Favorite food shortcuts

JCbride2015

This week I'm all about convenience meals, so my FreshDirect order consisted mostly of pre-marinated and pre-chopped items I can make fast.  Today I threw the pre-marinated chicken in the oven, then made some asparagus and whole wheat couscous in all of, say, five minutes.

My sister walked in while we were eating so I made her a plate.  She FREAKED out over how good the chicken was, and I 'fessed up that I barely touched it.  That marinated chicken is just so damn good.  I almost feel guilty taking any credit for cooking it.

What tips or tricks do you have for putting food on the table really quickly?  Do you have any brands or recipes that are your go-tos?

wandajune6

I love the bags of pre-cooked grains from target. Quinoa, brown rice, etc- I love them. 90 seconds and we have a side dish. Plus, they have less crap in them than other brands.

I'm lazy with marinades. Meats are pretty similar- "Asian" (soy, ginger, garlic, honey or oyster sauce) or with some Goya Sazon. We also buy pre-marinated fajita meats at the local butcher. It's not as good as FMIL's but it means dinner is done in 10 minutes or less.

When I'm lazy and low on groceries, I make my usual spaghetti with or without meat then add a bag of frozen spinach or shredded green beans.

We also end up with a lot of random crockpot meals, salads with rotisserie chicken, and the occasional bowl of cereal for dinner.

cupcait927

@wandajune6‌ I love seeing your posts with dinner ideas. Everything always sounds so good and easy enough that I could do it!

JCbride2015

@wandajune6 Stop the presses. Target sells precooked quinoa? Like, the frozen kind? I thought you could only get those at Trader Joe's.

wandajune6

cupcait927 said:

@wandajune6‌ I love seeing your posts with dinner ideas. Everything always sounds so good and easy enough that I could do it!

Thank you for saying that! My sister has a cooking blog and I always feel like the loser sibling when it comes to food. I try to cook for FI's diabetes, his son's extreme pickiness, and my desire to eat the things I love without gaining weight. Throw in my long commute and FSS's tendency to decimate anything I prep in advance and we're still a work in progress!

theartistformerlyknownas

Plain Greek yogurt mixed with jarred marinara - boom, healthier tomato cream sauce for pasta.

Frozen marinated salmon and broccoli stuffed chicken are fab.

Ain't no shame in having wine and cheese for dinner.

kat1114

I think marinading is a great way to get dinner ready quickly, especially ones that just require spices (aka no chopping up crap). I do use my crockpot sometimes, but I don't have one with a timer, which kind of stinks when you are out of the house for 10 hours a day.

Cookie Pusher

I only buy meat once a month, sometimes less, because I buy the family-size packs because they're cheaper per pound. I portion the meat into big ziploc bags and add marinade before throwing everything in the freezer. All I have to do is pull something out of the freezer in the morning and let it defrost. It's ready to cook as soon as I get home after work.

JCbride2015

Cookie Pusher said:

I only buy meat once a month, sometimes less, because I buy the family-size packs because they're cheaper per pound. I portion the meat into big ziploc bags and add marinade before throwing everything in the freezer. All I have to do is pull something out of the freezer in the morning and let it defrost. It's ready to cook as soon as I get home after work.

I do this when I'm actually organized to marinate things ahead of time.  It's such a good idea.

wandajune6

Cookie Pusher said:

I only buy meat once a month, sometimes less, because I buy the family-size packs because they're cheaper per pound. I portion the meat into big ziploc bags and add marinade before throwing everything in the freezer. All I have to do is pull something out of the freezer in the morning and let it defrost. It's ready to cook as soon as I get home after work.

I used to do the same until I realized that we never remember to defrost anything. We need to get better about that since it's such a good habit.

Cookie Pusher

JCbride2015 said:

Cookie Pusher said:

I only buy meat once a month, sometimes less, because I buy the family-size packs because they're cheaper per pound. I portion the meat into big ziploc bags and add marinade before throwing everything in the freezer. All I have to do is pull something out of the freezer in the morning and let it defrost. It's ready to cook as soon as I get home after work.

I do this when I'm actually organized to marinate things ahead of time.  It's such a good idea.

I do buy some premade marinade things to speed things along. Ken's Steakhouse has a bunch of really tasty ones and there's often coupons for them online. And salad dressing makes GREAT marinade. I love buying a big pack of chicken breasts and throwing two into a ziploc with a bunch of Italian dressing and a splash of white wine. And I buy a lot of steaks, throw two in a bag with a bottle of Guinness and some garlic and dried herbs. Easy-peasy and ridiculously tasty. I also have a really great recipe for a "boiled" chicken that takes 5 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of hands-on cooking time. Juiciest chicken ever.

cupcait927

We baked chicken tonight with this fabulous organic black bean dip spread on top before baking. Quick to throw together and super tasty. Add some instant rice or other grain and it's a meal. We also roasted asparagus in the oven with the chicken.

JCbride2015

Yum, Guinnes marinade for steak sounds great.

JCbride2015

cupcait927 said:

We baked chicken tonight with this fabulous organic black bean dip spread on top before baking. Quick to throw together and super tasty. Add some instant rice or other grain and it's a meal. We also roasted asparagus in the oven with the chicken.

This is my favorite way to make asparagus.  No extra dirty dishes, no extra time, and it comes out nice and crispy.

Cookie Pusher

JCbride2015 said:

Yum, Guinnes marinade for steak sounds great.

It's super tasty and I swear the alcohol makes the meat more tender. The recipe I originally used, then modified for my tastes, is here (CLICKY). I've used Guinness, Guinness Black Lager, Smithwicks, and Sam Adams for marinating purposes, and I really prefer Guinness as it does have hints of chocolate, which pairs nicely with red meat.

FutureMrsN3312

I'm all about marinating meat and baking or grilling it. I never thought to do it when I'm breaking up the meat from its original packages to zip locks! Our current faves are the chili sauce and general tso sauce from Trader Joes. Oh and my latest addiction: Chick pea salad. Drain chickpeas. Add a little olive oil, garlic, parm cheese, salt and pepper. I like it cold so I stick it right in the fridge. When I'm ready just stir and serve.

wandajune6

JCbride2015 said:

@wandajune6 Stop the presses. Target sells precooked quinoa? Like, the frozen kind? I thought you could only get those at Trader Joe's.

Yup. I forget the brand but it's their house brand in the blue bags. It's frequently on sale too!

Cookie Pusher

smichek said:

you can marinate before you freeze?? Genius!

My mom's new thing is the as seen on tv veggitti or whatever it is. Spaghetti cut squash takes 7 minutes to cook in a skillet with a little oil, lemon, garlic, or whatever spices you like and it is SO HEALTHY.

If I need something yummy that doesn't require much attention, baked chicken breasts. Marinate with bbq sauce, coat with spices and crumbs, whatever, then bake 20 min on each side at 350.

Yep, totally. I mean, it's not really chef-approved or anything, but it's a time-saver for the busy home cook. I'm sure there are lots of things we do that a chef would tell us are absolute kitchen abominations, but oh well. I do it because it saves me from having to wait until the meat defrost then marinate it for several hours/overnight before I can cook it. I can also make my marinades in larger batches this way, also saving prep time. I don't get home until after 6 many nights, so it's important to save as much prep time as I can or else we wouldn't be able to eat dinner until way too close to bedtime.

chouette61

I have neither the skill set, nor the patience to dice onions. I use the frozen bags of diced onions.

Cookie Pusher

chouette61 said:

I have neither the skill set, nor the patience to dice onions. I use the frozen bags of diced onions.

The onion chopper thing works too!

ETA: I use my egg slicer to slice soft foods because the onion chopper smooshes them.

JCbride2015

Cookie Pusher said:

chouette61 said:

I have neither the skill set, nor the patience to dice onions. I use the frozen bags of diced onions.

The onion chopper thing works too!

ETA: I use my egg slicer to slice soft foods because the onion chopper smooshes them.

I have this thing, and it's awesome.  I have joint problems and I can't use a knife for too long, but it's awesome for onions and other small veggies.

http://www.oxo.com/p-544-chopper.aspx

chouette61

I forgot to throw in that I'm super lazy. I have the onion chopper thing, I just don't use it. Maybe I can start tomorrow. Along w marinating meat in the freezer!!! That is genius.

FutureMrsN3312

JCbride2015 said:

Cookie Pusher said:

chouette61 said:

I have neither the skill set, nor the patience to dice onions. I use the frozen bags of diced onions.

The onion chopper thing works too!

ETA: I use my egg slicer to slice soft foods because the onion chopper smooshes them.

I have this thing, and it's awesome.  I have joint problems and I can't use a knife for too long, but it's awesome for onions and other small veggies.

http://www.oxo.com/p-544-chopper.aspx

This thing is awesome!  I don't have one but I feel the need to get it.  I'm usually not home till 6-6:15 and now with the dog I need to save as much time as possible.  I've also found short (mostly healthy) easy recipes on Pinterest.  

jenna8984

Basically everything I make takes 10-25 minutes. I would never make a lasagna or something that took an hour+.

Last night we had steak fajitas, literally took 5 minutes. Bought steak sliced small and thin and cut it even smaller bite size. Cooked in a skillet with butter and taco seasoning. The pieces are so small they took 5 minutes. At the same time, made 2 cups of instant white rice on the stove. Served with flour tortillas, mexican shredded cheese, and sour cream. (we never put veggies on it but that would only take a minute to cut up and add to the meat skillet)

Other faves- shake & bake pork chops- 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Baked chicken breasts- 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Pasta with sliced italian sausage links and jarred vodka sauce 10 minutes. Baked salmon- 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

aspoonfulofsugar

Cookie Pusher said:

chouette61 said:

I have neither the skill set, nor the patience to dice onions. I use the frozen bags of diced onions.

The onion chopper thing works too!

ETA: I use my egg slicer to slice soft foods because the onion chopper smooshes them.

SITB

That is magical!  I hate chopping onions because they hurt my eyes so badly and the tears then get in the way of the chopping.  I am adding this to my registry now!

theartistformerlyknownas

aspoonfulofsugar said:

Cookie Pusher said:

chouette61 said:

I have neither the skill set, nor the patience to dice onions. I use the frozen bags of diced onions.

The onion chopper thing works too!

ETA: I use my egg slicer to slice soft foods because the onion chopper smooshes them.

SITB

That is magical!  I hate chopping onions because they hurt my eyes so badly and the tears then get in the way of the chopping.  I am adding this to my registry now!

Funny, my office-mate and I were just talking about this yesterday! Is it a giant PITA to clean?? She said it needed some specific 'rake' to clean in the little cracks and once her dishwasher ate that it was totally a lost cause. I have an old Zyliss chopper (just like the one @JCBride2015 linked), and I got this at my shower.

aspoonfulofsugar

lolo883 said:

aspoonfulofsugar said:

Cookie Pusher said:

chouette61 said:

I have neither the skill set, nor the patience to dice onions. I use the frozen bags of diced onions.

The onion chopper thing works too!

ETA: I use my egg slicer to slice soft foods because the onion chopper smooshes them.

SITB

That is magical!  I hate chopping onions because they hurt my eyes so badly and the tears then get in the way of the chopping.  I am adding this to my registry now!

Funny, my office-mate and I were just talking about this yesterday! Is it a giant PITA to clean?? She said it needed some specific 'rake' to clean in the little cracks and once her dishwasher ate that it was totally a lost cause. I have an old Zyliss chopper (just like the one @JCBride2015 linked), and I got this at my shower.

Have you tried it yet?  Those always seem like such a good idea, until I worry about slicing my fingers off.

ETA: always forget that I have a chopper!

emmaaa

I need to try some of this! I get home after 6 pm every night and it is usually 730 before we eat. FI helps me save a lot of time by having the dishes done and meat thawed by the time I get home. I feel bad that he gets home at 330 and has to wait that long to eat. 

We try to use the time I'm cooking to talk and catch up on eachother's day. I really love to cook supper every night, so on nights that I don't feel like cooking I get a pizza.

I also buy a ton of meat at once (because it is cheaper), separate, and freeze. Also, just a secret, if you mash the ground beef in the freezer bag to be flat, it stacks easier in the freezer and thaws very quickly.

Another thing I found to help is to do all of the prep work in the morning.

theartistformerlyknownas

@aspoonfulofsugar not yet, I'm trying to be good and not use anything until after the wedding! But that was the first thing FI said when he saw it, considering my hand has only barely healed after The Wusthof Knife Incident. But it has the little finger guard/food holder thingy, so hopefully I remember to use it!

Senecaf

I need to adopt some of these time saving skills. Our life is so crazy and FI insists on eating everything whole and fresh so we end up stressing over dinner nightly. I agree with him abput the whole foods, but I need to be better at prepping in advance. Sometimes I default to convinence foods (frozen lasagna) and let him fend for himself. Marinating meat before freezing?? Genius!

cupcait927

jenna8984 said:

Basically everything I make takes 10-25 minutes. I would never make a lasagna or something that took an hour+.

Last night we had steak fajitas, literally took 5 minutes. Bought steak sliced small and thin and cut it even smaller bite size. Cooked in a skillet with butter and taco seasoning. The pieces are so small they took 5 minutes. At the same time, made 2 cups of instant white rice on the stove. Served with flour tortillas, mexican shredded cheese, and sour cream. (we never put veggies on it but that would only take a minute to cut up and add to the meat skillet)

Other faves- shake & bake pork chops- 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Baked chicken breasts- 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Pasta with sliced italian sausage links and jarred vodka sauce 10 minutes. Baked salmon- 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Your meals sounds exactly like how FI and I cook. Every once in awhile I'll try something new that takes longer but we keep things pretty quick and simple. I generally don't like cooking all that much and FI is pretty basic and could eat the same thing for every meal.