Recipes for a husband who actually requires sustenance

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mdambitions

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Med school starts in 3 weeks! Plans and schedules have been adjusted, and we're preparing as best we can for how drastically our lives are about to change.

As it stands now, I make dinner, and we (us and our daughter) eat as a family every night. I hope, that at least for the first 2 years of med school, we will still be able to make family dinner work. I fully realize however, that I will no longer have 1-2 hours for dinner prep/cook/cleanup. So.

Who has some recipes they'd like to share. I'm thinking crockpot or super easy prep. Must freeze or reheat very well. Husband loves red meat and we do not do processed food... Anyone have anything? What about links to sites that have been helpful for you?

I have recipes for meatballs that freeze and reheat very well; as well as pot roast and beef stew... but, beef stew in the middle of summer doesn't sound terribly appealing...

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Congratulations on starting medical school!

Is there some reason your husband can't prepare dinner also?

We avoid processed food too. What we like to do is make a lot of one dish and freeze individual portions.

Red beans and rice is a good one. Also soups.

As for quick meals we do a lot of salad with rice and meat we've prepared ahead of time. Basically spend more time cooking on the weekends so you don't have to do so during the week.
 
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I do a lot of marinated roast chicken. Night 1: cook something and put chicken in the baking dish with marinade of your choice (can be as simple as olive oil, and spices, and fresh garlic). Night 2: cook the chicken and squash, make more marinade for night 3
Also I do a lot of big pot meals with lots of leftovers.
 
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Med school starts in 3 weeks! Plans and schedules have been adjusted, and we're preparing as best we can for how drastically our lives are about to change.

As it stands now, I make dinner, and we (us and our daughter) eat as a family every night. I hope, that at least for the first 2 years of med school, we will still be able to make family dinner work. I fully realize however, that I will no longer have 1-2 hours for dinner prep/cook/cleanup. So.

Who has some recipes they'd like to share. I'm thinking crockpot or super easy prep. Must freeze or reheat very well. Husband loves red meat and we do not do processed food... Anyone have anything? What about links to sites that have been helpful for you?

I have recipes for meatballs that freeze and reheat very well; as well as pot roast and beef stew... but, beef stew in the middle of summer doesn't sound terribly appealing...


Crock pot creamy chicken chili is our "go to"...seriously....we eat it all the time lol. its incredible

-10 ounces of chicken breast (we just chose 10...I guess it can be whatever)
-1 can Rotel
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can ranch style beans
- 1 cup corn
- 1 ranch seasoning packet
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 block of cream cheese

Makes about 5 cups of chili

literally throw it all in the crock pot (EXCEPT THE CREAM CHEESE) and stir. Then plop the cream cheese on top, cover it up, and cook it. After its done, shred up the chicken with a fork or knife

Cook on high for 4 hours OR on low for 8 hours

Literally takes like 5 minutes to "prep" (open all the cans). We throw it in overnight and have a delicious meal (and pretty good smelling house) ready in the morning to pack for lunches or whatever.
 
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As a bachelor that Tries to cook for himself I am IN this thread for ideas...

...I can only have so much grilled chicken breast & salad...
 
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One of the easiest things to make in the slow cooker is pork shoulder/butt (if you eat pork). I use a brand of "butt rub" but any granulated barbecue seasoning will do. A few garlic cloves and a bed of sliced onions go on the bottom, pork shoulder covered in spice rub on top, and pour in a few cups of water. Heat on low for 8-10 hours. When you get home, you pick out the one or two big bones, shred with two forks, and mix in barbecue sauce of choice. Serve on buns with coleslaw made from a bagged mix or storebought if you're feeling lazy. ;-)

In the summer I tend to use the crockpot less, and the grill more often. I marinate frozen salmon steaks or chicken breasts overnight in the fridge and pull them out at dinner time and throw them on the grill with veggies like zucchini, which can be sliced while you start the meat. They are usually done about the same time.

A huge party hit where I am from involves putting a few pats of butter in the bottom of the slow cooker with a bed of sauteed onions and piling on some frozen piergogies, spraying with some oil as you layer. Cook on High for 3 hrs, stirrring once or twice to get the buttery onions to coat the pierogies. It's not exactly low fat or low carb, but it's goooooood. And kids love it.
 
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I'm cooking for just me, but I like a lot of variety in my meals so I tend to prepare fixin's on the weekend that can then be tossed in with other fillers throughout the week.

Last week's fixings:

+chopped grape tomatoes
+lemon/garlic/olive oil dressing
+crumbled feta
+chopped olives
+herby-greens
+slice red onion
(if I had the money, there would have been some sliced, sauteed chicken strips in here as well)

I made two green leafy salads, two pasta salads, three wraps, and one quinoa salad (shared the rest with housemates). I know this is kind of rabbit-food, but the idea of having little bits that can be mixed in with healthy fillers means I can tailor my meals to my mood without investing too much time in cooking. I could see it working well with cooked potatoes, frozen veggies, chopped cooked meats, and so forth. Depending on your daughter's age, she might also enjoy "making" her own meals by adding the ingredients she chooses.

My favorite pot roast recipe is this one: http://deadspin.com/how-to-cook-a-pot-roast-a-guide-for-people-who-want-to-5970682
My go-to resource for quick and often easy recipes is the kitchn, and the just finished a series on freezing meals http://www.thekitchn.com/the-art-an...s-freezer-friendly-from-jessica-fisher-198675
http://www.thekitchn.com/best-tips-...er-friendly-advice-from-jessica-fisher-194138

Lastly, my Dad is the master of the frozen dinner - he makes 8-12 servings when he cooks and freezes most of them in those little cheap gladware containers. He learned the hard way that there is great value in investing in some painter's tape and a sharpie. There's nothing like trying to figure out what soup/how old this pasta dish is from the back of the freezer.
 
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You guys are awesome! This is fantastic.

Just a note; the hubby is perfectly capable and often does cook/grill. In fact, despite his full-time, wife's-med-school-dreams-supporting job, he picks up a lot of the slack when I'm lost to the world of studying. So, cooking for my family is something I actually enjoy and am at least going to attempt to balance with my new schedule. With that, thanks for the tips and suggestions!

So @MajorUnderDog , This is the best meatball recipe out there, think I found it on a "southern food" website awhile back. I usually double the recipe, and freeze a lot for later.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound lean or extra-lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage (or remove from casings)
  • 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 3 medium cloves garlic
  • 1 scant teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons water, or as needed
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation:
Line a large shallow baking pan with foil; oil lightly. Combine all ingredients, using just enough water to moisten. Shape into meatballs, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter.
Broil the meatballs about 8 inches from the heat source for about 10 minutes. Turn and broil for 10 minutes longer.

Put the meatballs in a large saucepan and cover with your favorite pasta sauce, homemade or purchased. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. You'll probably need at least 2 jars...
Serves 6 (about 18 to 24 large meatballs).
 
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I cook this for just me, but I think it could be expanded pretty easily and you can adjust the level of processed stuff you use. Takes me about 10 minutes to make and lasts me two meals.

Can black beans rinsed
Brown rice ( I use the stuff in the 90 sec micro bags)
Shredded low fat cheese
Heat those to melt cheese
Top with:
Chopped tomato
Chopped red onion (dried if I don't have one)
Avocado
Shredded fresh cilantro (dried when garden is done)

When I make it for my grandma I add shredded beef and she puts sour cream on it since she needs to gain weight.
 
That's wonderful that your husband helps out. I only asked because I got a vibe like maybe you felt obligated to cook and he was expecting it of you. :) In our household, my husband is in charge of meals. I am perfectly capable of cooking, but he's faster at it and has more "free" time.

You guys are awesome! This is fantastic.

Just a note; the hubby is perfectly capable and often does cook/grill. In fact, despite his full-time, wife's-med-school-dreams-supporting job, he picks up a lot of the slack when I'm lost to the world of studying. So, cooking for my family is something I actually enjoy and am at least going to attempt to balance with my new schedule. With that, thanks for the tips and suggestions!

So @MajorUnderDog , This is the best meatball recipe out there, think I found it on a "southern food" website awhile back. I usually double the recipe, and freeze a lot for later.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound lean or extra-lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage (or remove from casings)
  • 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 3 medium cloves garlic
  • 1 scant teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons water, or as needed
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation:
Line a large shallow baking pan with foil; oil lightly. Combine all ingredients, using just enough water to moisten. Shape into meatballs, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter.
Broil the meatballs about 8 inches from the heat source for about 10 minutes. Turn and broil for 10 minutes longer.

Put the meatballs in a large saucepan and cover with your favorite pasta sauce, homemade or purchased. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. You'll probably need at least 2 jars...
Serves 6 (about 18 to 24 large meatballs).

My husband also prepares fixings so I can make myself a quick meal when he's not home. Really simple things like
+diced tomato
+diced onion
+diced bell pepper
+diced cucumber
+washed salad

and so forth. I'll just toss whatever I want in a bowl and mix with some dressing. My favorite dressing is just half a lemon and a generous pour of olive oil with salt.

The key for us is to prep as much as possible on our day off.

I'm cooking for just me, but I like a lot of variety in my meals so I tend to prepare fixin's on the weekend that can then be tossed in with other fillers throughout the week.

Last week's fixings:

+chopped grape tomatoes
+lemon/garlic/olive oil dressing
+crumbled feta
+chopped olives
+herby-greens
+slice red onion
(if I had the money, there would have been some sliced, sauteed chicken strips in here as well)

I made two green leafy salads, two pasta salads, three wraps, and one quinoa salad (shared the rest with housemates). I know this is kind of rabbit-food, but the idea of having little bits that can be mixed in with healthy fillers means I can tailor my meals to my mood without investing too much time in cooking. I could see it working well with cooked potatoes, frozen veggies, chopped cooked meats, and so forth. Depending on your daughter's age, she might also enjoy "making" her own meals by adding the ingredients she chooses.

My favorite pot roast recipe is this one: http://deadspin.com/how-to-cook-a-pot-roast-a-guide-for-people-who-want-to-5970682
My go-to resource for quick and often easy recipes is the kitchn, and the just finished a series on freezing meals http://www.thekitchn.com/the-art-an...s-freezer-friendly-from-jessica-fisher-198675
http://www.thekitchn.com/best-tips-...er-friendly-advice-from-jessica-fisher-194138

Lastly, my Dad is the master of the frozen dinner - he makes 8-12 servings when he cooks and freezes most of them in those little cheap gladware containers. He learned the hard way that there is great value in investing in some painter's tape and a sharpie. There's nothing like trying to figure out what soup/how old this pasta dish is from the back of the freezer.
 
strawberries
red onion
gorgonzola
bagged baby spinach
balsamic vinager + olive oil + pepper + lemon

If you make fish too it takes 12 minutes and the salad can be prepared while it's cooking.


cesar salad wraps are bomb too. make cesar salad, put it in a wrap. add chicken for protein.

I also steal ideas from the local deli so I know what ingredients go well together.
 
I only asked because I got a vibe like maybe you felt obligated to cook and he was expecting it of you. :)
Curious to know why that matters or is relevant to what she asked...

Crockpot Beef brisket:
Get yourself a beef brisket (or pork), rub it down with salt, pepper and brown sugar.
Put some onion slices on the bottom of the crockpot with bbq sauce of your choice (Sweet Baby Ray's original is my preferred).
Put the brisket in fat down and then layer onion slice on that.
Start it first thing in the morning, 12 hours later you've got some great brisket for sandwiches.

If you're feeling ambitious you can marinade it for 24 hours before cooking; 2 tbsp liquid smoke, a can of non-diet coke(you can use bbq sauce+lemon juice instead), 1tbsp salt.

If you happen to have a blow torch handy you can caramelize brown sugar onto the brisket, it's pretty awesome.
 
an apple. some peanuts. yum
 
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an apple. some peanuts. yum

^ This is fantastic.

The sarcasm was clearly lost; but like @canadianinusa 's husband, I only meant to imply that mine could eat everything in sight for days and its hard to get leftovers. He probably wouldn't be thrilled about salad, but he has no crazy expectations, just that I become an awesome doctor so he can retire. That was how I started the conversation 5 years ago... "How would you like to never have to work again...in about 10-15 years". From then on, nothing but full support.
 
This thread is fantastic. I'm sure my husband will appreciate it :p
 
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Not offended, insulted, or anything at all, not even for a second. Thanks for the recipes~!
 
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I'll contribute what I can to this culinary venture

I keep breakfast simple. I warm up the iron skillet and lay down 3 slices of organic/free range bacon. Let that cook. Pull off bacon and crack 3 brown eggs on the skillet and cook to over easy. I make sure to cook the eggs in the bacon grease cause it makes for a great natural cooking surface and the grease adds a lot of flavor to the eggs. Also cracked pepper to the eggs while cooking.

For lunch I grill up two chicken breasts, again less processed the better. While that cooks I have a big salad bowl that I throw in lettuce, chopped olives, onions, and peppers.

I take an avacado, cut that in half. Sprinkle pepper and lime juice. Thrown that in the salad bowl.

Once the chicken is done I throw on some garlic salt or "Grill Shakers" poultry seasoning.

Cut the chicken up and throw in the bowl. Add salt, cracked pepper, red wine vinegarette, and olive oil. Mix up then eat!

For a snack later I love "Think Thin" bars. 20 grams of protein, gluten free, and no sugar
 
I've found crock pots to be one of the most useful cooking items;
http://greatist.com/health/healthy-crock-pot-recipes

Here's a non-crock pot recipe;
Get yourself a can of diced tomatoes, a jar of Alfredo sauce (you can make your own easily too), some pasta and a bag of pre-cooked chicken strips.
I like spicy food so I saute the chicken strips in olive oil with chili powder, sea salt, black pepper and 2 tsps of Louisiana hot sauce.
Boil the pasta- I prefer toothy pasta so I usually cook it al dente.
Once the chicken is slightly crispy I dump in the can of diced tomatoes (drained) and cook for a bit longer.
Toss the chicken/tomato mixture with the pasta, mix in the sauce.

Takes like 15-20 minutes. I usually have leftovers for a few days.

My wife has been obsessed with guacamole the last few months so here's my recipe for that as well;
2 ripe avocados- scoop out their guts and mix with 4 tbsps of lemon (or lime) juice, 2 tsps garlic powder, 1 tbsp sea salt, 2 tbsps chili powder. I've had this stuff stay good for over a week in the fridge with plastic wrap.
Also, you may consider tweaking the spices depending on your palate.
 
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Unless I misread this thread, this was a discussion of recipes not an opportunity to shoehorn in questions about whether OP felt obligated to cook or what expectations exist in her relationship.

It looks like I misread the thread, not you. I have already apologized to OP so I'm not sure what more there is to say about this.
 
I make hummus all the time and especially in the summer, when the hubby and I don't want to eat a lot of hot food. Filling, cheap and super easy if you have a food processor or sturdy blender.

2 cans chickpeas (rinse and boil ~15 min until tender. Also scoop out skins as they boil. The more skins you remove, the smoother the final texture)
Toss in food processor and grind to paste. Add a little water (0.5-1 cup as needed) to get it to a smooth-ish paste.
Add:
whatever flavoring you want (roasted red peppers, garlic, etc)
a bit of salt
Lemon juice (~1/4 cup)
Tahini (~1 cup)
and continue to blend until all smooth
taste at this point and add more of something if needed
finish with olive oil (~1/2 cup)

Pretty much everything is to taste, and I switch up flavors all the time. This takes ~20 minutes, makes about 4 cups of hummus, and in the summer I end up making a new batch twice or three times a week. We'll dip veggies, make sandwiches with it, or just eat it straight.
 
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We have many favs in this house

Hamburger casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 can cream if mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
Small box cooked macaroni noodle
Shredded cheddar cheese

Scramble ground beef until coined, drain fat. Mix in soups and noodles and heat until just warm. Place in greased 2 qt casserole halfway then sprinkle with cheese , fill remaining half and sprinkle with more cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until cheeses is melted and casserole is bubbly.
Easy to double and freeze an extra ( can also make in 8x8 pan)

Greek chicken lemon soup
1 whole chicken cooked (or 1 package legs and thighs)
2 32 oz containers chicken broth (I use low sodium )
4 eggs room temp
3-4 lemons juiced
1-2 cups orzo pasta

Place chicken broth in stock pot with meat from cooked chicken and bring to boil. Add orzo and cook per package directions. While pasta is cooking, juice lemons and crack eggs into bowl and mix together. Remove from heat once pasta is done and slowly add lemon/egg mixture. Serve immediately

Root beer pulled pork
3-4 Lb pork loin roast
2 12oz cans root beer of your choice
1 jar chili sauce

Place 1 1/2 cans of root beer and roast in crock pot. Cook for 6-8 hours. Remove roast from crock pot and pull apart with forks
In pan on stove place chili sauce and reining can and a half of root beer. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened slightly. Add pulled pork and stir. Serve on buns
I usually pull the pork while the sauce in stove is heating up
 
To the OP, I think it's great that you are planning on ways to get a healthy, hearty dinner on the table for your family while in med school. We're going to have fewer precious moments with our loved ones during those years and if dinner every night is how you do it, cheers to that. I have a very hungry boyfriend who makes me breakfast every morning, so I give back by making dinner, too. The bonus of going through the trouble of making dinner every night is that you hopefully can put aside leftovers for lunch, so I always make way more than I think we'll need.

I do a lower carb thing in my household. Rotisserie chickens for $4 or $5 (a few bucks more for organic, free range) from the grocery store are our best friend. The alternative is getting a "family pack" of chicken breasts that I marinate and grill on the weekend. We'll eat a couple for dinner one night, then I slice a few of them and throw them into salads throughout the week. I use a few more to make a chicken salad with chopped celery, onions, walnuts, apple and some grapes and a light sour cream + lowfat mayo + dijon mustard dressing for lunches. Same for boiling half a dozen eggs. I keep three for snacks and chop three into a portion of egg salad using the same chopped celery, onions and dressing.

I almost NEVER cook dinner during the week. I assemble or reheat. Except on Wednesdays, when I repeat what I did on Sunday. Basically I shop once a week and cook 2-3x a week, max.

The Pioneer Woman has a rancher husband who understandably loves beef - look to her website if you need more beef-based recipes. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/category/man_pleasers/marlboro-man-approved/
She also has freezer meals: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/category/freezer-food/
 
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Summer = barbecue for me :) Lots of ways to go for marinades and sides - Greek, Korean, etc. Stir fries or grilled steak & salad are very quick during the week. Sunday dishes that can get you through a few days - roast beef/pork; chili; bolognese sauce. Lower-carb or GF options exist for pasta, rice, bread (though I've yet to encounter GF bread I can choke down, maybe someone's got a tip).
 
One word- BBQ. Buy your husband a fancy grill and grilling tools for Father's Day and maybe a subscription to one of the several grilling hobbyist magazines. Then periodically order meat from one of the several online steak shipping places so that there's always something to throw on the grill so you don't have to go to the store. That should keep you covered until the winter months or until the novelty wears off.
 
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One word- BBQ. Buy your husband a <BIG GREEN EGG> and grilling tools for Father's Day and maybe a subscription to one of the several grilling hobbyist magazines. Then periodically order meat from one of the several online steak shipping places so that there's always something to throw on the grill so you don't have to go to the store. That should keep you covered until the winter months or until the novelty wears off.

Second this. My dad can't scramble eggs, but he is a colonel in the Egg Army.
 
Wow, a big green egg for any present is a fantastic gift idea. I would be elated if I was ever gifted such a perfect grilling device.

As for recipes, without processed foods... I do a ton of roasted veggie dishes or stir fry's on my extremely time-limited schedule. To note, I have much less free time than my M2 room-mate and still manage to cook a decent amount, so between you and your husband, you should be just fine.

Anyway, my diet is fully non-processed as well. I load up on assorted veggies like carrot, broccoli, celery, bell pepper, sweet potato and slice them up with lots of whole garlic cloves, dress them in olive oil, salt, season w/ paprika, chili powder, five spice, nutmeg, thyme and basil, and roast for about :20 min at 425. I cook a few eggs over easy and top with that (runny yolk makes a great sauce). If meat is necessary in every meal, sautee'ing chicken, beef or pork while the veggies roast is easy enough then just throw it over the veggies, egg over the meat.
 
I hate cooking for my husband because whenever I try to cook enough to freeze some, he just eats it all. :(

I cook a lot of soups of varying levels of filling-ness, including borscht (at the high end), minestrone, mushroom, etc. They're good for a starter, then even if you eat a prepared food, you still have something homemade. And my husband can't eat an entire pot of it so I get at least one more meal out of it.

I never do real cooking during the week. I do things like "wonton soup" where I make broth out of bouillon cubes, add frozen wontons and frozen spinach, or eat a bowl of actual homemade soup then some frozen pizza.

Edited to add: I look forward to living with my husband again because he actually cooks, and he feeds me more than I feed him!


Lol, when I read the subject line I didn't think this thread was really going to be about food. And I quoted the above reply because I have something helpful to say, but first with all due respect, if all I ate was soup my stomach would be growling even after I drank the whole pot. Some foods are just not FILLING!

I suspect that what your husband wants is meat, potatoes, nuts and legumes, and especially nice big cuts or patties of meat (with a little bit of a side like salad or grilled corn cobs). Burgers, ribs, roasts (with some root vegetables) are probably your fastest simplest means to an end. I would also recommend sweet potato fries which are great complex carbs. IMO, tuna fish, PB&J, and lunch meat sandwiches aren't bad once in a while either.
 
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I'm ecstatic to see this thread has remained about food. And also impressed there are lots of people making "real food" work. We are awesome!
 
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I buy pork loin, beef eye of the round and chicken thighs on sale, cut them into stir fry sized pieces and freeze them in portions of 3 so I always have leftovers/lunch. Some of my favourites:
Stir fry - rice + meat + whatever vegetables you can score and add soya sauce, onion and garlic
Pasta - meat + pasta and either cream cheese (alfredo), diced tomatoes (I use canned) & oregano/basil, or cheese sauce
Fajitas/tacos - meat + green & red peppers, onion, 2 tbsp taco seasoning on whichever wrap or taco you want

More complicated but still super easy:
Souvlaki - marinade (2 tbsp dried oregano & basil, 1 tsp garlic & onion powder, 2 tbsp lemon juice & olive oil) and grill or bake meat/vegetables/potatoes
 
I make a fun chicken salad...

Precooked and cooled diced chicken, 1/2 plain Greek yogurt 1/2 low fat mayo (lots of protein, makes it practically guilt free, and it's really yummy for an alternative), red grapes, walnuts, S&P, and a boatload of curry.
 
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I make a fun chicken salad...

Precooked and cooled diced chicken, 1/2 plain Greek yogurt 1/2 low fat mayo (lots of protein, makes it practically guilt free, and it's really yummy for an alternative), red grapes, walnuts, S&P, and a boatload of curry.

I love the red grapes/walnut/spinach combo in my chicken salad, I even make mini-wraps with this that my little husky loves.

Also, like some of the other comments, I favor doing the "large roasted thing on the weekend" technique: a whole chicken, 4lb pork shoulder, large ham, big batch of sausages or meatballs. If you do this you are always winning, making crock pot soups/stews with the bones, & just add veggies/beans/fixins & you've got sandwiches, pastas, wraps, tacos, petas, & salads all week long.

I'm mostly free-style cook but give me a few days and maybe I'll write down & post up some of my best recipes.
 
I make a fun chicken salad...

Precooked and cooled diced chicken, 1/2 plain Greek yogurt 1/2 low fat mayo (lots of protein, makes it practically guilt free, and it's really yummy for an alternative), red grapes, walnuts, S&P, and a boatload of curry.

Ooh this is my favorite chicken salad recipe made so much better! How did I not think of using half yogurt instead of the full amount of mayo! Very overly excited right now. :D
 
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I've got a lot of recipes I like to make that I'll try to share at some point.

My go to casserole is 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom and a few pieces of thawed chicken breast. Combine all 3 in a casserole dish and bake. 375 for maybe 30min? I like to check on it frequently so it's done but not too dry. I make some rice alongside it and when both are done I put the chicken on a bed of rice and spoon some of the soup mix on top. Cheap simple and healthy (I'm guessing).

We do a lot of baked chicken. The secret isn't low and slow in the oven but high temps and low cooking times. If you butterfly the breasts, you can get away with 450 degrees and cook for 10minutes, flip, another 10 minutes and done. This leaves the chicken juicer in my opinion. Then we can do a lot of things with it. Add it to a salad. Shred it, add bbq and have sandwiches. Shred it for chicken salad. Make a sandwich wrap. Etc.
 
I've got a lot of recipes I like to make that I'll try to share at some point.
...We do a lot of baked chicken. The secret isn't low and slow in the oven but high temps and low cooking times. If you butterfly the breasts, you can get away with 450 degrees and cook for 10minutes, flip, another 10 minutes and done. This leaves the chicken juicer in my opinion. Then we can do a lot of things with it. Add it to a salad. Shred it, add bbq and have sandwiches. Shred it for chicken salad. Make a sandwich wrap. Etc.

How do you know when your baked chicken's done? Do you use a thermometer?

I have wanted to cook good chicken forever, it seems, but it always turns out dry or raw.
 
How do you know when your baked chicken's done? Do you use a thermometer?

I have wanted to cook good chicken forever, it seems, but it always turns out dry or raw.
Either a thermometer or simply cutting the thickest part open and looking. Rub down with a little olive then salt and pepper and that's all I do
 
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Either a thermometer or simply cutting the thickest part open and looking. Rub down with a little olive then salt and pepper and that's all I do

Thanks and I don't mean to belabor this, but when you cut it open, what are you looking for? I use to think it all had to be white to be done, but then the college's cafeteria serves it pink in the middle and people always eat it without getting sick. So I'm confused and not even joking.. And again, thank you very much for replying to my question.
 
I've always gone by the rule that the thickest part of the chicken breast must register 165 F to be cooked. But I almost never check temp. I poke it with a fork and see if the juices run clear, or cut one in half and see if the middle feels warm enough to me and looks white. The Japanese eat their chicken medium rare and have survived. I don't like the texture of undercooked chicken. Generally 20 min on 375 F in the oven cooks my skinless, boneless chicken breasts just fine without drying it out.
 
Thanks and I don't mean to belabor this, but when you cut it open, what are you looking for? I use to think it all had to be white to be done, but then the college's cafeteria serves it pink in the middle and people always eat it without getting sick. So I'm confused and not even joking.. And again, thank you very much for replying to my question.
No pink. All white. That college cafeteria sounds disgusting. Pink beef? Fine. Pink chicken? Bad
 
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Trader Joe's is my go-to for premade food of good quality. A bag of pre-sliced stirfry is worth the extra dollar just to get it done. Is there an Asian or Indian store nearby? If you grab one of those ready-made spice mixes, you can make a curry that, if you have some rice, can easily stretch for several days. Ditto for sauces that can go over some chicken or seasoned tofu. Sriracha-flavored tuna, rice, and seaweed can make a fun little rice ball that assembles quickly. Matzoh ball soup or really any soup with lots of stuff in it can be awesome.

You just reminded me of my favorite TJ's pre-made item: pizza dough balls. Cheap, easy, fridge velcro pizzas. SOOO good! Thank you for that!
 
http://dudefoods.com/the-ramen-noodle-grilled-cheese-sandwich/

RamenGrilledCheese1.jpg


The Ramen Noodle Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Alright, so people have made Ramen Burgers and Ramen Tacos, but what about a Ramen Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
All I could find through some Google searches were grilled cheese sandwiches that had ramen noodles inside of them, yet still used bread on the outside. What I had in mind for mine was quite the opposite however, I wanted my ramen noodles to act as the bread, just like they did with the Ramen Burger.

I started off by cooking up a batch of ramen noodles according to the directions on the package. Once they were done I drained out the remaining water, let them cool and then mixed an egg in with them.

I then dumped the noodles onto a cutting board and spread them out until the pile was about a half of an inch thick all the way around. After that I cut two bread-sized square pieces of ramen out of the pile using a knife and placed each one between two pieces of wax paper and put them in my refrigerator.

About 20 minutes later my newly created ramen noodle “bread slices” were holding together quite nicely so I took them out of the refrigerator and threw them into a pan on my stove where I heated them both up for a few minutes each on one side. Then, I flipped one of them over, added a couple slices of cheese, added the second one on top of it and just finished frying them like you would with a regular grilled cheese sandwich.

When my Ramen Grilled Cheese was finished the noodles ended up nice and crispy on the outside, yet still soft and noodle-like on the inside. In a way ramen works almost better than bread in a grilled cheese because when the cheese melts it sort of fills in all the little nooks and crannies between the noodles.

The sandwich actually would have been a lot better had I added a couple more slices of cheese since so much of it just sort of absorbed into the ramen, but either way, it was delicious!
 
Dr. Michelle Au posted a few meals a while back (her blog is awesome, by the way! highly recommended) that she makes for her family of 5 on a working doctormom schedule. Here's the link: http://theunderweardrawer.blogspot.com/2013/10/alimentary-my-dear-watson.html
As for me, I assembled and froze LOTS of food before school started last summer that I used sporadically for months and months. Chicken pot pie, lasagna, pioneer woman's sour cream noodle bake, bolognese sauce, chili, etc. Multiple batches of each. They key to this is those disposable aluminum containers, examples here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/07/freezer-cooking/ I am normally very conscious of sustainability but those things just made my life so much easier this year that I decided this was a good place to compromise with myself (processed food in exchange for disposable containers).
 
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