To counteract the craziness, I like to keep my pantry and freezer stocked with several meals that can be made in a pinch. I try to keep some frozen browned ground beef and cooked, cubed chicken in my freezer to help with quick meals. I also try to keep a good supply of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses in my freezer. Here are some of my favorite quick meal ideas.
Five Can Soup
1 can Progresso Minestrone soup
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can mixed vegetables
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can white corn
Mix it all together without draining anything and heat. You can even throw this in the Crock Pot for a few hours or all day. Sometimes we add some browned ground beef or cooked chicken to it.
Cheesy Pasta
3/4 box of Piccolini pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 can Hunts pasta sauce (or whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Tonight I cooked up 3/4 of a box of Piccolini pasta until it was al dente. Mix in the rest and heat through.
Pizza
Crust:
1 c. warm (not hot) water
2 T. canola oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 c. flour
1 T. yeast
Mix ingredients in order listed in bread machine. I use my bread cycle, and my machine beeps when dough is ready. You may have to consult your machine’s book to know when yours is done. In a pinch, you can just knead the dough by hand for five minutes. Place dough on pizza pan sprayed with canola oil, and spread the dough to cover the pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Add sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake another 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees.
If I have pitas or English muffins on hand, I’ll use those in place of homemade crust.
Chicken Wraps
1 can refried beans
1/2 c. salsa
2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 c. cheddar cheese (Mexican blend is good too!)
12 corn tortillas
Mix refried beans, salsa, and chicken. Divide the mix among the tortillas. Roll each tortilla, and place seam side down in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with canola oil spray. Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Grilled Cheese & Soup
You can’t bypass the old stand-by! I like to keep several types of canned soups in my pantry so that we can use them in a pinch.
What are your favorite meals to keep on hand? Do you have any advice for making meals in a pinch?
This post is linked to:
:: Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family
:: Frugal Friday hosted by Life As MOM
Great list. Thank you for sharing! Have a blessed week.
Mmm that cheesy pasta sounds delicious. Quick & easy too and my kids would love it! i love having quick go-to recipes I can keep on hand. Thanks!
Sometimes life doesn't just happen–it gets in the way, LOL! I love your suggestions–having a few meals ready to go sure makes life easier!
And I'm with you on grilled cheese and tomato soup–yum!
I always have an easy stir fry on hand too. Just a little soy sauce, olive oil, some frozen mixed veggies, leftover chicken and serve it over rice (even easier if you bulk cook rice and can just pull out a frozen baggie of it!)
Wonderful advice…in addition to menu planning this can really save time in a pinch!
If there's not much time for food preparation but there is time to let it cook unattended, Honey Baked Lentils rule! Made entirely from cheap, shelf-stable ingredients!
Meals I can make in 20 minutes or less from things we usually have on hand:
Pasta and vegetables with herb sauce
Pasta with tomato sauce (sometimes we add sardines or pureed garbanzo beans to the sauce for protein)
Tofu and vegetables with buckwheat noodles
Jazzed-up canned salmon
Fried rice using extra rice from a previous meal, any suitable leftovers, and carrots and onions (I always keep those in stock)
American Beanwich
Great idea to keep quick meals handy like that! I just worked out a new meal plan list to get working on that again.
awesome ideas!
Wonderful ideas! Thank you for sharing. I'm becoming a follower — I always need to ideas and inspiration!! We too are really trying to get on a budget and honor God first. Thanks again for sharing!
Great ideas! Happy FF!
We love "sub" sandwiches – I have a teenage boy. I keep the hoagie rolls in the freezer. We make them with spaghetti sauce, pepperoni or meatballs, and mozzerella cheese – heated in the microwave or we make them with cold cuts and broil them for a few minutes. For some reason "hot" sandwiches feel more like a meal.
Great list! That cheesy pasta sounds so good right now!
http://itwasyou.net
I did a post very recently about freezer cooking, with links to recipes.
http://1000pointsofcreativity.blogspot.com/2010/09/oamc-lite.html
One thing I like to do is be sure to have ground beef already browned and ready. Then there’s nothing to do but throw it in some sauce (yes, I use jarred sauce–except when my husband makes sauce on Sunday from scratch) and boil up spaghetti.
We like Slider Casserole a lot and it’s easy to keep the ingredients in the freezer. Recently did up some meat pies (links to both on my site) that were a hit. I’ll definitely make a batch of those again.
Thanks for the freezer cooking link. I’m getting ready to do another round soon. I love anything that allows me to get ahead when it comes to making dinner.
Hey this is wonderful! Such a practical idea. I am the world’s worst about eating out because my day didn’t work out exactly like planned. Having easy peasy meals like this in my pantry/freezer (and maybe a list to refer to when my mind is in a fog) would be such a helpful moneysaver! I think I’m gonna bookmark this post and try it!
I know exactly what you mean Amy. When things go according to plan it’s easy to be ready for dinner. It’s those curve balls that throw me for a loop too.