i don't spend more than 10-15 minutes on food for the most part when i'm on call. i've learned there are pretty quick meals that are hard to mess up. here are some basic pointers for cheap and easy stuff.
1) carbs: rice or pasta, super easy to make, just follow instructions on the box. pasta generally cooks in 3-5 minutes, just take it out when it's soft. i like rice because leftovers keep well.
2) veggies: good veggies that keep well in fridge are snap peas, onions, red/green/yellow peppers. cut as much as you like, can be eaten raw (in case of the peppers, for a snack) or put in a stir fry (below). wrap whatever you don't use in some saran wrap and put in fridge.
3) meat: you can't beat boneless skinless chicken breasts. buy a whole bunch, put separately in plastic ziploc bags, and freeze. they stay forever. when you need one, just take one out and plop it in warm water (still in the bag) to defrost while you prep the veggies. or for super quick defrost, run the bag under hot water in the sink.
4) in the cupboard: garlic (big clove, rip off as much as you want and leave the rest); olive oil (there are two types: one for "frying and baking," and one for dressings. ideal to have both, but the frying one is what you want. it will say that on the bottle)
5) sauces: teriyaki sauce, hot sauce (my favorites are sriracha and cholula), soy sauce.
6) spices: salt, pepper, chicken seasoning, cajun seasoning. for the more adventurous, thyme and oregano (best on lamb, but lamb is pricy-- i didn't make it regularly til i became an attending! ha)
a favorite quick recipe of mine is stir fry:
1. put the rice in the rice cooker or in a pot so it's being cooked while you make the rest of the food (rice doesn't require stirring or anything, just an occasional check to make sure it doesn't dry out-- just follow box instructions).
2. cut up into cubes whatever veggies you have: i use half a large onion, half a red/yellow/green pepper, and whatever else i have on hand. also cut one defrosted chicken breast into cubes (do this last, and don't forget to lysol your cutting board after unless you want salmonella). chop up a clove or two of garlic if you like that.
3. coat a big nonstick pan generously with olive oil, put the pan on medium heat, wait until it gets hot (1 min) and then dump chicken in.
4. wait 5 minutes and dump rest of veggies in. add salt, pepper, just a pinch nothing crazy. stir for 5 more minutes.
5. when the chicken is white (about 10 min total cook time), dump half a cup of teriyaki sauce into the pan and stand back because it will fizzle. stir everything around and let it soak in the teriyaki sauce for a minute or two. when most of the sauce has evaporated, take pan off the heat and dump over rice.
6. voila. add hot sauce, soy sauce (although teriyaki sauce is salty enough in my opinion), and enjoy.
