Go-to meals when your meal plan goes out the window

[pregnantncnc]

The kind of meals that you throw together when you either haven't been shopping so don't have much in, or when you've planned something for dinner but get back later than expected and just won't have time to cook it. OR what you cook for your children when you won't be eating as a family.

Ideally made of ingredients I can keep either in the freezer or cupboard so always have them available.

Bonus points if it includes vegetables and isn't beige freezer food (because my son seems to hate all frozen chips/waffles/etc and I'm looking for inspiration - nothing against a frozen waffle).

Our go-to is pasta and broccoli cut up quite small (or peas) cooked in water with half a stock cube, mostly drained then a dollop of soft cheese and a handful of grated cheddar added. Pesto or dill optional. Sometimes grill a pack of sausages with it.

I really, really need some variation here, because we're all getting sick of pasta and broccoli! TIA!

Doritos with a can of chill over the top and some grated chesse shoved in a hot oven for 10 munutes

Could always add a tin of beans for extra veg

Frozen jacket potato (such a cheat!) beans and cheese, or tuna sweet corn mayo. Bonus points if there is some wilty salad in the fridge to accompany!

I sometimes make a typical cheese sauce with plain flour, milk, cheese and butter and put in either chicken, ham or bacon/lardons (basically whatever's left in the fridge) and some cut up mushrooms, bit of garlic. While I'm doing that I stick any random veg but ideally red onion peppers leeks etc in the oven with a bit of olive oil and Italian herbs then add that to it. Normally have it with spaghetti.

If I have broccoli whether fresh or frozen I do "broccoli and Stilton soup" in reality it's never Stilton just the arse end of whatever blue cheese is languishing in the fridge. Can also sneak some extra veg in there like celery as it gets blended anyway. I aways have part baked sourdough baguettes in the cupboard as they have a long shelf life so have those with it too.

Sweetcorn fritters - flour, onion, tinned corn, egg, spices. Nice with chilli sauce or a salsa of some sort.

Greek butter beans - I buy the jarred ones and eat with pitta and tsatziki

Tinned chickpeas to make a really quick curry with microwave rice

Waitrose do frozen feta and spinach pies which are brilliant

I like to keep a packet of halloumi in - roast peppers, onions and haloumi with oregano and stick in wraps/pittas with chilli sauce or hummus

Jacket potatoes with sweetcorn and tuna.

Sausages mash and baked beans.

Fish fingers with salad and chips.

Macaroni cheese
Tuna pasta bake
I usually have a few family portions of stuff like spag bol, chilli, campfire stew etc so something like that

Chickpea and frozen veg curry, Delia Smith’s “Scone pizza” with baked beans/salad, Cheesey Potato with beetroot & ham, Omlette and beans/salad, Spaghetti bolognese (using frozen mince & onions), Chill (frozen mince, frozen onion & peppers & a tin of chilli beans plus passata). Frozen stir fry veg, microwave rice & you sun sauce.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! Loads of great ones to add to the rotation. @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie especially on my wavelength; sweetcorn fritters and the roasted halloumi/veg sound brilliant!!

I'm planning on doing some freezer meal prep like I did before DS was born to help with these "need dinner NOW" nights, but its not quite so easy to find the time now

Really lazy curry:
Roast onion, peppers. paneer with some cumin and mustard seeds
Add a bit of desiccated coconut and pop back in the oven to brown slightly (not essential but nice)
Add a jar of curry sauce, drained chickpeas and a handful of frozen peas
Shove back in the oven until it's all hot

Serve with ready made naan or chapatis and mango chutney. Can put spinach in too, if there's any lurking at the bottom of the fridge.

This Gnocchi with peas and pancetta, easy, minimal ingredients and tasty. Serve with what ever veg you have or a bag of salad.
Fritata - what ever veg needs using up but particularly good with peppers and mushrooms with chorizo. But Waitrose do a very handy bag of frozen Mediterranean veg which works perfectly.
Or green veg with Stilton also v good. Throw in a load of eggs and put it under the grill.

Stir fry any random veg in a little oil with garlic (I did it the other night with stem broccoli, but anything works). Add a sachet of microwave rice, stir fry to heat through, and add some soy sauce. Serve with a fried egg on top and sriracha (or extra soy if you don’t want the spice). You could also add some thinly sliced chicken or prawns if you had them.

I always have red lentils and flour so dhal with flatbreads features heavily when I'm in a bind.

toad in the hole....throw sausages into a heavyish roasting tin, add onions and sweat them on the hob over a low heat for a bit, turn the oven up to max while you poke them about in the tray. Make the batter and sit down with a cup of tea to gather your wits.

Add a spot of oil to the sausage tin if it needs, and turn it up really high to make it sizzle throw in batter, and put the lot into the oven

If you are not bothered about the onions you can get the sausages started in the oven and add batter when they are ready.

We have it with baked beans.

Omelette. With anything that’s in the fridge, cheese, ham, leftover veg etc. Sometimes chips on the side/frozen chips/peas/salad. Eggs, fast food and good for you as the saying goes

I've always got several "here's-one-I-made-earlier" meals in the freezer.
Things like ragu, tagine, oxtail - anything casseroled or stewed.
Defrost & re-heat in the mic or hob while cooking pasta or rice.

Lo mein, Nasi goreng or honey chilli chicken.
damndelicious.net/2014/10/03/easy-lo-mein/
www.recipetineats.com/honey-garlic-chicken/
Nasi goreng is my creation.

You know those bags of frozen mixed veg that you zap in the microwave? If I have nothing in then I pan fry one of those in sesame oil with a bit of garlic and a splash of soy sauce and pinch of chilli flakes, then serve with rice or noodles.

@juglover2008

Doritos with a can of chill over the top and some grated chesse shoved in a hot oven for 10 munutes

@juglover2008 this is one of my super quick meals in minutes as dc absolutely love it but I buy a chilli ready meal. I've never been brave enough to try it from the can - how is it?

@liveforsummer I don't know about the meat one but we buy vegetable chilli in cans and it is delicious.

More great ideas thank you!

@Georgyporky - my freezer stash is extremely depleted which is why I'm finding it so tough right now! I really need a meal prep day!

Either stir fried rice or a frittata using whatever we have in the fridge/freezer. I usually keep some cooked plain rice in the freezer which I can quickly defrost and we always have eggs and cheese. Off the top of my head right now I have bacon/chorizo/a couple of wilted spring onions/a very tired courgette/half a red pepper and some frozen peas some or all of which could be pressed into service. Both are very good with some sort of sweet and hot sauce 😊

Chicken drummers with sweet Chilli or honey & soy. Served with stir fry veggies & noodles

Sorry but my go to is basically pasta and broccoli but not. Or omelette.

I usually fry a few anchovies in oil and break them up finely . Add garlic and chilli for me but not dc. I stir fry lots of greens in this mix whilst cooking the pasta. Then take the pasta out of the water with a forked ladle thing that allows me to put quite wet pasta in the greens. I will add spoonfuls of cooking water to loosen. Sometimes grate cheese. Ti's yum