What are your best quick and virtually no prep meals?

[Flimp]

I've gone right off cooking. I used to spend hours poring over cook books and recipe sites but now I just have zero tolerance for any thinking or faff or time spent on my meals. I cannot be ARSED.

I also work from home within school hours so I only have about five hours a day to get my stuff done. I love my job and wish I could work more, so I really don't want to lose even 15 minutes to chopping a bloody salad or whatever for lunch.

But unfortunately I seem to be living on noodles or toast/sandwiches (which I don't even like).

So any ideas for more interesting quick fix stuff?

Stuff like - bung a chop in the oven - yes.
Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower - yes.
Stir pesto into pasta - yes.
Naice curry sauce onto chicken - yes.
pour boiling water into Shin Cup Noodle - yes

avery I might mean cannelloni beans!

Ooh hadn't thought of adding mushrooms and peppers but will try that.

It's a meal that can be breakfast, lunch or tea.

Flimp

Agree with you about shop-bought soups, even the high end ones taste wierd to me too ... .

You can buy automated soup makers I believe but unless they actually chop veg for you (not sure but don't think so) I am not sure where the time saving element comes in. Although frozen and fresh pre-chopped veg would help I guess.

Cook pasta. Cook frozen mix of sweetcorn and peas in separate pan. Drain pasta, mix with peas/sweetcorn and as much cream cheese as you dance. Add shed loads of parmesan cheese and serve with salad

Ready pouches of rice (microwave ones). Try frozen onion and chopped up chicken or other easy protein (veggie sausages for us), add tablespoon of curry paste and frozen mixed veg. Add rice pouches and heat through. Really quick and easy spicy rice dish

Cheese, avocado and tomato toastie.

Thick bread lightly toasted, cram as much of the fillings in as you can.

Post-run lunch. Love it every time.

Just remembered, I make this Dahl loads. It freezes and can be made with store cupboard stuff in 20 mins. Lovely with added chick peas and a boiled egg on top.

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

If you are working from home baked potatoes or sweet potatoes are ideal. Literally put them in themoven and get on. Serve with beans and cheese, chilli, tuna, coleslaw.
Frozen Tuna steaks on a baking tray with plenty of rock salt and black pepper and a good glug of balsamic. Bake for 15 mins and serve with bagged salad and crusty bread.
Cod fillets sprinkled with curry powder and then spread with mango chutney and baked.
Aitrose bag of roasted med veg, heat in a frying pan with chopped chorizo. Crack in a load of beaten eggs for a simple Spanish omelette.

Put heated leftover chilli in the middle of a tortilla. Fold over the sides to cover the chilli. Top with grated cheese. Grill till cheese bubbles.

Really easy and really good.

Roasted leftover sweet potatoes make a great soup too. Add onion, coconut milk and maybe some curry paste.

A big pot of stew will last 2 days. Takes 15 minutes to prep veg, fry beef, onion and leek. I use diced beef, 3 onions, a leek, a large courgette, 3 carrots, 1 finely diced parsnip and 3 potatoes, 4 beef stock cubes - salt and pepper to taste (usually only needs pepper as stock cubes are v salty). You can add lentils if you like. All done in a big stock pot. This feeds 4 for 2 big meals, it tastes even lovelier the next day as it’s been sitting there “stewing”. I zip my son’s up in the blender because he likes it as soup. Lots of bread and butter.

Some really fab ideas here, thank you again!

you've also inspired me to make a lentil and bacon soup which I will now portion up for the freezer. It's blummin GORGEOUS too.

I've just loaded the slow-cooker with frozen chopped onion, frozen mixed peppers, defrosted chicken pieces, frozen garlic, 1/2 can chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, cooking chorizo sausages cut into chunks, herbs & seasoning - took about 10 minutes. If you haven't a SC it can be done in a normal saucepan on very low heat.

The frozen onion etc. is the key to quickness and when you can't face too much kitchen activity.

Meal prep a bunch of dinners:

Buy a pack of chicken breast portions/your choice of fish
Lay out squares of baking paper (if you can get the foil-backed stuff they have in Wilko, this is even better)
Put your protein on the foil
Top with some relatively quick cooking veg - peppers, any baby veg, halved cherry tomatoes, green beans, sliced courgette
Drizzle over a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper, fresh herbs/slice of lemon if you've got them.
Crimp the packet up around the top like a cornish pasty
IMPORTANT BIT - label them!
Put on a tray in the freezer

When you're ready to cook, cook from frozen for about 30 minutes in a hot oven until it's piping hot throughout. Serve with whatever carb you like.

babybat Are you saying to cook the chicken from frozen in 30 mins? I though cooking frozen chicken was a big no no......but am happy to be corrected.

Only Yes, I cook them from frozen - it might be a bit more like 40 minutes, depending on your oven, and I use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature before I serve it. But if you roast the chicken in the foil packet the it roasts and all the juices mean it stays nice and moist. You can take them out of the freezer to defrost in the morning if you're organised, but I've found they cook from frozen just fine. I wouldn't do it with bone-in joints or a whole bird, but breast fillets work well.

Thanks baby that might just change my life!,

Corned beef stew.peel and chop raw potatoes add cubes corned beef and whatever veg u like bung in slow cooker cover with gravy cook on medium for 5 to 6 hours..gorgeous