I made Trader Joe's chicken tikka masala last night. Super easy. Frozen or fresh rice.

Anonymous wrote:Just rotate carb protein and veggies! That’s what I do for my picky kids. First night big box of salad greens top it with grilled chicken. Hard boiled eggs, blue cheese bacon and vinaigrette- Cobb salad. Second night- lentil soup, buy a packet of frozen mirepoix sauce it with EVOO add washed lentils, garam masala and chicken stock. Third night- bake salmon spray with EVOO salt pepper, cook orzo or fusilli on the side, steam broccoli. Fourth night, sauté ground beef with zucchini and potatoes and Mexican seasoning, serve with rice and tortillas. Fifth night, bake chicken thighs covered in teriyaki sauce, add asparagus to sheet pan for last 10 minutes, serve over quinoa. Sixth night- bake tilapia filets with lemon slices on top, serve with rice and a salad. Seventh night- steak, sautéed spinach, baked potato. Follow me for more great tips!!!

None of these sound dialed in. I will try to add some to my rotation though. Np.

Anonymous wrote:For me easy dinner includes easy cleanup, so my recommendations are:

Rotisserie chicken, fresh bread/biscuits, salad or quick veggie

Frozen burgers, baked beans, salad or quick veggie

Chicken or shrimp, veggies, jar of simmer sauce, rice (can use the frozen microwave kind if you want really low effort)

Grilled cheese with tomato soup

Gyros-I use Trader Joe’s packaged gyro slices, with pita, tzatziki, and veggies. Can add fries if you want more substance to the meal

Can you give this inexperienced cook some specific recipes for the simmer sauces?
- How much shrimp? What kind of veggies? What kind of simmer sauce? How long to cook?
- Chicken thighs? Breasts? Diced? Rotisserie? What veggies? What sauce? How long to cook?

1 lb chicken, 1 can black beans, 1 jar salsa in a slow cooker for 4 hours on low. Shred chicken when done. Easy!

make a large pot of rice this weekend and portion it out - freeze what you won't use on monday.

Monday - use cold rice to make fried rice with veg and eggs - frozen dumplings or egg rolls on side

Tuesday - burritos with beans and rice and cheese - side salad

Wednesday - get masala sauce for indian chicken with chickpeas over rice - serve with fresh spinach added

Thursday - peppers stuffed with rice and italian sausage

Friday - give in and get pizza

If you can do slow cooker, Mississippi Roast:

https://belleofthekitchen.com/mississippi-pot-roast/

Throw in baby potatoes and carrots toward the end, and it's a real meal with almost no effort.

Burgers with a side salad kit

Sauté cut up onions and peppers, and mix in cut-up sausages. Add some paprika, salt, and pepper. Put it all on hot dog buns. Roast some potatoes or just buy frozen potatoes in whatever form you like (tots, fries, wedges). The whole thing will take 20 minutes and is super easy.

Tacos. Brown some beef with taco spices (just buy a bottle of premixed spices, or a packet of “taco seasoning”). Can also add a can of beans to the beef, if that’s acceptable to whoever is eating this. Buy taco shells, a package of shredded cheddar, a jar of salsa, a little head of lettuce (or a bag of salad, and eat the leftover salad greens as a lunch). If you feel like cutting up avocados, do that. Put it all out in little bowls and people can make their own tacos. You could also use these things to make burritos, with the addition of buying a packet of that yellow Spanish rice and adding it to the burritos.

Buy salmon fillets. Add olive oil and some spices (I use Penzey’s Turkish Spice but add whatever you like). Bake in the oven. While they’re baking, sauté onions and steam some broccoli. Or add frozen potatoes to the same oven. Heat up tortillas, cut up the cooked salmon into chunks, and add onion and salmon chunks to a tortilla for a wrap. If you feel like adding little chunks of feta, you can do that.

For me easy dinner includes easy cleanup, so my recommendations are:

Rotisserie chicken, fresh bread/biscuits, salad or quick veggie

Frozen burgers, baked beans, salad or quick veggie

Chicken or shrimp, veggies, jar of simmer sauce, rice (can use the frozen microwave kind if you want really low effort)

Grilled cheese with tomato soup

Gyros-I use Trader Joe’s packaged gyro slices, with pita, tzatziki, and veggies. Can add fries if you want more substance to the meal

These are the meals we do when we don't have time or don't care. They take little to no time/effort to make and maaaybe 1 pan to clean afterward.

Box mac and cheese with peas and frozen chicken nugs.

DIY pizza with a pre-made store crust.

Quesadillas with beans and/or chicken inside

Eggs and toast.

Make a big pot of soup, lasts all week if you change it up. Start with plain vegetable on Sunday, on Tuesday add chicken and rice and more veg, on Thursday add tomato and beans and make chili. If most of the chicken is gone throw in some beef too or add more chicken for chicken chili. Have sandwiches or salad available if that’s not enough.

Big salads. Bagged salad mix plus I add tomato, avocado, hard boiled egg and chicken (rotisserie or prepared).

Bean and cheese quesadillas with a side of guac and chips.

Crockpot chili. Literally just dump it all in and forget it.

Crockpot pulled chicken. Another dump and forget meal. I toss chicken breasts or thighs and a bottle of bbq sauce together and shred with a fork when done.

Bowls. So many options. Think Chipotle or Cava. Rice, beans, rotisserie chicken and whatever veggies I have on hand. This is a very popular dinner in our home.

Box pasta, jar sauce, frozen meatballs

American-style tacos with the kit from El Paso or similar -- just buy meat, lettuce, a tomato, and salsa. Takes 20 minutes.

Cheese, cured meat, crackers and olive tray

Red beans and rice -- andouille sausage, onion, pepper, celery, red beans. Then I make the rice separately. This is a good one for a WFH day as I like cook the meat in the pot (leave the drippings/char) then add the chopped vegetables until soft, then season and add the beans and water, and then just let it simmer for a while. It's only about 20 minutes of active cooking.

1. pre made meatballs, add sauce and simmmer. provolone cheese, sub rolls, veggies and fruit
2. rotisserie chicken salad and sourdough bread
3. pre made lasagna or ziti and salad mix/veggies
4. eggs toast/biscuits bacon/sausage fruit
5. get good quality deli ham, use leftover sourdough or rolls and make ham subs plus chips and veggies
6. if biscuits/rolls/sourdough remain, make ham& grilled cheese sandwiches with vegetable soup (costco carries a good one)

Get veggie tray with pre cut veggies. Wegmans fruit tray.

Just rotate carb protein and veggies! That’s what I do for my picky kids. First night big box of salad greens top it with grilled chicken. Hard boiled eggs, blue cheese bacon and vinaigrette- Cobb salad. Second night- lentil soup, buy a packet of frozen mirepoix sauce it with EVOO add washed lentils, garam masala and chicken stock. Third night- bake salmon spray with EVOO salt pepper, cook orzo or fusilli on the side, steam broccoli. Fourth night, sauté ground beef with zucchini and potatoes and Mexican seasoning, serve with rice and tortillas. Fifth night, bake chicken thighs covered in teriyaki sauce, add asparagus to sheet pan for last 10 minutes, serve over quinoa. Sixth night- bake tilapia filets with lemon slices on top, serve with rice and a salad. Seventh night- steak, sautéed spinach, baked potato. Follow me for more great tips!!!

Next week is bonkers in many ways, including the heavy load of grief I am carrying right now. Please give me ideas for super easy meals that I can just get on the table. I’m trying not to order take-out. Thank you.