Here's some ideas, hopefully one of them might help you:
Some nights we have Caesar Salad wraps with Purdue already cooked chicken pieces. All you need is the cooked chicken, bag of Caesar salad mix, and tortilla shells. Buy this on the way home, instant supper! My family loves this and requests it often.
Chicken and cheese quesadillas with sour cream and salsa. I marinade (Pm me if you want the recipe) bite sized pieces of boneless chicken breast overnight, cook it for about 20-30 minutes on medium heat until no longer pink, drain of excess marinade. Put chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and salsa in a tortilla shell, wrap up, place in aluminum foil (make sure quesadilla is completely wrapped so the tortilla don't get crunchy!) and bake in a 400 degree oven/toaster oven for 8 minutes per side. You can marinade (make sure it marinades for at least 6 hours!) and cook the chicken the night before, to save time the next day. Also, I use steak tips to change it around a bit.
Steak bombs- You can marinade 1/2 pound of steak tips the night before in a teriyaki marinade- that's what I do. Fry up some onions and peppers, cook steak tips in with the onions and peppers after the onions have become tender, put in a hoagie or bulkie roll, add some low fat American or cheddar cheese. Cover in foil, bake in 350 oven for 10 minutes. I myself make my steak tips (as well as both of my daughters) without the onions and peppers, but cook hubby's and son's in the onion and peppers. You can also have this made up for two to three nights ahead of time, just add the roll and cheese, bake as mentioned above.
For the next night, take the other half a pound of steak tips, marinade it, and have with veggies on the side. Baked potatoe already baked and reheated can save time.
While you're at it, how about sausage links with onions and peppers on a hoagie roll either plain or with ketchup? The next day, use the sausages for breakfast!
Tunafish melts- bread, tuna mixed with light mayonaise, slice of low fat cheese. Wrap in foil, bake in 350 oven for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Add some lettuce and tomato after cooking, if you wish.
Ever had American chop suey? All you need is pound of hamburger- I use the leanest kind, cook it, drain and rinse it. Add a can of tomato soup, half a can of water, half a can of milk, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper, and 12 ounces of elbows (dry when measuring) cooked and drained. Some folks add an onion to it as well as peppers. To make it simple, cook and drain/rinse the hamburger the night before, assemble the rest of the ingredients, so when you get home, all you have to do is reheat and cook the pasta. It makes a great lunch for the next day, too.
How about lasagna recipes? Ever have an asparagus lasagna? You can make it in a one quart casserole dish on Sunday, come home on Monday and cook it in the microwave or oven.
Have an indoor or outdoor grill? That would help a lot with cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, steak tips, etc. Both help cut out a lot of fat while cooking!
Crockpots- oh, boy, I have quite a few recipes for that. Diet Cola and ham in the crockpot on low for 10 hours. Hungarian goulash. Soups and stews. Chicken and pot roast with veggies. Crockpot roast beef with onion soup mix and water.
Bake a couple of potatoes or sweet potatoes in foil ahead of time, leave them on the counter, reheat for about 15 minutes in the oven or indoor grill, and have with steak tips or boneless chicken, and a salad. At the grocery store near us, they have chicken breast cut up into small pieces already in the package- makes it easy to just marinade, and either fry in a pan or grill it the next night! For that matter, you can even cook the chicken or steak up ahead of time, and reheat it in the microwave with your potatoe.
Make roasted potatoes the night before- one package Lipton onion soup mix, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and 2 lbs of white, red, or sweet potatoes- cut potatoes up into bite sized pieces, mix the olive oil and soup mix well, coat potatoes, bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-50 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Marinade small chicken pieces in 2-4 tablespoons of Chipotle marinade over night, cook the next night in a pan.
Scrambled hamburger- Cook, drain and rinse 1/2 lb of the leanest hamburger you can buy (do it the night before, to save time the next night). Add one 1/2 of a tablespoon of onion powder and one can of beef gravy. Serve over instant mashed potatoes and a side of corn.
Use the other half of a pound of hamburger, make some meatballs, add some canned spaghetti sauce, and you can either have it with pasta or have meatball subs with low fat provolone cheese the next night! Or, use the whole pound of hamburger, and make meatballs for both nights- one with meatballs subs, the next, spaghetti and meatballs with a side of salad or cut up veggies.
OR use the other half a pound of hamburger and make Sloppy Joes, serve on "Light" hamburger bun. We have this with corn on the cob and veggies and dip.
Sausages and biscuits with gravy- I take a couple of sausage patties, crumble them while cooking them, mix one tablespoon of flour to a cup of skim milk, add to one teaspoon of melted margarine, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp ground red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt and serve over warmed biscuits. I serve it with fruit salad.
Low sodium bacon, egg, and low fat cheese on a biscuit or English muffin with a side of fruit salad.
English muffin pizzas rule! Easy to make, and have some veggies on the side. For that matter, add some veggies on the pizza or meat to make it interesting.
Mini bagel pizza- same as above, only use mini plain bagels.
Chicken salad with low fat ranch dressing- boil a chicken breast in a saucepan with one bouillon cube, a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, a teaspoon of onion powder and half of a celery stalk- cook for 30-40 minutes, drain and cool. cut up chicken, mix with 2-3 tablespoons of ranch dressing in it, serve on lite wheat bread or roll, serve with lettuce and tomato.
Also, with the above chicken salad recipe- you can also add some cooked, drained and cooled elbow macaroni, black olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, and low fat cheddar cheese cut up and add it to the chicken salad for a variation. My family also loves this recipe on a hot summer night!
Pastrami sandwiches- low calorie rye bread, low fat Swiss Cheese (we have Sara Lee here, which is what I use for 80 calories a slice), Lite Thousand island dressing (about a tablespoon). I fry my pastrami for myself, but hubby and the kids love it boiled with a tablespoon of ketchup and a teaspoon of mustard. While I am cooking the pastrami, I melt the Swiss cheese on the bread in the toaster oven or oven until the cheese is melted. You can also add cole slaw to it- about 1-2 tablespoons, if desired. Serve with cottage cheese and fruit.
Potato salad is easy to make, and you can make many variations to it, not to mention, you can make just two servings of it the night before, so it's ready for the next night's meal. I don't add my mayonaise and other ingredients in until the next night, so the potatoes don't absorb up the mayo. I mix all the ingredients in one container, and keep the cooked, drained and cut up potatoes in a zip lock baggie in the fridge.
Deviled eggs are easy to make, and you can make enough for lunch the next day, or adjust the recipe for two people. Have them with a turkey burger on a roll, pickles, and corn on the cob.
How about egg salad sandwiches? Ham salad? Lobster salad? Tuna salad? Serve with pickles and a small bag of low fat or baked chips. Or serve with a small pasta salad or potatoe salad.
I love Hormel corned beef hash in a small can- split it with your friend or save the other half for another night. Serve with a fried egg and some toast.
Chef Boyardee has mini microwave meals that are much healthier and less calories than eating out. Have with some veggies on the side or a salad.
Soups for the microwave or stove with a salad and a dinner roll or some crackers. Tomato soup and grilled cheese are one of our favorites!
"Just add water" pancake mix- make four pancakes with some bacon, sausage links or Canadian bacon, add a little syrup. We sometimes have breakfast for dinner.
If I think of anything else, I'll post it. Hope this helps.
I could never do that commute!
It can even be prepared in a thermos hours ahead of time.
