Dinner ideas that are quick/low effort but not junk

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We've recently started a business which means we spend a lot of weekends travelling around the country (from either Wednesday or Thursday - Sunday typically) attending trade shows and country fairs etc.

We are both struggling to think of things to have on a Sunday night when we get home - we'll be working on the Sunday daytime, and will get back after the shops have closed at about 6ish or later.

When we get back, there's also lots of work to do (unhitching the trailer/unpacking bags/putting stock away etc) so want something we can just put in the oven or can be ready quickly.

I should add, we only have a small freezer so pre-making a lasagna or something isn't really an option, and we won't have chance in the day to go to a shop as we'll be working. We also don't want to rely on fast food and takeaways as stopping at the services with our trailer etc is a bit of a nightmare!

My current ideas are:

• Chicken burgers
• Ravioli pasta with a sauce
• Pizza and salad

Marry Me butter beans, I usually put spinach in towards the end, with Parmesan. It's delicious and very quick

Get a slow cooker. You can leave it on all day. No cooking when you get in unless you need to add rice or pasta

This is simple but nutritious -

Big oven proof dish
Chuck in a packet of sausages or chicken thighs
Cut up veg and chuck it in - onions, tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, courgettes
Dress it in oil, S&P and either herbs or spices

Stick it in the oven and toss it at 20mins, then again at 40 - it will be pretty much done at 40.

You get protein and vegetables cooked in their own juices and once the prep is done, you can leave it and do other things.

Nigel Slater's book Real Fast Food has lots of ideas for quick food that isn't junk - worth a look.

Chicken kievs. Get chicken breasts slit and put Philadelphia and garlic in. Coat in breadcrumbs bake in oven for 20 mins.

roast chicken and jacket potatoes. As soon as you get home put the chicken and potatoes in the oven. Do all your unpacking ect the in 2 hours a nice hot meal

Slow cookers are your friend
Also stir fry (Tesco do a deal for 5 pound).

Pasta bakes. No need to pre-cook the pasta. Just throw pasta, chopped veg if you have any (or frozen peas and sweetcorn) into a dish with some protein. You can use tinned - tuna, salmon, corned beef, ham/spam, or I usually have frozen pre-cooked chicken for this very purpose.

Add a jar of ready-made sauce or some passata, top with grated cheese, put it in the oven on medium for about 45 minutes.

I also batch-cook a ragu with beef or turkey mince as you can portion it into sandwich bags and it doesn't take up much room in the freezer. Use that for a pasta bake too.

My other go-to is jacket spuds.

They're leaving the house on Wednesday, a slow cooker is not going to help here!

Chickpea curry- chop onion and fry off with some onion and ginger (I used the jarred stuff to make it quick), add a a couple of tablespoons of curry paste, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of chickpeas (including the water) and simmer for 10 mins then add in some spinach. Serve with yogurt/creme fraiche and a naan bread.

Chicken chow mein. I strip and chunk chicken thighs (you can have these in freezer ti defrost as needed) a simple chow mein pouch sauce and quick cook noodles. Wok cook, takes me 15 minutes. Add any veg you like if its hanging around.

My latest quick and easy dinner is to put whatever veggies are lying around in a saucepan with some stock and seasonings — most fresh or frozen veggies will work - then chuck in a few frozen gyoza when the veggies are pretty much cooked through. It doesn’t take long to make and it feels fresh and healthy

The quickest meal I do is steak cooked with cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, and served with carrot and swede mash (bought ready made). The 5.5 mins the mash takes to heat in the microwave is the time it takes to prepare and cook the steak.

i did read your update about being away but I think this is still relevant. I slow cooker something most weeks that will do a few different meals and just reheat with a different carb.
so this week was bbq chicken thighs, these can be eaten with rice (from a rice cooker so it involves no effort), rolls, chips, jackets etc. I will then do a mix of that for a few meals.
great for busy nights when different people are in and out.

other ideas are
marry me chicken (with thighs again)
currys
beef stew - Yorkshire puddings, fresh bread, mash. As the carbs.
bolognaise
Greek lamb or chicken - wraps, rice, chips
fajitas - wraps, rice, chips.

I bought a mini slow cooker & rice cooker from Lakeland. It’s great, i reheat the original slow cooker dinner in the slow cooker, put in the rice (or frozen mash) in the mini one. And it’s all done without thinking or any effort.

microwave steam bags of veg are great, or the prepped frozen veg

I find stir fry really good for this ,

Using things you can store before leaving on Wed:

The spag carbonara - a favourite of ours in any case!

An adaptation of a BBC Good Food tray bake: Quantities are adjustable. It almost takes longer to read than to execute. With good sausage it garners compliments.

Preheat oven to 180C. Slice 1 med onion into crescents, core 1 fennel bulb and slice similarly, and slice one red or yellow bell pepper thinly. Microwave the fennel for about 45 sec. Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic. Toss all of this with just enough oil to moisten, salt and pepper. (I use EVOO) Then either toss generously with dried oregano or tuck several branches of fresh marjoram or oregano in, and spread out in baking pan.

Bake 10min

Add sausages; we use 2 med-large per person. Prick each with a fork in a couple of places. Bake 10 min, turning sausages after 5 min.

Add one tin pureed tomatoes and one tin rinsed white beans, plus one cup liquid that is chicken broth, white wine or a mixture. Add more liquid if not slightly soupy. Bake about 10-15 min longer until heated through and bubbling

Important Let rest with the oven off for 8-10 min so flavours can meld. This is a BBC suggestion that makes a big difference.

We serve over white rice. This needs only salad and cheese or fruit and cheese to make a meal.

Only skimmed the thread so apologies if this has been suggested.

The Rukmini Iyar Roasting Tin books have lots of ideas for one pan traybakes where you throw the veg and protein in the pan and oven roast for 30 or 60 minutes. She has lots of interesting combinations and they are packed full of veg, protein and healthy fats.

If you have stuff to sort out when you get home, you could start the prep when you walk through the door, shove it in the oven, sort everything out then dinner is ready when you've finished.

Frozen ready prepared veg would make the prep quicker but the cook time a little longer. My mum is a big fan of frozen veg - peppers, mushrooms, squash, even onions, plus the little frozen cubes of garlic, ginger, chilli - cuts out waste and saves fiddly preparation.

The Quick Roasting Tin (New) | Rukmini Iyer | 9781529110067 | Awesome Books

Edit I should have said, it is best to mix the chopped rather than pureed tomatoes, the white beans and the liquid together, then add to the baking pan.

Pasta and pesto
pork shoulder steaks done in oven with potatoes / rice and salad / veg - takes about 20 mins
stir fry meat and veg with noodles
omelette
salad
batch cooked stews / casseroles / curry
brocolli is quick to steam
Frozen peas / sweetcorn 5 mins in microwave
pan fried lamb / beef steaks

Fajitas / tacos are really quick to make. You can also prepare the meat and veg the day before, so you just have to reheat and add to wraps with guacamole / salsa / cheese toppings.

If you don't mind a bit of cooking then egg fried rice is one we keep for busy nights. We either used leftover cooked rice or packet rice, veg is whatever we have in the fridge cut small / grated. Cook everything on high heat until the veg are cooked, add some grounded ginger and garlic granules, some soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Then push everything to the side, scramble a couple of eggs, mix everything: done.

This all sounds delicious!

However as a point of food safety, OP is away for four days and you should use refrigerated, leftover rice within 48 hours, ideally 24 hours.
No one should come home after four days away and use old rice.

We learnt this from the chemotherapy nurses at famous NHS cancer hospital Some were like ‘only eat foods that have been boiled to death’ and others took the attitude ‘easy on the caviar and raw oysters’. But they all said no leftover rice ever during treatment. Who would have guessed?

Pittas or wraps - can tikka marinate if you have time or just buy goujons/satay sticks when you don’t, stick in a wrap with mint yoghurt and lettuce

katsu curry, when I need a cheat meal, I buy katsu paste, goujons, coconut milk and boil in the bag rice. Mix katsu with c.milk and takes 3 mins while the rest cooks on hob/air fryer for 10 mins. I add salad.

do your one pots when things not so busy and double up portions for freezing.

pork chops take 15 mins in air fryer. Microwave mash / tinned potatoes and tinned/frozen vegetables. Dates on chops can be 8 days fresh.

Fresh tortellini & pasta sauce - 2 for £3 in most supermarkets. 5 mins on hob

Baked potatoes. You can part bake, wrap in foil, refrigerate and then finish baking when you get home.

Boil and shred chicken breasts and keep in the fridge. You can have this with a salad or with your BP, and in sandwiches.
Omelettes - lots of low fuss add in options

Old Rice is hideous. My entire work department was taken out one Christmas after we ate rice, only 2 staff members didn’t eat it and made it to work, the rest of us got food poisoning. The restaurant had clearly reheated it or left it out for ages. I’ve binned left over rice since.

Baked potatoes with whatever you want. My favourite quick tea is beans and cheese on a jacket potato. Depending on how hungry we are I have some fish on the side or some cream cheese and smoked salmon on top with a side salad.