I'm trying to compile some recipes using whole foods that are really quick and easy to put together. I am TIRED when I get home from work and I need some ideas so I won't be tempted by fast/junk food. Can you help me?
I stir-fry bowls of veggies for myself. My favorite combination of vegetables right now is Maui sweet onion, red bell pepper, asparagus, tomatoes, and snow peas. I stir-fry them olive oil (my son is allergic to nuts and peanuts) and add Trader Joe's Chinese Five Spice and soy sauce to them sometimes or if I'm wanting spicy I add chili oil, cayenne, garlic salt, ginger, and soy sauce. I think it tastes divine.
I like to keep romaine or various green lettuces on hand, and make a salad of whatever else is in the house: steak and peppers grilled for a fajita theme, leftover taco fillings for a taco salad, chicken with celery and mandarin oranges, etc. One thing I saw a coworker do is mix chopped greens, tuna, and a dressing (my fave is 50/50 plain-yogurt/mayo, with some curry paste), and put it all in a tortilla (or lettuce) wrap.
I also tend to cook a bunch of one grain one day, and use it a few more times in different meals throughout the week - cooked quinoa can be a breakfast grain (with milk and honey), a replacement for rice in a stir fry, and an addition to a soup.
Breakfast for dinner isn't a bad idea, either. Eggs are cheap and easy to prepare.
I love making tacos. I get a couple of Morning Star Farms spicy black bean burgers, nuke them, crumble them. I warm up 3 La Tortilla Factory 50 calorie tortillas. Put the veggie burger in the tortillas, add salsa, a sprinkle of cheese, cut up plum tomatoes, spinach leaves. Takes less than 5 minutes and I always enjoy it.
I'm also a big fan of leftovers. I make this amazing spinach, chickpea, leek, summer squash soup (eating it right now for lunch, in fact!). My big pot makes about 6 servings. Takes about 20 minutes to make, then I have meals for 3 nights. Not much easier than warming soup when you get home from work.
I just made this recipe this week. It is all whole foods, a healthy portion of olive oil, super easy, and came out fabulous. It would also be easy to cut in half or even to just make a single portion (I wouldn't try to double it, however, unless you have two large pans to cook it in).
It is also endlessly flexible. I added diced red and yellow bell pepper to it. You could add onions, broccoli, carrots, or other veggies. (Don't add too many veggies, or you'll need to add more olive oil. Maybe try onions one time, broccoli the next.) You could swap out butternut squash for the potatoes. You could use a different herb.
Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
1 lb chicken breast, sliced (buy chicken tenders if you don't want to bother slicing it)
1 lb sweet potatoes, sliced (ok, you might have to slice these yourself, but you don't have to peel them)
1 tsp minced garlic (from a jar, if you don't want to mince your own garlic)
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary and a few whole sprigs of rosemary
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and mix until everything is coated with the olive oil.
Pour mixture into a large roasting pan or a rimmed cookie sheet (water will be released during cooking, so you want something with sides). A darker pan is better, but not absolutely critical. Make sure the whole rosemary sprigs are buried in the other other ingredients.
Cook at 400 degrees for 20 min or so, until chicken is done and things start to brown. I poured off some of the water that was released about half-way through and sprayed with olive oil spray (since some of the olive oil surely poured off with the water).
This makes four servings at about 280 calories per serving. Have a nice-sized green salad on the side and you've got yourself a meal.
Last edited by BlueToBlue; 03-15-2009 at 04:10 AM.
I make batches of food. I'll make a large batch of brown rice, large batch of beans (different spices, beans or lentils) and keep in the fridge. They'll last a few days, sometimes I'll freeze what I don't think I'll use. I also buy frozen veggies. Usually it takes me 5 minutes to prep my husbands dinner/lunch. Spoon some beans, rice and frozen veggies. Put in the microwave and cook.
When I unpack from the grocery store, I mix up a few easy marinades and store the meat, chicken, fish directly in the marinade in a ziploc freezer bag. Label, stick in the freezer, and then when I am making one night's dinner, I take out the next night from the freezer, stick it in the fridge to thaw, and it marinates while it thaws. Then all you have to do is cook it (in the skillet with the sauce, or in a baking pan in the oven), make a quick sauce if it needs it (don't reuse marinade that has already touched the raw food), and good to go. I use frozen veggies for sides, keep fingerling potatoes all the time (just slice and roast in the oven with a bit of olive oil and seasonings, you have steak fries for minimal calories).
I also make large portions of the food I cook and freeze them. Then all you have to do is thaw and reheat.
Here's mine for the day: turkey stock with whatever vegetables are in the house, some frozen black beans, interesting leftovers in the refrigerator (pizza sauce, wine, chicken). It all goes into the slow cooker, and dinner is ready at six. I have leftover rice that I'll add just before serving.
When I unpack from the grocery store, I mix up a few easy marinades and store the meat, chicken, fish directly in the marinade in a ziploc freezer bag. Label, stick in the freezer, and then when I am making one night's dinner, I take out the next night from the freezer, stick it in the fridge to thaw, and it marinates while it thaws. Then all you have to do is cook it (in the skillet with the sauce, or in a baking pan in the oven), make a quick sauce if it needs it (don't reuse marinade that has already touched the raw food), and good to go. I use frozen veggies for sides, keep fingerling potatoes all the time (just slice and roast in the oven with a bit of olive oil and seasonings, you have steak fries for minimal calories).
I also make large portions of the food I cook and freeze them. Then all you have to do is thaw and reheat.
I love broccoli slaw mix. I saute it, add protein and a little sesame oil and soy sauce, maybe chili pepper if I want spicy, and I have a quick yummy dinner. It's gotten to the point I put it in everything when I just need veggies - eggs, soups, ....
One thing I find helpful is to keep a variety of chopped vegetables on hand. It's easier to create a quick, easy dinner if you have half-prepared foods already.
Tonight, I am baking a vegetable casserole with layers of vegetables, seasoning, and tomato soup, topped with some seasoned breadcrumbs. My vegetables are: potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, onion, and green pepper. I thought about adding a layer of beans, or cheese on top.
Quick and easy whole foods recipes
food. Can you help me?
