I'm really trying to get my life together with meal prepping. I'm not interested in being perfect or subscribing to a particular diet, but I'd like to try to eat somewhat healthier while trying to stay convenient. You all know how busy we get. Would you be willing to share your favorite recipes? Nothing with too many complicated steps...there's just no time. Bonus points if your recipe can go into a crockpot. Just so it looks like I'm not completely mooching, here is a recipe for sweet potato and black bean tacos: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sweet_potato_and_black_bean_tacos/ I made these tonight and they were delicious. Will definitely make again!
I really like this website: http://www.emilybites.com/ For me the recipes fall in the category of "healthier"/lower calorie but still things I actually want to eat, and they're generally not too complicated either. I believe crockpot is a category of recipes you can search for. I've liked everything I've made from her site, but here are some of my favorites: -Taco Wrap Deluxe -15 minute Stacked Tostadas -Doritos Taco Salad -Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna Roll Ups -Pizza Cups -Veggie Lover's Flatbread
My DH makes a good vegetable lasagna. He sautéed zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, and carrots. Browned 1/4 pound of ground beef. Layered with your favorite spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella. Salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning. He gets 8 servings from it, and they are 330 calories each. It also freezes great. I like my chicken barley soup. One box chicken stock, one box chicken broth. Salt, pepper, onion powder, celery flakes, garlic. Barley. Sliced fresh mushrooms. Shredded cooked chicken. Cook on low until barley is tender. It's totally fine on all day whole we are at work, but it doesn't take nearly that long. We love to cook, but neither of us will follow a recipe very well. We try to plan our menu every week, then do as much prep as we can on the weekends.
An easy meal favorite in our house is pork chops and mashed sweet potatoes. Pork chops: Salt and pepper the pork chops to taste. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Cook until white in the center. Mashed sweet potatoes: Skin and quarter sweet potatoes. Submerge in cold water. Bring to boil and boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain. Add salt, pepper, butter, and thyme to taste. Mash until smooth. Microwave your favorite steam bag of frozen vegetables for another side if desired.
I’m pretty boring most of the time. I’ll grill enough chicken on Sunday to last for the week, then use a variety of sauces to make the flavors different.
For breakfast, you can make a week’s worth of omelettes in muffin tins. Use cooking spray. Dice up your favorite omelette fixings and pour them in each muffin compartment. Then scramble your eggs (one egg per compartment), pour them in, and bake until done. Then refrigerate and microwave.
I just found this recipe and it's really good (if you like spicy food). I serve it over cauliflower rice. http://www.wholesomelicious.com/chipotle-enchilada-meatballs/ To make it healthier you can use ground chicken or turkey. Most recipes can be modified and made healthier if you just think outside the box.
OH and I'd like to thank FourSquare for starting this recipe conversation! It's always nice to try new things!
Most of my cooking doesn't involve recipes but contain simple protein, vegetables, and starch. I use a cast iron skillet and oven for many of the proteins. I sear then complete the cooking in a hot oven (convection in my case). For veggies, I either roast them with a little olive oil spritz and spices or microwave frozen ones. My microwave will also do fresh veggies with a touch of a button so a lot of times I will do broccoli that way. As for the starch, sometimes it is rice or a baked/microwaved potato or sweet potato. Other times it is just a good bread. It makes most nights simple and easy.
We don't eat starches 95% of the time so I love meat/veggie recipes that are interesting and use different spices, etc.
I finally tried this recipe. I've heard about it but didn't think I would like it. It was REALLY good. And EASY!! https://www.hellmanns.com/us/en/recipes/parmesan-crusted-chicken-recipe.html
Birdseye makes perfect frozen veggies combo to conplete any dinner. I like the carrots, corn, broccoli & wild/brown rice. You can add these dishes to browned meat for a quick and easy meal. I pop a bag in the microwave while simmering leftover baked chicken or turkey. Add seasoning and frozen hash brown potatoes Soup in minutes! Toss in 4-6 in pie pans with Bisquick and I got pot pies
Here's an easy egg dish that can be made with any leftover meat or vegetables - I've used cooked sausage, meat balls, roast pork, spinach, zucchini, leeks, chopped garlic. (Except for the garlic, use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of each ingredient per person). For example, tonight I used some diced roast pork, spinach, zucchini and chopped garlic. If using raw vegetables, start by cooking them first in a frying pan. Then brown/warm up the cooked meat. Put everything in the pan, turn the heat to medium, sprinkle on your favorite seasoning, add a bit more oil and add some beaten eggs (2-3 per person according to your diet). Continue stirring and tossing until the eggs are cooked to your liking - I flip the whole thing over so it turns out like a frittata. Finish with some grated Parmesan if you like. We usually don't have to eat any carbs with this satisfying dinner entree, although it would go well with warm tortillas or some fresh crusty bread.Enjoy!
I made a delicious pasta dish the other night. I sauteed Vidalia onions, bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms, then tossed in sun-dried tomato pesto, grape tomatoes, roasted red pepper strips and tagliatelle (having leftovers for lunch right now!).
I do something like this and bake the mixture in a glass pie plate. It is sort of like a crustless quiche! So good and you really can use up lots of things in your fridge this way.
Anyone have Instant Pot recipes? I'm looking for some new ones. I just made stuffed peppers in my crockpot but haven't tried them in the Instant Pot. They came out really good. This is the recipes I used except I substituted cauliflower rice for the couscous. https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipe...-peppers/74231cfc-09d3-42d8-b288-9a2ab58b4417
Now that summer is here, I thought some of you might have the time to try cooking one of my favorite Cantonese dishes that is made with fermented black soybeans. These beans can be purchased at any Asian grocery store and are called "dao see" in Cantonese. This recipe calls for dried beans, but you can also use the pre-made sauce that comes in a jar. Here's my recipe for Chicken and Zucchini with Fermented Black Bean Sauce. Servings: 4 Preparation time: 30-45 minutes Photos: 1) Ingredients 2) Prep 3) Completed Dish Sauce: 1/4 cup water containing 2 teaspoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons oyster sauce Dissolve the three ingredients in the water and set aside. Bean Paste 1 tablespoon fermented black beans 4 cloves garlic Rinse the beans in tap water and let them sit for 3 minutes. Drain the water and coarse chop the beans. Mince the garlic. Place both the beans and garlic in a mortar and use a pestle to pound the two ingredients into a course paste - about 2-3 minutes. Marinade: 2 teaspoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons soy sauce (3 T. for 2 breasts) 1 teaspoon sugar Mix until ingredients are thoroughly dissolved. Meat: 1 chicken breast, sliced into pieces 1/4 in. thick, 1-1/2 in. long (1 breast for 2 people, 2 breasts for 4 people) Vegetable: 3-4 zucchini, sliced into pieces 1/2 in. thick, 1-1/2 in. long (3 squash for 2 people, 4 squash for 4 people) 2/3 cup water Cooking Instructions 1) Completely coat meat with the marinade, stir and set aside for 15 minutes. 2) Add 2 tablespoons oil to a skillet or wok and cook the zucchini on high heat (stirring every 30 seconds) until lightly browned, but still slightly al dente - remove to a dish. 3) Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet or wok and cook chicken on high heat until browned. Push meat to sides of skillet or wok. Add 1 tablespoon oil to center of skillet/wok and add bean/garlic paste - cook on medium heat for 1 minute while stirring. Now combine chicken with bean/garlic paste and stir together. Add zucchini and continue stirring for 2 minutes on high heat. 4) Add 2/3 cup water to chicken and zucchini and bring to boil. 5) Stir in dissolved ingredients for Sauce. 6) Continue stirring and when sauce begins to bubble, remove from heat and transfer to serving dish. Serve with steamed rice. Variations: Substitute chicken with beef, pork, or prawns (shrimp don't need to be marinated). You can also add about 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes or chopped jalapenos in the middle of step 3. Buon Appetito!
Don't be deterred by the inclusion of "fermented" black beans in my recipe. Unlike more familiar fermented food products like yogurt, cheese kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, miso and beer, fermented black beans lack any sourness. In fact, they just look and smell like salted, dried beans. You won't be disappointed!
Most of my favourites come from: https://www.jaysbakingmecrazy.com/ I've tried a number of her recipes and I've never been disappointed.
