’t take long) and mix back in.  Serve over tortilla chips, with optional shredded cheese. 
 

Seriously, if you are having health problems or not, there’s no shame in frozen chicken nuggets, mac and cheese from a box, and fruit.

[historically accurate]

Crockpot or instant pot are usually pretty set-it-and-forget-it meals. 

Tonight we're having BBQ chicken. I cut chicken in smaller pieces. Pan fry. Add in some BBQ sauce and simmer for a bit. Done.

This is my youngest DD's favorite chicken recipe. It takes 5-7 minutes to prep & then bake: https://primalpeak.com/crispy-drumsticks/

Easy sides: microwave frozen veggies with some salt & butter & water, bagged salad, frozen or canned rolls, apple slices. 

If standing over a stove or appliance is part of the problem, would it work to sit at the kitchen table to chop & stir? Then, you could make up casseroles sitting & just slide into the oven.  

Is your school district participating in the free kids' lunches that are offered due to the pandemic? That might take some pressure off so you're not planning 3 meals a day. 

 

[mmasc]

I like to the cook once/eat 2-3 times thing when I can. So, a big pot of soup for example can be eaten throughout the week. Those that don’t want it as leftover can have pb&j/fruit and yogurt/etc. 

This recipe is very good and versatile. One night it’s chicken sliders on mini Hawaiian buns/one night over rice/etc 

Like @Farrar, we like salads and they’re easy to adjust to everyone’s individual tastes. 
 

I can’t see how many/what ages your kids are, but now that mine are 10 and above, we do many modular type meals. For example, for lunch just today my DH had the last bit of leftover soup, I had rice and lentil bake, 2 kids had noodle soup, and teen kid had high protein oatmeal and yogurt. 3 of those things were easily made with hot water from the tea kettle, making things extra easy. So if it works for you, I’d think about doing things like that and not feeling bad about it—it doesn’t have to be a big feast to be a good meal provided!

 

[math teacher]

I like to cook several pounds of ground beef at a time in my soup pot. I put about 2 cups of water in the bottom to keep it from sticking. Drain it when browned and freeze in a gallon ziploc. When I need ground beef for any meal, I just microwave until I can break off a big enough piece for what I need. The whole bag doesn't thaw and I've never had any ill effects from doing this. I know some people prefer to put it in smaller bags and use the whole thing at once, but the gallons work better for me. 

For cooked chicken, I boil and de-bone 2 chickens, and put the meat in a gallon bag, using it the same way as the beef. It might be easier for you to use rotisserie chicken than boiling your own, but having  cooked chicken and beef in the freezer is a big time saver for me. 

I also keep chicken breast tenderloin for quick meals. They don't have to  be thawed completely before they start cooking. I slice them into smaller strips (cut each tenderloin in half) and freeze in ziplocs. Defrost halfway in the microwave, put in a bowl with an egg and milk mixture. Heat oil and dip chicken pieces in flour seasoned with toney's, garlic powder, and onion powder. Fry on both sides. Add a vegetable or two. My family would eat this every week. 

I keep boneless pork chops (cut into strips) and prepare them the same way as the chicken breast above. 

I cook 2 pounds of breakfast sausage at one time, crumbled like ground beef. I don't form it into patties. I put half in a container in the fridge and the other half in the freezer. I melt butter in the non stick skillet, break in 4 eggs and some of the sausage crumbles, (I don't measure-sorry). Scramble as usual. When done, add cheese. You could add toast to this, but we just eat this in a bowl and that's all we want. 

Pre-frozen tilapia can be put in the oven with thawing first.

This is all I can think of at the moment.

[Laura Corin]

Boil pasta, dress with olive oil, stir in flakes of smoked fish, squeeze on lemon. Serve with steamed veg of choice.

[cjzimmer1]

Can your kids help with prep one or 2 days a week if it's too much for you?  I frequently make a huge batch of something and we eat it for one meal a day.  For instance, my soup pot is 4 gallons.  We get 4-5 meals out of it.  So on Sunday, I make soup, and we eat it for lunch all week.  Same things with stuffed peppers, lasagne, fried rice.  Big batches with leftovers to provide many meals.

Other quick low effort meals, fresh ravioli, we buy the stuff from Costco when it goes on sale and stick them in the freezer.  Just boil and add sauce. Ham, boxed mac and cheese and whatever veggie is easiest for you. Frozen pizzas. Doctored rice/noodle/hamburger helper meals.  Add frozen veggies to any of those when you add water for the starch, add meat in it or on the side. 

 

[Shoeless]

I use the meal planning service at 5dinners1hour.com 

I think they have a 30 day free trial right now. 

[historically accurate]

I went and pulled up my Pinterest page for tried recipes. Here are some that are quick & easy and (most) everyone likes here.

https://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/parmesan-crusted-tilapia

https://www.thewholesomedish.com/skinny-crock-pot-loaded-potato-soup/

Another crockpot meal  - Hawaiian kielbasa: https://gooseberrypatch.typepad.com/blog/2011/04/cotw-101-sc-recipes.html#.X--g-dhKhPY

Roast Beef: https://addapinch.com/balsamic-roast-beef-recipe/ & French Dip sandwiches made from leftovers: http://addapinch.com/balsamic-roast-beef-french-dip-sandwich-recipe//

 

[MercyA]

I have two meat eaters and I dislike cooking. 🙂 

*Pasta with frozen meatballs or ravioli with jarred sauce; frozen garlic bread, salad or steam-in-bag veggie

*Fiesta crockpot chicken: chicken breasts, jar of salsa, brick of cream cheese in slow cooker. Serve over rice or on tortillas.

*Breaded chicken, hot dogs, or sliders with baked French fries or tator tots; serve with fresh cut up veggies or corn on the cob

*Mac and cheese with stirred in ham, sausage, or chicken; steam-in-bag veggie

*Scrambled eggs with ham, bacon, or sausage; Bisquick biscuits, English muffins, or cinnamon rolls; fresh fruit

*Tacos with chips and guac

*Beef over rice with veggies

*Soup and biscuits

*Beef and noodles (beef done in Crockpot); steam-in-bag veggie

*Pancakes or waffles with sausage and fresh fruit

*Baked potatoes with toppings: bacon, sour cream, cheese, etc.

*Frozen pizza!!!

Edited January 1, 2021 by MercyA

[Clemsondana]

I second using convenience foods when needed - chicken nuggets, the Zatarians beans and rice mentioned above, frozen fried rice, egg rolls, pizza...add fruit and/or a salad.  It's probably not any worse than a lot of carryout and it's cheaper.  

As for low-energy things, I sometimes make big batches of ground beef-based things that freeze well - just brown the meat, peppers, onions, etc and then dump it all in the crock pot.  Meat sauce for pasta, sloppy joe filling, taco meat, chili, etc can be made in big batches and eaten for a few days or part can be frozen for later.  Buy frozen chopped onion and bell pepper to speed prep and if you need to you might find fresh chopped celery in the fresh produce section.  Find some good seasoning packets so you don't need to measure individual spices.

We are big fans of tender meat from the crock pot, shredded, over rice (or potatoes, depending on the meal).  We do rice in the instapot.  If it's easier, you can also do the meat in the instapot first, pour it into a big bowl, and cook the rice in the instapot while you shred the meat.  Italian Beef and Salsa Chicken are both popular here.  

When I worked and had to get meals ready quickly, I would sometimes add one or 2 new thing a day.  Day 1 might be a big roast or batch of chicken with salad and fruit.  Day 2 we'd have more chicken but swap green beans for the fruit.  Day 3 I'd fix a new meat and rice to eat with leftover sides.  So, rarely was I fixing a meal with many parts.  

We also do things with eggs - scrambles with leftover meat, peppers, onions, black beans, etc - or dump leftover cut up stuff in casserole dish with a bunch of eggs and make an egg bake/frittata.  

 

[Scarlett]

You have got so many great ideas. One thing I do that is a huge time saver is cook up a couple whole chickens in my Breville pressure cooker. Cool a bit and then remove all the meat.  I mix it all together, dark and white meat.  It will be between 6-8 cups of chicken.  I freeze in 2 cup portions for various recipes. Chicken pot pie, white chili, chicken enchiladas.  These dishes are very quickly put together if the chicken is cooked already.  

[Scarlett]

Oh and also when I was able to be home during the day I put a fairly labor intensive meatloaf together in the morning and kept in frig.  I take it out in room temp for half an hour or so before I put it in the oven.  It makes a huge difference in that meal.  Which is usually served with mashed potatoes and green peas.  

[PeterPan]

I made this tonight putting it in the instant pot. I strongly agree with the suggestion to get one (or two!). Totally, totally saves your butt. When in doubt, throw some red meat and veges in, pour a can of cream of something soup on top, cook. I make sweet potatoes in it for lunch. Soups, wild rice, anything you like to eat is just super easy with it.

Anyways, this is lentil soup, and what *surprised* me was they didn't have you saute the veges! You literally dumped in the broth, kielbasa, lentils, cooked, then added the chopped veges and cooked some more. So I did 10 minutes with the broth/meat/lentils, did a quick release to add the veges, then set it for another 8. 

I scaled it up double for my batch because this is from a Betty Crocker Cooking for Two book. If your kielbasa or smoked sausage links comes in 13 oz, that would be a 4 batch and use a full bag of lentils.

[Carol in Cal.]

Whenever I make something I make too much and freeze some if I can.  Then freezer to table is a snap, and meals can be individualized or joint.

Burgers:

1 - 1.25 lbs grass fed grass finished ground beef, the leanest you can get.

Pour a little milk in the bottom of your biggest salad bowl.  

Add an egg and whisk until uniform.

Sprinkle heavily with dried minced onions and dry plain breadcrumbs—you want the surface actually covered.

Add a couple drops of liquid smoke, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and liberal but not heavy sprinkles of Beau Monde Seasoning Salt and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Whisk together.  Add beef.

 Mix with your hands and shape into patties.  3-4 of them is about right.  Make them very thin.

At this point if you want to eat them you saute in a little olive oil for 7 minutes on a side, and the ones you want to freeze wrap in a sandwich bag or some plastic wrap and freeze.  If they are too gloppy, partially freeze on a plate, and pop them off and into plastic in about an hour.  

 

Other burgers:

Same beef
Mix a little red wine (drinkable but not fancy is fine) and an egg as above, whisking together.  Sprinkle liberally with dried minced onion (no bread crumbs in this one). Add 1 tsp salt and some black pepper.

Mix with your hands, this will be pretty gloppy.  Separate into equal size balls—about 8 of them.  

Flatten half of them and lay them out on a platter—they should be extremely thin and not touching.  Put a handful of blue cheese crumbles in the middle of each and spread it out to about half an inch from the outer diameter.  Flatten one of the others and put it right on top, pinching the sides together to seal in the cheese.  Repeat until all are finished.  

Cook or freeze as above.  Yum.

 

[Carol in Cal.]

Pork chops fast:

Lay them out on a roasting pan or broiler pan.

Brush with Hoisin sauce.

Broil until done.  

Seriously ridiculously good.

[Kassia]

2 hours ago, Thatboyofmine said:

 

This is one that was shared here a few weeks ago.  I've tried it and really like it.   It's meatless, but is easy to add some ground beef (ds made this recipe and used ground beef; I think it would be just as good without meat which is what I prefer but he wanted to cook it).  https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-ravioli-bake/42e1f452-b805-40a7-a2b4-a8e30d23aa4e

 

I make this with beef ravioli for the meat eaters in my family and cheese for the vegetarians.  But it would be very easy to add ground beef, too.  I love this so much - I ate it for dinner on Christmas Eve and then had leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Christmas Day!  It's the only time of year I make/eat it because I love it so much! 

 

ETA  I'm a big fan of cooking in big batches so I can freeze meals.  It's not much more work and it's so nice having the meals ready to go in the freezer.  I do this with taco meat, chili, hamburgers, turkey burgers, pancakes, chicken, roast, corned beef, etc.  

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Kassia

[prairiewindmomma]

We live by my instant pots (2 of them) + our food processor.

We also buy chicken breasts in bulk and dice and put them in the freezer prepped in gallon ziplocks (laying flat to minimize space).

On a bad day I can drop a bag of frozen chicken + a jar of sauce into the instant pot and serve over rice, or in a taco shell, or whatever. I often steam veggies in the microwave as an easy but healthy side. Kitchen prep is rarely over 15 min at my house, but we eat decently.

[BlsdMama]

Eggroll in a Bowl
Anything I can stick in the crockpot in the AM
Baked Potato or Sweet Potato with fixings
Precut veggies from Costco
 

[mathnerd]

I suggest that you make it easier on yourself by removing the overhead on your time and energy while cooking. Some ideas:

- do not cook every day, instead cook double the portions on one day and rest for the next day and cook every other day. Use the alternate days to clean and prep for the next day.

- use time saving devices. In my case, I use two Instant Pots, food processor, toaster oven etc which I use frequently when I cook.

- cut out prep time by prepping a lot of ingredients in advance and storing them or freezing them. I cut onions, garlic, ginger, herbs, peppers etc and freeze them for later use. I make a ton of tomato sauce and freeze into cubes that I can pull out as needed. I also make in bulk and freeze pizza crusts, black bean burgers and burritos for quick lunches.

- roast a lot of veggies on a sheet pan every few days. Use them as a vegetable side if you can not make veggies on any given day.

- buy pre-packaged salad and a healthier dressing and include them at lunch or dinner every day if you don't have the energy to make a salad.

[alisoncooks]

I always try to minimize prep time/work/cleanup, lol. I do a lot of 1-pot or skillet meals, sheet pan and crockpot meals. The less work, the better!

[popmom]

One thing that can be really hard on me on pain days is browning ground beef. Standing over the stove and breaking it up and all. So I've been experimenting with cooking larger batches in the hunk that it comes in--just like it's packaged. Let it cool and crumble it up by hand. Get the kids to wash their hands and help. 🙂 I'm even wondering if I can make this less labor intensive with my stand mixer. idk about that though--I've never tried it. I tried using my food processor and that was overdoing it. It was okay for tacos. The texture was a lot like Taco Bell taco meat lol. Very finely ground.

After crumbling it up, freeze it in meal size portions.

I've cooked ground beef this way in my instant pot and just in the oven. Honestly, I think I prefer the oven. I could cook several pounds at once and use a meat thermometer. 

Ground beef meals are super easy if you've batch cooked several pounds ahead of time. You don't even have to thaw it. So I just dump a ziplock bag of precooked beef into jar spaghetti sauce. Or dump in a skillet and add taco seasoning. Or cook some yellow rice and make an easy Mexican casserole. Or a box of Hamburger Helper. or Shepherd's pie using the easy packs of instant mashed potatoes. 

Sloppy Joe's is another. Manwich. My kids all love it.

Chicken:

Toss skinless chicken thighs in a slow cooker. No water. Just spray the pot with Pam. After it has cooked, remove from slow cooker, shred, stir in your fave BBQ sauce. Serve over baked potatoes. Open a bag of preshredded cheese, some butter, and sour cream. Another fam fave here.

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by popmom

[Bootsie]

A plate of sliced salami, cheese cubes, carrots, cucumbers. grapes, apple slices, sliced bell peppers, celery, radishes, or whatever raw vegetables your children will eat, served with a whole grain bread, can be a healthy, balanced meal with little prep. 

[Pam in CT]

I have several meal "sequences," where I make a big quantity on Day 1, then use up in different forms on Day 2 and Day 3:

Whole turkey / large chicken / 2 smaller chicken: Day 1 roasted with potatoes; Day 2 pot pie using up the leftover potatoes as well; Day 3 shredded in quesadillas

Large quantity of ground turkey & 2-pound bag black beans: Day 1 tacos; Day 2 chili; Day 3 baked potatoes with chili & other stuff as toppings

Large leg of lamb: Day 1 roasted with mashed potatoes; Day 2 converted into tangine; Day 3 shepherds pie

Aside from quesadillas, those aren't short-cooking time, but they're all short prep-time and then you toss them in the oven and go read the paper or whatever.

 

My short cooking time go-to's are: pasta with prepared sauces (pesto, tomato augmented with sundried tomato, jarred artichoke with a bit of sour cream) and salad; big salads with a protein on top; bread & cheese & a bit of smoked fish with a cold leftover vegetable gussied up with a nice vinaigrette.  In the summer, I make a big batch of pasta/rice/cous-cous/quinoa on Day 1 and them rustle up a cold salad with a protein on Day 2.

During COVID I've started a new hack, of serving a nice fresh fruit (melon, pineapple, pears) in lieu of a cooked vegetable. Everyone seems happy and it's less time. 

 

[popmom]

Easy, tasty roast recipe for the slow cooker. I've made this many times. I only use a half cup of water. I think most people over do the water when using the slow cooker for meats. 

[Clemsondana]

@popcorn The Pampered Chef Mix'n'Chop is a game changer for breaking up ground beef.  My mom loved hers and gave me one.  I don't understand how it works so much better than breaking up meat with a spatula, but it does.  I have also found that if I instapot a big meat (like a roast or chicken breasts) until they fall apart, I don't have to shred - a potato masher will break them up enough for what I need.  It only works with some cuts of meat, but when it does, it's super fast and not messy.  The whole 'use 2 forks to shred' thing is for people who are neater than I am.

[Carrie12345]

Ground beef in a crockpot, enough for multiple meals. Drain. (I break it up around 3/4 through and remove with a slotted spoon when done.)
Chicken breast in a crockpot, enough for multiple meals. Shred.
Pre-shredded cheese.
Quick cooking or instant rice
Thin/small pasta
Variety of preferred broths, sauces, and/or seasonings.
Steamer bag, canned, or raw vegetables.

Mix and match to your mood and ability. Results can be as healthy or... not... as you want.

[Pippen]

These preparation method for pork chops is super fast and makes the best chops I've ever had. It does require getting the chops into a simple brine ahead of time. https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-perfect-pork-chops-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-194257

Crockpot chicken with black beans  https://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-chicken-with-black-beans-cream-cheese-89204

My mom's old sheet pan chicken dinner recipe is fast to prepare, once you've done it before. It works best with a whole cut up chicken if you can find one, but parts work too. The key to making this recipe work is to not use skinless chicken. 

Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes:  Heat the oven to 350. Melt a stick of butter and pour it out onto a jelly roll pan. Season some flour with salt and pepper to taste (not sure of amounts --- maybe a cup of flour). Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and place around the pan. Cut washed medium size potatoes in half lengthwise and place them cut side down onto the pan, fitting them into the spaces around the chicken. 

[Pam in CT]

Single-pan sheet dishes

1 hour ago, Pippen said:

..My mom's old sheet pan chicken dinner recipe is fast to prepare, once you've done it before. It works best with a whole cut up chicken if you can find one, but parts work too. The key to making this recipe work is to not use skinless chicken. 

Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes:  Heat the oven to 350. Melt a stick of butter and pour it out onto a jelly roll pan. Season some flour with salt and pepper to taste (not sure of amounts --- maybe a cup of flour). Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and place around the pan. Cut washed medium size potatoes in half lengthwise and place them cut side down onto the pan, fitting them into the spaces around the chicken. 

This basic idea -- plonking the "main event" in a big pan and fitting the other stuff around the spaces between along with some kind of fat and seasoning -- is infinitely adaptable. Set up the pan, pop it in the oven, make a salad and set the table, dinner is done. 

Chicken works particularly well because it doesn't require browning like beef, but it works well with fish; as well as with (extra firm) tofu, eggplant and paneer.

[alisoncooks]

12 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

I always try to minimize prep time/work/cleanup, lol. I do a lot of 1-pot or skillet meals, sheet pan and crockpot meals. The less work, the better!

So, my above response wasn't very specific. Here's one easy meal we do every other week (if salmon were cheaper, I'd do it weekly): 

Salmon, roast veg, couscous (or something similar - last week it was baked potatoes in the microwave). 

Zucchini , squash, and white mushrooms -- cut up and on a sheet pan at 425* for 20-25 min.  Then I take a second sheet pan and put salmon (salt and pepper it) on parchment paper. Bake it 15-20 min, depending on thickness.  (If your pans are big or amounts of food smaller, you could totally just put these all on one pan and compromise on cook time.)

While those cook, I usually throw together a third component. Couscous (boxed) is super quick and my kids like it. 

[Bootsie]

Tortilla Soup--you can use a rotisserie chicken or boil or bake chicken easily.  I usually brown onions and bell peppers, but that does not have to be included.  Add chicken broth, chicken, a can of corn, a can of black beans (that has been rinsed), a can of diced tomatoes, and prepared picante sauce to taste (We use Pace), are you can use Rotel tomatoes--depending upon your preference of spiciness.  When serving, put tortilla chips and a bit of cheddar cheese in a bowl and top with soup.  You can add sliced avocado if you have it.   You can vary things a bit--e.g. if I fresh tomatoes I add them.  It can be as easy as dumping cans in a pot and heating up or a way to use up some stray tomatoes and left-over chicken.  It can sit on the stove for quite a while absorbing flavors or be eaten quickly.  It is also good to freeze and reheat.  Sometimes it is our dinner; sometimes we serve it in smaller portions as part of a meal.  

Shrimp boil in a few minutes with little prep work.  A big salad and boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce can be low prep.

Scrambled eggs can be made in the microwave.  Put them in a bowl and every minute or two stir until they are done.  That is easier than standing over a stove stirring and making sure they don't stick.  Cheese and ham, or other flavoring, can be added.  Wrap in a tortilla with salsa for breakfast tacos.  Or, serve with toast and fruit.  

A ham is easy to prepare and can provide a protein for a number of meals.  If you want something fast, you can broil ham steaks quickly.  

Pre-made hamburger patties can be broiled quickly without any prep.  

[Ottakee]

On the ground beef, a stand mixer on low will crumble up the ground beef easily for you.

I do package mine in small bags and then put 4-6 if these smaller bags into a gallon zip lock.

Same with chicken....cook up 3-5# of skinnless boneless chicken breasts in the crock pot.  Then I out a breast in a sandwich size bag and throw them all in a gallon zip lock in the freezer.

Both make meal prep so much easier 

[J-rap]

Here are a few simple ones for the slow cooker (assuming you have one):

BBQ Chicken

Place raw chicken in slow cooker.  I usually use boneless chicken breasts, and I don't cut them up ahead of time.  It's much easier that way!  On top of that, pour one bottle of bbq sauce and 1 cup coke.  I also add 1 sliced onion and 1 sliced lemon (peel and all), but you wouldn't have to.  (I think it adds more flavor.)  Let it cook all afternoon.  I serve it on top of rice, first cutting each breast into maybe 4 pieces.  (I don't cut them into bite-size pieces, nor do I shred them.)  Serve with a bag of prepared salad.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

For this one, you do need to cook the beef and onion ahead of time, before putting them in slow cooker.  (After that, it's a breeze!)

Cook 1 pound beef and 1 medium chopped onion together.

Throw into a slow cooker, along with one entire bag of coleslaw, 1/2 cup uncooked rice, 1/4 cup water, 2 t. paprika, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper, and 1 can (15 ounces) chunky Italian type tomato sauce.  

Beans and Frank Soup

To a slow cooker, add 1 large can (28 ounces) baked beans undrained.  (I used to love the Bold and Spicy flavor, but I haven't been able to find it anymore).  Then add:  1 small can (11.5 ounces) V-8 juice, 6 franks (I get already cooked and all-natural) cut into chunks, 3 medium carrots - chopped, 1 large onion - chopped, 1 clove garlic - chopped or else 1/4-1/2 t. garlic powder, 1 t. Worcestershire sauce.

 

I often chop onions ahead of time and keep them in baggies in my freezer.  You can easily add them to recipes.  I think you can also get frozen chopped onions at the store.   I think for the recipes above, I usually start them on high just to get it going (for maybe half an hour), and then turn it down to low and cook throughout the afternoon.

[Pam in CT]

re freezing portion-sized chicken

21 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

On the ground beef, a stand mixer on low will crumble up the ground beef easily for you.

I do package mine in small bags and then put 4-6 if these smaller bags into a gallon zip lock.

Same with chicken....cook up 3-5# of skinnless boneless chicken breasts in the crock pot.  Then I out a breast in a sandwich size bag and throw them all in a gallon zip lock in the freezer.

Both make meal prep so much easier 

I don't even have a crock pot, but *any* chicken, prepared just about *any* way and then frozen with the multiple-small-bags-inside-a-larger-vessel trick, will shred super-easily once it's been frozen. Something in the connecting tissue must dissolve along the process.

[katilac]

22 hours ago, athena1277 said:

Jambalaya.  Buy the Zatarain’s mix.   

Being from Louisiana, I cannot get behind this advice 😄

In all seriousness, the Zatarain's mix is nothing but rice and seasoning, so you're paying a premium for very little convenience - you can cook regular rice for much less, and the only added effort is shaking the jar of cajun seasoning, lol. The effort and cost of adding chicken and sausage is the same either way - using precooked diced chicken makes it super easy (the kind that comes in a bag, like Tyson's). You can control the sodium level better as well, if that's a concern. I have nothing against using convenience items, but cooking this rice is in no way different from cooking 'regular' rice. 

22 hours ago, math teacher said:

I like to cook several pounds of ground beef at a time in my soup pot.  

Cooking and freezing extra meat is a huge timesaver, and cooking a lot of meat isn't much more effort at all than cooking a smaller amount. Looking at the OP's signature, this is a task that can be offloaded to the kids. The youngest may not be able to cook but could certainly help pack and label. Ground beef and chicken are incredibly easy to pre-cook (not a whole chicken, necessarily, buy packages of breast, thighs, or drumsticks and do one type at a time). 

If you have cooked ground beef or chicken, then you're 90% of the way to simple rice or pasta dishes, plus tortillas and other things. Even the youngest kid could assemble a tortilla on their own. 

Our grocery also sells a lot of meat that is pre-seasoned and prepared, you just unwrap it and throw it in a pan to cook. This is the only way I cook whole chickens 🙂

And, for times when you don't get to that, buy the bags of Tyson-style cooked and frozen chicken (it comes in strips or diced). My grocery also sells like cooked pulled pork and brisket that is ready to go in the oven or on the stove

Bagged salad and veggies are ready to go and still cheaper than eating out. If you have access to a Sam's or Costco card, it's that much cheaper. 

 

[IfIOnly]

Thank you for your great meal ideas. I hope to have a meal plan soon soon for a week or two meal rotation. I'm saving super easy stuff like frozen fish sticks for lunches and for days I just really don't feel like I can even pull off a simple meal. Yes, my kids help. They do all the meal clean up chores. It's been a few years since I've done dishes, etc. I'd like to keep it that way. I cook, you clean type of thing.

I'm going to buy a slow cooker today because my old one broke a year or two ago. I love my IP, but slow cooker meals are a better fit sometimes for a few reasons. By dinner time, I'm pretty wiped out. I also prefer doing the cooking earlier in the day because I can actually sit with the family and eat because I'm not too tired from cooking just before the meal.

Edited January 2, 2021 by IfIOnly

[katilac]

16 minutes ago, J-rap said:

BBQ Chicken

Place raw chicken in slow cooker.  I usually use boneless chicken breasts, and I don't cut them up ahead of time.  It's much easier that way!  On top of that, pour one bottle of bbq sauce and 1 cup coke.  I also add 1 sliced onion and 1 sliced lemon (peel and all), but you wouldn't have to.  (I think it adds more flavor.)  Let it cook all afternoon.  I serve it on top of rice, first cutting each breast into maybe 4 pieces.  (I don't cut them into bite-size pieces, nor do I shred them.)  Serve with a bag of prepared salad.

We do the BBQ crockpot thing all the time with beef, but I never thought to do it with chicken (even though we all like BBQ chicken, lol). So, thanks! 

1 minute ago, IfIOnly said:

I'm going to buy a slow cooker today because my old one broke a year or two ago. I love my IP, but slow cooker meals are a better fit sometimes for a few reasons. By dinner time, I'm pretty wiped out. I also prefer doing the cooking earlier in the day, I can actually sit with the family and eat because I'm not too tired from cooking just before a meal. 

I'm the same way - even if the meal calls for being cooked right before eating, I at least like to have all the prep done earlier in the day. I also like some time to go by in between handling raw meat and eating the final product, lol. 

Although I don't use it as often as I did when the kids were young, I still could not survive without a crockpot. Three super easy things that kids/teens usually love: 

• Rump or chuck roast with BBQ sauce poured on top. That's it. You can cut into chunks to cook more quickly, but you don't have to. We eat on hamburger buns. 
• Chicken, cream cheese, seasoning. That's it. You can use thighs or breasts. It's about 2 pounds of chicken per 16 ounce package of cream cheese. Some people add a ranch dressing packet, but we think it's great without it. We eat over pasta. 
• Frozen meatballs with tomato puree and seasoning (either ready-made Italian seasoning or basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper; whatever you like, really). You can use jarred sauce as well, but puree and seasoning is cheaper and better imo when cooking for a couple of hours. And meatballs just make it a bit more exciting than a plain or meat sauce. 

We might do salad, veggies, or bread with any of these, but we'll also just eat them alone when it's been that kind of day. 

 

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, katilac said:

We do the BBQ crockpot thing all the time with beef, but I never thought to do it with chicken (even though we all like BBQ chicken, lol). So, thanks! 

 

 

I do it with pork...put it in the crockpot in the morning with a can of coke or root beer, then shred it and add BBQ sauce about 7 hours later and heat it through for another hour or so.  Perfect pulled pork and so easy!  

I haven't tried it yet, but a friend recommended using orange marmalade with the chicken/bbq sauce.  She said it is great.  

[popmom]

1 hour ago, Kassia said:

I do it with pork...put it in the crockpot in the morning with a can of coke or root beer, then shred it and add BBQ sauce about 7 hours later and heat it through for another hour or so.  Perfect pulled pork and so easy!  

I haven't tried it yet, but a friend recommended using orange marmalade with the chicken/bbq sauce.  She said it is great.  

It is really good. I also add a little soy sauce. Here's a link with the amounts.

[popmom]

@J-rap I am absolutely trying those last 2 recipes. I think I already have the ingredients. Thanks for sharing

ETA: Have you ever tried to double that cabbage and beef casserole?

Edited January 3, 2021 by popmom

[J-rap]

17 minutes ago, popmom said:

@J-rap I am absolutely trying those last 2 recipes. I think I already have the ingredients. Thanks for sharing

ETA: Have you ever tried to double that cabbage and beef casserole?

I haven't, but I don't think it would be a problem!

[IfIOnly]

26 minutes ago, popmom said:

@J-rap I am absolutely trying those last 2 recipes. I think I already have the ingredients. Thanks for sharing

ETA: Have you ever tried to double that cabbage and beef casserole?

 

8 minutes ago, J-rap said:

I haven't, but I don't think it would be a problem!

We'll definitely be trying the beef and cabbage as well. Thanks for asking about doubling. Thanks for the recipe!@J-rap

[KungFuPanda]

I’ve been in a RUT lately and I’m running out of easy meals. I’ve managed to put off cooking AND grocery shopping. Ugh. Last night I made Trader Joe’s frozen orange chicken, rice in the rice cooker, and microwave-steamed green beans. Tonight we’re filling up on a cheese/cracker/nut platter. I have some steaks in the fridge. They’re easy in the sous vide, then I just have to sear then for about 3 minutes. I’ll serve those with freezer fries and a bagged salad. Costco lasagna will probably enter the picture soon. I don’t think my slump will end soon. 

[BlsdMama]

22 hours ago, Clemsondana said:I have also found that if I instapot a big meat (like a roast or chicken breasts) until they fall apart, I don't have to shred - a potato masher will break them up enough for what I need.  It only works with some cuts of meat, but when it does, it's super fast and not messy.  The whole 'use 2 forks to shred' thing is for people who are neater than I am.

Throwing chicken breasts or a roast cut into chunks in a stand mixer will also shred them effortlessly.  I never thought about shredding roast like this until my daughter taught me. 

13 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

Yes, my kids help. They do all the meal clean up chores. It's been a few years since I've done dishes, etc. I'd like to keep it that way. I cook, you clean type of thing.

My kids above ten each have a night. Last night the nine year old cooked. (She baked potatoes and sweet potatoes and we had some leftovers.) Often, once they feel comfortable, they prefer cooking over cleaning. So, if you have 3-4 kiddos, they each get a night, the others clean up. It also compels them to “clean as you go” and not cook like a muppet. We have enough kiddos, they can get a mini sous chef, lol, though they aren’t as helpful as they aim to be. 😉 There is something exciting about cooking if you get to plan and execute and your family is thankful if you’re a kid. 
 

Plus, teens have a real need to know how to plan, prep, and prepare meals. 
 

I really think the planning part is the hardest part of meal prep. If I plan, (have a meal plan, have the groceries, lay out meat to thaw) life is easier. Otherwise it’s a scramble. Chicken breasts or roast in a crockpot seasoned, rice in a rice cooker, steamed veggies that were precut from Costco. Serve with salad.  
I have a Word doc labeled “Master List of Meals” because it’s effortful to think and plan. I have master grocery list so I only have to check things off not create it from scratch all the time. 
Precut veggies (fresh and/or frozen) really save us time and effort. Don’t want to shred cabbage? Buy a coleslaw mix. 
Don’t underestimate tuna and Costco sells a mercury tested option now. Tuna or sardines with a salad is easy and healthy and has zero prep. 
im not sure if anyone mentioned baked fish, but that’s another easy one. My son, who is not an inspired chef but is an avid fisherman, makes fish every (EVERY) night it’s his turn to cook. 😂 

[IfIOnly]

8 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

Throwing chicken breasts or a roast cut into chunks in a stand mixer will also shred them effortlessly.  I never thought about shredding roast like this until my daughter taught me. 

My kids above ten each have a night. Last night the nine year old cooked. (She baked potatoes and sweet potatoes and we had some leftovers.) Often, once they feel comfortable, they prefer cooking over cleaning. So, if you have 3-4 kiddos, they each get a night, the others clean up. It also compels them to “clean as you go” and not cook like a muppet. We have enough kiddos, they can get a mini sous chef, lol, though they aren’t as helpful as they aim to be. 😉 There is something exciting about cooking if you get to plan and execute and your family is thankful if you’re a kid. 
 

Plus, teens have a real need to know how to plan, prep, and prepare meals. 
 

I really think the planning part is the hardest part of meal prep. If I plan, (have a meal plan, have the groceries, lay out meat to thaw) life is easier. Otherwise it’s a scramble. Chicken breasts or roast in a crockpot seasoned, rice in a rice cooker, steamed veggies that were precut from Costco. Serve with salad.  
I have a Word doc labeled “Master List of Meals” because it’s effortful to think and plan. I have master grocery list so I only have to check things off not create it from scratch all the time. 
Precut veggies (fresh and/or frozen) really save us time and effort. Don’t want to shred cabbage? Buy a coleslaw mix. 
Don’t underestimate tuna and Costco sells a mercury tested option now. Tuna or sardines with a salad is easy and healthy and has zero prep. 
im not sure if anyone mentioned baked fish, but that’s another easy one. My son, who is not an inspired chef but is an avid fisherman, makes fish every (EVERY) night it’s his turn to cook. 😂 

This is awesome. Thank you!