Very low effort meals needed

[IsaBisaBuildsaBoat]

I have ME/CFS and have just realised I need to be more strategic about time spent in the kitchen. I need to reduce effort as much as possible, basically. Shame, as I enjoy cooking (sometimes) and have resisted making this change for too long. I use a perching stool so I can sit while I chop but still, the lower effort the better.

I need to change my shopping habits to include more preprepared frozen veg, frozen steam rice, more family size ready meals, and incorporate more dishes that are like 'dump the jar on the chicken beasts and walk away for forty minutes'.

So, please share your low effort tips. I would really really appreciate it.

It was ridiculously easy. Would say great for kids who like mild flavours
I want to try and bump it up a bit so thinking of adding some mustard to the milk or some herbs etc

Probably already been said:

Slow cooking is super easy. Just stand a whole chicken or gammon on a couple of potatoes and walk away. BBC Good Food have a great beef and vegetable casserole recipe which I also do the slow cooker. It's only mince I pre-cook, so I can drain the fat off, but you could do that the night before and leave in the fridge. Cook a massive portion and freeze the extra.

For easy roast potatoes just put salad potatoes in a roasting dish with some oil and cook for about 40mins. No pre-boiling needed and they don't need peeling or chopping either.

We like Maggi So Juicy packets too, just shove chicken into the bag with the spices and cook.

Emergency frozen pizza is also good

My mum makes nobody pasta bake. I think she uses the Pasta Bake jars off the shelf - they are a concentrated sauce which you pour over pasta and then fill the jar with water and pour that over. I guess the principle is the same... Add fluid for the pasta to absorb.

Bacon lardons/pancetta cubes are great for adding to stuff for flavour.

My favourite quick, easy recipe is pasta carbonara:

Put pasta on to boil. Fry lardons/pancetta with garlic till crispy then pour onto kitchen towel and pat to absorb excess oil. Beat 4 eggs and chuck in half a pot of grated Parmesan and the bacon and garlic.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and then stir in the egg mixture over a low heat. When it's just about to set, pour in a small pot of single cream and stir.

Delicious and only a frying pan and a saucepan to wash up.

Thanks everyone again. Making dinner tonight (chicken breasts in sauce, micro rice, sweet potato wedges with piri piri spices, steamed veggies) I just made loads more chicken and sweet potato than I needed to. So I have enough for lunch and dinner tomorrow or the next day. I used two pans for the chicken and did them in two different sauces so we don't get bored.

Hi all,

Just letting you know that we're moving this thread over to our Food and Recipes topic, here so it doesn't disappear.

Will be back on later with a recipe before anyone tells me off...

What a great thread! Bumping it up for OP, seems to have stopped over Christmas.

This is a super easy oven bake recepie.

Get a big roasting tin and tip in frozen green beans (enough for a generous portion however many people you are cooking for) and a pack of charry tomatoes. Add in a few kalamatra olives (waitrose does small ones without any stones). Add in a couple of tablespoons of capers, a generous slug of oil, salt and pepper and give it a rub.

Then do one white fish fillet per person, rub with oil and a grind of pepper. Put on a anchovy fillet on each cod fillet and also a slice of lemon on top of the cod.

Bing in the oven at 180 for 15 to 20 mins. Eat with crusty bread.

It's seriously delicious and very limited prep and washing up as its all in one pan.

Few handfuls of olives.

Hollinhurst that pasta bake is on my list for tomorrow! Might try a glug of soy sauce in the mixture. It's my go-to "flavour" when I can't quite put my finger on what's needed.

Only just found this so,place marking for now and will add some recipes tomorrow

Place marking for ideas 😊

I meant not !

This is a fab thread thank you

Place marking and throwing in a recipe too:

Mix well together 2-3 tabs of apricot jam and 2-3 tabs mayonnaise (or more - you need to judge how much sauce you need).
Add in 3-4 chicken breast fillets (I usually cut them up - with scissors - but you don't have to) and coat well.

In oven at 180 for 40 mins or until cooked. Mixture should look browner.

Delicious with new potatoes and frozen peas.

(Often prepare this in the morning before work - can leave in fridge covered, set timer to come on to heat oven so that you walk in and put dish straight in to cook)

This thread is amazing

I'm going to add one too.

Put how ever many chicken breasts in a casserole dish, add a chopped courgette, a generous few bunches of fresh rosemary and add a tin of chopped toms, a good squeeze of tomato purée and top up with chicken stock to cover the chicken. No need to pre-fry anything and courgettes are easy to chop.

Bung in oven at 180 for 45 mins.

Serve with new potatoes rolled in oil and sprinkle of salt and also put in oven to roast for 30-45 mins. Steamed veg on the side if you like too.

Put pasta on to boil, then fry some pancetta with garlic, add some frozen spinach to pasta water.
Then add cream or mascarpone to bacon and garlic. Drain pasta/spinach and combine with creamy garlicky bacon mix. Add Parmesan if you like but not necessary. Also is good with either mushrooms or corgettes. Super quick and easy but very tasty.

Thanks for this thread! Had seen it a while back and was interested. But this week my DC started in daycare, and both my DH and I are working fulltime. We're dooing recipe no.1 right there at the top today which chicken in bacon . Thank you for the thread Isa (and still waiting for the recipe DawnMumsnet)

One from me. This [[http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2041/tangy-couscous-salad]Tangy Couscous Salad] is what I made yesterday. I relally like it and very quick.

Sorted out the link for you hollinhurst84

Tangy Couscous Salad

Sorry - link was sorted for araminem !! now where are my glasses?

Thanks whoreandpeace and oops for not realising when I posted.

OP here. Delighted there are even more recipes!