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What's your go-to 'can't think' dinner or tea?

141 replies

BabyLlamaZen · 10/09/2020 15:44

Would love some more ideas especially when I've had a day of it and baby brain.

Mine are:

  • Jar of pesto and pasta (with salad if have any leftover in fridge)
  • Baked potato with beans and/or cheese (again some salad)
  • Dig out some leftovers from the freezer e.g. batch cooked curry
  • Quorn escalopes with some frozen veg
OP posts:
FatCatThinCat · 10/09/2020 18:34

Porridge with sliced banana and nutella.

Chottie · 10/09/2020 18:36

Omelette - takes literally 2 mins

Lunaballoon · 10/09/2020 18:40

Roast cherry tomato and garlic pasta
Prawn (frozen) curry made with a sauce in a jar.
Chick peas and roast aubergine curry.
Pasta carbonara
Pasta in a cream sauce with smoked salmon
Egg and chips

Interested in this thread?

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Mcmole · 10/09/2020 18:43

Roast veg pittas with ready grated mozzarella or hummus

NameChange657 · 10/09/2020 18:59

Honestly? Cereal, a mix of cornflakes and special K with a little honey. My absolute favourite I can't be arsed dinner. Sometimes we do a "picnic" the day before we are due to shop which basically uses up anything and everything in the fridge with a part baked crusty roll. Always ends up being one of my favourite meals too haha

London1066 · 10/09/2020 19:42

Tofu stirfry with rice noodles

Nuggets and chips with peas

Tray of roasted veg with hummus on top (after cooking). Garlic, paprika and turmeric for spices

Baked potato with cheese and beans

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 10/09/2020 20:22

Chorizo and red pepper pasta
Spaghetti carbonara
Sausages, mash, and peas
Scrambled eggs with ham through, grated cheese on top, on toast

VanillaSpiceCandle · 10/09/2020 20:23

Omelette and salad
Baked potato and beans
Pasta and tomato sauce using a tin of tomatoes and whatever veg is hanging around in the fridge
Special fried rice - leftover rice fried up with onion, garlic ginger, soy sauce, leftover veg and leftover cooked meat add a couple of eggs at the end.

pinkbalconyrailing · 10/09/2020 20:24

a bag of doritos, salsa and crudities

Graphista · 10/09/2020 21:54

Cheat's Mac Cheese - cook the macaroni in very little water, just enough to cover it. Don't drain it because that tiny amount of remaining water will be starchy. Put in a hundredweight (ok, quite a lot) of grated cheese, a dollop of butter and stir. Add splashes of milk as needed to slacken the sauce.
One pot, 8 minutes.

Loving this idea, I’m disabled and struggle these days with draining things like pasta. Do you think it would work with cream cheese?

I know you were asking another poster but I eat stir fries a lot - having one now! There are loads of simple recipes online, I can’t eat very spicy food so this works better for me. But you can “cheat” too by always having in sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce (both work fine alone for a simple flavour) white vinegar, spices etc and just creating your own.

Eg I do my own satay sauce (well a very much bastardised version) with just peanut butter, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, lazy garlic, cumin, coriander and a dash of lime juice sorry cant give quantities as do it all by eye/instinct

But I must admit I like the sachets too.

I use straight to wok noodles or cous cous too can’t be faffed with rice.

As ever on these threads there are some that do NOT sound like cba dishes at all!

If I REALLY cba to cook it’s something on toast - usually dairylea, cheese and crackers (possibly with olives, some cherry tomatoes etc to bump up healthiness), a bowl of cereal or...

...awaits mn shocked gasp

Tinned meals - I’m veggie so veggie versions but ravioli, mac cheese, spag Bol, tinned curry, tinned chilli....

Basically ready meals but longer shelf life!

Pot snacks too - pot noodle, pot pasta

But I’ll “zhoosh” them up in various ways - was debating starting a thread on this.

Eg add garlic and basil to pasta based ones, sweet chilli or soy sauce to curry type ones, add certain veggies depending on the dish, sliced mushrooms or tinned peas or sweetcorn, dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche on the chilli and maybe some suitable sides...

Another go to of mine - quick cous cous, just pour out the cous cous, add peas, corn, sliced mushrooms, add the boiling water leave to absorb, add soy or sweet chilli sauce or just butter and lazy garlic stir and serve

DinosApple · 10/09/2020 22:03

Baked spuds,
Pasta and pesto,
Stuffed tortellini and sauce,
Egg, chips and peas,
Spag bol, chili con carne and tuna pasta bake etc.

I cook for a supremely unappreciative audience - I'm buggered if I'm putting any more effort in when I'm exhausted!

DinosApple · 10/09/2020 22:04

Alway use frozen ready chopped onions too!

dementedma · 10/09/2020 22:09

If just me, toast or sandwich.
If dcs then pasta of some sort, jackets and toppings or chippy.
Carbs R us.

JadesRollerDisco · 10/09/2020 22:13

Pasta, tomato sauce (from a jar), grated cheese, or pasta pesto

Chicken nuggets/burgers with potato waffles/smiles and corn cobs/ tinned sweet corn/peas

Fish finger sandwiches with American cheese slices and tartare sauce, or bacon and egg sandwiches

Tomato soup and cheese toasties

Rotisserie chicken with salad and coleslaw

JadesRollerDisco · 10/09/2020 22:14

Cheese and crackers with fresh or pickled veg, any crisps or dips, cold cuts etc

EarlGreywithLemon · 10/09/2020 22:14

Eg I do my own satay sauce (well a very much bastardised version) with just peanut butter, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, lazy garlic, cumin, coriander and a dash of lime juice sorry cant give quantities as do it all by eye/instinct.
That sounds great!

cravingthelook · 10/09/2020 22:17

Spicy bean burger in a wrap with salad.

Fish finger sarnies

Quick pasta with a sauce made from anchovies, olives and tomatoes

Steak salad

cravingthelook · 10/09/2020 22:18

Oh and a Spanish inspired dish which is just cubes fried potato, peppers, chorizo and scramble eggs through it

SylvanianFrenemies · 10/09/2020 22:21

Fajitas (red onion, chicken, peppers and baby corn; refried beans; avocado).

cravingthelook · 10/09/2020 22:21

@doadeer I make pizzadilla... which is essentially a cross between a pizza and a quesadilla 😁 youngest loves them, totally easy for me

Brea91 · 10/09/2020 22:21

Quorn southern fried bites and sweet potato fries.

SallySeven · 10/09/2020 22:23

Sausage, onion, lentils, carrot, herbs/spices in tomato sauce. Frozen spinach stirred in 5 minutes from end. Serve with pasta or rice.

For a quick solution on arriving home late beans on toast plus grated cheese on top.

OntheWaves40 · 10/09/2020 22:25

Toast

Beans on toast

Spaghetti on toast

Egg on toast

And when I want to pretend to myself I’m having a healthier option, veg lasagne ready meal.

MintyMabel · 10/09/2020 22:30

Fish finger sandwich.

doadeer · 10/09/2020 22:32

[quote cravingthelook]@doadeer I make pizzadilla... which is essentially a cross between a pizza and a quesadilla 😁 youngest loves them, totally easy for me[/quote]
Oooh please share!