I am inherently lazy. I probably shouldn’t admit that but if I’m honest I could eat canned soup or TV dinners everyday and be perfectly happy never cooking a real meal again. Of course we all know that is unrealistic and unhealthy. What I need is some good easy recipe suggestions. I figured everyone else would benefit too so a quiz was in order. Here we go!
- What is your easy go to recipe for a quick weeknight meal?
- Is there a recipe you make in big batches to freeze or eat over multiple days?
- Do you have shortcut things you buy at the store that make your meal prep easier?
- What is the recipe you have that is a ton of work but entirely worth every pot, pan, bowl and spoon you have wash after?
- Have you tried any new products that you’d like to recommend?
- I make this recipe semi regularly. The link is my blog post about it and the change I made to the way I serve it. It’s a Korean inspired beef bowl made with ground beef. It’s quick and easy to put together on a weeknight when there needs to be a meal on the table pronto.
- This is my most favorite marinara sauce recipe. It is the only one I make. Over the years I’ve tweaked it a little but since I measure nothing I don’t have a real recipe. I find the key to be the ratio of the spices. The recipe makes a vat of sauce. Normally we eat it 2-3 days and then I freeze whatever is leftover. I’ve added meat to it and it’s just as good.
- I’m not big on prepackaged food for meals (contrary to what I said above) I’m actually making though we do eat Kraft Mac and cheese mixed with a pound of cooked crumbled ground beef. H likes to make up the ground beef with taco seasoning (with the water according to the package) and add that to the all prepared Mac and cheese. It’s easy meal that goes great with a salad.
- I try not to make a lot of sweets. The Husband and I don’t need the calories. If there is one thing I love it’s bread. Any kind. Yeast breads are my absolute favorite. I have a sweet tooth so a sweet bread hits both of my loves. I’ve made this sweet bread/cake a few times. It’s a bit of work for lazy me to make but it is worth the work and the time. It’s gone in no time too. I highly recommend it.
- See that photo above. They are delicious and easy. There are 4 servings in the box. It’s nice to make one brownie (it’s a bit more cake-like than I usually make my brownies), cure the craving and not have the rest of the pan left over tempting us all.
NothingButKnit 
My quick easy meal (that isn’t a frozen pre-made one) would be vegetarian spaghetti bolognese, frozen chopped onion, crushed garlic, frozen veg mince, frozen sweetcorn, 2 tins chopped tomatoes and various sprinkles of herbs, salt and pepper and wholemeal linguine rather than spaghetti.
I freeze home made lentil soup and veg chilli, the chilli recipe is a one pot no faffing around recipe. Put Onion, garlic, 2 tsp dry basil, 2 tins tomatoes, 1 tin kidney beans, 1 cup of red lentils, 2 chopped large carrots, 1 tin sweetcorn, 1 empty tin measure of veg stock, squirt of tomato purée, salt and pepper, I add smoked paprika too. Give it all a stir and then cook for about 45 mins. No pre-frying anything.
I buy frozen onion as already mentioned, I’ve had so many onions go off or stink out the fridge half used so now always use frozen. I also add frozen pineapple to pizzas.
I don’t tend to make anything that uses lots of dishes in the prep, cooking isn’t something I enjoy.
Tesco sell a cranberry and cashew nut bloomer baked fresh daily and I find that hard to resist when I walk past. I can eat the whole loaf in a day and then suffer cramps and bloating that still seem worth it!!
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Your vegetarian chili sounds excellent! I’ll have to give that a try:)
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I hate prepping veggies on a work night because it just makes dinner take too long. My quick go to is to prep a whole lot on Sunday night and store in a large sturdy tub. Then when I get home from work, throw some protein and veggies in a fry pan with some sauce and herbs of your choice and you have a really fast stir fry dinner
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My quick easy meal is usually tacos, either chicken or beef. I use my own spices because my husband gets headaches from something in the prepackaged mix. Another quick one is chicken, red peppers, tomatoes, pasta.
I make big amounts of Bolognese and also pulled pork because you can do barbecue one night and carnitas another.
A roast dinner is always worth washing. And this lovely chicken and broccoli dish called chicken Divan,,.
I make mostly from scratch but I do buy frozen waffles for the boys’ breakfast.
My new gadget is an instant pot. I am still figuring it out but the first recipe I tried was amazing! The pulled pork was so much better than my slow cooker did, and in much less time!
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Related go to – nachos, spread tortilla chips on pan, sprinkle with salsa (I like corn) of desired hotness, toss grated cheese on top, broil. Serve with salad or veg of choice.
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Quick meal-saute shrimp, cook rice, toss together. No real recipe because I just grab whatever boxed rice I have and use different spices on the shrimp.
I always make a big meatloaf so we can eat it over the week. Sandwiches with a crusty bread are my fave!!
Smoked pork chops are a great easy meal.
Chicken and Dumplings, worth all the effort!
Nothing I can think of in new product area.
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My current favorite for low-effort yet yummy meals are the soup kits you can get from the Women’s Bean Project (www.womensbeanproject.com). They’re delicious, they don’t require a ton of additional ingredients (mostly just onions, carrots, some broth and a can of diced or crushed tomatoes), and you’re supporting a really good organization by buying their products. They also have brownie, scone, cornbread and other mixes as well as some other snacks/quick meals.
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The mug cake can be made with 1/4 cup cake mix and the usual 3 tblspns liquid. It’s a lot cheaper per serving that way. I haven’t tried it with brownie mix yet but I assume it’ll work just the same. Mug cakes are awesome btw.
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Thank you! This is information I need:)
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I love to cook and bake, but when I’m feeling tired I often just make breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs and ham or bacon, or pancakes), or I make one of my favorite sandwiches – BLT, toasted cheese, or ham and egg on an English muffin.
Things worth my effort are risotto with my homemade chicken stock; pork chops with mushroom gravy and mashed potato; New York cheesecake (I make for special birthdays).
I like to make stock, pancakes, and tomato sauce in advance and freeze.
I love to cook foods of different nations, and Iranian food is a favorite of mine now. I’m happy to DM anyone a recipe.
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What is your easy go to recipe for a quick weeknight meal?
My husband will say, “honey, make your magic,” which means I put together whatever we have as a meal, a sukiyaki I guess.
Is there a recipe you make in big batches to freeze or eat over multiple days?
I’m so not that organized, LOL.
Do you have shortcut things you buy at the store that make your meal prep easier?
I buy veggies in bulk at Costco besides fruit. Sometimes I’ll buy frozen food for when I’m lazy like spanakopita and mandu.
What is the recipe you have that is a ton of work but entirely worth every pot, pan, bowl and spoon you have wash after?
Hmmm…lasagna I guess.
Have you tried any new products that you’d like to recommend?
Costco sells this broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, and carrots mix with packaged curry sauce that I’m lovin right now over brown rice or quinoa.
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Oh, we’ve discovered Whole Foods pizza! 2 for $25.
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I do several things “big batch,” to use on Tuesday and Wednesday nights when I teach late. I bake four meatloafs at a time, and we often freeze left over roast, and when there’s enough put it in the crock pot with green chiles for a day, before shredding it and adding black beans and rice. We freeze that into portions, and then make burritos, just add cheese and bake. Last summer I made bierocks and froze them. I still have a large bag of filling that I will make the bread for when we finish eating the first batch. We also took our leftover turkey and put everything necessary for pot pie in one ziplock. I can make the pie crust in the morning, fill it and put it in the fridge, then just pop it in the oven.
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Good questions, as usual, and interesting answers! I will answer on my blog tonight 🙂
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What is your easy go to recipe for a quick weeknight meal? Sausages and a packet of cheese and broccoli pasta.
Is there a recipe you make in big batches to freeze or eat over multiple days? Curry, casserole, stew…
Do you have shortcut things you buy at the store that make your meal prep easier? Pastry.
Have you tried any new products that you’d like to recommend? “country mix” – I add it to stews to bulk them and make them feel healthier – whether they are or not remains to be seen!
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I don’t really cook anymore, but that cake looks amazing. I wish I could find a gluten free version!
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Have you seen the King Arthur gluten free mixes? They have them all on their web site (and there are little single serve size). My local grocery store only carries a few. Maybe a grocery store near you has them.
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I will look for them. I haven’t seen them in store here.
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Chop up a bunch of whatever veg. are in the fridge, saute. Add appropriate spices and protein. For spices I mean maybe go Mexican if using zucchini/tomato/corn. Or Asian if using bok choy or napa cabbage or other brassicas. Then add some egg or tofu or beans. Or once in a blue moon there is some leftover meat. Done. Takes 15-20 min. depending on the veg. being used.
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I often make a crock pot of chicken cacciatore, eat it until I can’t stand it, freeze the rest. Same for stew and chili. Lately it’s been beef burgundy, very easy and tastes good. The only prepared food I currently eat is prechopped vegetables. A luxury, but they come in smaller batches, so are good for me to cook up quickly with a chop or piece of chicken.
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Ok, I’ll admit, my husband does meals, but I have to come up with them. I could eat a version of baked chicken breasts, broccoli, rice up to 4 days a week. But I do love it when he makes bahn mi sandwhuches or poke bowls.
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