Comments on: Let’s Talk Last-Minute Meals

By: kay43026

kay43026 — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 12:47:02 +0000

I ALWAYS have several kinds of soup in the freezer in quart or 1/2 quart containers. My standbys are chili, beef veggie and chicken.

I like the chicken best because it can be made in to several different kinds of meals. I only put (oven roasted) chicken legs, sauteed garlic, onion & carrots…and chicken stock in my soup. That’s it. Totally delicious! Then…when I thaw…I can heat it up as is or add noodles…or rice…or more veggies…or dumplings.

There’s always pasta in my pantry that can be whipped up into a quick meal. A sauce from scratch…whether tomato or garlic based…can easily be whipped up in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

I’ve also always got pepperoni & mozzarella in my fridge to top my simple/quick homemade pizza dough. I add onions and hubs adds green olives to his half.

Then there’s the breakfast food! Yummm. Too bad DH only like breakfast food for BREAKFAST!! But…when the kiddos were young and he was away most of the week for work, we did Wednesdays as our ‘breakfast dinner’. Sometimes it was as simple as bagels/cream cheese.

Then there’s always the grilled cheese and tomato soup…

By: AmyK

AmyK — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 17:00:05 +0000

Garlic noodles – super fast and easy and delicious, made with items I almost always have on hand (garlic, noodles, soy sauce, brown suger, oyster sauce, green onions). And if I don’t have any of those items on hand, they are usually easy enough to substitute. Or Gnocchi with a quick pan sauce of chicken stock, goat cheese, and parm. Again – any soft cheese would work here, and the sky is the limit with add-ons and flavor additions.

I usually have a boneless ham steak in my fridge, and fresh veggies around to pair with it. Avocado works particularly well. Or, one of my favorite combinations, is a quick sauteed tilapia (seasoned however but I like mine blackened), served with a side of sliced bell peppers, with a dollop of store-bought hummus. The hummus is also really tasty on the fish! If I have it, I top the fish with store-bought pesto. Also super delicious (and totally can be paired with pasta for another quick dinner).

Otherwise – I love to make a quick run to the store and grab a rotisserie chicken and a bag of salad, or a pre-made pizza dough with a jar of sauce and some cheese. Both really fast and really easy and way cheaper (and potentially healther) than takeout!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:33:07 +0000

Best go to quick meal: BROCCOLINI: Cook pasta in one pan and frozen broccoli in the other. Mix the two together when cooked and drained and add a couple tablespoons of butter and grated parm. cheese. Healthy and yummy!

By: mdvshutterbug

mdvshutterbug — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 13:37:59 +0000

Linguine with clam sauce, sandwich, pasta tuna salad, loaded bake potato, chicken pasta with garlic a olio. All of my meals are last minute because I work 14 hour days.

By: Laura P.

Laura P. — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 18:02:29 +0000

I usually have a can of pumpkin in the pantry. In a last-minute meal situation, I’ll often dump that in a pot, add some chicken or vegetable broth and spices, and make pumpkin soup. I’ll usually eat that with bread and cheese.

By: Mary Adair

Mary Adair — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 14:40:48 +0000

I try to have go to casseroles, soups, and stocks in the freezer. I just cleaned out my big freezer and found that I have quite a few of the Barefoot Contessa’s shrimp scampi and pasta dinners. I also have about 15 pounds of Royal Red Shrimp that I recently brought back from Alabama. I can add some of those to anything in a hurry. I make shrimp scampi well, but really like the Barefoot Contessa’s one even better.

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 13:50:47 +0000

I do an omelet with lots of veggies or some other egg dish like scrambled eggs or a fried egg sandwich. Breakfast for dinner can be fun and it is super fast.

By: KrissyC EsMommy

KrissyC EsMommy — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 13:38:39 +0000

I love frozen go to meals. When I make up things like Turkey dinner, or soups I always portion out some and stick it in the freezer for my own version of tv dinners. Funny part is that I have all these old plates from when my daughter was a toddler that has sectioned off areas and I love those most for the dinners. lol weird, but it works! Sadly my daughter is 12 and I still haven’t had the heart to toss the plates.
I also like good old fashioned soup and sandwich nights. But my all time favorite is the left over hodge podge. Anything that hasn’t gone bad in the fridge gets heated up, and we all get a little of everything on our plates. Sometimes it ends up with sloppy joes, taco salads and something like mashed potato or squash in one meal, but its always tasty!
Like the idea of eggs tho. Growing up that wasn’t a staple in our house as my brother is severely allergic, so to me its not really a “meal” but a yummy treat.

By: Patricia @ ButterYum

Patricia @ ButterYum — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 13:32:49 +0000

I like to keep my freezer stocked with premade meatballs or seasoned ground beef so I can always throw together a quick pasta dish. Frozen chicken stock, frozen tortellini, and frozen mixed veggies combine to make an awesome soup. On a couple of occasions I’ve only had ground turkey in the freezer so I saute it with a little olive oil and a clove or two of garlic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper – the family goes nuts for it. I usually keep salad greens in the fridge so I can crack open a can of chicken or tuna to bulk it up. Eggs are a really great dinner option and they can be made so many different ways. Oh, and a family favorite when my kids were little: top a tortilla with pizza fixings and broil until the cheese melts.

By: Karen D.

Karen D. — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 13:25:09 +0000

Hot ham and cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Kaiser rolls, buttered, deli ham, cheese, mustard. Wrap in foil, place in oven until hot.

BBQ chicken quinoa – I keep cubed chicken breasts in the freezer – use the microwave to semi-defrost – throw into slow cooker with 1 cup bbq sauce, 2 cloves of garlic minced, 2 T. chili powder. Leave for 1 hour on high. Meanwhile cook quinoa in chicken broth. (Not totally last minute, but hands off and fast) After an hour, add a can of black beans and a cup of frozen corn. Chopped bell peppers if I have them. Leave in slow cooker as you are shredding cheese. Will warm quickly. Serve quinoa, chicken with sauce over the quinoa, top with shredded cheese. Additional toppings – chopped scallions, cilantro, hot sauce.

Spaghetti and meat sauce – jarred sauce, browned meat, pasta, frozen broccoli on the side.

Frozen pizza – don’t judge me.

Quick French dips – deli roast beef, rolls. Butter rolls and toast under broiler. Can of French onion soup, heat on stove. Dip roast beef in hot onion soup, pile on toasted rolls, top with provolone and place under broiler until cheese melts. Serve with small bowls of French onion for dipping.

Turkey burgers – mix two pounds of ground turkey with cumin, lemon zest, salt pepper, oregano, finely diced green pepper. Form 8 burgers. Cook in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Top with cheddar cheese when hot and top with salsa. Serve with frozen broccoli, steamed. Sides are usually sweet potatoes, cooked in the microwave – served with butter and cinnamon.