I'd like your absolute laziest meal ideas please

[DivingBoardInGuernsey]

I have an incredibly tough week coming up, where unfortunately huge work deadlines are going to collide with looking after my elderly mum, as well as having DD at home for half-term.

I'm trying to think of ANY shortcuts to get me through it. I'm doing my Tesco order later and would love your very best lazy meal ideas please. Things that you maybe wouldn't eat long term, but will get us through this patch. (I would just order ready meals for a few days, but I have to keep one eye on the salt levels due to blood pressure). Thanks in anticipation!

Tins or cartons of Mediterranean tomato /veg soup of some sort - warm in saucepan then add a packet of ready cooked tortellini filled with ham and cheese or whatever one you like for 5 mins. If you have nice bread that's a really easy dinner.

Fresh pasta penne with a pot of olives/sundried tomatoes stirred through and a pack of cubed feta.

The same toppings can be plonked onto a pizza base or naan bread after spreading on some passata, sprinkle on pre grated mozzarella.

Three of my favourite 10 minute meals:

1. Tuna pasta. Boil pasta, mix in a can of tuna, sprinkle parmesan on top

1. Tuna salad. Mix canned tuna with canned red kidney beans. Chop up green or red onion on top. Maybe add boiled egg for extra protein

1. Caprese salad. Tomatoes (i find cherry works best) and fresh mozzarella. Add fresh chopped basil and a tablespoon of olive oil. Serve with toast

Pizza and salad.
Eggs chips and beans.
Spaghetti carbonara.
Scampi and chips
Omelette a n d salad/chips

Quiche, oven baked mini pots, salad
Oven baked risotto and salad
Fresh pasta and a fresh sauce sauce + salad, garlic bread
Gnocchi instead of pasta with above
Tuna pasta bake or tuna sweetcorn on frozen baked spuds
Scrambled eggs, beans and toast

Chopped red pepper, red onion, aubergine, courgettes, roasted in olive oil with a few garlic cloves. Nice with rice or baked potato, with crumbled feta, or some tahini.

If I’m at home I name a slowwwwww Napoli sauce - it tastes lovely of its cooked slowly, pasta and salad, throw some par-baked rolls in the oven and bob’s your uncle.

Meze stuff - potato tortilla, cubed, with hummus, ciabatta, olives, bag of salad

Pasta mixed with green pesto stir in any of the following optional : sweet corn/peas/olives/tuna/chopped ham/grated cheese. Classic quick student food.

Pasta, a tub of sauce, garlic bread
Pizza & salad
Baked potato (cheese, beans, tuna -whatever you have) and salad
Soup and crusty bread
Omelette and salad
Scrambled egg on toast with baked beans
Cooked deli chicken with new potatoes and veg
Ploughman’s : salad, baguette, cheese, ham & pickles

Quesadillas - two wraps sandwiches round retried beans and grated cheese. Cook both sides in frying pan. Cut into wedges, serve with guacamole dip and salad

@Camomila

gnocchi with butter and cheese pesto and cream cheese pasta with peas oven pizza and bagged salad scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast ready made mash, chicken diapers and green beans

When I'm really tired and the DC have already eaten at DMs I have nice instant noodles (from the world foods aisle) or a hot drink and toast and jam.

I am intrigued by chicken diapers

Fresh pasta, quiche, and frozen things are in my trolley. Plus PIE, top shout.

Microwave rice/quinoa pack. Tescos do a nice seasoned one. Lightly stir fry with egg, or cashews, or halloumi (can roast veg and halloumi in the ice. Then Chuck it in with the rice

At times like these I buy bags of salad and bags of ready prepared veg.

Smoked salmon trimmings, or tuna, and lemon on spaghetti. Broccoli and sweetcorn cooked in with pasta.

I thought the salt levels in ready meals had come down though, especially in the ones with fresh veg

-Buy a whole ready cooked cold chicken in a bag - Sainsburys do these for £5. And it's nice quality chicken, not scrawny or watery. Don't know how they do it for the price but they do. (Please address any ethical concerns to the complaints department; ie not me.) Possibly TMI but you can pull the breast, leg, wing portions apart with hands, it's easy, no chopping required.

The fresh filled tortellini (must be the fresh one). Buy whatever filled ones you like: ham and cheese, spinach and cheese, whatever. Put in a bowl (or big mug) and pour boiling water from the kettle over to cover. Leave for 2 minutes. Drain well. Stir in a little butter and black pepper and dinner is served.

Lots have already been said but I would add

Noodle soup (bung in some pre cut stir fry veg, prawns / tofu and noodles in a stock with some soy sauce, some miso if you have it and whatever else looks feasible from the cupboard. Top with some sliced chilli and spring onion to make it look like it took more than 5 mins)

Chickpea curry - ready made curry paste, frozen pre cut onions, chick peas and whatever other veg needs using up. I then add either a tin of chopped tomato or coconut milk depending on which curry paste it is!

“Fajitas” (basically wraps filled with whatever I can whack in a frying pan and heat with a few spices and some salad)

Don’t forget how good beans on toast are!

Steak with oven chips or rice.

Pasta and pesto

‘Posh’ soup (carton not tin) and frozen garlic bread. Cheese!

Fresh pasta, pesto, peas.

Fishfinger wraps & salad.

Frozen cauliflower cheese - bung in oven. Boil pasta. Mix together put back in for 10 mins- easy pasta bake.

Egg-fried rice - microwave packet rice, add peas, chopped frozen veg (peppers etc), any ham or chicken in the fridge, scramble in an egg & soy sauce. (Extra hot sauce for those that like it).

Pasta primavera, use your favourite pasta, while it’s cooking, stir fry a mix of green vegetables eg, asparagus tips, broccoli florets, sliced courgette, at the end of cooking add some peas, baby spinach leaves, crushed garlic. Drain the pasta & mix with the cooked vegetables, serve with grated cheese. You could make it more creamy by adding cream cheese such as Boursin or Creme Fraiche.

Other a quick meals are chicken Caesar salad with bought cooked chicken, spaghetti carbonara, salmon fillets wrapped in foil & oven baked served with salad, ready made frittata.

Tonight I put a pack of chicken thigh fillets, 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 tin ratatouille, half a jar of harissa paste and a few olives into a dish and baked for 45 minutes. Served it with microwave rice and a sprinkle of cheese.

Carbonara!! Jamie Oliver recipe, delicious and super easy and the best comfort food

Fresh pasta. Already in trolley, sauceof soft blue cheese and cream.

Rich Green veg am be cooked with the pasta.
Just melt the blue cheese and cream together gently
Can add basil, Parmesan and toasted pine kernels

Smear pesto over salmon fillets, wrap in foil and bake. Serve with steamed green veg and pasta/rice /potatoes (i do new potatoes in the microwave)