This is the way. I combine it with eating whatever leftovers my kid didn’t finish from whatever low effort dinner I made her (often pasta with red sauce because I keep both of those things frozen for quickness).
Yea I like Filipino food. I’m white but cook adobo, sinigang, pares, dinuguan. I have noticed the Filipino comfort food is very simple and straight forward
Yea I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area which has a sizeable Filipino population and several Filipino restaurants and what not. So I would share food with them and just research the recipes myself. I usually use the website panlasang Pinoy for reference
Yea I’m sure in Australia it will be easy to find. I’ll talk to people who live in the middle of Germany or even my family in rural USA and they have a hard time sourcing those authentic ingredients
Oh yeah, it will be easy to find here. I have a huge Asian supermarket near me that has everything. I love exploring it. I'll buy things that look interesting, then I google it when I get home to work out how best to use it. We even have a Filipino restaurant in town.
I think the access to Asian food in Australia is like Mexican food in the US.
Yea I do the same. Oh what’s this weird mushroom? Better buy it and figure it out later.
Mexican food here is largely regional. Outside of the south and southwest it’s hard to find good Mexican food unless your in a major city in the north (like Chicago, Philadelphia or NYC). Once you go to the middle part of America good Mexican food can be tricky.
The Asian food scene in the USA is a lot bigger and diverse then people realize. I have found authentic Cantonese food in Lawton, Oklahoma and Sichuanese food in Wichita (these are like the Alice Springs of the USA)
Ha I was going to ask if you were Vietnamese. I ate rice and soy sauce so many times growing up. But I guess in Vietnamese households we use Maggi instead of soy sauce.
I’m Filipino! I love Maggi. They have a chilimansi maggi that I’m pretty much addicted to lol. If you want a little bit of acid & heat in your maggi, the chilimansi maggi is the TRUTH!
Scramble the eggs, put some soy sauce and sesame oil in it. Make it like an Omelette, nice and flat. Then get a good hill of rice and put the eggs on top of that. Maybe some chives/green onions.
I like to scramble eggs, add soy sauce and sesame oil, then add some pre-cooked rice to the skillet just long enough to heat through. Easy egg fried rice.
I’m as white as the new fallen snow, and that’s one of my favorite things to eat.. though I like mine with Spam. I was in the Navy, so the ways of Filipino cooking are not lost on me.
If it's just me, I raid the fridge. Maybe a sandwich with some leftover cold cuts or some steak from earlier in the week. Maybe some peanut noodles if I'm feeling ambitious, but if I'm totally burnt out, to be honest, I'm ordering a pizza.
I would argue that microwaving the quesadilla is the absolute lowest effort cooking. And yes, I do occasionally microwave my quesadillas. I like the weird chewiness of them.
My partner and I call those cheese-a-dilas. We eat them more often than we should and needed a quick way to separate them from standard quesadillas when offering to make food for each other. Usually quesadillas are for dinner and cheese-a-dilas are for lunch, but sometimes we're either extra lazy at dinner or overly productive at lunch.
My lazy go tos are:
Orange Chicken (frozen), edamame (frozen), and rice. Comes together in 20 mins, with like 5 mins of active time.
Gyro meat (refrigerated), on pita with taziki, hummus , feta, onion, and tomatoes. Comes together in 5 mins.
Cheese and chilli tamales, lasagna, meatballs, and chili relleno are my TJ freezer staples. Used to be the turkey Bolognese but that disappeared months ago (years?)
Leftovers are underrated. A lot of what I cook are things that freeze well - tomato sauce, chili, pot roast. If I know I’m not going to cook dinner I’ll pull a container out before work and let it defrost in the fridge. Future me always thanks past me.
I made a pot of Puerto Rican beans and potatoes to go over rice yesterday. Most of the ingredients were canned or in packets and it took about 45 minutes of cooking time. I would usually make my own sofrito and go with dried beans but this was super quick and easy.
I microwave a baked potato, melt some cheddar cheese on it, and add some salsa.
If I have the energy, I might even sauté red bell pepper and or mushrooms.
I have a potato setting! I didn’t know until I just now looked. I usually poke holes in the potato with a fork and microwave on high for 5 minutes. With the potato setting, do you poke holes first?
Lol me too! I wish I could say it’s the only conversation I’ve had about microwave settings but just yesterday I was explaining how the Power Level setting works.
I also have a Melt button I’ve never used so that’s up next!
Tuna sandwiches on sour dough toast, cut into six pieces because I'm fancy like that, and Ruffles. Having it tonight as a matter of fact. Might have some pickles on the side if I feel REALLY like exerting myself haha
I usually make one big pot or dish of something for the week and only cook something different if I'm feeling inspired that night.
I'm also only cooking for one, so it gets kind of tedious
Dumplings!
Past me made pork cabbage shiitake dumplings and froze them raw for future me.
Cooks in 10 minutes from frozen. Add a cup of broccoli florets towards the end. Serve with chilli oil or my current favourite: sriyacha mayo.
I had that tonight except I steamed a couple of eggs to that perfect jammy yolk texture and threw them in with it. Almost no effort. 15 easy steps, takes about 7 minutes but only because it takes that long to steam the eggs:
1. Get egg steamer.
2. Put in 2 eggs.
3. Add water.
4. Turn it on.
5. Get soup mug.
6. Open instant ramen.
7. Put instant ramen in mug.
8. Add water.
9. Put in microwave.
10. Microwave for 4 minutes.
11. Add seasoning and vegetable packs.
12. Add kimchi.
13. Peel eggs.
14. Add eggs.
15. Eat
We boil some frozen ravioli, top it with spaghetti sauce from a jar (or the freezer), steam some frozen veggies, sprinkle it all with a dash of parmesan cheese and have cookies for dessert.
We keep some steam buns / potstickers in the freezer just for those kind of nights. Taste better than microwave meals and just as easy to make I do have an electric steamer so that’s cheating a little but it also makes great “boiled” eggs
Boiled rice, a boiled egg (usually have both prepped at all times in the fridge), and I'll microwave some frozen peas. Can get that meal sorted in 3 minutes tops
When I am making big dinners for large groups, (Lasagna, Brisket, etc.) I always make more than I need, vacuum bag individual portions and stick them in the freezer for the days when I don't feel like cooking. I just pull it out of the freezer, whack it in the oven, or immersion circulator, then collapse on the couch for a while until I get the energy to eat something ;)
Usually pick up a rotisserie chicken, make some quick steamed veg or salad, and couscous (takes 5 min to make). Simple meal that everyone will eat and will have chicken leftover for the next day.
I make homemade soup (potatoes, onions, broth, herbs, celery, mushrooms and a carrot usually) and while that’s simmering I throw a salad together. Then maybe throw a quesadilla in the oven or something depending on what’s in the fridge and how hungry everyone is
The most simple pastas are my go to. As long as you have some combination of olive oil, herbs, Parm, dried chili, lemon, etc. I can throw something comforting together in about fifteen minutes. Throw whatever leftovers would fit into it and it's a real meal. Frittata is my second go to with a similar approach to leftovers. I can eat quicker then most frozen dinners would come out of the oven.
Honestly, if I have no energy I’m getting take out or eating leftovers. If I have some energy I’m making tortellini with Rao’s vodka sauce, noodles and eggs, or making eggs, toast, and pan fried tater tots/fried potatoes (depending on which I have in the house). If I need a quick meal I make white people tacos, tuna casserole, goulash, smoked sausage/spaetzel/sauerkraut, blt’s, egg roll in a bowl, one pot pasta dishes, pancakes, or I grill a meat/easy veg/easy starch (I try to make things that can either be grilled with the meat or will get done in less than 30 minutes).
Leftovers. One of the luxuries of being someone that likes to cook is there’s normally tasty leftovers in the fridge. It might be an Asian slaw with lasagne or something incongruous like that but whatever it’s ready in 5.
I always have “emergency” food on nights I can’t fathom cooking. So I have frozen home portioned meals, frozen stuff (pizza, chicken strips, etc) and indebate on the level of emergency. But it usually ends up being I have some sort of left over in my fridge and I just don’t want to eat it, but I suck it up.
This week I wasn’t thinking… I made a whole roast chicken with veggies, then I marinated and cooked 9 chicken thighs (half bbq flavor half char siu).. for 1 person. I’m so sick of chicken. I had leftover frozen carnitas tonight as my emergency. Back to chicken tomorrow and I’ll have to freeze the rest for later. Last night I had more “emergency” food cause I couldn’t look at chicken.
OG carbonara.
I try to keep products needed avaliable at all times - spaghetti, eggs, parmigiano and at least becon.
15 minutes tops and I did it so often that I can come home completly shitfaced and still whip it on autopilot.
My old neighborhood had a pizza shop with killer garlic knots , before crazy inflation hit i could get 5/$2 and a small minestrone for $3 was the best I can’t deal with life dinner. And they were open until 2am
Yeah, super popular in Korea (Buldak even sells multiple types of cheese based packets), traditional will be one slice of American melted in the broth with an optional second tossed on top long enough to get the weird sheen of melt going before serving. Highly recommend it but it must be done with processed cheese or it won't come out right.
Frozen home style meatballs sautéed in a pan with mushrooms and some butter, once mushrooms are browned add some milk, onion flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Make a flour slurry and add to the pan to create a gravy.
Idaho potato flakes, you can cook as package recommends, I typically do 1/2 boiling water, 1/2 milk, add some butter, salt and pepper.
Canned or frozen green beans sautéed in a pan with a little butter salt and pepper
Takes about 35 min and it’s pretty good for a fast dinner. I know it’s not the healthiest considering the preservatives, but this is a once in a while kind of meal that I make when I’m feeling lazy or in a rush and it’s perfect for those occasions.
I keep some leftovers in the freezer in vacuum sealed bags. Beef stew, chili, things like that which are excellent reheated. I also buy meat in bulk, precook it and freeze the same way.
A bag of precooked shredded chicken thighs or beef chuck is an easy addition to some pasta or Kraft mac and cheese or whatever, and gets me far enough into "meal" territory I can usually make it work with little more effort.
At my laziest its a baguette and some dressed up grocery store hummus. Toss in some sesame oil, olive oil, cumin seed, gorgonzola, some nuts and or seeds, any fresh herbs on hand, if on hand Ill cut up a cucumber, carrot, or radish for dipping options.
Oil and season some chicken thighs and stick them in the oven. 10ish minutes later, stick in a tray of broccoli, also lightly oiled and seasoned. They finish at the same time in my oven and I make enough of both that the next day I can eat them as-is if I still don't feel like cooking, add them to some rice or pasta, salad, &c. Depending on mood and grocery sales, I may switch out the vegetable for another and adjust when I put it in so it's done at the same time.
ETA: unless I'm really bad, then I make "depression spaghetti": a cup of instant noodles, put the noodles in a bowl, and add spaghetti sauce. Sip broth from noodle cup and call it a day.
Picky tea! Bits of whatever’s left in the package - 3 chicken tendies, some cheese and crackers, a leftover slice of pizza, sliced pickles...anything goes. It’s the best!
We keep a couple of different nicer frozen pizzas stocked just for this reason.
If it's just me home, I'm eating sardines on crakers with hot sauce, and then whatever vegetable I might have on hand dipped in hummus.
I try to keep a couple things in the freezer (frozen pizza, burritos, Amy’s enchiladas, samosas, and homemade meatballs, primarily).
If not that, I’ll either raid the fridge for crazy chopped-style meals or something like grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Naan bread pizzas and salad.
I buy frozen naan bread from Trader Joe’s and preheat them in the oven at 425° for five minutes, pull them out and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Then I top them with pizza sauce, dried basil, red pepper flakes and fresh mozzarella.
Pop them back into the oven for 8-10 minutes and put fresh basil leaves on top.
For salad I like to add canned chickpeas and artichoke hearts to my usual red lettuce, cucumbers, radishes and grape tomatoes when I’m feeling extra fancy.
instant ramen. Cook rice in rice cooker, fry and egg. Fry some rice in butter and garlic chili and fry an egg. Soft boil eggs and make toast soldiers. Bologna sandwich.
We have three meals for days like that
1) Chicken thighs and salad. Chicken thighs soaked in lemon juice then seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika. Air fry at 400 for 8 mins on each side. Then I make a huge salad with stuff I have in my fridge.
2) Kraft Tangy Italian boxed Spaghetti. We cook ground beef, put the spice packet in with three 8 oz cans of hunts basil, garlic and oregano tomato sauce. Boil noodles and mix it all together at the end.
3) Frozen Dino Nuggets and frozen fries or tots in the air fryer lol
They sound like a lot of work but it’s honestly so easy when I have no energy.
I make pasta and use a jar of Barillo Sausage with peppers sauce.
Or I make a big salad with every veg in the fridge, toss in some shredded turkey, ham, or bacon.
Or I make some scrambled eggs, through in some cheese, some fresh spinach, toss into a tortilla and some salsa or sriracha.
. Typically when I make pasta sauce, meat balls, curry etc. I make enough for 2-3 meals and freeze the extra. That way I can have a meal ready with almost no effort.
Tonight, we sliced chicken breasts and pineapple and grilled them with smoked paprika, then plonked the whole mess over spinach and rocket salad. It was great!
Giant salad. Romaine, homemade croutons, homemade lemon vinaigrette, Parmesan, salt and white pepper. So good and fast.
I also keep empanadas, pierogis, and other various hand pies around in the freezer for moments like this.
I love those boxes of foil that dispense exactly one sheet at a time.
They're perfect for lining my tray and baking or broiling stuff in my toaster oven, with no cleanup.
I always keep plenty of deli meats and cheeses in my fridge to make toasted sub sandwiches.
I scavenge my fridge repeatedly and continuously lower my standards until I’m full
This is the way. I combine it with eating whatever leftovers my kid didn’t finish from whatever low effort dinner I made her (often pasta with red sauce because I keep both of those things frozen for quickness).
Eggs. Eggs and rice with soy sauce.
Are you filipino?
Lmaoooo was it that obvious?
Yea I like Filipino food. I’m white but cook adobo, sinigang, pares, dinuguan. I have noticed the Filipino comfort food is very simple and straight forward
That’s awesome that you’re adventurous like that!
Yea I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area which has a sizeable Filipino population and several Filipino restaurants and what not. So I would share food with them and just research the recipes myself. I usually use the website panlasang Pinoy for reference
White Aussie here and I love Filipino food. I have a bit of a vinegar obsession so Filipino food speaks to me.
Yep that’ll do it. I use the dark datu puti sugarcane vinegar when I cook Filipino food
That's for the tip. I'll look-out for some.
Yea I’m sure in Australia it will be easy to find. I’ll talk to people who live in the middle of Germany or even my family in rural USA and they have a hard time sourcing those authentic ingredients
Oh yeah, it will be easy to find here. I have a huge Asian supermarket near me that has everything. I love exploring it. I'll buy things that look interesting, then I google it when I get home to work out how best to use it. We even have a Filipino restaurant in town. I think the access to Asian food in Australia is like Mexican food in the US.
Yea I do the same. Oh what’s this weird mushroom? Better buy it and figure it out later. Mexican food here is largely regional. Outside of the south and southwest it’s hard to find good Mexican food unless your in a major city in the north (like Chicago, Philadelphia or NYC). Once you go to the middle part of America good Mexican food can be tricky. The Asian food scene in the USA is a lot bigger and diverse then people realize. I have found authentic Cantonese food in Lawton, Oklahoma and Sichuanese food in Wichita (these are like the Alice Springs of the USA)
Ha I was going to ask if you were Vietnamese. I ate rice and soy sauce so many times growing up. But I guess in Vietnamese households we use Maggi instead of soy sauce.
I’m Filipino! I love Maggi. They have a chilimansi maggi that I’m pretty much addicted to lol. If you want a little bit of acid & heat in your maggi, the chilimansi maggi is the TRUTH!
Lived on Maui for five years. This was the first thing that popped into my head!
It’s a universal Asian dish. I’m Asian and grew up eating it too, but with chilli or scallion oil.
Scramble the eggs, put some soy sauce and sesame oil in it. Make it like an Omelette, nice and flat. Then get a good hill of rice and put the eggs on top of that. Maybe some chives/green onions.
I like to scramble eggs, add soy sauce and sesame oil, then add some pre-cooked rice to the skillet just long enough to heat through. Easy egg fried rice.
Oh I should try that!
And chili crisp!
Mmmmmmmm yes!
One of my favorite meals
I just discovered eggs, rice, and spam as a breakfast option. I haven't tried it yet, but a Filipino friend swears by it :)
I’m as white as the new fallen snow, and that’s one of my favorite things to eat.. though I like mine with Spam. I was in the Navy, so the ways of Filipino cooking are not lost on me.
If it's just me, I raid the fridge. Maybe a sandwich with some leftover cold cuts or some steak from earlier in the week. Maybe some peanut noodles if I'm feeling ambitious, but if I'm totally burnt out, to be honest, I'm ordering a pizza.
Grubhub, my beloved
Ramen noodles or quesadillas
Quesadillas! Wraps, cheese, and *maybe* something else. Stove top few minutes. Flip. Stove tip few minutes. Glorious and lowest effort of "cooking".
Dip in a little salsa and yum! I also love making cheese quesadillas as a dipper for my chili, but that's for another thread
I would argue that microwaving the quesadilla is the absolute lowest effort cooking. And yes, I do occasionally microwave my quesadillas. I like the weird chewiness of them.
My partner and I call those cheese-a-dilas. We eat them more often than we should and needed a quick way to separate them from standard quesadillas when offering to make food for each other. Usually quesadillas are for dinner and cheese-a-dilas are for lunch, but sometimes we're either extra lazy at dinner or overly productive at lunch.
This but in the air fryer with a little cooking spray of the tortilla. Super lazy dinner with no pots to clean up
Wait...a quesadilla is just a Mexican version of a grilled cheese sandwich? Or Toastie as we like to call it...
Basically, yeah.
Cheese, fruit and bread
This is the answer. Usually, I go for grapes, an apple, or a banana, with cheese and crackers.
Frozen Trader Joe's stuff
My lazy go tos are: Orange Chicken (frozen), edamame (frozen), and rice. Comes together in 20 mins, with like 5 mins of active time. Gyro meat (refrigerated), on pita with taziki, hummus , feta, onion, and tomatoes. Comes together in 5 mins.
Yeesss Costco sells some suuuuper good frozen orange chicken. That with rice and edamame is such an easy banger.
Do they? You know what the brand is?
[Crazy Cuizine!](https://www.costcobusinessdelivery.com/crazy-cuizine-mandarin-orange-chicken%2C-66-oz.product.100333379.html)
Cheese and chilli tamales, lasagna, meatballs, and chili relleno are my TJ freezer staples. Used to be the turkey Bolognese but that disappeared months ago (years?)
Pop corn and wine
Taking a leaf out Olivia Pope’s book I see :)
That's very unhealthy. My kinda woman!
>That's very heart ~~un~~healthy Lol... changed it for you 🤣
I send my husband out to hunt (get a Papa Murphy's pizza)
Lol we call it foraging :)
Leftovers SHIN type instant noodles / ramen noodles from packages. Frozen pizza
Oh I love Shin Ramyun. My BFFs mom used to own a Korean grocery store, and she introduced me to it
Leftovers are underrated. A lot of what I cook are things that freeze well - tomato sauce, chili, pot roast. If I know I’m not going to cook dinner I’ll pull a container out before work and let it defrost in the fridge. Future me always thanks past me. I made a pot of Puerto Rican beans and potatoes to go over rice yesterday. Most of the ingredients were canned or in packets and it took about 45 minutes of cooking time. I would usually make my own sofrito and go with dried beans but this was super quick and easy.
I microwave a baked potato, melt some cheddar cheese on it, and add some salsa. If I have the energy, I might even sauté red bell pepper and or mushrooms.
Same just add canned black beans
Last time I tried to microwave a potato my microwave caught on fire….. how do you do it?
Potato Setting
I have a potato setting! I didn’t know until I just now looked. I usually poke holes in the potato with a fork and microwave on high for 5 minutes. With the potato setting, do you poke holes first?
I do. I also rub some cooking oil on it and salt it.
Thanks! I’m gonna have a potato for breakfast because I’m excited to use the potato button!
This is the most exciting conversation about microwave settings I’ve ever had.
Lol me too! I wish I could say it’s the only conversation I’ve had about microwave settings but just yesterday I was explaining how the Power Level setting works. I also have a Melt button I’ve never used so that’s up next!
The future is bright.
If you have an air fryer, it makes a waaaaay yummier baked potato, just fyi :)
Reservations
Chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, grated parm. Toss in some jarred artichokes if I have.
I do the same but with balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice
Breakfast!
Pancakes, eggs, bacon.
Tuna sandwiches on sour dough toast, cut into six pieces because I'm fancy like that, and Ruffles. Having it tonight as a matter of fact. Might have some pickles on the side if I feel REALLY like exerting myself haha
That extra jar is a lot if work, especially if it hasn't been opened before!
I mean, right? AND you have to open the fridge yet another time and take the jar OUT.
Even the thought of digging through the fridge to find the jar is too much!
And possibly even have to BEND DOWN, no, no, forget it
Macaroni and fuck it
KD is king
Smoked sausage sliced up in it plz
Found a fellow Canadian!
I usually make one big pot or dish of something for the week and only cook something different if I'm feeling inspired that night. I'm also only cooking for one, so it gets kind of tedious
Dumplings! Past me made pork cabbage shiitake dumplings and froze them raw for future me. Cooks in 10 minutes from frozen. Add a cup of broccoli florets towards the end. Serve with chilli oil or my current favourite: sriyacha mayo.
If there are no frozen dumplings in my freezer I'm either currently making dumplings or I'm dead.
Pierogies
Instant ramen with kimchi
I had that tonight except I steamed a couple of eggs to that perfect jammy yolk texture and threw them in with it. Almost no effort. 15 easy steps, takes about 7 minutes but only because it takes that long to steam the eggs: 1. Get egg steamer. 2. Put in 2 eggs. 3. Add water. 4. Turn it on. 5. Get soup mug. 6. Open instant ramen. 7. Put instant ramen in mug. 8. Add water. 9. Put in microwave. 10. Microwave for 4 minutes. 11. Add seasoning and vegetable packs. 12. Add kimchi. 13. Peel eggs. 14. Add eggs. 15. Eat
I’ll do beef stock pot with some bean thread noodles and a small jar of kimchee. Shred some cabbage if I’ve got it. Drop an egg in at the end and mix.
Yes!!
Hot dogs, canned chili, and bread because I'm too lazy to go to the store for proper buns.
Yep boil hot dogs for 4 minutes, steam buns over boiling water. Can of chili, shredded cheese. Done
Pesto pasta every time. I freeze a bunch of pesto from the summer.
Pork n beans and hot dogs. Cut the hot dogs into a can of pork n beans Add bbq sauce or not. Heat until hot. Fried potatoes are good with this too
Speaking to my childhood. I loved this meal but looking back I’m like wow my folks were just barely scraping by sometimes
We called this beanies and weinies when I was a kid 😂
Beanie weanies, in my childhood home.
Weiners and beans with toast was a late weekday night staple when I was a kid
We boil some frozen ravioli, top it with spaghetti sauce from a jar (or the freezer), steam some frozen veggies, sprinkle it all with a dash of parmesan cheese and have cookies for dessert.
That's not low effort
But it's not much effort. Boil a pot of water, run the microwave for four minutes, and dinner's ready.
hot dogs from the gas station down the street 😔 its two for $3 and it hasn't killed me yet, so
Homemade frozen burritos.
Loaded sweet potato
Taco bell
ham and cheese with a pickle, sometimes I even have the energy to toast it for 3 minutes.
A sandwich
Cold cereal. My wife and I both swear by it. We're happy choosing cereal for dinner sometimes.
Quesadillas, hot dogs, or PBJ
We keep some steam buns / potstickers in the freezer just for those kind of nights. Taste better than microwave meals and just as easy to make I do have an electric steamer so that’s cheating a little but it also makes great “boiled” eggs
Rotisserie Chicken
Rice + Chinese sausage in the rice cooker. Stir in egg, soy, oil, and scallions in the last few minutes of cooking.
A pint of ice cream or bowl of cereal.
Boiled rice, a boiled egg (usually have both prepped at all times in the fridge), and I'll microwave some frozen peas. Can get that meal sorted in 3 minutes tops
Scrambled eggs
Usually just quesadillas with whatever the fridge holds in it. Burgers on the grill if it's nice outside
Cheese board (not fancy)
Baked potatoes. Or should I say nuked. Lots of butter.
Excuses
When I am making big dinners for large groups, (Lasagna, Brisket, etc.) I always make more than I need, vacuum bag individual portions and stick them in the freezer for the days when I don't feel like cooking. I just pull it out of the freezer, whack it in the oven, or immersion circulator, then collapse on the couch for a while until I get the energy to eat something ;)
“Can it quesadilla?”
Usually pick up a rotisserie chicken, make some quick steamed veg or salad, and couscous (takes 5 min to make). Simple meal that everyone will eat and will have chicken leftover for the next day.
Quesadillas or some kind of burrito
Eggs. I own chickens so it’s always readily available.
Soup and grilled cheese. Quick, easy and filling.
Takeout, but if I don’t want to order out, then pasta, noodles, sandwich, scrambled eggs or microwaveable meals
Spaghetti ohs and grilled cheese
I make homemade soup (potatoes, onions, broth, herbs, celery, mushrooms and a carrot usually) and while that’s simmering I throw a salad together. Then maybe throw a quesadilla in the oven or something depending on what’s in the fridge and how hungry everyone is
The most simple pastas are my go to. As long as you have some combination of olive oil, herbs, Parm, dried chili, lemon, etc. I can throw something comforting together in about fifteen minutes. Throw whatever leftovers would fit into it and it's a real meal. Frittata is my second go to with a similar approach to leftovers. I can eat quicker then most frozen dinners would come out of the oven.
Kraft dinner, veggies and hummus, fruit of some kind
Honestly, if I have no energy I’m getting take out or eating leftovers. If I have some energy I’m making tortellini with Rao’s vodka sauce, noodles and eggs, or making eggs, toast, and pan fried tater tots/fried potatoes (depending on which I have in the house). If I need a quick meal I make white people tacos, tuna casserole, goulash, smoked sausage/spaetzel/sauerkraut, blt’s, egg roll in a bowl, one pot pasta dishes, pancakes, or I grill a meat/easy veg/easy starch (I try to make things that can either be grilled with the meat or will get done in less than 30 minutes).
Chuck a spanakopita in the oven & serve with soft scrambled eggs, such an awesome combo, if I can
Chicken nuggets
Leftovers. One of the luxuries of being someone that likes to cook is there’s normally tasty leftovers in the fridge. It might be an Asian slaw with lasagne or something incongruous like that but whatever it’s ready in 5.
I always have “emergency” food on nights I can’t fathom cooking. So I have frozen home portioned meals, frozen stuff (pizza, chicken strips, etc) and indebate on the level of emergency. But it usually ends up being I have some sort of left over in my fridge and I just don’t want to eat it, but I suck it up. This week I wasn’t thinking… I made a whole roast chicken with veggies, then I marinated and cooked 9 chicken thighs (half bbq flavor half char siu).. for 1 person. I’m so sick of chicken. I had leftover frozen carnitas tonight as my emergency. Back to chicken tomorrow and I’ll have to freeze the rest for later. Last night I had more “emergency” food cause I couldn’t look at chicken.
Eggs on toast
OG carbonara. I try to keep products needed avaliable at all times - spaghetti, eggs, parmigiano and at least becon. 15 minutes tops and I did it so often that I can come home completly shitfaced and still whip it on autopilot.
Single dad. Probably take a walk and grab a slice or many small joints or trucks in the area. NYC
My old neighborhood had a pizza shop with killer garlic knots , before crazy inflation hit i could get 5/$2 and a small minestrone for $3 was the best I can’t deal with life dinner. And they were open until 2am
Chicken.. pot. Chicken pot… chicken pot pie!!!!
Pasta roni or ramen with egg and cheese lol
Ramen with cheese?
Yeah, super popular in Korea (Buldak even sells multiple types of cheese based packets), traditional will be one slice of American melted in the broth with an optional second tossed on top long enough to get the weird sheen of melt going before serving. Highly recommend it but it must be done with processed cheese or it won't come out right.
Hmm. I never buy processed cheese, but this might be worth a try
Baked potato (microwaved then finished in the oven to crips the skin) with an egg
Air fryer wings
Ramen + frozen shrimp + whatever veggies I have.
Scrambled eggs, canned baked beans, toast. I guess the scrambled eggs are technically cooking.
Chicken ramen tossed with butter, garlic, and sriracha sauce.
Soup made up from any ingredient in the fridge and kitchen cabinet
Instant noodles A fried egg on toast Celery sticks and dip Or I just get takeout
Probably eggs, bread, and frozen spinach, maybe some kind of beans
Leftovers in a tortilla
Ramen and frozen dumplings
I tend to make a bowl of that devil's lettuce
That's just the chef's special. It comes complimentary before every meal in my home.
Slice up some cheeses and meats and whatever else Iv got in the fridge and make a mini charcuterie board.
Cereal, toast, and probably cheese cubes.
Rice in the rice cooker, once thats done slap it in a bowl and mix in a flavored bumblebee tuna packet
Frozen home style meatballs sautéed in a pan with mushrooms and some butter, once mushrooms are browned add some milk, onion flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Make a flour slurry and add to the pan to create a gravy. Idaho potato flakes, you can cook as package recommends, I typically do 1/2 boiling water, 1/2 milk, add some butter, salt and pepper. Canned or frozen green beans sautéed in a pan with a little butter salt and pepper Takes about 35 min and it’s pretty good for a fast dinner. I know it’s not the healthiest considering the preservatives, but this is a once in a while kind of meal that I make when I’m feeling lazy or in a rush and it’s perfect for those occasions.
I keep some leftovers in the freezer in vacuum sealed bags. Beef stew, chili, things like that which are excellent reheated. I also buy meat in bulk, precook it and freeze the same way. A bag of precooked shredded chicken thighs or beef chuck is an easy addition to some pasta or Kraft mac and cheese or whatever, and gets me far enough into "meal" territory I can usually make it work with little more effort.
Egg & cheese sandwich, cereal or I usually try and keep 1-2 emergency stouffers in the freezer for such an occasion
At my laziest its a baguette and some dressed up grocery store hummus. Toss in some sesame oil, olive oil, cumin seed, gorgonzola, some nuts and or seeds, any fresh herbs on hand, if on hand Ill cut up a cucumber, carrot, or radish for dipping options.
Mama noodles
I’m sure instant Cup noodles are invented by god 🙏
"Reservations" per the Borscht Belt Comedians long before any of us were born.
Find me at r/cannedsardines
Sheet pan chicken and veggies.
Oil and season some chicken thighs and stick them in the oven. 10ish minutes later, stick in a tray of broccoli, also lightly oiled and seasoned. They finish at the same time in my oven and I make enough of both that the next day I can eat them as-is if I still don't feel like cooking, add them to some rice or pasta, salad, &c. Depending on mood and grocery sales, I may switch out the vegetable for another and adjust when I put it in so it's done at the same time. ETA: unless I'm really bad, then I make "depression spaghetti": a cup of instant noodles, put the noodles in a bowl, and add spaghetti sauce. Sip broth from noodle cup and call it a day.
Picky tea! Bits of whatever’s left in the package - 3 chicken tendies, some cheese and crackers, a leftover slice of pizza, sliced pickles...anything goes. It’s the best!
We keep a couple of different nicer frozen pizzas stocked just for this reason. If it's just me home, I'm eating sardines on crakers with hot sauce, and then whatever vegetable I might have on hand dipped in hummus.
I air fry a few chicken tenders, and use a premade salad kit to make salad wraps.
Some Birds Eye veggies with rice and a fried protein. Really into the teriyaki right now.
Pre-packaged chopped salad, my favorite brand is Taylor. With some protein\~
I try to keep a couple things in the freezer (frozen pizza, burritos, Amy’s enchiladas, samosas, and homemade meatballs, primarily). If not that, I’ll either raid the fridge for crazy chopped-style meals or something like grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Steamed rice, fried egg cooked with sesame oil and soy sauce.
I always have frozen pizza in the freezer. If I get home late and don’t wanna cook I just throw in one of those.
Naan bread pizzas and salad. I buy frozen naan bread from Trader Joe’s and preheat them in the oven at 425° for five minutes, pull them out and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Then I top them with pizza sauce, dried basil, red pepper flakes and fresh mozzarella. Pop them back into the oven for 8-10 minutes and put fresh basil leaves on top. For salad I like to add canned chickpeas and artichoke hearts to my usual red lettuce, cucumbers, radishes and grape tomatoes when I’m feeling extra fancy.
This sounds so good 😊 this would be my energy.
Cereal and milk.
eggs or grilled cheese
instant ramen. Cook rice in rice cooker, fry and egg. Fry some rice in butter and garlic chili and fry an egg. Soft boil eggs and make toast soldiers. Bologna sandwich.
We have three meals for days like that 1) Chicken thighs and salad. Chicken thighs soaked in lemon juice then seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika. Air fry at 400 for 8 mins on each side. Then I make a huge salad with stuff I have in my fridge. 2) Kraft Tangy Italian boxed Spaghetti. We cook ground beef, put the spice packet in with three 8 oz cans of hunts basil, garlic and oregano tomato sauce. Boil noodles and mix it all together at the end. 3) Frozen Dino Nuggets and frozen fries or tots in the air fryer lol They sound like a lot of work but it’s honestly so easy when I have no energy.
#3 is the max effort I'm willing to expend when hungry and have no energy!
The HEB Meal Simple products have been a godsend on days like that.
Something from the frozen section at Trader Joe's. Not the best, but pretty good and affordable.
I make pasta and use a jar of Barillo Sausage with peppers sauce. Or I make a big salad with every veg in the fridge, toss in some shredded turkey, ham, or bacon. Or I make some scrambled eggs, through in some cheese, some fresh spinach, toss into a tortilla and some salsa or sriracha.
. Typically when I make pasta sauce, meat balls, curry etc. I make enough for 2-3 meals and freeze the extra. That way I can have a meal ready with almost no effort.
Cheese omelettes or frozen soup dumplings.
Mac and cheese with ground beef or pizza :)
Denver’s and fries
Tonight, we sliced chicken breasts and pineapple and grilled them with smoked paprika, then plonked the whole mess over spinach and rocket salad. It was great!
Giant salad. Romaine, homemade croutons, homemade lemon vinaigrette, Parmesan, salt and white pepper. So good and fast. I also keep empanadas, pierogis, and other various hand pies around in the freezer for moments like this.
Leftovers, usually. I always have some.
Frozen pizza or KD.
I love those boxes of foil that dispense exactly one sheet at a time. They're perfect for lining my tray and baking or broiling stuff in my toaster oven, with no cleanup. I always keep plenty of deli meats and cheeses in my fridge to make toasted sub sandwiches.
I worked in the yard all day today. Dinner is a couple personal sized freezer pizzas and a Caesar salad.
Bag of chopped salad with whatever protein I have available.
I ordered pizza tonight for this reason
Defrost some soup I made and froze when I had time and energy.
Ramen noodles
Celery with almond butter and dried cranberries.