Very fastest/easiest meal you don't feel guilty about
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Anonymous
They're asking because "carbs" are eeeeeeeeeevil. Never mind that not all carbohydrates are created equal, or that children need carbs for energy and aren't high-performance athletes who need high-protein diets. Carbs are eeeeeeeevil. |
Anonymous
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We use frozen stuff - ravioli, quiche, taquitos, ricebowls, pizza, meatballs etc. But also cook a lot at home because kids like a lot of variety.
Menu for the week and food prep is key for us. I usually do small quantities of food prep so that I am covered for around 3 days. If I need more then I can prep in the middle of the week. I normally will have these in my fridge - - Sautéed onions, green peppers, cabbage - and I add these to my pressed sandwiches, stuffed omelets, quesadillas, fajitas, dosas, fried rice, curries, pastas, ramen noodles. - Boiled potatoes - these go in shepherd pie, mashed potatoes, paranthas, aloo curry, stuffed sandwich, samosas, stuffed paranthas, raitas, veggi burgers, chaat. - Boiled eggs - sandwiches, egg curry, by itself, salads - Dosa batter - once a month and depending on my weekly menu, I will make a huge batch of batter and keep in fridge. I usually split with my sister. Use it for dosa, idlis and uttapam. - Home made yogurt - used for eating plain, raitas, lassi, marinades, kadhi, curd-rice. - blanched greens (spinach, kale). I use it for making saag paneer, I add it in dosa batter, in bread batter, smoothies and anything I can add to. - kneaded dough - for all sorts of indian breads and a knockoff &pizza base. - two or three kinds of chutneys - I use these a lot. I mix it in all kinds of dishes, snacks, salads, breads. In my freezer I keep - - chilli - I use it as chilli as well as filling for shepherd pies - kebabs - in snacks, sides, wraps. - roasted eggplants - Baba ghanoush, baigan bharta. - curry masala (fried onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cilantro, green chillies) Cooking goes fast. Normally we add some salad, fruits, yogurt/cheese to the meals too to make it more balanced. |
Anonymous
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I mean my ultimate quick meal is throwing frozen meatballs into the instant pot, top with tomato sauce, water, then pasta. Turn on and cook for whatever time (I forget, it's on my Pinterest board lol). Once done stir. I like to add in some cottage cheese, mozzarella and parmesan. Serve with a side salad. I can start it before I go pickup DD, then finish it within 5min of getting home.
I really like this vegan rice noodle dish that I've got down to around 20min. It's basically rice noodles, carrots, onions, bell peppers, loads of garlic in an Asian sauce. |
Anonymous
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I say this on every one of these threads, but Mississippi Roast: https://belleofthekitchen.com/mississippi-pot-roast/
It requires you to start it in the morning, but if you throw in baby carrots and potatoes for the last couple of hours, less than five minutes of active prep time total. I'm not even a meat and potatoes person, but this reminds me of Sunday dinners at grandma's house. And it makes me feel more virtuous than ordering takeout. |
Anonymous
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There are some good ideas here for instantpot and crockpot meals that can be ready when you get home, which I use all the time.
But my two go-to meals that require zero prep and no shopping: Quesadillas - in a cast iron pan with a tortilla and cheese. Bonus if I have any sort of protein (black beans, shredded chicken) laying around, and even better score if I have tomatoes, green onion, cilantro... maybe a squeeze of lime. But just plain cheese is great too. Veggie scramble - whatever veg I have on hand (spinach, bell pepper, hot peppers, potatoes...) with eggs. Maybe some cheddar or a dollop of sour cream on top if I am lucky. Even better if I have fresh tomatoes and green onions to pile on top. Toast optional. |
Anonymous
| My go-to is shrimp or chicken on the skillet with Whole Foods Seasoning Salt, rice, and veggies with ranch. Spaghetti with jarred sauce and frozen meatballs. Sweet potatoes, avocado, and rotisserie chicken with two of those half baked baguettes. Orzo, steaks on the grill and broccoli rabe on the grill. I have big boys who are always hungry so I also keep a dozen hard boiled eggs in the fridge at all times. |
Anonymous
Love your post, PP! You're reading it exactly the same way I did. |
Anonymous
+1 Ever notice the only people who denounce carbs tend to be fat af? |
Anonymous
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I have pretty low standards and I definitely make things like zatarain’s jambalaya mix with rotisserie chicken in it or franks n beans or spaghetti with jarred sauce and frozen meatballs, or store bought rotisserie chicken with bob Evans mashed potato as a side.
I feel less bad about crockpot meals, I guess. I have a chicken chili in the crockpot recipe that I do fairly often. This post reminded me to try a roast in the crockpot this week. Wish me luck - I don’t often cook red meat. But my husband doesn’t love a ton of chicken dishes in the crockpot. |
Anonymous
I’m the original PP who posted the offending meals LOL To be fair, I do try and eat more meats and vegetables overall, but I would never 100% eliminate starches from my diet, much less my kids’ diets. And I’m certainly not going to freak out about them eating some bread along with their mostly balanced meals! |
Anonymous
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No guilt:
-quesadilla with cheese and beans, side of whatever veg -saute bagged veg mix, throw in protein and some sauce Minimal guilt: -frozen Amy's pizza with added pepperoni, peppers -canned soup or ramen with less sodium and more veg |
Anonymous
Bingo! Same here. Or, I buy hard taco shells + make tacos with frozen shrimp I boil, plus cheese, lettuce, tomatoes + store bought taco sauce. |
Anonymous
Thank you for posting this! I haven't seen it posted before so I am glad you chimed in again. Curious - how do the peppercorn peppers taste once cooked down? I've never cooked with peppercorn peppers and wonder what flavor it adds. |
Anonymous
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This my sound gross, but I assure you, my kids from ages 10-17 gobble them up.
Buffalo chicken burgers. I take 2 lbs. of ground chicken, dump in some Frank's Buffalo sauce (I eyeball it), and squish it together to form into burger patties. I do a quick shot of avocado oil in my frying pan and fry these up. Those who want them hotter add more buffalo sauce prior to eating. Those who like less heat are fine with just the amount that went in before cooking. They're good with or without a bun. They're good with or without anything on them. And they are SO fast to make. |
Anonymous
Not PP, but this recipe has become one in heavy rotation since the beginning of 2022 in our house after my son saw it on TikTok. I'm someone who enjoys pepperoncini peppers but they are not great once cooked. What I do once the roast is done is that I fish them out, let them cool, and then squish the juice back on the meat. Also, when I start the roast in the crockpot, I add a 1/2 jar of the pepperoncini pepper juice to the bottom and it's a game changer. |