I tried to make real healthy meals most of the time, but sometimes I just need a quick-go to meal. In the past that meant Morningstar Buffalo Wings and Tater Tots! Yikes!
I've found a few meals that aren't quite that fast (meaning open box, put in oven) but wondering if anyone can share their favorite go-to quick meal? *I'm cooking for myself and family, so needs to be something I can make for everyone, not just a weight watchers frozen meal for myself. Love to hear your favorites!
* I did check out the 3FC recipes but it seemed like the majority of them had cheese or pasta, both of which I'm trying to avoid.
There is a cookbook called Quick-fix vegan that is pretty good.
For me, I do batch cooking so that I always have a bean dish and a grain in the fridge. Then I can either steam some veggies or cook some frozen ones. Since I make larger than a single meal batches, I only have to cook a few times during the week.
I batch cook entire meals and freeze them in small containers. If it were for a family, I'd make an entire dish, freeze it in one large container, then thaw in the refrigerator from the night before until ready to eat.
Veggie burgers are really easy to freeze - just put them between pieces of wax paper. I also like to freeze burritos (my favorite are shredded zucchini or squash, beans, and brown rice) and homemade "meat"balls or spinach balls. You can serve them over spaghetti squash.
Batches of soup and vegetarian chili freeze well, and I love to make cauliflower dal and Puerto Rican beans and freeze. That night I just cook up some instant brown rice and serve it together.
Quick meals include noodle bowls (you can use shirataki if you really don't want to use rice noodles) or stir fry with frozen veggies and a quick sauce made with garlic, ginger, soy/tamari, sriracha - you can even add pineapple juice to make it teriyaki or make a peanut sauce by adding pb and a little agave. Serve over instant brown rice.
Baked potatoes with roasted broccoli and/or cauliflower are easy if you "bake" in the microwave and you can make your own sweet potato or regular frozen fries with a little prep and you can also make your own "chicken" nuggets.
A bean, a green, and a grain is a formula that I use often to put together meals that are not only quick & health, but also inexpensive.
From "No Meat Athlete":
3. Get to know the king of cheap, healthy, easy meals: “A grain, a green, and a bean.”
The general formula: In a single, large pot, cook the grain of your choice (quinoa and rice are my favorites) in water with a little salt. Once it’s almost done, add the chopped green of your choice (collards are fun, kale is tough but packed with nutrients). And while that wilts, add the cooked bean or legume of your choice. Then dress it up with sea salt, hot sauce, salsa, vinegar, soy sauce, or whatever else you’re in the mood for.
You can get fancier, when you feel like it. Sauteing an onion and garlic in the pot before you cook the grain adds some depth. You can use fresh beans that you’ve prepared, or even toss the fastest-cooking, dried legumes (like lentils) into the pot with the grains to cook them fresh.
The point is that it’s cheap, not to mention easy. Grain and beans can be extremely inexpensive if you choose wisely and buy them in bulk. (Cooking your own dried beans is even cheaper than buying canned, but less convenient.) The greens will be the most expensive part, and you can even skip them from time to time if you’re that hard up for cash.
Stir fryCan't get much easier. I always have tofu in the house. Chop tofu and brown in a little olive oil with garlic and ginger. In another pan or same pan but remove tofu, stirfry any veggies you have. I am having Kale and mushrooms with onions tonight. Add whatever seasonings (soy sauce etc.) and put on top of brown rice. I always have extra cooked brown rice in the fridge.
note-If I do not have tofu just substitute another protein and pair with appropriate veg. I will use nuts like raw almonds or walnuts. If so I like celery and mushrooms with nuts on the brown rice.
Pan StewSome olive oil in the pan and cook onions, garlic, and some vegetables like peppers, celery, kale -whatever really. I add 'just like ground' and if you are okay with canned vegan gravy go for it if not make your own sauce and pour on top of russet boiled/mashed potatos or rice.
I use 'just like ground' quite a bit, more then I would like actually as it is a processed food. But I like it.
I think the tips above are great too. As long as you cook up a grain and have veg and protein on hand you have a meal. I make veg shepard's pie with the just like ground too. And as stated above by others you can soak and cook up a pile of beans on the weekend for the week to use as your protein.
Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I'll definitely check out that cookbook too. We love kale and quinoa so I appreciate that 'grain, green, bean'. Yesterday was my weight in and I lost another pound. So excited! I've been kind obsessing about when my next meal/snack will come, so I'm hoping within another week or so my body will get used to it and I'll stop thinking about food all the time!
One of my fast meals is scramble an egg with some diced onion and mushroom and then put on a soft tortilla shell and top with hot sauce or salsa. Roll it up and enjoy Great for breakfast time!
Last edited by veggiegirl123; 05-22-2012 at 09:34 AM.
Lightly stir-fry lots of yummy veg such as peppers, butternut squash, courgette etc with a little chilla and garlic. Serve with brown/wild rice, a little olive oil and a squeeze of lime juice. YUM.
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