Low effort meal ideas?

[crazypenguinlady]

I'm back in work next week after maternity leave so want just some easy meals to throw together. But I'm at a loss of what to make?

We are having chippy tea on Sunday as a treat and I have two frozen homemade portions of chilli for another night but no idea what to make the rest of the week.

Any ideas for some low effort meals I can throw together? It's just for me and DP as DS will have purees already made.

Pasta for the win

Look out for the Heinz creations range at the supermarket, probably near the baked beans. Accompany with rice or pasta.
Scrambled egg, wilted spinach and toasted bagel. A dash of tobacco or herbs to liven it up.
Veg and prawns stir fried with a packet of stir fry sauce, or just some sesame oil and chilli flakes.
Tuna mayo and sweet corn jacket potato.

Fritatta - broccoli and feta goes down well here. Just fry and season thinly cut broccoli, pour beaten eggs with feta mixed in on top, top with cheese (and sliced tomato if you like) cook on the hob and finish under the grill. Filling. Could serve with salad leaves.

Stir fry and noodles - prawns are quick and you can buy bags of stir fry veg.

Pesto pasta - could add spinach, onions or peas or any veg really to make it more.

Cheats macaroni cheese - cook macaroni, drain and return to pan, add some creme fraiche and grated cheese, season and heat gently. Lovely cheesey sauce. Nice with grainy mustard added.

Ooh and gnocchi is ridiculously quick if a bit indulgent to be eaten often.

I eat low carb now so drooling a bit at my ideas haha

And try Birds Eye's cheesy fish finger and leek pie!

Chuck two punnets of cherry tomatoes, a dash of dried mixed herbs, garlic salt and six sausages in an oven dish. Pour in a very generous amout of oil and balsamic vinegar and mix it all tgether. 40 mins in the oven and serve with crusty bread and butter.

www.tinnedtomatoes.com/2013/10/spinach-and-coconut-dal.html?m=1

This is dead easy and freezes well so you can make enough for three dinners for the two of you.

One of my favourite low effort dinners:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2818/ovenbaked-risotto-

Curry made with a jar of sauce it really quick and easy. You can have a great veggie one in about ten minutes...

I just open a jar, add frozen spinach, quorn chicken pieces, a tin of chick peas and spring onions. Then head until everything is hot. Paneer is lovely in it too and only takes a couple of minutes to grill and add. Serve with naan bread and/or rice.

Stir fry
Jacket potatoes ( done in the microwave)
Tray bakes, so things like chicken breast, diced potatoes and veg all seasoned and cooked in the oven
Pasta with pesto
Pasta bake
Bolognese (frozen diced onions make this quicker )
Curry (use either jarred sauce or paste with coconut milk )
Fajitas
Omelette
Carbonara
burgers

for pasta boil a kettle and then pout the water into the pan and straight on the hob, makes cooking much quicker.
frozen mash, onions, sliced peppers etc makes life a lot easier and quicker
Morrisons do a fajita mix in the freezer section, it is so tasty and cooks quick and easy.
puff pastry pizza, just top ready made puff pastry with whatever you fancy, I like goats cheese, onion chutney and olives.

Fry a pack of ready diced chicken in a wok, when cooked add a pack of ready chopped stir fry veg and ready made sauce, then microwave some 2 minute microwave rice to go with it.

Wrap 2 fish fillets in foil with some lemon juice and pepper, bake for about 12 minutes (according to pack instruction). Boil a pack of ready diced mixed swede and carrots, add butter and whizz in a blender (baby will also like this). Serve with bagged salad.

Wrap some potatoes in foil and bake them for an hour in the evening/when you have time. Then they can be reheated (10 mins?) next dinner time and served with ready made coleslaw, ready made hummous, cheese, beans etc.

Basically I am heavily reliant on pre-chopped veg based things, since that's what takes a lot of time at home and factories do it by machine so it's cheap to buy ready chopped.

Fish fillet of your choice dipped in a mix of yoghurt and curry paste, mango chutney spread on top and baked in the oven. Serve with a pouch of microwaved rice and veg.
Chicken breast chunks dusted with Cajun spices and threaded with peppers, cherry toms and red onion to wooded skewers and cooked under the grill.
Baked sweet potatoes (baked the night before and reheat if short on time) with coleslaw, cheese, tuna mayo etc
Tuna pasta
Ready made falafels with pitas and salad

tortilini or taglietelle with one of those little dolmio stir in tubs

couple of fillets of fish in dish,pour over chilli dipping sauce and a few spring onions and peppers.cooks serve with rice.

frittata

pasta bakes.

farro salads

tray bakes potatos.onions.in pan with any meat some stock if you please cook.oven cook.

stir fried rice or noodles.
cook a whole chicken the night before then you can keep it in the fridge and either have it hot the next day or serve with a ncie jacket and salad.and then with the rest wrip into chunks for a meal
you could do this with chicken breast.just cook in the evening then put in fridge the dice up for pies.stir frys easy things the next day.

This is why I love MN

Some of these are perfect, thanks for the suggestions guys?).