Recipes For Busy People

[dorsetclothing]

So Jacque's thread about life and work organisation had me thinking about this.

I am terrible with cooking healthy meals when I get really busy - everything just seems like too much effort. And of course because I don't eat well, I then lose the energy I need to keep going, so I live off things like coffee and tea!

I'm sure there's many of us in this boat - either trying to run our jobs and a household, or trying to run their etsy store in their free time along with another day job. So I thought perhaps we could share any recipes that keep us going in these times. Maybe they're quick things you can whip up in 15 minutes, or something you can put in the crockpot/slow cooker at the start of the day so it's waiting for you when you're finished.

[Former_Member]

GREAT IDEA MON! I'm going to love this thread! Here's mine:

Broccoli & Cheese Alfredo

Ingredients:
-Broccoli
-Velveeta Cheese
-Alfredo Noodles
-Alfredo Sauce

Directions:

1. Boil broccoli until fully cooked, drain broccoli
2. Boil noodles (add pinch of salt/butter to water so noodles don't stick)
3. Melt Velveeta cheese
4. After noodles are cooked and drained; mix in the broccoli, cheese, and Alfredo sauce together. Let simmer 5-10 minutes.
5. Serve

Great side for this dish is garlic toast!

[silentmagician]

My go-to site for easy (and yummy!) recipes is this blog: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.nl/ I make the black bean quesadillas a lot, but seriously, there are some great ideas there.

I also like to make "Mexican Casserole" (can you tell I'm a fan of the Mexican food :-))

1 can chili
1 can corn
Shredded cheese (enough to cover the top of your pot)
Tortilla Chips

Layer chili, corn, and cheese in a pot or casserole dish. Heat in the microwave, oven, or on the stove-top (covered with a lid to melt the cheese). Break up chips and press them over the top into the melted cheese. And that's it!

[missvalscreations]

I am a gluten free vegetarian so I will spare you guys with my recipes.

However a suggestion I have when you do have some time to cook is to cook a large quantity. Then freeze single serving sizes. This works great for a quick healthy meal. I put a single size in the fridge the day before I eat it so it is not still super frozen before heating up!

[Former_Member]

Some of us like vegetarian *and* gluten free! Don't hold back!

My go to is making a ***huge*** pot of soup - onions, celery, parsnips, leeks, carrots + sea salt/pepper as the base, and then using that base to throw in other veggies while i'm on the fly. Usually a portion of a bag of frozen veg.

It takes no time at all. Maybe 15 minutes for the initial prep, 3 hours to cook on low, the first time around.

After that it takes a minute or two to throw everything together and heat it up. Also, throw a couple of sweet potatoes in the over, when cooked I toss butter and feta on top.

[Former_Member]

I am definitely in that boat, but have gotten a lot better. Here are two of my favorites:

SPINACH SOUP (Adapted from a Cranks cookbook)
Ingredients: 1 ea. onion, zucchini, sweet potato; big handful or two of spinach, 5 cups broth, 1/2 cup of cream*

Chop everything up. Saute onions, and zucchini in some olive oil. Add the sweet potato, spinach, and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Add cream and blend everything together (either in batches with blender or better yet - an immersion blender)

* I use cashew cream and it's mighty tasty. Cover about 1/3 cup of raw cashews with water and let soak for 20 minutes. Drain, rinse, then add fresh water to cover and whir in blender until smooth. Great for lots of other stuff, too!

VEGGIE PESTO (adapted Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)
Ingredients: bunch of asparagus, big bunch of spinach, 1 cup pine nuts, 1 cup parmesan cheese, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, squeeze of lemon

Snap the aspargus and cut in half. Add to boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes. Throw everything except the olive oil and lemon into a food processor (I do the spinach and stuff first to make room for the asparagus). Pulse until you get a nice paste, scraping the sides as needed. Add olive oil and lemon and process some more. Add more olive oil if needed to get the desired consistency. Goes great on pasta or quinoa (my usual).

I make these two often enough that I typed all that from memory, and I'm horrible at memorizing recipes!

Another thing I try to do is basically keep a salad bar in the fridge. Chop a bunch of stuff up on Sunday, then it's ready to go in whatever version you want that day.

Enjoy and good luck!

[Former_Member]

Chicken Pasta!

(this is for 2 plus baby ;))

1 large chicken breast (around 200-300gm) cubed
1/2 red onion diced
1/2 capsicum diced
3 spring onions sliced
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 zucchini diced
1 carrot, grated
small handful olives

2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup water
pinch pepper
fresh or dried herbs (whatever you've got works)

250gms pasta

1. Put water on for pasta
2. Brown chicken in fry pan, add all veg except for carrot, cook it all off til veg is tender (usually about 5-8 minutes)
3. Put pasta in pasta pot.
4. Add tom paste, water, pepper, herbs and carrot to fry pan, Give it a good stir, bring to the boil then turn it down to simmer away while pasta cooks.
5. Strain pasta, then add chicken and veg and stir in.
6. Serve, good with shaved parmesan or vintage tasty :D

[Former_Member]

I am not a good cook. I only do it because my kids insist that I feed them everyday! Please, pardon my lack of measurements :)

In a crock pot;
chicken breast
salsa

After 6 hours, I shred it and then we make tacos with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, etc. This is the easiest thing and everyone loves it!


Another easy peasy dinner we eat about once a week:
scramble eggs with salsa, black beans, shredded cheese then serve in a tortilla or with toast. So yummy and once again, everyone loves it :)

We eat a lot of tilapia, too. So quick and easy to make! Literally minutes!

[Former_Member]

I don't cook every night but what I do is make a batch of something that will last for a few meals.

Chicken enchiladas
- cooked & shredded chicken - usually 2 or 3 large breasts
- tortillas - 8 - 12
- enchilada sauce
- small tin of green chilies
- shredded cheese
- diced onion
- sour cream

On each tortilla place some chicken, onion, chilies, and cheese. Wrap and place in large baking dish. I can usually get about a dozen in a 11 x 13 pan.

Pour sauce over enchiladas, top with more shredded cheese and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, salsa and either beans or rice.

[Former_Member]

Super simple casserole

20 minute prep time
1 pkg noodle side dish
2 cups frozen veggies
2 cups leftover meat, chicken, tuna or whatever you have in the pantry in a tin

Fix noodle side dish according to package directions. I use the microwave. Cook veggies in salted water and drain well.

Mix protein, noodles and veggies together and serve immediately.

[dorsetclothing]

These are awesome, thanks for sharing everyone!

I should probably include my go to recipes.

Chorizo and Bean Gnocchi - 15 mins prep and cooking time

- 1 diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- pinch of chilli flakes
- pinch of oregano
- white wine
- 1 link of chorizo
- can of crushed tomatos
- can of cannelini beans/white beans, drained
- baby spinach
- 1 pkt gnocchi

Put the water on to boil for the gnocchi. While that is heating up, sautee the onion and garlic and chilli in some olive oil. Add diced chorizo and cook till browned. Deglaze with a splash of wine and add oregano, beans and tomatoes. While that cooks add the gnocchi to the boiling water in the other saucepan. Add a handful of baby spinach to the tomato sauce. The gnocchi is cooked when it rises to the top, scoop out of the water and add to the pasta sauce, mix and serve with shaved parmesan.



And my version of an Indian Dal.

- 1 diced onion
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 zucchini, sliced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 can lentils
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- rice

Sautee the onion and garlic in some olive oil, then add the spices. Cook them for a minute and then add the zucchini and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the lentils, beans, and tomatoes, and a cup of water if it seems a bit dry. Let that simmer on a low heat. Start cooking your rice, and by the time the rice is cooked, so is your dal!

[StarlightBags]

My super fast go-to meal is fried rice. I always have a huge thing of rice made.
Heat up a pan and throw in frozen veggies like peas, carrots, chopped onions (there is usually a soup mix of those ingredients in the frozen section). If you have any other random leftovers like potatoes, spinach, whatever, just toss it on the pan. Once it heats up a bit I throw in my serving of rice. Normal fried rice usually uses an egg to give the rice a sticky quality, but I have made it when I was out of eggs and its still amazing. Just cook and stir till the ingredients are lightly brown and add herbs.
This is perfect cause you dont need to measure, you just throw things in and it is always good. Also, you can get away with making a single serving.

[dorsetclothing]

Made these burgers for dinner tonight, they were delicious!
http://whatsgabycooking.com/cheddar-jalapeno-chicken-burgers-with-guacamole/

I did them minus the cheese, and they didn't need them in my opinion. Next time I'm going to make up the extra patties and freeze them raw, so I have an easy eating option all good to go.

[Former_Member]

I am always at work so I typically make Chilaquiles for breakfast. My mom used to make it all the time when she didnt feel like doing anything fancy.

What you Need:
1 dozen corn tortillas, preferably stale, or left out overnight to dry out a bit, quartered or cut into 6 wedges
Corn oil
Salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups red chile sauce or salsa verde*

Extras:
- I like adding black olives to mine, it adds a little bit to it. Any meat can be put on it. I prefer chicken or maybe shredded beef. Really, anything will work. Green onion, bell pepper, whatever you have leftover.

1. Cut up the tortilla into strips or chunks. I quarter mine.
2. Coat a pan in hot oil and throw in the tortilla. I typically fry it until it is a tiny bit crispy. I like having that little bit extra.
3. Add the red chile sauce or salsa verde. I just use the cheap stuff from the $1.50 can. Mix it all up and ta-da you are done.

[MoomettesCrochet]

My crockpot saves me along with prepare-ahead freezer meals!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

http://frugalnewenglandkitchen.com/crockpot-freezer-meals-beef-stew-slow-cooker-recipe-home-organiza...

[TumbleheartStudio]

I too often freeze individual portions of soups, casseroles, etc. Having breakfast for supper is another quick option. Oatmeal/savory toppings or with fruit/nuts/yogurt. Eggs, toast and a plate of raw fruit & vegetables is very quick...and none of them involve dirtying a bunch of dishes :-)

[TumbleheartStudio]

...and smoothies are super quick and nutritious...I do lots of smoothies when I am very busy.

[dorsetclothing]

Bumping this up as life is insane at the moment and I could do with some inspiration for different quick meals to the ones I always make!

[ColourscapePrints]

Simple dessert (or breakfast!)

We love Jamie Oliver's simple pancake recipe:

1 cup self raising flour
1 cup milk
1 egg

Beat it all together and voila! We have them every Sunday morning now :D

[dorsetclothing]

I've been using that recipe since I was a kid, it's such a simple and effective pancake recipe!

I saw a gluten free banana pancake recipe recently that was just 2 eggs and 1 mashed banana. It works incredibly well, cooks just like a pancake! It's slightly too eggy for my liking, so I add in a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of milk.

[Former_Member]

If I'm making banana/apple pancakes for Squish, I just add it to that recipe, comes out great :D