Alternatives to beige food for quick family supper?

[tinkywinkyshandbag]

Some nights after a busy day we have a quick supper on our laps instead of a full dinner cooked from scratch. Sometimes it might be something like pittas or quesadillas but other times I do fallback on frozen beige food/oven chips etc. I really want to stop buying processed food. What are your go-to quick and easy meals that involve a minimum of cooking and are healthy? Thanks.

Omelette. Jacket potato.

Bagged salad, microwave sachet of rice, stick a chicken breast on the grill, or salmon in oven.

Halloumi dry fried in a pan or grilled (2-5mins), couscous (2 mins) and a hand full of frozen Mediterranean vegetables, defrosted by pouring boiling water over them in the same dish as the couscous. A splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, squirt of instant lemon juice and a sprinkle of dried mint and coriander. Total of 5 mins, washing up: one bowl per person plus pan

Frittata, great for using up left over vegetables especially potatoes, and cooks quickly.

Spaghetti carbonara or pasta primavera.

Chicken Caesar salad.

Stir fry (meat, frozen Stir fry mix,beamsprouts, straight to work noodles
Fishy/prawny tomato pasta (No onion, garlic seasoning so no prep)
Three bean chilli in the slow cooker
Boil in the bag fish in white sauce with rice
Eat well for less lamb tagine. (Leave out sweet potatoes so no peeling, no onion)
Thin cut beef or Turkey steak with couscous and frozen green beans/brocolli.

Pop salmon in the oven garlic + chilli, frozen stir fry veg, add noodles, put noodles and veg in a bowl salmon on top drizzle with soy sauce/sweet chilli, 20 mins tops

Great question. I need to do this too. Soup, wholemeal soda bread, pudding.

Traybake, you can make it the night before and put the whole thing in the fridge until you want to cook it.

How much time do you have between getting home and DCs needing to eat?

Cook some pasta, chop up some frozen broccoli, frozen spinach and mushrooms if you've got them and fry them in some olive oil, stir together with some pesto sauce and top with some chopped walnuts for protein. I can cook this in the time it takes to boil a pan of pasta and they are all store cupboard/freezer ingredients that I tend to have in all the time.

I made a really quick dinner the other night.

Sandwich steaks cut into strips, stir fried with chopped onions and a green pepper...once cooked I added a jar of black bean sauce. Served with microwave rice

My favourite healthy quick meal (but you need the ingredients of course is Lebanese rice.

Serves 2 One packet of microwave whole grain rice with quinoa, I small pack fresh coriander chopped, 3-4 spring onions chopped, 1 pack pomegranate seeds, 1/2 small pack shelled pistachios, juice and zest of one lemon, slug of olive oil, 1-2 grilled peppers (jarred) sliced, 1/2 pack feta chopped. Heat rice, throw all in together in a large bowl, toss, eat. For less calories you can sub the cheese for ready cooked chicken/leftover meat. Takes under 5 mins

Pesto pasta and peas. I make a double quantity of pesto in the time it takes to boil the pasta and then freeze the half I don't use for the next time I need a quick meal.

Beans on toast (with a few tomatoes to up the veg content).

Any kind of traybake with fish and veg. Can cook fish from frozen.

First, Don't feel bad if you haven't got the energy to cook after a day at work. It's Ok. Tonight we shared a pizza had salad with it, then had left over cheesecake from yesterday.

Sone other options
Delegate!
But healthier ready meals,
A selection of cold stuff and salads (popular in our house in summer)
Leftovers/batch cooking, again with veggies or salad
Quick meals like omelettes, pasta & risotto.
Oh & did I mention delegate?

Pack of pre cooked lentils (puy best for this but whatever you prefer), wrap half a pack of feta plus thinly sliced 1/4 red onion, some chopped fresh or a pinch of dried chilli, squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, serve on top of warmed lentils with crusty bread.

Also packs of dhal are great with veg (Cauliflower/broccoli/sweet potatoes roasted with cumin/spices. ) stirred through.

To clarify, I meant 1/2 block of feta and 1/4 onion per person

Spaghetti with grated tomato, garlic, lemon juice, basil, pine nuts and torn up mozzarella. Cook the spaghetti. Mix everything else in a bowl, add the cooked spaghetti. Takes 10 to 15 minutes. Got this from the Waitrose magazine.

Bag of stir fry veg, microwave rice or straight to wok noodles and some pre cooked chicken or prawns. Add spices or get a sachet of sauce.

Pasta and pesto with salad is my go to when I have no time or energy.

Packets of cooked lentils/quinoa etc are great for when you are using freezer food but want a healthier side than chips.

Microwave rice was a game changer for me! Hate cooking rice so much. You can make lots of dishes much more quickly.

Fish (bake in foil in the oven with lemon juice, salt and pepper) couscous and whatever veg you have in the freezer.l (leeks go well, or peas). If you put oven on first thing, get fish wrapped and in quickly, then you have ten minutes tidying / DC wrangling time until you need to boil kettle for couscous and microwave the veg.

Or bath cook soup - that’s even quicker and if it’s veg soup then with bread and cheese / tofu / ham it makes a balanced meal.

Wow so many replies thank you, you are a creative bunch! Time to cook isn't an issue so much as some days we just can't be bothered and want to flop in front of TV with a snacky meal you can eat with your hands in front of the tv. Easy to fall back on frozen beige stuff. I'll be looking through these more carefully later but thank you for all the ideas.

Tray bakes are my go to for when I can't be arsed but still have to cook.

Last night was pumpkin, cooking apple, potatoes, red pepper, shallots in a tray with sausages that I'd put some honey and grainy mustard over. Some rosemary from the garden. Cut it all up in suitable sizes to all cook at the same time.

Turn over sausages at 20 minutes - eat with microwaved broccoli. It was lovely.

Bit of chopping but no faffing.

Do similar with chicken thighs - use chorizo or olives and peppers - bung in oven cook.

Same with salmon fillets but put them in after the veg has had time to cook.

I can slob or go for a walk while it cooks.

Homemade burgers are so easy. I never bother adding eggs/flour etc.

I add nothing but salt and pepper, roll into burger shapes and then fry/grill straight away.

Pop buns in the toaster and eat with salad.

Or steak sandwiches. Grill steak, stuff into nice baguette or sourdough with salad or
Maybe some quickly stirfried peppers and onions. Nice with some mayo too.

Marinade chicken breasts or thighs in anything you like (lemon, garlic, herbs, paprika, Cajun)earlier in the day. Then grill or fry. Serve in a wrap with salad, parmesan and some Caesar dressing.

Falafel stuffed pitas. Pita bread(M&S ones
are delicious) filled with heated falafels from any of the supermarkets, houmous
and I like some iceberg lettuce, feta and cherry tomatoes inside too.

All easy food that can be eaten on the
couch and require minimal cooking!

Garlic naan breads, spread with tomato puree and garlic paste. Top with cheese and whatever veg/toppings you have in the fridge and stick under the grill for tasty quick pizza