@renea OK-- I'm thinking fried egg over bread with harissa. Another night, grilled cheese with tomato soup in the box (I have beef stew recipes I love but that's completely beyond me for now). Will buy some Rana, too. Thanks!
Never made a quesadilla. Maybe it's time to start.
@kgy0001 Ravioli. Precut veggies, tossed in olive oil and a little salt and roasted for 15 minutes. Spend one day cutting up some salad veggies and keep them separate from the lettuce, you can have salad for three ish days before the veggies all start to taste the same.
@luvtogrow2 Huh, I like these veg ideas. Thank you. Also for the 3-day guideline. I think what I'll do is make a menu from what folks suggest here and then we'll see what I can pull off.
@kgy0001 I guess I should specify that it really needs to be harder veggies, don't do this with tomatoes or avocados and avoid onions. But veggies or salad, a simple protein like a salmon burger patty or rotisserie chicken and a carb is like 75% of the meals I make. And if you get a rotisserie chicken you can make a simple rice bowl the next day with left overs (we use the Bachan BBQ sauce and a few roasted veggies to go with it).
@kgy0001 A sheetpan meal of any kind. Buy chicken breasts, put in ziplock in the morning with some BBQ sauce. Buy precut broccoli and cauliflower. Dump both on the pan with some seasoning when you get home, put it in the oven, taken it out and done.
@glory35 I do something similar, but I’ll split the chicken in half and marinate one half in a lemon, oil, Italian seasoning type blend and the other half in a stir fry/soy sauce type marinade. I use the same veggies, but split between two pans. Basically make the same meal with two different flavor profiles. Serve with rice or pasta. Cook once, eat twice!
Below are the recipes I loosely followed, making my own modifications.
@glory35 Precut broccoli-- I'm sure I've seen this but being a creature of habit, haven't bought it. Will do. Thanks. Will scan for the easiest sheetpan meals and try out.
@kgy0001 Yep! It's usually right next to the bagged spinach/lettuce at my grocery store but I'm sure it varies. Makes it super easy for a meal to be "open + dump".
Get a bag of coleslaw mix (ie. shredded cabbage and carrots). Trader Joe's has this.
Make rice. Using a rice cooker makes it easy.
A few mins before the rice is done, drop the bag of shredded cabbage/carrots on top and close the lid. The steam will cook the veg. (If using already-cooked rice, then cover and reheat the rice with the veggies). Give it a few mins then mix to incorporate.
Brush your protein of choice (fish, shrimp, chicken, tofu, whatever) with a jarred sauce eg. teriyaki and bake. Fish is the easiest for this, it's done in a few mins under the broiler.
@kgy0001 Skinless boneless chicken thighs in a pan with oil and Italian spices and breadcrumbs. Add a little butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and chicken stock. Add any veg of your choice - green beans, onions, carrots, potatoes - and cook juice off and chicken and vegs are browning. Add a bit more chicken stock and some instant rice. Add cheese if you wish. Done in one pot and healthy.
Taco salad: slow cook meat of choice with salsa and taco seasoning. Cut salad greens. Add canned kidney beans, avocado, cheese, crushed tortilla, cooked meat, cilantro, and/or crushed hint of lime tortilla chips. Dressing is equal parts sour cream and salsa.
@kgy0001 I love cooked ground beef or turkey, then mixed with red sauce of your choice and dumped over cooked penne in a casserole dish. Bake with shredded mozzarella for 20 minutes and it's a great filling pasta dish that will leave you with lots of leftovers. I get a frozen premade garlic bread loaf too and throw that in the oven while the bake cooks.