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Life has officially gone crazy here. Jeff has a job interview on Monday afternoon and if he gets the job, it’s going to be many big life changes for us in a short space of time. So this weekend is focused on preparing in case he gets the job. If you are so inclined, we’d appreciate your prayers.
In times like this, I go for a very simplified meal plan. Oatmeal is always for breakfast. I just vary the flavor as I discussed on my oatmeal rut post. Peanut butter, plain, coconut and crushed almonds and plenty of other ideas in that post to keep things simple and fast.
For lunch, we eat leftovers. If we don’t have any leftovers and no freezer meals available, I turn to a quick lentil dahl or even burrito beans made from my home-canned beans I keep on hand for days such as this. I had lentils sprouting on the counter I started a couple days ago, so they’re ready to cook today. I will cook them up and incorporate them into lunch.
For dinner, if I have ground beef I brown it up with another pint jar of beans and a pint jar of tomatoes, taco seasoning mix and serve it over rice. For any other cut of meat, I turn to my crock-pot. Depending on the time of year, try to serve it with a salad or something green. Tonight we’ll be doing ground beef, as that is what I had already planned and set out to thaw before we got the news.
What are your favorite fast meals when life gets too busy to keep up?
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The sloppy joe’s from the menu mailer is my “life is to hectic to think about food” meal. When I find organic cabbage I buy a few, grate it and keep it in the freezer in 1 cup portions for stuff like this. We cook a whole chicken once a week and that is my favorite night, I just throw it in the slow cooker in the morning and by dinner time it is melting off of the bones. YUM!
My quickie meal favorite is a stir-fry type meal. Any meat can be used. I have a rice maker that included a steamer basket, so I put the rice in the pot, fill with the appropriate amount of water, and then load the veggies into the steamer basket on top. If I’m cooking for more than my immediate family, I have to use a separate steamer for the veggies. I have the benefit of any drippings from the veggies being absorbed by the rice. Often I use frozen packs of an appropriate veggie mix. Using a minimum of oil, I fry slices of onion and minced garlic. When just translucent, I add whatever meat is conveniently on hand, cut into strips or chunks. Once the meat is done, I add flour until all the juice is absorbed. The flour/juice mix will create a light coating on the meat (saving the time it would have taken to hand bread small pieces of meat), so then I just cook it until crispy. For a sauce, I use soy sauce, garlic, and honey (and some of the veggie water if I’ve had to steam my veggies separately) thickened with a mix of flour and water. For a spicier sauce option, I’ll use honey, a dash of red pepper flakes and a bit of water. Takes 20-30 min, including prep time.
Like Michelle, I often stir fry some veggies, & simmer onion & garlic skins with the trimmings for stock … If I don’t have any made ahead, I might cook a batch of quinoa & amaranth (~ 1/2 & 1/2, with a Tbsp of teff thrown in for extra nutrition) but these days I usually bake a batch a couple of times a week!
I bake a pumpkin or squash whole (350* for ~ 40 minutes, depending on size) & chop pieces off that for smoothies & to pop into my veggie dishes. & I make my own coconut milk kefir, which also goes into the breakfast smoothie (with some squash, applesauce, frozen fruit, & a Tbsp of chia seeds I’ve soaked overnight)
Rice n lentils is my old stand by – 40 minutes, & I add chopped veggies about halfway through (again, use the stock, which I can be simmering while I’m sauteing the rice, if I don’t have any on hand! Stock frozen into ice cubes then put in a storage container is a quick way to add some, too)
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A couple of my lamest are that I keep frozen burgers, nitrite free hot dogs, and buns for each in the freezer.
My “better” instant meals are home-canned chili, baked beans, beef & barley soup, bean and rutabagas soup, rosemary cannelini soup, corned beef and cabbage, etc. I do both pints and quarts so it can be lunch/dinner for one or two.