Dinner ideas.

I need things I can make really fast. By the time I get home from work, I am starving and I reach for things that are less than healthy because it's easy. I have about 5 - 10 minutes of patience! If anyone has any easy to cook dinner ideas, I would love it. I love tomato sauce and chicken.

Wed. Jan 18, 2:12pm

Do you have Trader Joe's in your area? They have an awesome selection of diet friendly frozen foods.
How about Lean Cuisine dinners...they are pretty tasty and fast.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 2:37 PM

Ideas for easy dinners:
1. Tortelloni or ravioli (the kind that you buy in the refrigerated section). Takes about 5 minutes to boil; top with tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce, and that's it.

2. I just bought some frozen salmon from whole foods - it's pretty easy to make. Just thaw in fridge during the day, and top with garlic salt, throw in the oven at 350 for probably 20-30 minutes, and enjoy.

3. Sweet potatoes - bake in microwave (about 6-8 minutes), enjoy

4. Frozen pizzas - I buy the cheese kind, has less fat than the meat ones; not always diet friendly, but better than grabbing fast food or eating total junk.

5. Baked potatoes - buy small ones so you won't overeat, cook in microwave, top with low fat cheese and/or premade barbecue

Also, I plan out my dinners every week, including easy ones during the workweek, so I always have the ingredients. I usually make a bigger meal on Sat or Sun, and eat leftovers for a few days.

Hope this helps!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 2:41 PM

Stir fry

I bought bags of shrimp stir fry and chicken stir fry from the grocery store. It takes 7 minutes to heat up in the skillet. Includes meat and veggies, very good.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:00 PM

Rotiserrie chicken from the grocery store, they are cheap and convenient, you can and then just make a side (like microwave a potato) or make a salad

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:09 PM

How about a crock pot? While I am sitting at my desk, there is a pot of wonderful soup cooking.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:18 PM

what about keeping a healthy snack in the car - like a protein bar? That way you don't feel starved by the time you get home.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:22 PM

poached fish is awesome! I usually chop up a salad while the huband poaches the fish and we have fish 'n salad. The following works well for any firm fish such as salmon, halibut, ono wahoo or tuna.

Poached fish (10 minutes start to finish):
*in a small skillet bring 1 cup liquid to a boil - I usually use seasoned veggie stock however 1/2 'n 1/2 white wine and chicken broth add some 'unf' if you are making for guests.
*place 2 fish fillets in boiling liquid so that liquid comes 3/4 way up but does not cover
*cook at boil (but not rolling boil) ~8 minutes turning at 3 - fish is done when you insert a fork, twist and the fish flakes easily - DO NOT OVERCOOK!! It will be like eating a piece of rubber
*If you want you can reduce the liquid left in the pan and add 2 tsp of butter and 1 Tbsp capers, pour a bit over each fillet, and this will imress the heck out of everyone and make this dish REALLY something - but I skip unless I want to 'do it up'.

Chopped Salad (5-8 minutes depending on how fast you chop):
chop 3-4 cups romaine and spinach
chop 1 good size tomatoe
chop 1/2 red pepper
chop 1/2 cucumber
cihop 6 Kalamata olives (into 4 or 8 pieces)
toss with LF Vinegarette or Greek dressing
add 1 oz LF feta cheese
toss well - makes 2 lg salads

We don't usually take the time to make potatoes or a grain at night and I get more than enough during the day.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:24 PM

I second the crock pot idea. This morning, I dumped a bag of 15-bean soup, a package of "stew meat" (chunks of beef sold at grocery store, labeled as stew meat), and a package of frozen stew vegetables in the crock pot, along with seasoning packet from the 15-bean soup, and covered it all with water. When we get home tonight, we'll have healthy beef stew waiting for us! And we'll probably have enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow AND lunch a different day!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:33 PM

Also, when you make dinner, make two servings instead of one, and pack the extra serving away in tupperware right away (before you sit down to eat). Then you have dinner for tomorrow - all you need to do is pop it in the microwave!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:34 PM

set a day out of the week to prepare things in advance. I usually have a couple chicken breasts, chicken bacon, and or hard boiled eggs in the fridge to chop and add to a salad. And I make my own salad dressing with healthy fats, so that it's decadent. Unless you're one of those calorie counters, veggies, lean protein and good fat, what's not to love? And can be made in less than 5 minutes.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:50 PM

Great ideas!

I keep bags of cut-up chicken in my freezer to add to salads, wraps, little pita pizzas, pasta and/or veggie dishes, etc... You can make so many things with it, and cooking it can be the time-consuming step.

I've never tried crock pot cooking but you guys are inspiring me!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 4:11 PM

I love 'Herbs de Provence" spice, it is very versatile! :-)

Sprinkle on some fish or chicken... zap in the microwave or throw it on a George Foreman Grill and you will be eating in minutes!

Trader Joe's also has some awesome frozen rice that nukes up in 3 minutes-- 2 servings per pack and about 6 per box... :-)

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 12:15 AM

I make a batch of brown rice on Sunday night and package it in 1/2 c servings. I then take a low carb, whole wheat tortilla, add the brown rice, any kind of bean (black, garbanzo, red kidney bean), a little fat free sour cream and roll it up. I also cook fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots) and package those in to individual servings. The burrito and veggie make a quick, satisfying, and healthy dinner.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 8:20 AM

If you're looking for a cookbook, I love the Weight Watchers 5 ingredient 15 minute cookbooks. It's really more of a 7 ingredient 30 minute cookbook if you're looking for a hard guarantee there because they don't factor in some of the chop and other prep time, but I have managed to make everything I've tried in less than 30 minutes and it's all been incredibly tasty and healthy!

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 9:29 AM

I'm the poster who made the beef stew last night - it worked great! But, I'd alter the recipe to only half the bag of beans, plus the whole bag of veggies and the package of meat. My fiance said he would alter it by halving the beans and doubling the meat. So a half bag of beans is unanimous.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 10:06 AM

I second the rotisserie chicken idea. I pick up one, it lasts for a few days and is ready to eat with a bag of lettuce. Easy and nutricious.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 10:43 AM

dinner

Plan out all of your meals on saturday or sunday, post a menu and get most of the ingrediants that day as well. Since I have the menu posted, and the ingrediants in the frig, I'm less inclined to "forget" or want to go out, since I don't like to waste food (who does). Then you'll know what you'll be having. I go through all of my recipes and get everything ready for the week. IF you have everything, it never takes more than 1/2 hour to cook it. Also try rachel ray- I know lots of folks don't like her, but it is quick and good. Planning is the key! If I'm really hunger when I get home, I'll have a small bite of cheese, or milk, to hold me over until dinner's ready.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 2:12 PM

Definitely a crock pot. I work full time, and my boyfriend works 32 hrs/week and goes to school full-time. We got a crock pot for Christmas and love it! Just throw it all in in the morning and there's a perfectly cooked meal waiting when you get home. Plus, the whole house smells great!

I like my George Foreman grill too. It takes 7 minutes to heat up and cooks most meats in just a few minutes with no added grease or fat. I like to cook up chicken breast and have some frozen veggies going in the microwave. It's a good meal in 15 min. max.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 2:38 PM

I can denitely relate to the starving feeling when I get home!! Nowadays I eat my afternoon snack at around 4, an hour before i go home, to ease of the hunger. When I get home and still feel hungry, I try and eat something like an apple or carrots and drink some water, it helps a lot to get that desperation down!!! My quick tips: on sundays and wednesdays for the 3 days ahead:
1. getting al the chopping done.
2. Making enough rice, portioning it off and freezing for every day.

Monday, January 23, 2006, 2:38 AM

Also, try eatiing an apple or banana on your way home, that should help to ward off initial hunger pangs!

Monday, January 23, 2006, 7:34 AM

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