VERY quick meals - suggestions please!

[Ceolas]

Imagine the scene... It's 4:30pm, you have a screaming newborn, a toddler who wants to sleep and you have to cook a meal for 6.

Help, please!

I would get a slow cooker and bung some stuff in it in the morning, so the late afternoon doesn't present itself. By 4.30 is will be smelling delicious and nearly ready.

Jacket potatoes in the microwave with beans/cheese/tinned salmon and salad cream (sounds disgusting but isnt).

What counts as a meal? I often do an eggy bread tea, again with beans, but am aware you might not consider that a proper meal.

er pesto pasta?

Spaghetti Carbonara

While the pasta cooks, whisk a couple of eggs, some cream and a bit of grated parmesan together. Heat oil in pan, brown some bacon bits (ready chopped) then throw in pasta and cover with egg mixture. Stir until the egg is cooked.

Takes about 10 - 15 mins.

Stir fry using ready chopped veges, prawns and noodles.

Pasta (small shapes cook quicker) with peas or frozen broccoli in the cooking water, tossed in philadelphia cheese with more grated cheese on the top.

Pasta with ready made tomato sauce (or you could freeze a home made one), tin tuna, tin sweetcorn and a chopped red pepper in the cooking water.

Fry some onion and garlic and chilli in lots of olive oil, when onion is soft chuck ion some prawns and a squeeze of lemon juice and cook till prawns are cooked. bung in sone flat leaf parley and ground black pepper and serve over pasta (cooked while you do the rest. Takes about ten minutes so can be done while the pasta is cooking.

For adults, or family?

Pasta pesto

Rice in a rice cooker with a v quick Thai curry using paste and a tin of coconut milk

Omelettes and salad

Pasta with a Philly sauce

Mushrooms on toast with salad

V quick veggie chilli using tinned kidney/mixed beans in sauce

Fajitas

Now I have a slow cooker, but have yet to get in the slow cooker groove .

Good ideas so far, thanks.

It's the main meal of the day for all of us, so possibly more than eggy bread required (at least for DH!).

Pesto Pasta

Cook pasta, stir in couple of big spoons of pesto serve with grated cheese.

If you have it stir in cream, even squirty cream is good.

If you have chicken cutinto small strip, stir fry add pesto, cream and pasta, then sprinkle with cheese.

Pesto pasta, done!

Meant to say I know the feeling Coelas; it's always just before teatime when two little ones kick off and I should be more organised and prepare something like chilli or spag bol the night before so it only needs reheating and the pasta/rice to be cooked.

Pasta with stir in sauce, I like the ones in the shallow round tubs, even the carbonara one is good.

Smoked sausage (mathasons) cooked for 2 min in micro, or boil in bag for 10 chop and add to pasta.

Why are you making dinner for dh if you're looking after a toddler and a screaming newborn hey? He should be getting in and doing it for you or making it at the weekend and freezing it etc

I did my quickest meal today - it always goes down well with everyone.

Fresh spaghetti (or dried, or pasta), while cooking start frying off loads of King prawns in butter, olive oil and a massive squeeze out of ready chopped garlic tube., add shredded spinach or chard, or bits of brocolli. Mix together using buttery liquid to coat pasta

If you use fresh pasta it takes less than 5 mins. Sometimes whip up a salad too, and garlic bread.

Chorizo is my best friend. And bacon - but chorizo lasts longer. Fry either with some onion and garlic and toss a little wine and milk in and let it reduce then mix with pasta. If youv'e got creme fraiche, a spoonful gives it a nice extra creaminess.

We also do chicken breasts, steamed with herbs and chilli and just before they're cooked through slip them under the grill with some feta cheese on top. Serve with steamed vegetables. Simple.

Or, warm garlic, chilli and lemon zest in some olive oil then toss with pasta and lots of parmesan cheese. Some basil is nice if you have it too.

chciken and bacon wraps

stir fry chiken strips, add a little spice if for adults (bottled sweet chili sauce is also useful) with red pepper and bacon. add sald, bung in a tortilla wrap.

My quickest meal is this:

DOllop of creme fraiche into pan, grate in loads of cheese...add ham and frozen peas and heat gently.

Meanwhile cook pasta or if you want really quick then those packet egg noodles just need boiling water poured on them. Mix the two together and serve.

If you have more time then you can fry some onions first before adding the c. fraiche. Also good for using up any leftovers of meat/veg that you have in the fridge.

I also have a slow cooker that is great as i sort it in the am before things go downhill organisation wise later in the day.

Definitely a fan of the slow cooker but otherwise you could try this as its really quick to prepare and only takes 10 mins in the oven!

www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/quick-fish-pie/