# What do you serve for dinner when you are too burnt out to cook?



## nyssaneala (Mar 22, 2007)

My hubby is at a dinner meeting tonight, so it is just DD and I. My allergies have been killing me all day, so I'm feeling super worn out and in no mood to cook.

Tonight's dinner? Hardboiled eggs and steamed green beans with cantaloupe and a glass of milk (water for me). I'd actually serve the green beans raw, but I can't handle a lot of raw veggies when my allergies are at their worst.

What super-easy, barely any effort healthy dinners do you have up your sleeve when you don't leftovers or any homemade meals in your freezer? I am always looking for new ideas!


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## BeeandOwlsMum (Jul 11, 2002)

Beans & Rice. Add cheese, avocado, olives, some greens and we're done. I can even do it in the crock pot. Tacos is another one.

This is my thing, when I get busy, cooking becomes impossible. I have been leaning a bit more heavily on the frozen section at Trader Joe's as of late.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

Sandwiches, omelettes, frozen pizza, mac and cheese, frozen veggies.


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## nyssaneala (Mar 22, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AdinaL*
> 
> Beans & Rice. Add cheese, avocado, olives, some greens and we're done. I can even do it in the crock pot. Tacos is another one.
> 
> This is my thing, when I get busy, cooking becomes impossible. I have been leaning a bit more heavily on the frozen section at Trader Joe's as of late.


 Beans and rice is my go to meal when I feel like cooking a tiny bit.







I wasn't even up for that tonight!

I also tend to rely on TJ's frozen meals, but more for myself at lunch than DD. And we are cleaned out of TJ's stuff, our store is close to DD's preschool, and we haven't been going in that direction too much this summer.


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## dbsam (Mar 3, 2007)

Unfortunately, I do not feel like cooking most nights!

My go to when I cannot force together a meal is:

quesadillas - as long as I have cheese, onion, jalapenos, tortillas and salsa. My family will not eat them without all of those ingredients. Luckily, they are items that can be kept on hand.

or I do like I did tonight and everyone makes their own meal - they call them 'inventions'. However, that means I have a mess to clean up. I do not know how old your children are, but my eight year olds made this tonight:

son....veggie broth, wheat noodles that were already cooked and in the fridge, great white northern beans from a can, he chopped carrots and onions and heated it all in a pot.

daughter...she chopped up cucumber, onion, carrots, zucchini, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes. Then she added a vinaigrette from the fridge.

My husband hasn't eaten yet - he needs to run out so he might pick up something or I will make him something later.

It would probably be easier to have cooked than to clean up the mess but I can clean it up a little later. Plus when they make their own inventions they tend to eat it. If I do not feel like cooking, force myself, and then no one eats it I get a little crabby


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Baked beans on toast or scrambled eggs on toast if I really don't feel like cooking. If I can bring myself to cook a bit then pizza (using a frozen base) or pasta with fetta cheese and lightly fried onions plus either tomatoes, capsicum, zucchini also lightly fried or steamed broccolini.


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## MarieP (Jul 17, 2012)

We do beans on toast with a fried egg as well. Also, breakfast for dinner, mostly scrambled eggs, pasta, I usually have sauce in the freezer, sandwiches, grill something.


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

I make breakfast for dinner. Breakfast is always a pick-me-up, and I'm usually okay with the idea of cooking it 

Other than that, paninis, soups, crock pot things if I know it will be "one of those days".


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## herenow2 (Jul 5, 2007)

I just started this "snack plate" thing that my kids love, when my husband is not home and I don't feel like cooking. It consists of all sorts of random things from the fridge - carrots, tomatoes, cheese and crackers, maybe a spoonful or two of leftover beans or pasta or something, some fruit. It's colorful, mostly finger food and the kids are so excited for it and I have nothing to clean up! It's actually weird because they even eat things they wouldn't normally when it's on the "snack plate."

So, that's a no-cooking night, but we have lots of low-cooking nights which include boxed pasta, beans and rice, tacos or frittatas (just tried one with TJ's country vegetable mix - yum). I am 8 months pregnant and tired and hot so I am all about the short cuts lately!


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## Ragana (Oct 15, 2002)

Pasta and a jar of sauce is the perennial favorite.

Pasta or rice with a fried egg on top

Tostadas with can of refried beans & toppings (salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce)

Green salad w/ beans and bottled dressing

Grilled cheese w/ or w/out canned soup

Rice & beans - rice in rice cooker, can of beans + toppings


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## nyssaneala (Mar 22, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *herenow2*
> 
> I just started this "snack plate" thing that my kids love, when my husband is not home and I don't feel like cooking. It consists of all sorts of random things from the fridge - carrots, tomatoes, cheese and crackers, maybe a spoonful or two of leftover beans or pasta or something, some fruit. It's colorful, mostly finger food and the kids are so excited for it and I have nothing to clean up! It's actually weird because they even eat things they wouldn't normally when it's on the "snack plate."


That's a great idea! My DD prefers raw veggies to cooked ones, this would be an easy thing for me to do when I don't feel like cooking AT ALL.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragana*
> 
> Pasta and a jar of sauce is the perennial favorite.
> 
> ...


I like the tostada idea, as a different twist on things we already do (quesadillas, tacos). I really need to get my butt in gear and make another batch of homemade bean burritos for the freezer.

I also came across another easy idea that I'm going to try in DD's lunch box this year, but could be an easy dinner as well. Super easy taco salad with leftover chicken/shredded beef/pork, black beans, whatever veggies are on hand, romaine lettuce, and your choice of tortilla/nachos. I also sometimes buy TJ's organic corn chips, and thought that would be a nice special treat addition in a taco salad, too. Make a simple dressing of EVOO, lime juice, and a bit of salsa, then mix all together.


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## mamatoablessing (Oct 17, 2005)

We love breakfast-dinner too, so if I'm too tired to plan we have eggs, pancakes, some kind of potato and maybe a breakfast meat. I'll usually try to throw a veggie into the eggs. Other quick go-to meals I keep on hand: frozen soups, frozen pasta sauce, hummus with veggies/chips, tortilla roll ups with beans and cheese and frozen pizza crusts for a quick pizza with whatever toppings I can find in the fridge.


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## lachanteuse76 (Jul 31, 2012)

We make a Mexican, thanks to my mother in-law passing this on!

shred rotisserie chicken and set aside in fridge to cool or saute ground soy beef with onions and garlic set aside and let cool in fridge( if your are burnt out obviously the chicken is the easiest way to go.

Ingredients: Romaine lettuce, red onion, can of corn, can of black beans, cucumber, pepper(optional),avocado cubed, tomatoes chopped.

Now layer in a bowl; layer of meat or soy meat on bottom, then layer of lettuce, then layer of corn, then layer of black beans,then layer of tomatoes, etc, etc, however you prefer to layer it ending up with the meat or soy meat on the top as last layer( you can have two layers of lettuce where ever you choose to put them.)

My boys like this with sour cream but my husband doesn't but there are so many different dressings that go great with this salad.


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## McGucks (Nov 27, 2010)

Baked potato night. We add broccoli, sour cream, cheese, and butter and call it a day. Beans, too, if they are around. Done.


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## MrsBone (Apr 20, 2004)

fry a lb of bacon in the oven and throw some russets in the oven. chop up a few green onions, salsa, butter sour cream, black beans, cheese....you have baked potato night! takes some time to cook but very little standing and cooking involved. In fact I think I'll do that tonight!!


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## htovjm (Nov 9, 2011)

With a baby in the house, I am always trying to come up with quick pantry meals, so this thread is great.

Our absolute favorite quick meal is Coconut Quinoa Pilaf. It can be thrown together with only a few minutes prep and 30 minutes stove-top time.

2 cups quinoa

1 can coconut milk (nature's value brand is BPA free)
2 cups water
1 bunch green onions, sliced (I omit this if it's not in the fridge and it's still yummy)
1 medium red bell pepper, diced small (have some diced ahead of time in the freezer)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes (we do a heaping tsp and it's still not overly spicy)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (we don't care for cilantro, so I omitted this)

1. Rinse the dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under warm water.

2. Place rinsed quinoa into a medium saucepan with the coconut milk, water, green onions, red pepper, garlic, sea salt, and chili flakes. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn heat to a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

3. Remove pot from heat and let pilaf cool in pot for about 10 minutes. Then add chopped cilantro and gently fluff with a fork. Serve hot.

I throw some canned salmon in after it's cooked and serve with sliced avocado. We had it with blueberries the other day and it occurred to me that this is a real "super food" meal! And it's delicious


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## htovjm (Nov 9, 2011)

Love this idea! It's a great way to get kids involved in what they're eating--and a break for mom! Personally, sometimes it's harder for me to come up with the idea than it is to clean up. Thanks for sharing!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dbsam*
> 
> everyone makes their own meal - they call them 'inventions'.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

I'm lucky too that we have 4 grocery stores within about 2 miles of my house, so it's not uncommon that I'll just go pick up a rotisserie chicken, bag of salad, and a crusty loaf of French bread for dinner.


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## sillygrl (Feb 10, 2008)

Sooo happy I stumbled on this thread, lots of awesome ideas here!

For us, I always have pasta, sauce and we love cheese, so we have pasta with cheese if I'm not in the mood to cook, or sometimes I pull out a couple of boxes of mac n cheese and we do that. I hate feeding the kids that, so I'm trying to use my crockpot more often.


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## skycheattraffic (Apr 16, 2012)

I do frozen tortellini or ravioli. Once it's done, plop on a little pesto and stir. Done. Ok so minimal cooking. On no cooking night it's wraps with whatever cold cuts we have lying around and lots of baby spinach, tomatoes, onions, etc.
I get SO much help around the house from my 16 month old DD, it's a wonder I get anything done lol


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## LitMom (Mar 6, 2012)

Quesadillas with cheese and canned beans; sour cream and salsa for dipping. If I'm being really lazy about it, they can be nuked in the microwave.

My kids love these "egg in the hole" things: http://weelicious.com/2009/05/03/egg-in-the-hole/

Tonight we had gnocchi with peas and parmesan. Olive oil, italian spice for me, just oil for the kids. The peas and gnocchi I buy in freezer bags. They both cook in 3 minutes combined. Boil water, dump in two bags, set timer for 3 minutes, drain, drizzle with oil and let the kids shake on pre-shredded parm. Less than 10 minutes for sure.

Scrambled eggs and toast

Veggie hot dogs, especially like this, my kids love it: http://lunchinabox.net/2008/02/22/how-to-make-an-octodog-octopus-hot-dog/

Mock chicken nuggets

PBJ or grilled cheese

To not cook at all, we do a couple of muffin tins filled with whatever snacky but decently healthy stuff we have around and graze, but I don't think we've done it for dinner, usually for lunches. Nuts, baby carrots, diced cheese, sliced fruit, raisins, crackers, pretzels, edamame, hummus, etc. The kids like to dig through the pantry and it nicely uses up stuff that we only have one serving of too.


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## cocoanib (May 14, 2009)

A big salad made from whatever is in the fridge.

All kinds of fruits and veggies, maybe some beans(if we have canned) or seeds/nuts.

Some garlic bread on the side if I want to go that far


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## WittyNameHere (Dec 21, 2011)

Wow! You're all amazing! At my place a quick "mommy's burnt out" dinner is one's choice of Trader Joes O's, oatmeal, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or (my fave) a few spoons of Greek yogurt mixed with a few spoons of peanut butter topped with chocolate chips!


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## onlyzombiecat (Aug 15, 2004)

If it were just dd and myself and I truly didn't feel like cooking it would be pretty simple stuff.

cheese and crackers or peanut butter on crackers with fruit on the side

a cold sandwich of some kind

a bowl of cereal

bean & cheese burrito

yogurt

I might eat a salad but dd would not.

If dh were home too and I didn't have leftovers, didn't feel like cooking and we had the funds then we would be getting take out food.

If we didn't have money and I had to cook then it would probably be spaghetti with jarred sauce.

I don't often feel totally burnt out on cooking though as I like to cook. I do get burnt out on stacks of dirty dishes and that can make me want to serve finger foods on a napkin.


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## Choose2Reuse (Feb 27, 2012)

Omelette & salad, with fruit or toast. You can stuff the basic omelette of eggs & cheese with all sorts of stuff: cilantro, black beans & salsa; mushrooms & kale; leftover stir-fry; etc. You could have omelettes every night of the week and it'd taste different every time as long as you were creative enough with the stuffings.

Breakfast-for-dinner is bigtime comfort food in my house.


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

Black bean burritos: can of black beans, can of corn, jar of salsa, bell pepper (if you happen to have any), rice (optional), any random things like tomatoes that you want to use up. Combine all except rice, cook for a little while. Make up burritos with or without rice.

I also tend to saute up whatever veggies we have and serve over pasta.

The baby is still in the stage where she'll eat anything, so I have no experience with "picky kid" food.


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

Hmm. We don't really have meals like that. We meal plan, so most of the time I have dinner figured out; but on the rare occasions I'm absolutely too exhausted/busy/stressed/sick to think about it, it's takeout. Usually fish and chips. Classy. 

I guess it would be healthier to keep a packet of ravioli in the freezer and a can of pasta sauce in the freezer. But if we had that on hand, I'd eat it instead of saving it. 

We do ad-hoc lunches fairly often - "baked" potatoes (microwaved - again, classy), toasted sandwiches, etc.

Oh, we do have one sort-of-lazy dinner (or lunch) - simply known as A Platter. It's not necessarily lazy, as I've been known to make homemade hummus, dukkah, flatbread etc for the occasion; but at its most basic, it's carrot sticks, apple slices, hard-boiled eggs, cheese cubes and some kind of bread unearthed from the freezer, toasted a bit and dipped in olive oil with caramelised balsamic. Or if we had the foresight to go to the supermarket and we're feeling dangerous, chips and sour cream instead of the bread and olive oil.

It's one of our favourite meals, especially in summer. Sometimes we add olives, salami, ham, chicken, fancier cheese, homemade pita chips, yoghurt-and-sweet-chilli-sauce dip, grapes... but when we're less rich and it's just the basics, it's still delicious. Easy for feeding the baby, too. 

What's all this about beans and rice being a quick dish?? We're having beans and rice tonight and I'm very proud of myself! How do you guy do it..?


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## Thyme Mama (Sep 27, 2010)

Cold meat, cheese and veggies/fruit. And the kids (6, 4 and 2) can get it out themselves.









*Maybe* I'll heat up homemade soup if I can get up/stop what I'm doing. We'll eat soup for any meal of the day. Or if I'm feeling extra generous with my energy, there's a minute chance I might do a chef salad.









I scratch cook WAPF nearly every day for nearly every meal, so I have zero guilt in sending the kids foraging in the kitchen or serving them a giant bowl of (real) vanilla ice cream for dinner. It happens.


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## Anilia (Jul 21, 2012)

Super easy pizza dough so dinner takes maybe 10 minutes hands on time.

Pizza Dough:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 scant tsp salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil

Bake 425 for 13-17 min. Substitute gluten free flours if you want. 










My 3 yr old helps and we're ready to go. No rise so there is no planning ahead or waiting. Always makes everyone happy. My son sits in front of the oven and waits for the pizza to be done.

I love to have cold dinners like fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers with my son. My hubby likes something cooked for dinner.


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## mennofied (Mar 27, 2012)

I am a new mom so this is a great thread for us! I will be writing a lot of these down!

I can my own beans so we usually have plenty of beans around. I slice up some smoked sausage and while that's frying, plop the beans in a pan. Add brown sugar, onion flakes, garlic, salt, ketchup and mustard and it's "baked beans." If I'm feeling a little more nutritious I throw some greens in a pan with balsamic vinegar too.

I also keep stir fry veggies in the freezer. If we don't have any meat defrosted, I throw in a can of venison, or ground meat that I've previously cooked and frozen for quick use. The rice cooks while I work on seasoning the veggies. Takes about 20 minutes w/ no prep.

If hubby's not home I usually eat ice cream for dinner. Or make a sandwich and broil it for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Our new thing this summer is for Hubby to smoke or grill meat on Sunday's. I throw some potatoes or squash in the food processor to slice. Douse them in olive oil, salt, garlic, and dill and pop in the oven for about 30 minutes. Easy peasy and there's usually leftovers for another night!


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

I cook dinner about 3 or 4 times a week, and I make enough to last 2 or 3 meals. So on Sunday, I made this chicken mango enchilada casserole. Plus I made some chicken breasts with just salt, pepper onion and garlic. So Sun and Mon were the casserole. Then yesterday we had the chicken breasts, some white beans, raw baby carrots, and sliced tomato.

I also will make 3 pounds of ground turkey seasoned and ready for tacos and freeze it; chili with beans (various kinds), ground turkey, spinach and mixed veggies and freeze that so it has protein, carbs and veggies all in one. I freeze enough in one bag for me and my girls and I now do dh's separately because his work schedule is unpredictable. I make 3 meals worth of ravioli and freeze plain ground turkey and even the right portions of pasta sauce. I always have a variety of frozen veggies on hand and they are quick to heat or we do raw veggies.


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## The4OfUs (May 23, 2005)

Some of your ideas of "not cooking" are.....actual cooking.









30-minute-or-less meals are still cooking meals, even if it's beans and rice sitting on a stovetop without you tending to it. There are a lot of delicious sounding quick meals here, for sure and awesome tasting, but it's still *cooking*.

When I don't feel like cooking, things are straight from the fridge to plate, or from the freezer to microwave to table in the same container. As long as I have a decent source of protein and a filling veggie, we're good to go and I don't care what it looks like. Lunchmeat and green beans? HBEggs and broccoli? Apple and PB and carrots? check, check, check. Add in some other random fillers from the cabinet and we're good to go.


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## Aletheia (Oct 20, 2005)

Does can opening and cheese grating count as cooking?  We do nachos:

mix 1 can pintos, 1 can corn, and home-canned salsa together.

spread over chips on a baking sheet.

add grated cheese.

stick in oven at 400 for about 15 minutes.

I sometimes add shredded lettuce and a can of black olives.


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## LiLStar (Jul 7, 2006)

Egg scramble. if we have some chicken apple sausage, we cut that up into it. Otherwise, its scrambled eggs mixed with whatever veggies we have (that we like having with eggs) such as zucchini, spinach, onion, garlic, bell peppers, sometimes broccoli or whatever else needs used up. sometimes cheese as well. Its easy, yummy, filling, healthy  Especially with our fresh eggs from our backyard flock <3


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## MichelleZB (Nov 1, 2011)

Omelettes! You can chuck random leftover veg and cheese in there, but they take about 2 minutes.

Perogies, boiled from frozen and eaten with sour cream.

Pasta with canned sauce. I just use canned crushed tomatoes for the sauce, though, so it doesn't have all that extra stuff in it. My husband has not noticed the difference.


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## sillygrl (Feb 10, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aletheia*
> 
> Does can opening and cheese grating count as cooking?  We do nachos:


Having this tonight!! yum


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## sillygrl (Feb 10, 2008)

Oh, and I remembered another one: frozen meatballs and some bbq sauce. That's my kid's favorite.


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## Alenushka (Jul 27, 2002)

Reservations.

Salad bar at Whole Foods


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## anj_rn (Oct 1, 2009)

Wow, some of you have very different definitions of "not cooking." than I do. In our house, I state I am not cooking, then DS & DH decide to either "Fend or Fetch." DS is 6 and will usually make himself a sandwich (or a tortilla roll up), with salad and whatever fruit we have in the fruit bowl or fridge. hubby will eat something less healthy than that. I had a tofutti Icecream sandwich for dinner tonight.


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## The4OfUs (May 23, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aletheia*
> 
> Does can opening and cheese grating count as cooking?  We do nachos:
> 
> ...


The baking and 15 minutes part launches it into the realm of cooking.














If it takes more than 5 minutes, it's cooking.


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## hasya (Jun 27, 2010)

Homemade Mac and cheese with spinach or broccoli thrown in.
Toast with hummus and cucumber slices.
Toast, hard-boiled egg, some raw veggie. If dressing is required, it is usually a dash of ACV or of lemon juice.
Rice and lentils, cooked with some veggies tossed in, seasoned with cumin and crushed black pepper.
Lentil soup.
Tortilla piled with mashed cooked beans, cheese and grated (some) veggies, baked until cheese bubbles.
Pasta with pesto.

I keep at least one or two kinds of lentils and beans cooked and frozen.

I do buy hummus and pesto in the store, though.


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## newmamalizzy (Jul 23, 2010)

If it's just for my toddler, she loves raw tofu cut in cubes and shaken up with soy sauce. I serve it to her with frozen broccoli, fresh if we have it.

Parmesan couscous mixed with a pouch of salmon;

Pasta with pesto and a fried egg on top;


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## *bejeweled* (Jul 16, 2003)




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## Ragana (Oct 15, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Smokering*
> 
> What's all this about beans and rice being a quick dish?? We're having beans and rice tonight and I'm very proud of myself! How do you guy do it..?


I have a rice cooker, so that means a minute or two of measuring rice and water, then let it cook. I buy a variety of Japanese brown rice that cooks quickly & tastes like white rice (we are not otherwise huge brown rice fans). On vacation where we have stayed in places w/ microwaves (no microwave at home), we have used the Whole Foods frozen brown rice packets.

As for beans, if I'm good, I will cook up a bag of dried beans in my crock pot & freeze what we don't use, so later I just have to heat frozen beans on the stove. Otherwise, we crack open a can of beans, dump in pot, cook for a minute or two.

I have tried to find frozen foods to use for quick meals, and do use frozen samosas and ravioli, but without a microwave, that stuff doesn't work too well. Besides it's usually pretty crappy and no one in my family loves it (frozen pizza, etc.) So that means cooking, even if it's minimal cooking. This thread reminded me of some things I've served in the past that I need to get back in the quick-meal rotation - taco salad, rotisserie chicken (but I still always need a veg option for DD1), omelettes, crostini/appetizer plate, etc.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Too burnt out to cook means take-out or pizza delivered. With a big serving of guilt on the side, usually because we do this entire too often. A lot of what's described here is on my regular menu: taco salad, beans and rice, pasta and a jar of sauce, frozen ravioli and sauce. Bag of lettuce or microwaved fresh broccoli on the side. Home made mac and cheese is one of my 'got my act together early enough in the day', proper dinner dishes.

Hummus and veggies and crackers are snack food while I'm cooking dinner, they're not dinner. I tried it once, dh and ds later asked when dinner would be ready.









I usually keep the ingredients for bean and cheese quesadillas on hand: can of refried beans, pre-shredded cheese, tortillas, microwaved. Sometimes I finish it off in the frying pan to crisp the tortillas.

I think we're probably too picky. I don't like most of the frozen foods at Trader Joes. The tamales are good. I don't like most frozen mixed-veggie bags for stir-fry, so that means cutting up a lot of veggies.

I probably make things difficult for myself by limiting what I define as 'dinner', but I am seriously burned out on making dinner just generally.


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## The4OfUs (May 23, 2005)

yeah, to me "too burnt out to cook" doesn't mean I have nothing in the house, it means that I procrastinated and holy crap it's 6:30pm and man I really don't want to do a damn thing about it, so what can I pull out of the fridge or freezer in the next 5 minutes to get these hungry children satisfied?

If I have 30 min to stick rice in a rice cooker and wait for it to cook, that's already planned ahead enough that it's cooking.


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## dbsam (Mar 3, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *journeymom*
> 
> *Too burnt out to cook means take-out or pizza delivered. * With a big serving of guilt on the side, usually because we do this entire too often. *A lot of what's described here is on my regular menu*: taco salad, beans and rice, pasta and a jar of sauce, frozen ravioli and sauce.


I can relate to the bolded.

Many of the items listed are our regular dinners too.

We used to order pizza or eat out Mexican food too often. We have cut back...not because we do not like it, but because it was too expensive.

I wish I enjoyed cooking more than I do. Some of the cooking threads inspire me - for a little while.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *The4OfUs*
> 
> it means that I procrastinated and holy crap it's 6:30pm and man I really don't want to do a damn thing about it, so what can I pull out of the fridge or freezer in the next 5 minutes to get these hungry children satisfied?


Exactly!


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

Quote:


> As for beans, if I'm good, I will cook up a bag of dried beans in my crock pot & freeze what we don't use, so later I just have to heat frozen beans on the stove. Otherwise, we crack open a can of beans, dump in pot, cook for a minute or two.


I still don't get it. What kind of canned beans? You mean like Heinz-type baked beans with the tomato sauce? Or just plain haricot/kidney/pinto beans with no seasoning? Because before I could get DH to eat the latter I'd need to add onions, garlic, mustard, molasses, tomato paste, oregano, and so on and so forth... which would take it into the "cooking" realm to me. And he wouldn't eat "real" canned baked beans at all - which is a shame, because I rather like 'em.

Mind you, beans - canned or dried - aren't much of a thing in New Zealand. Maybe you have a better variety of canned ones in the US...? I'm not trying to be obnoxious, I promise.  I just can't imagine eating plain beans on rice.

I will say, living in the country has cut down on our takeout a fair bit. We used to live down the road from a fish and chip shop. Now, we're just far away enough from town that any takeout is unappetisingly cold by the time we get it home. A good thing... I guess...


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## LitMom (Mar 6, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Smokering*
> 
> I still don't get it. What kind of canned beans? You mean like Heinz-type baked beans with the tomato sauce? Or just plain haricot/kidney/pinto beans with no seasoning? Because before I could get DH to eat the latter I'd need to add onions, garlic, mustard, molasses, tomato paste, oregano, and so on and so forth... which would take it into the "cooking" realm to me. And he wouldn't eat "real" canned baked beans at all - which is a shame, because I rather like 'em.
> 
> ...


I do a quinoa and chickpea thing, and I add black beans or canned refried to quesadillas. Quesadillas is easy. Refried are already seasoned, and black beans just get added under the layer of cheese and the only seasoning is a good jarred salsa I set on the table and let people use as they wish. The chickpeas I just microwave for 30 sec for the kids (I eat it that way too, honestly.) If I'm "not cooking," DH is probably a) overseas or traveling; b) out at something that's feeding him dinner, c) knows I'm not cooking and is grateful for anything edible and not fussy about if it's spiced appropriately.

I do have an awesome Moroccan seasoning in a bottle though that I put over basic chickpeas and rice for DH and I to make it more of a "real meal." No measuring, no mix of spices, just grab n' shake. I think that's more of a full meal, but it's still fast and mindless. We tend to do that when the kids eat chickpeas and quinoa as an early dinner and we use the leftovers for to make a more grown up meal with some nice cheese, bread, and wine.


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## jaam (Sep 29, 2004)

scrambled eggs and spinach salad, pb&j, quesadillas, frozen or takeout pizza, pasta with cheese grated on top, rice (if already cooked) and beans... my kids aren't big on raw veggies unless its carrot sticks or the occasional salad, so that's what I usually do for a veg with whatever else.

And if I don't feel like cooking, I certainly won't feel like washing dishes. I keep paper plates on hand for such occasions.


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## EmbraceLife (Jun 22, 2012)

Love the ideas! Great question and post.

One of my no cook nights ends up being considered a treat ...

Snack type tray to share with hummus, cheeses, crackers, whatever fresh fruit or vegetables are around ... and if we're really lucky a good bread and then jello!


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## Mama505 (Jan 7, 2012)

We totally do the bizarre platters of food for meals as well. It usually starts innocently enough, with me thinking that I'll set out some nut butter and apples while I figure out a meal... and then I remember there is a little hard cheese left in the fridge, while I am in there I find the rest of the hummus and a little cream cheese or chevre (we have goats, thusly we usually have chevre), well, if there is all of this cheese I will look in the pantry for bread/crackers/pretzels... by this time I am opening jars of pickles or dilly beans, pulling out frozen blueberries, and turning the stove off for the rest of the evening!

I have been really into rice lately. I cook a big pot in the morning to have with breakfast, then use the rest for lunch or supper. I have an overabundance of summer squash right now, as well as a variety of greens (mostly chard). So our easy (cooked) meals have consisted of sauteed garden veggies with a little garlic and whatever herbs sound appealing that evening, and rice. Often I will start with some chicken then add the veggies, alternately I will cook a few eggs over easy and serve those over the rice with the veg.

Beans and rice is a favorite of mine, but I am used to it being a drawn out affair complete with greens and cornbread! To make a quick meal of it (the kind where you use canned beans) I recommend andouille or in a pinch kielbasa sliced and heated with the beans (throw in some thyme, celery seed, and a bay leaf if you have them- but you're cooking now, then again, if you are heating up the beans you might as well impart a little flavor, right?).

Another quicky is grilled cheese or quesadilla and tomato soup cut with milk (from a box- I think we like the Imagine, or maybe it's Pacific... they are right next to each other on the shelf at the store, ha!).

We also do tostadas or tacos, because those can be as involved as you feel like being. Warm tortillas in a pan, or brush them with oil and crisp them in the oven. Meanwhile open a can of refried beans, shred some cheese, pickled jalapenos, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, leftover meat/rotisserie chicken... this is already way more involved than we usually get!


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## flytofreedom (Aug 4, 2012)

anything with garlic butter just tossed and then steamed..just a squash or a carrot or a peice of fish or even jsut some boiled rice or pasta....any veg really. always tastes good to me..i always have lentils and rice in teh cupboard cos hey are so filling and jsut need a ncie veg on top to make them nice. sometiems jsut boile the tow together with a stock cube and throw the garlic veg on top...youve got your fibre your carbs yoru protien and whatevers in the veg...its anobrainer a tasty no brainer.


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## beachymommaof2 (Aug 6, 2012)

When I don't feel like cooking I turn to fruits and veggies. I fix cucumber, tomato, and onion in Italian dressing with feta cheese as the starter. I finish with sliced apples and strawberries with a cinnamon vanilla yogurt dip. Awesome, easy, and healthy! My boys love it!


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## Mama505 (Jan 7, 2012)

Oh yeah... I forgot... smoothies! It is totally smoothie season.


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## Bad Mama Jama (May 29, 2005)

I keep Trader Joe's organic vegetarian chili in stock all the time for those late nights when I have to just throw something on. Just spice it up, throw in dollop of sour cream and some cheese and BAM!







Dinner is served.


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## lunarlady (Jan 4, 2010)

Cereal with milk and a side of fruit.


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## nyssaneala (Mar 22, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *The4OfUs*
> 
> yeah, to me "too burnt out to cook" doesn't mean I have nothing in the house, it means that I procrastinated and holy crap it's 6:30pm and man I really don't want to do a damn thing about it, so what can I pull out of the fridge or freezer in the next 5 minutes to get these hungry children satisfied?
> 
> If I have 30 min to stick rice in a rice cooker and wait for it to cook, that's already planned ahead enough that it's cooking.


Exactly!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Smokering*
> 
> I still don't get it. What kind of canned beans? You mean like Heinz-type baked beans with the tomato sauce? Or just plain haricot/kidney/pinto beans with no seasoning? Because before I could get DH to eat the latter I'd need to add onions, garlic, mustard, molasses, tomato paste, oregano, and so on and so forth... which would take it into the "cooking" realm to me. And he wouldn't eat "real" canned baked beans at all - which is a shame, because I rather like 'em.
> 
> ...


This is my easy 'recipe' for rice and beans, using black beans.

I always have a homemade sofrito on hand in the fridge, as well as minced garlic (which I mince myself, and then keep in a container with a squirt of lemon juice to keep it from changing color). I add a bit of ACV to the sofrito when I make it so it lasts longer in the fridge. FYI, cilantro, which is called for in the recipe, is the exact same thing as coriander.

So, to make the beans and rice, I cook the rice in a rice cooker. While that's going, I simmer the sofrito for a few minutes, usually 2-3 tbsp of sofrito, then add in the beans and a little bit of vegetable stock (not too much, or you'll have soup, maybe 1/2 cup). If you used canned beans, it only cooks for about 10 minutes. I usually buy a low sodium can of black beans and don't drain the juices. If I plan far enough in advance, I'll use dried beans, already cooked. Sometimes I add in a Goya seasoning packet, but I never saw Goya products when we lived in Australia, so not sure if you can get them in New Zealand. It's not necessary, and adds MSG, which I try to avoid anyway.

At the very end I take an immersion blender and do a very quick puree just to break up some of the beans, but not all of them. You don't want it to be smooth. Serve over the rice, or mix it all together, either way works.

Most types of rice work, but we usually use basmati brown rice, since it's what we always have on hand.

I do not count this as a too burnt out too cook meal.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LitMom*
> 
> I do have an awesome Moroccan seasoning in a bottle though that I put over basic chickpeas and rice for DH and I to make it more of a "real meal." No measuring, no mix of spices, just grab n' shake. I think that's more of a full meal, but it's still fast and mindless. We tend to do that when the kids eat chickpeas and quinoa as an early dinner and we use the leftovers for to make a more grown up meal with some nice cheese, bread, and wine.


That sounds delicious! Where do you get your Moroccan seasoning?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mama505*
> 
> Oh yeah... I forgot... smoothies! It is totally smoothie season.


We haven't been doing smoothies for dinner....I think my DD would stage a protest since it is often our lunch 3 or 4 days of the week! I'm completely in love with peach raspberry smoothies this summer.


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## LitMom (Mar 6, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nyssaneala*
> 
> That sounds delicious! Where do you get your Moroccan seasoning?


Fresh Direct: http://www.freshdirect.com/category.jsp?catId=gro_spice_seaso_blend&prodCatId=gro_spice_seaso_blend&productId=spe_fd_rub_moroccan&trk=srch


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## 2mama (Feb 3, 2006)

Tacos

leftovers

PB and homemade J with banana's and carrots

cereal or oatmeal (made with milk) topped with berries or bananas and ground flax

eggs and a toasted grain with lots of fresh fruit and veggies from the garden or fridge.

Frozen pizza with salad and fruit

Tomato, Pesto, mozzarella panini with fruit

homemade egg or tuna salad on bread or back to nature crackers with fruit and raw veggies


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## strongrad (May 30, 2005)

PBJ (I love them frozen)

Applesauce and granola

Tortilla roll ups with turkey, greens, avocado! or whatever

Greek yogurt with honey/maple syrup and maybe some frozen berries mixed in (dessert?)

Pitas with hummus and veggies

Bagel (I like the high protein cinnamon raisin ones) with cream cheese and sliced strawberries

Guacamole with tortilla chips and raw veggies

Ham and cheddar cheese on sandwich rolls, warmed up

Salad with feta cheese, hard boiled eggs, croutons and sunflower seeds

Cold or warmed museli with vanilla almond milk and dried fruit

If I had too cook I'd throw a roast in the crock pot with some baby carrots, new potatoes and pearl onions and have DH serve us when he got home


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## BellaBub (Aug 14, 2012)

Pasta and a quick pink sauce. Then some cucumbers and dip on the side.


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## fireweed (Nov 27, 2007)

Tonight we had bruschetta. Chopped up tomatoes, garlic and basil. Added olive oil and balsamic vinegar, s&p, put in on sliced bread and topped with grated parmesan. That took 5 minutes max. Under the broiler for 3 min. Quick & delish.


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## skreader (Nov 19, 2008)

I get some char siu or some roast duck at the wet-market or take-away and wash lettuce.


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## Kaydove (Jul 29, 2010)

Ground turkey cooked with Siracha sauce and rice. If I'm feeling fancy, I mix in a little soy sauce with the ground turkey. My family loves.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## Ragana (Oct 15, 2002)

I see what you all mean by the beans and cooking time now. Well, yup, we eat plain canned beans on top of plain rice & spice it up (and DD2's idea of spicing it up is putting sour cream on it!) with toppings (avocado, cheese, lettuce etc.) and sriracha/salsa.

As for procrastinating and then needing to get dinner done quickly - We don't have a microwave, so I have learned not to procrastinate. For instance, making something frozen always means defrosting a day or two ahead of time, making potatoes means an hour in the oven, etc. Otherwise I make sure I always have pasta and a jar of sauce on hand and make that as my fallback. If I am really tired/worn out/sick of cooking, we do get takeout.


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## tinuviel_k (Apr 29, 2004)

I usually keep some yummy frozen Trader Joes entree stocked in the freezer for just such a purpose.


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *The4OfUs*
> 
> The baking and 15 minutes part launches it into the realm of cooking.
> 
> ...


I've made nachos in the microwave. Takes just a few minutes. nak


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## Thyme Mama (Sep 27, 2010)

Oftentimes what my challenge is, is that I have been doing WAPF stuff all day, but haven't made an actual dinner, and ALL my dishes are in the sink. The "burnt out" part for me is having not the energy to wash dishes AND make food. Slicing cheese, heating up frozen whatever or dishing out food is "making food" when I get to that point.

So I retreat to put up my feet and send the kids into the fridge to forage out a protein and some veggies/fruit. Or maybe to the pantry for some nuts and dried fruit. Whatever. I'm not doing any of it. I'm too burnt out.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

Oh golly, dinner can't get started because the previous mess hasn't been cleaned up- that stinks. This is one thing I'm actually making progress with. Six days a week, it's my kids' job to unpack (before dinner) and pack the dishwasher and 'do' the dinner dishes, and they've gotten reasonably competent at it. So if it's time to start dinner and there are dirty dishes cluttering the work space and there are clean dishes in the dishwasher, I can at least send one of them to unpack the dishwasher so I can get the dishes out of the sink and off the counter. And then I can start dinner.

When they were too little or too slow to be truly helpful, on those nights when I was going to have to do a whole load of dishes just to get started on dinner- well, frequently I just didn't bother. We'd have take-out. Or, I'd power through it anyway, doing dishes and then making a whole dinner, and we wouldn't sit down to eat till 7pm (not good on a school night) and I'd be exhausted and my feet would hurt.

Now I just need to teach them how to cook a few dinners and I won't be the ONLY PERSON MAKING DINNER, AS I HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST 16 YEARS.







Wow, I've never put that together before.


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## CookiePie (Jan 9, 2009)

Some things that I have been known to do salad, yogurt & fruit, cut veggies & hummus, cheese & crackers & fruit, smoothie & toast, tuna sandwiches grilled cheese & a carton of TJ's organic tomato soup....I try to plan crock pot meals when I know I'm going to have a hectic day & not want to cook. But you cannot always plan for those days!


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## Ragana (Oct 15, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *erigeron*
> 
> I've made nachos in the microwave. Takes just a few minutes. nak


I make nachos in our built-in grill (we have a very old stove/oven - works in the oven, too) - super easy and fast. And tasty


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

now that my dd is 10, i feel i have the right to say - hey you're making dinner. i'm good with whatever you make....

when i feel burnt out. and yes i have done it.

we rarely do any processed and no money to eat out.

for me the part of cooking that is tiring is the chopping part.

or if i cook i go for white rice (usually we eat brown), throw it in the rice cooker (i swear i could NEVER live without one) and half way i add some veggies to it, like chopped squash or brocolli.

cheese sandwiches.

omlettes

breakfast foods.

or a big giant tossed salad.

last night dd made a pepper, cucumber, tomato salad with stir fried potatoes, corn, red bell peppers and endamame beans (the beans were frozen).

or a 15 min red lentil soup with quinoa and veggies soup.

when i am tired - its not that i dont have much time before dinner. it means i just dont have the energy in the initial assembly. 15 mins is all i have. so sometimes i'd chop up a bunch of veggies in 15 minutes, put them on a baking tray (cut the slow cooking very fine in my mandolin) and bake/broil them for 15 - 20 mins.

i am lucky that living in CA and having access to local fresh foods means i dont really have to cook and spice too much. the veggies taste real good on their own without much done to them.

we are mostly vegetarians and rarely eat meat.


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## nstewart (Nov 6, 2010)

scrambled eggs with cut up peppers and cheese, and toast

grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup

Tuna melts with tomato

I also keep pre-prepared meals (homemade) in the freezer so I can just pull something out. Soups are great for this, along with "buscuits from the freezer" (pop 'em in the oven frozen and bake) and we do left-overs alot because I just have no interest in cooking every night of the week!


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## WittyNameHere (Dec 21, 2011)

I've become a pro at making Quaker Oats interesting when I have no desire to actually cook for me and my husband. Applesauce and cinnamon. Peanut butter and cocoa powder. Smooshed berries. Oatmeal has become my go-to dinner when I'm not in the mood to move.


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## gonyere (Oct 8, 2012)

Pancakes when DH isn't home. Sometimes eggs & bacon when he is, but usually something slightly more elaborate like spaghetti or tacos or baked chicken, but which are still quite simple.


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## jaam (Sep 29, 2004)

popcorn and smoothies.


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## jane-t-mommy (Mar 24, 2004)

My fav is: open a bag of tortilla chips, warm up a can of refried beans, open a jar of salsa. Dip until I can't dip no more. This can get fancier with cheese, avocado, etc involved, but the basic 3 keep me pretty darned happy.

Popcorn and smoothies...great idea!

Pancakes

grilled cheese

cereal and toast with pb and banana and tea


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## Sol_y_Paz (Feb 6, 2009)

In a huge rush with no time to cook and clean meals or just plain worn out meals are

Homemade popcorn

Can of tuna with pickle slices in tortilla

Eggs and toast

Eggs and spinach in a tortilla

Beans and cheese and any veggies easily available in a tortilla

Peanut butter and bread

Granola, yogurt, fruit


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## kitchensqueen (Feb 20, 2006)

If we have extra cash on hand, we'll order in, but that is exceedingly rare these days. I can think of three meals we go to when we're not up to cooking - pasta with a quick home made marinara (can of tomatoes, wine, onions, garlic, oregano, thyme, pinch of sugar), Thai Noodle Soup or breakfast for dinner (usually scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage; pancakes if we're slightly more ambitious).


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## MountainMamaGC (Jun 23, 2008)

Breakfast for dinner is easy. Pancakes, or toast and eggs. I serve with sliced tomato or fruit on the side.

Scrambling and egg on spaghetti noodles is good too. A little salt and pepper and parm and its good


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## pumabearclan (Nov 14, 2012)

I dislike "cooking." I dislike recipes and fancy foods. Typical meals here always take 30 minutes or less with virtually no preparation.


raw steak with cheese
raw fish with olives and greens
broiled fish with cottage cheese
frozen natural macaroni and cheese with canned tuna
broiled chicken breast with natural frozen lasagna
natural sausage with oven browned potatoes (made ahead of time and frozen)
tuna salad with natural potato chips

All dishes are garnished with butter or marrow, sometimes I add raw egg yolk. The meat is the main portion. The starch side dishes are small, frozen entrees are divided into 2 or more portions.


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## Greenlea (Apr 21, 2010)

Well tonight I'm making soup & grilled cheese as I'm feeling like not cooking already (and my DH will cook the grilled cheese). But I'll make up for it tomorrow on my day off with veggie Swedish meatballs, steamed broccoli, & mashed potatoes.

Also, my DH really doesn't like "not cooking". Like one day I made just baked potatoes for dinner. I had some toppings but apparently that wasn't good enough for him. He likes "substance" he says. So it makes it hard for me when I don't want to cook. I could eat a bagel w/peanut butter & banana for dinner & be fine but he needs "dinner food". It is so aggravating.


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## kitchensqueen (Feb 20, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Greenlea*
> 
> Well tonight I'm making soup & grilled cheese as I'm feeling like not cooking already (and my DH will cook the grilled cheese). But I'll make up for it tomorrow on my day off with veggie Swedish meatballs, steamed broccoli, & mashed potatoes.
> 
> Also, my DH really doesn't like "not cooking". Like one day I made just baked potatoes for dinner. I had some toppings but apparently that wasn't good enough for him. He likes "substance" he says. So it makes it hard for me when I don't want to cook. I could eat a bagel w/peanut butter & banana for dinner & be fine but he needs "dinner food". It is so aggravating.


Oh man, now tomato soup and grilled (dairy-free) cheese sandwiches sound really good! I need to make some soon.

I'm actually similar to your husband with the the dinner thing. I can go for something like breakfast for dinner, but it's got to be a big portion, be hot and be substantial for the evening meal. A sandwich rarely flies with me, and if it does it has to be a hot sandwich - like breaded chicken, with fries. And preferably an appetizer to beef up the meal.


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## MrsBone (Apr 20, 2004)

Tonight I made bacon, acorn squash and kale chips in the oven.. Doesn't sound like not cooking but it was totally easy. Had leftover salad and sliced up a tomato, and bam. Dinner


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## Thursday Girl (Mar 26, 2004)

great thread, I will be copying some recipes down when I have two hands.

one of our quick I don't feel like cooking meals is shrimp, edamame and bread.

I keep 15 minute a day bread dough in my fridge so I just have to shape a loaf, let it rise and toss it in the oven. Then I steam the edamame and boil the shrimp with garlic. very little hands on time.

we also do snack dinners with veggies, dip, crackers, cheese salami or ham or turkey slices, olives, dates, etc.

pasta and nutritional yeast, bragg's liquid aminos and some blanched broccoli all mixed together


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## AndreaJay (Mar 4, 2012)

I have found peanut butter can mask the taste of a lot of things, and therefore in a pinch I can throw together really odd concoctions featuring whatever snuck-in veggies or herbs ! have on hand and it all tastes ok! Healthy and the kids like it- all that matters to me!

Today we mixed a rice-puff cereal with natural peanut butter, chives and a touch of honey and moulded the mix into interesting shapes- fun and easy!

I always keep a vat of peanut butter or almond butter on hand, hummus too, and often our quick meals/snacks involve smearing something on a rice-cake.

Quick oats are great for us too- oatmeal can be mixed with cinnamon, apples, cloves, nutmeg- all sorts of healthy/yummy things.

Cheers!


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