What is your go-to meal to cook when you're busy?

[tangela]

Life gets in the way sometimes and we don't always have the time to make food that we want to make (too complicated, need to run to the store to get more ingredients, etc). What are some food that you cook at home that's your "go-to" dish when you get busy?

My fiancé and I always make steamed veggies (most of the time it's broccoli and carrots) and baked chicken. If we're feeling slightly more adventurous we'd go for grilled cheese or something, but chicken and veggies are always our #1 when we're too pooped to cook.

What's yours?

 

[blueeyes]

When I make homemade soup or things like lasagna, I always make a lot so I can freeze some. Being able to open the freezer and pull a homemade dish out is wonderful. Because there are only two of us, there are always precooked meals in the freezer. They are great on a busy day.

 

[crimsonghost747]

Grilled sandwich. Only need bread, meat (almost anything will do) and cheese and you've got the basics covered. You can always add pretty much anything such as vegetables, olives, pineapple etc.So many different options that you will always find something that works, and it's great for cleaning out the fridge!
And yeah... ready in less than 15mins.

 

[ReadWriteLearnLove]

We make a kielbasa stirfry that everyone in the house loves and it's super easy to make. First we pop some rice into the rice cooker. While that's cooking, we slice up a link or two of kielbasa and heat/brown it in a large skillet. We drain it and wipe out the skillet, then put a bag of frozen veggies into the skillet (we use a brocolli stirfry mix of veggies most often, but you can use whichever ones you like best); stir them around and cover the skillet so they steam. When they are heated and soft, we throw the sausage slices back in and mix it all together, then serve over rice. My kids like to add soy sauce to theirs for flavor, I usually just stick to salt and pepper.

 

[blueeyes]

We make a kielbasa stirfry that everyone in the house loves and it's super easy to make. First we pop some rice into the rice cooker. While that's cooking, we slice up a link or two of kielbasa and heat/brown it in a large skillet. We drain it and wipe out the skillet, then put a bag of frozen veggies into the skillet (we use a brocolli stirfry mix of veggies most often, but you can use whichever ones you like best); stir them around and cover the skillet so they steam. When they are heated and soft, we throw the sausage slices back in and mix it all together, then serve over rice. My kids like to add soy sauce to theirs for flavor, I usually just stick to salt and pepper.

I love stirfries and make them quite often. I have never used frozen veggies,though because I wasn't sure they would turn out good. I slice and dice all my veggies for the stirfry which does take a fair amount of time. I will try the frozen vegetables next time we have one. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[ReadWriteLearnLove]

Blueeyes, you are very welcome. I would love to use fresh vegetables all the time, but sometimes we are in such a rush that it is just a lot easier to grab the bag of frozen! It is a huge time saver.

 

[juliaintheclouds]

My super easy go to meal is steak and salad. The steaks can be fried up in the cast iron pan in ten minutes. During that time I prepare the salads on the plates and I have a quick meal. I usually use spinach, cheese and tomato with a little drizzle of olive oil.

 

[ChanellG]

It kind of depends on what I have on hand. If I'm organized and I have planned ahead, I have a healthy supply of things that don't necessarily have to be cooked. I don't like to have too many sandwiches and I like to try and have balanced meals. The real challenge is to not engage in snacking. When you're busy you just grab something instead of taking the time to prepare a meal.

 

[kammy]

That would be ramen soup with some vegetables and shrimp added to it ; very easy to do and takes little time. What i like about it best is that i's very filling and tasty at the same time.