Easy recipes

squirrly

I am thoroughly out of ideas for dinner.  It's turning into fall here, and aside from chicken dumpling soup and beef stew, both of which I've made in the last week, I'm drawing a blank on reasonably quick & easy things to make.  So - suggestions?  Favorites?  What are you making these days?

And, also - what are your top 10 most frequently purchased items at the grocery?  (Please skip milk, bread, eggs, juice, coffee, soda, lunch meat.)

opalsky007

I like roasting salmon rubbed with some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs. I like to roast some little new potatoes tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary at the same time, and steam some green beans or broccoli to go with it.

opalsky007

Oh, I forgot the grocery question. I usually buy cereal, bananas, citrus fruits, canned beans, pasta, and baking supplies. We get so much food from the CSA that I haven't had much need to buy vegetables or meats in a while.

Stackeye210

I just made chili and grilled cheese last night and it was very tasty!  I just buy the chili seasoning packets from the grocery store but put in more tomatoes then the recipe calls for and add in chopped green peppers and onions and garlic salt. 

The things you'll always find on my grocery list are: 

Taco kit
Fast meal: usually either a bbq pulled pork container or frozen pizza - this way I dont eat out the day I don't feel like cooking
Stir fry sauce and rice
Some sort of chicken seasoning packet
Frozen veggie and cheese bags

To keep packing lunches for work interesting I always buy:

Assorted mini cereal boxes
Assorted single serve chip bags
Yogurt

vallyhoo

I recently discovered I love mushrooms so we've been having a lot of mushroom varities, in pasta and in sauces. But I'm also in a food rut.

My top 10 grocery list includes garlic, onions, squash, honeycrisp apples, cheerios, cheeses, pizza, flavored water, nuts and beer.

squirrly

Opal, does your CSA have a website I could peruse?  I want to do one for next year - moving mid-summer just wasn't in line with how the CSA operates, though.  I've been hitting up the farmer's market at Copley on Fridays, but it's about to run out of good stuff.

baystateapple

FI and I make chicken cutlets with mashed or baked potatoes, stuffing and either green beans or corn.

We usually buy pasta, cereal, popsicles (FI can go through about 10 of those freezer pop things a day), marinara sauce, fruits and veggies, chicken, steak, and pork.

opalsky007

Chili is another of my go-tos. I nearly always have beef, kidney beans, diced jalapeno tomatoes, and tomato paste on hand. After browning the beef, the rest is just opening cans, heating, and seasoning to taste with chili powder.

I also make spaghetti sauce by heating canned plum tomatoes until they break up easily with a spoon and adding tomato paste, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, and rosemary. The most time consuming part is boiling the water for the pasta!

danieliza1127

I made this last night: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-parmesan-garlic-chicken-51155.aspx

I didn't have a packet of italian seasoning mix so I just used spices we had - garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and some Weber's Kickin' Chicken seasoning.  You could use any seasonings you want really.  It was super super easy and delicious!

I feel like we make the same things over and over too, so I feel ya there.  I like to buy turkey italian sausage and make spaghetti using that and whole wheat pasta.  We have that fairly often.  And we eat a lot of chicken breasts.  Seasoned different ways, put with different sides, etc.

Top 10 things I always get (assuming we're out):  100% whole wheat bread, frozen chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, ground turkey, fat free sour cream, Prego Heart Smart pasta sauce, whole wheat pasta (usually spaghetti and one other like penne or spirals), mushrooms, unsalted chicken stock

[Deleted User]

Tuna casserole is an easy go-to for me. I have 2 that are favorites, one with tuna and ranch and another with alfredo sauce. I also like to look at Taste of Home's 5-ingredient recipes because they are usually fast, easy, and delicious. But I"m a total Taste of Home groupie, so I say that about every recipe.

At the store, I always seem to be buying granola bars, apples, cucumbers, and spices. I run out of basil and oregeno constantly by H just planted me a basil plant so that should help. Oh, and cat food. My cat is a pig.

FutureMrsTR

We've been eating the crap out of some chicken fajitas lately.  Refried black beans, rice, green peppers, chicken, and salsa on tortillas.  H made meatballs for the first time the other night and they were really good, he kind of mixed different recipes he found on-line.

10 most purchased items besides those things you listed?  Chicken, ground beef, cookies, green peppers, rice, tuna (in a can, not steak), fresh pasta (Butoni), and then a mixture of frozen meals like those stir fry things or pierogies.

opalsky007

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_easy-recipes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:86496291-1c39-478e-976a-48497dba49a9Post:8b974086-c34e-4f10-a591-895cd3a09518">Re: Easy recipes</a>:
[QUOTE]Opal, does your CSA have a website I could peruse?  I want to do one for next year - moving mid-summer just wasn't in line with how the CSA operates, though.  I've been hitting up the farmer's market at Copley on Fridays, but it's about to run out of good stuff.
Posted by squirrly[/QUOTE]

<a href="http://www.redfirefarm.com/CSA/basics.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.redfirefarm.com/CSA/basics.html</a>

Here you go. We've enjoyed it so far, and I'm kind of bummed that we can't sign up for next year since we may be moving. You should check out the deep winter shares that they've started offering, which will be open to the general public on Sept 30. It'll deliver hothouse veggies and storage crops January-March.

mgietler76

I have a crockpot cookbook, its super easy for me to put everything in the crockpot the night before and plug it in in the morning. Viola dinner is ready when I get home. I was surprised how many different things you can make with the crockpot.

As for gorceries my top are:

Cereal
Cheese
Apples
Poweraid/Gatoraid (whichever is on sale)
Chicken (I would eat it at every meal if I could)
Vanilla yogurt ( I don't drink milk and put yogurt in my cereal)
Lean Quisine
Cranberry Juice ( to help my kidneys)

I can't think of 10 lol

squirrly

Thanks, Opal, I'll check them out. 

And thanks all for the menu items & groceries!  Keep 'em coming - I'm making a list.

I've never heard of yogurt on cereal before, either.  That's a new one.

danieliza1127

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_easy-recipes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:86496291-1c39-478e-976a-48497dba49a9Post:d983171a-a135-4c32-a940-82fe01a11e80">Re: Easy recipes</a>:
[QUOTE] I've never heard of yogurt on cereal before, either.  That's a new one.
Posted by squirrly[/QUOTE]

I do that a lot too.  Vanilla yogurt with cereal mixed in, or granola, depending on what I have on hand.  It's yummy.

squirrly

It's gotta be more like crunchy yogurt, then, right?  Moreso than like cereal is with milk?  Or do you thin out the yogurt somehow?

opalsky007

Crunchy yogurt. It's tasty.

Stackeye210

I love vanilla yogurt with cheerios mixed in.  It's my favorite breakfast for sure! 

danieliza1127

Yeah it just adds some crunch to your yogurt.  I like it as a snack when I have a sweet tooth, but obviously it's good for breakfast too, especially when you don't want to worry about transporting milk to work but still want cereal.

FutureMrsTR

I put Grape Nuts in my yogurt and it's delicious.

My ex who was obsessed with weight lifting used to put yogurt and protein powder in his Special K cereal.  I tried it once and it was ok, but I don't like flakey cereal with yogurt, just the crunchy stuff like granola and Grape Nuts.

packlite

We love this slow cooker chili recipe when it starts to get cold outside - easy to make and sooo good!   Sorry for the weird formatting, I copied and pasted from an email I sent recently.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 4oz. can of diced green chiles (in mex food section)
• 1 can of corn
• 1 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 pinch ground allspice
• salt to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place turkey  and chopped onion in the skillet, and cook until evenly brown; drain.Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray, and mix in turkey, tomatoes, chiles, korn, kidney beans, black beans and onion. Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, allspice and salt.  Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.  Top with cheese or sour cream or serve with tortilla chips, as desired

moosebaby2011

I made this last night.  It's very easy, and tasty:

Coat boneless chicken breasts in mayonnaise, and roll in seasoned bread crumbs until covered.  Place on foiled lined baking sheet or shallow baking dish.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.

The chicken always comes out moist and juicy.  Don't let the mayo scare you.  It doesn't taste like it at all.

Grocery list usually contains bananas, broccoli, boneless chicken breasts, fresh mozzarella, yogurt, cheerios, pasta, black beans, canned diced tomatoes, and, um, beer.

mgietler76

I put the yogurt on Special K Fruit and Yogurt cereal and add fresh strawberries. It tastes so good I refuse to believe it's good for me.

texagj

I have a really good meatloaf recipe i like to use around this time.

2lbs of lean ground beef
1cup of bread crumbs
1/2 jar of soppin sauce (or any marinade you like for red meat will do)
diced mushrooms
1 table spoon of your fav steak rub.
provologne shredded cheese

Pre heat oven to 425
Mix beef, mushrooms, steak rub, sauce, bread crumbs

Put 1/2 mixture into meat loaf pan then layer with cheese, then layer with the rest of mixture.
Cook for about 30-45 min.

Grocery list
Cereal
ground beef (it can be used for so many things
yogurt
assorted frozen veggies
frozen pizza (in case i don't feel like cooking)
granola bars
apples
bananas
cinnamon raisin bread (love to toast this in the morning with a little bit of butter)
can't think of ten sorry

avsfan33

I made salsa chicken the other night. It's just boneless chicken breast, taco seasoning and salsa. Sour cream if you want but I think sour cream is gross so I didn't use it. Oh! and cheese.

You put chicken in a deep dish (I used a throwaway "cake" pan). Sprinkle taco seasoning over both sides on the chicken. Pour 1 cup salsa on top. Cook at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Take it out, sprinkle cheese on top. The recipe says 1 cup but I just put a bit Cook for another 3-5 minutes. I'm really picky and hate everything but this was actually pretty decent and quick to make. I wouldn't use hot and spicy everything. I did and it was extremely hot. I eat a lot of spicy food but for some reason that actually gave me heartburn. So maybe medium would be good.

groceries: fruit (depends on what looks good), peppers, tomatoes, beef, pork, chicken, garlic, yogurt, pizza, fries.

lilianne22

In the fall I LOVE to have green bean casserole.  It's one of my fav foods, lol.  The recipe is on the french fried onions can (by French's) at the grocery store.  The only thing I change is I use fancy cut canned green beans.  The frozen green beans don't taste the same in the recipe.

Groceries:
Cheese
Tortillas
Frozen pizza
Pasta
Veggies (often corn and/or lettuce)
Fruit  (apples and bananas)
Frozen waffles
Almonds (I buy them in bulk so don't have to buy them often, but we always have them on hand).
Granola bars
Apple sauce

beatlesgirl25

One of my quick go-to favorites is boneless skinless cod (usually pretty cheap around our area, Squirrly), covered with with a buttered panko crumb mixture (lemon zest, chopped chives, salt and pepper), then baked for 15+ min. at 400 degrees. The leftovers stay crispy in the crumb topping too.

Tacos are another quick and easy one. I like to use ground turkey and my own spices (cumin, coriander, chili powder, hot sauce, garlic and onion) so I can control the salt level. It takes 10 minutes max.

Top ten grocery items, aside from staples: Baby carrots, bananas, baby spinach, fat-free cottage cheese, Special K granola bars, boneless skinless chicken breast, almonds, popsicles, lunchmeat, Sargento reduced-fat shredded cheese. 

mica178

Pork chops:
Season thin cut pork chops with salt and pepper, pan fry in olive oil, remove chops to plate.  In same pan, add two sliced shallots, saute.  Add 2 cups sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper, a couple sprinkles of dried thyme.  Deglaze with sherry and juice from pork chops (if there's any on the resting plate).

Serve over rice with some steamed green beans.

It's my super easy go to recipe, FI loves it.

FutureMrsTR

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_easy-recipes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:86496291-1c39-478e-976a-48497dba49a9Post:e3b8bbfc-c081-49f2-94d4-6cde41000030">Re: Easy recipes</a>:
[QUOTE]Pork chops: Season thin cut pork chops with salt and pepper, pan fry in olive oil, remove chops to plate.  In same pan, add two sliced shallots, saute.  Add 2 cups sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper, a couple sprinkles of dried thyme.  Deglaze with sherry and juice from pork chops (if there's any on the resting plate). Serve over rice with some steamed green beans. It's my super easy go to recipe, FI loves it.
Posted by mica178[/QUOTE]

See, any recipe with the word "deglaze" in it doesn't strike me as super easy ;)

mica178

It's basically putting something alcoholic in the pan so all that stuff stuck on the bottom comes off and into your sauce.  Trust me, it's not hard but really adds a lot of flavor to your dish!

nhelene

My fave (also with deglazing)

Chicken Piccatta:
2 Chicken cutlets (thin cut is best)
Bread crumbs/milk or egg for breading

1/2 cup white wine
juice from half of one lemon
pinch of parsley
1/2 cup shallots, chopped
1 tbsp capers

(boil some water for pasta)

Sautee shallots in a small amount of oil
Bread chicken cutlets and add to pan with shallots, flip midway through cooking.
Remove chicken onto a separate plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
deglaze pan with wine and lemon juice
boil until sauce is reduced by half
add capers, parsley, and lemon slices (if you used half a real lemon)

Plate chicken over pasta, sauce over chicken.