Back In School, Need "On the Go" Dinner Ideas!

[eli1126]

I have seen different recipe threads, but I need some "on the go" ideas! I love Rachel Ray's 30 minute ideas, but let's face it, can any of us *really* get them done in 30 minutes?! It took me over an hour to do the sloppy joes :p I want to stay away from prepared boxed meals because I don't think they are that good for you. So anyone have tried and true "on the go" recipes? TIA!

Beth

[johnny'sgirl]

I just mentioned this in a thread I started--I should have looked here first! :)

Check out Cooknik (http://shop.allrecipes.com/shop/cooknik/default.asp?nplsrcid=613), through AllRecipes.com. It's $15 for 6 months, but they email you 5 recipes per week, complete with side dish suggestions and a shopping list.

Most of the meals are 30-40 minutes or less to prepare, start to finish (and that's not a Rachel Ray 30 minutes, either--I've made them myself and the times suggested are pretty accurate.) The ones that aren't (there was a great lasagna recipe a few weeks back) I make on weekends and freeze until it's time to cook them, or cook them then freeze them.

I don't have kids, but we're busy enough right now that I needed something that could be done quickly.

Hope this helps! :)

[msnicolea]

Do you have a crock-pot? This saves my DH and I all the time when we feel too busy or tired to cook in the eveinings. Many crockpot recipes just require throwing in the ingredients and going!

[eli1126]

johnnysgirl
I'll have to check the site out!

msnicolea
Yes, we have a crock pot, but I tried to make a pot roast (compliements of CC crock pot thread :) ) and it was so dry, I still think it's stuck in my throat! I must have over done it, but I won't be able to come home and switch it off during the day, but I would love to use the crock pot more.

Beth

[magrat]

I would recommend this cookbook - Weight Watchers Make It in Minutes: Easy Recipes in 15, 20, and 30 Minutes (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764565176/qid=1137954379/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-7595857-9626405?n=507846&s=books&v=glance)

I use it quite a bit these days. There are more fish recipes than I would like, but fish does cook super fast and you can pretty much use whatever kind of fish you want rather than the specific one the recipe is for. There are lots of non-fish recipes too of course :)

[maggieb]

I have one that I made up. Basically, you just get a big piece of aluminum foil for each chicken breast that you are going to use. Spray the foil with Pam, place the chicken breast in the middle of the foil and then add whatever veggies you like. I usually add sliced red pepper, tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, asparagus. Then add a few pats of butter to each and squeeze some lemon juice on it and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap up the foil so that it makes a tightly sealed packet and then bake in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes. Very tasty and easy.

Sometimes I add ginger and soy sauce for a slightly different taste. You can add whatever you like and then have rice as a side dish.

[laura]

Our go-to zero effort is grilling, pretty much anything. If it's raining, we can broil instead. We grill/broil: sausages, lamb/beef kabobs, steaks, mixed veggies, asparagus spears, BBQ chicken (bone-in or boneless), shrimp, etc.

Other quick ideas:

* Chicken quesadillas (saute cut up chicken w/ half a jar of salsa; add a little bit of shredded cheese; put between 2 tortillas and brown on each side; cheese quesadillas are even easier)
* Buittoni (sp?) fresh pastas; we use homemade sauce, but their sauces might be good too, I don't know
* Reduced fat fettucine from Cooking Light (recipe below; I also steam some broccoli and mix it in for extra flavor)
* Baked mac & cheese (we use Alton Brown's recipe on foodtv.com; takes about an hour or so to make it, but it makes a lot and it reheats well)
* Stir fry (infinitely easier if you buy a fresh veggie mix & pre-made sauce; I serve w/ white rice, which is the part that takes the longest)
* Shrimp scampi (saute shrimp w/ garlic, little olive oil, a little butter, clam juice, white wine, parsley, salt/pepper; serve over linguine)
* Turkey burgers (mix 1 lb. ground turkey w/ 1/4 c. grated cheese, 1/4 c. bread crumbs [i like italian], 1-2 cloves of garlic - kitchenaid mixer is good for this; grill or broil until cooked through)
* Casseroles; very little prep, even if they do cook about an hour; can be cooked ahead and reheated usually w/ much success; my husband loves Mexican Chicken, the recipe is floating around this board somewhere
* Sometimes on Sundays we will make something big to eat for lunches or dinners throughout the week, like chili, lasagna, etc.

Honestly, I haven't had much luck w/ the crockpot either, even though we used to eat crockpot meals a lot when I was a kid. We are out of the house for about 12 hours a day, though, and my crockpot doesn't shut itself off.

Alfredo Sauce (with fettuccine)
From Cooking Light

We used half-and-half instead of whipping cream and decreased the amount of butter and cheese ever so slightly to lower
the fat by about 10 grams per serving.

1 pound uncooked fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half-and-half, cheese, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring
constantly. Reduce heat; add pasta, tossing gently to coat.

[BethIrish]

For your crockpots -

Check out the web for reviews on the model you have. I thought I was a crock-pot idiot, but come to find out - my crockpot cooks WAY too hot! There were tons of awful reviews on it.

I've reverted back to my "old" crockpot w/just the hi/lo setting and everything has been coming out perfectly. (And it's on for 10-12 hours a day!)