To ask for ideas for very quick easy meals for after work?

[Dinnertimeagain]

We've got two dc, toddler and school age, dh and I both working. I'm quite recently back at work. Me and dh are both really tired and are putting on weight.

We're just about keeping things ticking over so really don't feel like cooking much after work.

I'll be totally honest, we are not much fans of slow cooker meals, my eldest has a few clubs after school which he loves so quite push for time in the evenings.

Really need ideas that are quick and simple and some tips to get mixed fruit and veg into our diets.

Mixed? More fruit and veg!

Do you like strifries? We have one at least 2-3 times a week.

Packet of ready-prepped stir fry veg.
Straight to wok noodles or microwaveable rice.
Chicken mini fillets, prawns, salmon or whatever.
Seasoning.

15 mins, healthy, only a wok to wash-up. Sorted.

Pre gym, three times a week, we need fast teas which don't bloat you. I tend to do quiche and salad, homemade pizza with mushrooms and tomatoes, egg and spinach on toast, soup, ratatouille (this sometimes goes with sausages) or beans on toast!

Grilled meat, kebabs or burgers, jacket sweet potatoes and salad. Put the spuds on first, they are done in less than half the time of jacket potatoes.
You can prepare kebabs in the morning and leave them in the fridge to marinade. You can also marinade chicken thighs all day. Try light soy sauce, orange, lemon or lime juice, paprika or mild chilli.

Check out Hello Fresh recipes.

They are a company who deliver to your home all the ingredients and recipe cards you need for a quick and healthy dinner.

But it's expensive, so if you go their website, they have all the recipes on there. I've yet to have a bad one. They usually take around 20 - 30 mins to prepare and are always delicious.

I look up 5 for the week, buy all the necessary ingredients, then it's easy peasy to put together for a healthy dinner.

Thank you.

Yes we love stir fry, never think to buy a stir fry pack.

Obvious standards of :

Shepherds pie
Chili con carne
Bolognese

Although they are basically all mince dishes they can be premade at the weekend and refrigerated - all manner of veg can be put in them

Variations on the mince theme would include stuffed peppers, marrow or mushroom.

Macaroni cheese
Various pasta bakes

A saute pan is your best friend when doing meat

Egg and soldiers
With sliced cucumbers or beetroot with olive oil and lemon
Scrambled eggs
Baked salmon with butter and lemon (15 mins to cook plus a 1 min prep)

Bowl of pasta, stir in some pesto when cooked and then add some olives, chopped cherry tomatoes & ham

I have to say the vegetarian ready dishes from Morrisons are outstanding and great to keep in the freezer for emergencies. Packed full of veg and so much nicer than any other premade rubbish. I normally cook from scratch but these are great on days I don't have time to. At the start of the week I'll spend 10 minutes making 6 tubs of salad too so there is always leafy greens, cherry tomato, olives, red onion and sliced peppers pre portioned ready to go with each meal. Normally rice, bean salad or jacket potato/home made wedges (25 mins in oven) with seasoned chicken thigh/pork chop or home made kebab skewers on the side at this time of year. Tonight we had chilli con carne I made earlier in the month with quick rice and pitta. Took 10 minutes 👍

Pasta with pesto and tuna (and I've found you can hide broccoli on the pesto - result!) So tasty and really quick and easy.

Omelette
Microwave jacket spuds
Chunky lentil soup (frozen in portions)

Love a stirfry as a PP mentioned. Hello fresh is good if you can afford, could always shop around the similar companies for their intro offers and build up a small repertoire of recipes. Also really love chucking courgette, pepper, aubergine, onion, sweet potato in a baking dish, brown off some chicken thighs or add some chicken breast, add seasoning and pesto and the like and chuck in the oven. Can prepare that in advance and chuck it in when you walk through the door. we chop up veg and add it to things like bolognese.

@SherlockHolmes oooh that's a good tip, I didn't know you could download the recipes.

Fill the freezer up with lots of frozen veg that you can cook from frozen in a matter of minutes.
Make a cottage or shepherds pie...lasagne .. etc all things you can prep but cook a different day.
Do you have a steamer? I steam chicken and throw some veg and potatoes in.
Make sauces with tomato puree even if you've not got a particular sauce in mind just throw lots of veg and chicken or beef in a pan and add chopped tomatoes and puree.
Try making courgetti as another veg to eat. Get a spiraliser it makes all fruit and veg more exciting!

Yabu.

Ask in the Food/Recipes topic or search in the Food/Recipes topic.

Things like savoury rice are our favourite, just fry up onions whatever veg you like whilst cooking some rice, seasoning and a sauce if you like and throw it all together.
Also things like enchiladas, buy wraps do the same as the rice fry up onions, meat veggies and then wrap them.up and top with sauce and cheese.
All our bases start with frying onions garlic Peppers and whatever veg, you can add coconut milk and chopped tomatoes and spices and you have a curry. All these take 20 minutes ish

I know hounded you don't like the slow cooker but would you use it to cook a whole chicken or a piece of beef lamb. I peel potatoes in the morning so when I come home I just put the potatoes and vegetables on to boil and serve won't the chicken or beef.

You could also have a salad day where you eat a range of cold foods.

Or have a lazy day in the middle of the week and have pizza and make up for it by eating more healthily at the weekends.

Chicken breast cut into strips and marinated the night before (I just do it in olive oil, garlic purée, salt, pepper, mixed herbs and a bit of lemon juice). Griddled and served with pittas and salad, takes about 10 - 15 mins and is really nice.

You say you don't like slow cooked meals, but if you have a slow cooker you could do baked potatoes and add a nice filling when you get home.

You can also do a roast chicken or pulled pork, not just stews.

A slow cooker is great for slow cooker meatballs in a tomato sauce, then you can just do spaghetti and some green veg or salad to go with it. It doesn't taste 'slow cooked' so to speak.

Meatloaf is easy to make in advance and it freezes well in slices or make it in mini loaf tins and freeze. It reheats well and goes with new potatoes or mash and green beans or broccoli and carrots. You can add gravy if you like it.

Falafel (you can buy them ready made), hummus, olives, green salad, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and pita breads.

Cauliflower & broccoli cheese, sausages and mini jacket potatoes, boiled new potatoes, or wedges. You can add other veg to the cauliflower cheese and to macaroni cheese such as cubed carrot, fried mushrooms, sweet corn etc (or cheat and use frozen mixed veg).

Welsh rarebit with a fried egg on top (Buck rarebit) or you could poach the egg, serve with a big salad. This is really quick and tasty for a treat.

Cook some salmon whilst you boil pasta, chuck some small florets of broccoli (or peas) in the pasta midway through cooking, flake the cooked salmon, & drain the pasta and broccoli. Chuck the salmon & drained pasta/broccoli back in the pan on low heat with some half fat creme fraiche, gently stir through, add a handful of grated parmesan, season with black pepper and seasoning salt (Herbamare is nice), serve topped with a little more parmesan and some cooked vegetables (asparagus is nice) or salad.

Chicken satay skewers are easy to make, serve with rice and roasted veg. Coconut rice goes really well with this.