Cooking question

BellaSposa223 · October 2011

Hey ladies...

I know a lot of you know this already but I got a new job a few weeks ago as a mental health worker. Tomorrow I start training (8:30-4) so like a regular job just three days a week for 3.5 weeks. Do you have recipes for quick dinners I can make when I get home? It's a major change where my time more limited so any recipes/advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

rblucy · October 2011

I like the chicken tacos recipe for the slow cooker. I think it was from chrisnjay. I can just throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and all I have to do for dinner is heat up some rice as a side.

If you make sauce over the weekend you can reuse it with pasta during the week and just make salad to go. I just use jar sauce so I don't pre-make my sauce but pasta is quick and easy.

You can do breakfast for dinner and make scrambled eggs and toast.

I don't cook a lot. Our other regular meals include grilled chicken, hamburgers, chicken quesadillas-all require very little time.

nicinnewyork · October 2011

i hate cooking anything that takes more than 30 minutes unless it's on the weekend. some of the simpler staples would be- stir fry (beef, chicken or shrimp all easy), beef tenderloin or other good steak pan fried or cheaper steaks grilled or broiled, shrimp scampi or any other version of shrimp & pasta (i buy the frozen shrimp from bjs- actually bigger and way cheaper than fresh), we make a lot of fish- tilapia or other white fish baked or broiled, salmon (marinate in the am, bake or grill at night), hubs loves grilled pork chops. that's all i can think of without typing a bunch of recipes. i use my grill pan quite often- it's so quick and easy.

hope that helps. good luck with your new job!

i3utaphly1 · October 2011

We really like portobello mushroom sandwiches - quick and easy. usually I marinade them like below and we grill them but we actually had them last night and I used a grill pan. I serve with oven fries or tator tots and top them with sauteed onions and peppers.

Ingredients

4 portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese (I use swiss)

Directions

Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.
Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reserving marinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

Definitely use the crockpot - I just did the sweet potato chili Kendra316 posted and it was awesome.

These baked chicken fajitas are my new fav and incredibly easy.

Stir-Fry's are quick and easy as well:

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry

4 Servings
Prep/Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package (16 ounces) frozen stir-fry vegetable blend, thawed
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice (I just use sweetened cause I could never find unsweetened, oh well)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Hot cooked rice

Directions

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in oil for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in vegetable blend; cook, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the apple juice, soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, garlic powder, ginger and cayenne. Stir into chicken mixture; heat through. Serve with rice.

JSweetieXO · October 2011

Chicken cutlets with some veggies or something is quick.

I also love when I have made my pasta sauce on the weekend and use some of it for during the week. The rest I freeze. Nothing is faster than boiling up some pasta and reheating sauce.

Bridezilla in Training · November 2011

Both DH and I don't get home until 6:30 and because of the baby we don't often get to eat until after 8. EVERYTHING we make is quick. Cheeseburgers, ANYTHING you can throw into a salad (especially grilled chicken), Taco Salad, baked ziti, spaghetti and (frozen) meatballs, raspberry orange chicken, stir fry... I also meal plan so that I don't have to think about dinner when I get home.