When you really want to get takeaway but can't...what do you do?

[ohdearlord]

I do meal plans and lists and budgets. I usually really enjoy cooking, and can follow a recipe to reasonable effect. But some days, with all the preparation and intent in the world, it is.just.not.going.to.happen. And then I really, truly want to call for takeout and blow the above budgeting and so on.

So what do you all keep in for those "it's just not going to happen tonight" nights?

Sorry...what's S and b? Otherwise that sounds perfect!

You need this

That book looks grand. I think it probably shouldn't, but it does :-)

Thanks NatashaBee...I'll have a look on amazon and see what I can find!

oyster sauce and chinese 5 spice stirfry what ever is left over.

I often have taccos or wrapps and so make chilli or fahitta wraps same ingridents as chilli, tin toms and chilli powder, garlic etc used for mince or chicken or turkey.

I do hot dogs in rolls on those really cant be arsed nights. with frozen corn cobbs and cowboy beans. mixed bean tin salad and bbq sauce.

£1 pepperoni pizza from asda and salt and pepper chicken wings from icelands.

chiplotta sausages, green (tin) lentills and fryed red onion.

i always batch cook aswell, so those heat up in microwave (dont have one) or oven evenings we can have:

curry, rice, chipatis and make a nice onion salad

pre frozzen jakets so re heat in oven with pre frozen chilli.

chicken goujon (heat in oven) wraps with salad.

fish and chips

s'fried chichen pre breaded and frozen or shp bought.

any turky or pork escolops, with chips and frozen corn or green beans.

carbonara is my best cant b arsed dinner. boil spagetti. fry garlic, mushrooms, bacon and/or chicken stir in cooked spagetti then 4 eeg yolks or a spoon of philli or 1 egg and half tub of single cream, either of these needs plenty of paramasan.

my dds fav is also beef or mushroom stroganoff, rump staek cut into tinny peices and/or mushrooms and 2 garlic cloves fryed together add red oxo cube, boil taglatelli pasta or wild rice. stirr in sour cream them rive or pasta.

another solution is use slow cooker. prep in mornimng then dish up anything at tea time with little or no effort.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I'm going to print this and stick it on the fridge! I get so frustrated with myself for blowing the budget on takeout but there are nights when I just can't stand up!

Have just tried the curry sauce from the book. It's quite good, although needed more sugar than the recipe states as it was rather bitter. Also need some 'normal' strength chilli - our's is for indian curries so it's a bit fierce.

Pitta pizzas - spread pitta bread with red pesto, top with thinly sliced bits and pieces (olives, red onion, peppers, jarred artichokes, whatever) then top with either mozerella (I buy the Sainsbo's basics) or whatver other cheese you've got. Drizel with a drop of oil, scatter over some crushed garlic and a few chilli flakes and cook until bubbly. Eat with rocket and balsamic vinegar.

Mattar paneer - for when you really fancy Indian takeaway but can't afford it. Buy paneer from Sainsbo's (it lasts for ages in the fridge). Cube the paneer and fry it until golden all over. Put to one side. Fry a finely chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic until soft but not coloured. Add a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a teaspoon turmeric, some fresh or frozen or even ground ginger and some chilli flakes. Add frozen peas, bit of water, a few chopped tomatoes if wished, or a bit of tomato puree or neither. Cook until the peas are almost tender then stir the paneer in and warm through. Eat with minty yoghurt and ready made naan.

Qesadillas - get a tortilla wrap. Cover it with grated cheese, chopped spring onions, chopped red chilli, finely chopped red onion, whatever. Whack another tortilla on top and press together. Fry for a few minutes on each side. Gorgeous with fresh salsa.

Thai curry with a bought paste is stupidly quick and easy.

Oh there's loads.

Slices of white bread, tinned tomatoes, cheese under the grill.

so many variations on the bread theme - I love tomato paste, spinach tinned sardines, with halloumi cheese on top grilled. takes like 2 seconds.

If you have more time do the broccoli anchovies pasta recipe from Mumsnet - add the garlic and chili that one poster suggested. Seriously - it takes like fifteen minutes to make.

I tend to fall back on supermarket pizzas on those nights. DH, DS1 & DS2 can't get enough of pizza for some reason so it works well in our house. I also like beans on toast with either a fried egg or grated cheese on top - very simple & no real cooking involved. Makes a nice change IMO!

Pancakes with savoury bits
Bacon and egg
If have asparagus do this...

Cook pasta
Put asparagus in roasting tin with splash of olive oil and lots of strips of cut up pancetta. Roast for 10 mins.
Sling in cut up cherry tomatoes, roast for 5 more mins.
Get all out, stir in cooked pasta and basil leaves if you have them.
Eat.
Do smelly wees later.

On those kind of nights we tend to have bacon, egg n oven chips

I have been known to mix veggie hot dog sausages and a tin of sweetcorn into pasta and slather with cheese - unfortunately dd1 will no longer eat such rubbish!

Fried eggs, homemade wedges (if dp will wash the potatoes) and frozen peas - yum.

Beans on toast. With some grated cheddar if I can be arsed and some freshly ground black pepper if I'm feeling it needs to be a bit more gourmet

I usually have mashed potatoe in freezer. I have that, with beans. If I'm feeling mildly energetic, instead of just heating the beans I'll fry some onion/bacon/chorizo/frankfurters with it and then pour over microwaved mash.

If it's not so much the comfort of takeaway I'm looking for, just the convenience and lack of cooking, then we have fish fingers cooked from frozen with frozen vegetables and, if they're lying around, new potatoes. Zero effort. 20 minutes. Decent meal. We've also got crumbed chicken breasts in freezer for the same purpose.

Oh, and if I feel like comfort food and have some time/energy to cook I fry bacon with mushrooms/courgettes/onion and garlic, chilli and lemon zest. Splash of wine. Spoon of plain yoghurt/cream cheese. Stir. Pour over cooked pasta. Slather with salt, pepper and parmesan. Eat. Comfort in the time it takes to boil a pot of spaghetti.

I cook pasta, mix in extra virgin Olive Oil, grated cheese and sprinkle with black pepper. Quick, easy and very tasty.

Baked potato with beans and grated cheese. Glass of milk and some fruit afterwards. It's not too bad a meal.
Pasta with pesto from a jar and salad from a bag. One son won't eat that. When I'm feeling utterly shameless he gets tinned spaghetti instead!

Or oven chips and fish fingers/poached eggs and frozen mixed veg or just peas, cooked in the microwave. We have a meal like that about once a week when I just run out of steam and want to do nothing but shove something someone else made in the oven and watch ancient reruns of Location location.

allrecipes.com/recipe/marinated-baked-pork-chops/ I've done this twice this week, once in the oven with pork chops and in the slow cooker with beef. I served the beef with special rice, peas etc and it was delicious. However am quite easily pleased due to living in Italy with no take aways other than pizza and hard to comy by ingredients that aren't italian. I think it would be nice with chicken and cashew nuts too.