Quicky meals and kitchen tips

Hi friends!  I received notice from my little sister (Ali) that she and her husband (Ryan) are in a meal rut and she asked me for suggestions.  Happens to the best of us, right?  Of course!  The tricky part of this request is that neither she nor her husband spend much time in the kitchen (go here to see an epic quesadilla fail) and neither really enjoys cooking.  So they need help to get out of this rut, however her comment noted "simple" and "not too many ingredients" as stipulations.  After a couple of days of noggin work, I came up with some fantastic tips for simple, easy, on-the-go, or just-don't-wanna-spend-hours-in-the-kitchen meals.  (And honestly, who wants to??)

The biggest and most helpful part of simple cooking is this basic rule:  COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE. (or three or four times...)  This is a guiding rule in my home and I RARELY cook and only get one meal out of it; whats the point??  

Make BIG batches of chili and stew and freeze them into portions!  Make a HUGE pot of spaghetti sauce and freeze it into meal amounts for the next time you need sauce!  Make a GIANT pot roast and portion it out.  When you have these things handy, you don't have to cook, you just have to defrost and reheat...super easy.

(Note: Milk based items and sauces do not freeze well.  Example: beef stroganoff)

Another big help is keeping convenience foods handy.  No, not frankenfood, you know I don't like that stuff, but ready-to-go things like diced, canned tomatoes, frozen fruits and veggies, shredded cheese (grating takes forever) frozen pizza dough or puff pastry, etc.  One ready-food my husband and I love are these Chipotle Black Bean Garden Burgers from Costco.  They're in the frozen food aisle and come in a green box.  We cannot get enough of these and even my very-much-a-carnivore husband really enjoys them.  They make great burgers and amazing quesadillas and we eat them at least once a week..  Super healthy and very yummy. 

My favorite meal shortcut? READY.MADE.CHICKEN.

• Make a whole chicken, or a large pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot.  What could be easier??  Add garlic, rosemary, a chopped onion and a bit of (fresh if you have it) basil and thyme.  I love fresh herbs in chicken, they really make a difference.  Let the crock pot do the work while you go to work play and it's done when you get home!  
• SAVE THE BROTH!!! Save the water your chicken cooked in, that's supper yummy chicken broth and can be used for soups!!  Strain into a container and freeze.
• If you're really lazy short on time you can purchase cooked chickens from your local grocery store or Costco and separate out the meet into individual meals worth, and freeze.  This is great if you're super pinched for time, but can be costly.  You know me, I'm cheap so I prefer to make my own ready-chicken.....  

Things to make with your ready chicken: tacos, quesadillas, taco salads, taco soup, sandwiches, wraps, etc.  I also have a few favorite things I like to make with leftover chicken, recipes below:

Chicken flatbread:

 Image by Ellen Silverman, Recipe from Redbook Magazine

• Ingredients for each:
• 1 Naan flat-bread
• 1/2 cup Shredded cooked chicken
• 1/4 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 oz Mozzarella - fresh works best, diced (use more if you prefer.  I like more than 1 oz)
• 1-2 Tbs Low fat ricotta or cottage cheese
• 1 Tbs Parmesan cheese - fresh is better
• shredded romaine lettuce
• optional: diced shallot or red onion
• How to:
• Heat oven or grill to 450
• Brush naan with olive oil or a sauce of your choosing.  If you like a pre-made pesto or garlic sauce, feel free to use it.  Brushing with a little olive oil is great too though
• Top with chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, ricotta or cottage cheese and onion if you used it.  Sprinkle with parmesean
• Bake or grill 8-10 minutes until Naan are golden brown and crisp and cheese is melted.  
• Top with shredded romaine lettuce for a crunch
• Customize your own personal Nann pizzas with whatever ingredients your like best!

Tortilla Soup

 Image from shermanqkinneys

This recipe is something I learned while visiting said little sister while she was studying abroad in Mexico.  She and her class (and myself, tagging along...) took a basic cooking class at a restaurant and the chef showed us how to make a simple tortilla soup.  I've made this a bunch of times and it remains one of my all-time favorite foods....  It's super simple to make and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes.

• Ingredients: 
• 4 cups chicken broth, store bought or homemade.  You may want more or less broth depending on how you like your soup
• 1lb cooked, shredded chicken
• diced tomato
• diced avocado
• juice from 1 lime
• queso fresco or sour cream
• tortilla strips (or just chips) homemade if you have an extra 15 minutes.  (seriously, take corn tortillas, cut them into strips and fry in oil.  Transfer to paper towels, done.)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Heat broth and chicken on stove until it boils.  Juice lime into broth and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Scoop into bowels, garnish with diced tomato and avocado, queso fresco or sour cream and tortilla strips.  

Chicken and Veggie Alfredo

If your chicken is cooked, Alfredo is super easy to make.  You can do it over pasta, of course, but I prefer mine over veggies.  Use a store-bought sauce, or make your own with literally 4 ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup butter 
• 1cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic
• 1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  
• How to: Melt butter over medium-low heat, add cream, simmer for 5 minutes, add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly until heated through.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

Steam veggies (or see my veggie tip below) and have chicken and Alfredo sauce over veggies.  While it's a bit high in fat and definitely a treat, you're also getting lots of delicious veggies and lean protein.  This is a great way to get kids/husbands/picky eaters to eat veggies they normally wouldn't because Alfredo makes everything delicious. 

Another thing I really love to do for easy meals is do the entire darned thing on the grill!  With no clean up, the dinner meal feels so much easier!!  Some of my favorite grilled dinners:

• Grilled chicken (of course) with asparagus and potatoes.  Marinate chicken for 30 minutes (I love the Lawrey's Herb & Garlic or Jamaican Jerk)  and pop on the grill to cook!  Toss asparagus with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cook them on the grill until tops are almost charred.  Slice red potatoes about 1/4" thick, toss with olive oil, a bit of white vinegar, salt and pepper and grill until both sides have golden brown grill marks.  The entire meal is made on the grill so there's no clean up!  Make sure to grill up extras for the next night's dinner or to freeze!

• Grilled Steak!  Marinated or bare.  My fav marinade is so simple to throw together: Worcestershire, bbq sauce, dried onion, garlic, and parsley, and pepper.  Spread on both sides and let sit for at least 30 min.  Grill until desired done-ness and enjoy!  Slap an extra one on the grill to make quesadillas the next night!  

• Fish in a foil pouch:  I love fish... rinse fish and place on heavy-duty foil (2 layers if you want to be extra secure)  Add a little butter or olive oil, fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, or other herbs you love right on top of the fish, squirt with a little lemon juice.  Bring sides of foil up and fold edges down to make a tent over fish.  Fold ends in to make a pouch and place on grill.  Depending on how thick your fish is, you will need more/less time.  Check it after about 10 -12 minutes.  Fish should be completely opaque when finished.  Check often and refold foil to cook longer if necessary.

• Zucchini and yellow squash are great on the grill too!  Slice lengthwise or in quarters, spread a little olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and grill on both sides for about 3 minutes until brown grill marks appear.  YUM

Veggie tip:  Broccoli, cauliflower and carrots all cook best in the microwave, if you can believe it.  Add a tiny bit of water to the bottom of your microwave-proof bowl, add veggies, sprinkle with diced dried garlic and onion and microwave on high, covered, 5 minutes per pound of veggies.  Broccoli is specially yummy like this. 

Chinese food tip:  Hit up the ethnic aisle at your grocery store and find the Chinese food seasoning packets.  The recipes on the back are all SUPER SIMPLE and only require a few ingredients!  (you may already have the cooked chicken or meat ready too...)  We love these packet recipes and eat them often especially in the fall.  Chinese food = lurve.


To my lovely, kitchen-challenged sister and bro-in-law... I hope this post is informative and gives you some yummy things to try and some easy tips to break out of your cereal rut!  I love you both!!

Enjoy!
KDH.