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When You Don't Feel Like Cooking Dinner
When You Don't Feel Like Cooking Dinner
When You Don't Feel Like Cooking Dinner
Easy Ideas
Do you ever find yourself in a “what’s for dinner” rut? Bored by the same
dishes week after week, it sometimes becomes hard to break out of the
monotony. Gone are nightly meals of meat, starch, and vegetables. Many
people are grateful to have such a dinner once a week!
Because many decisions about what to eat are driven by convenience, taste,
familial preferences, time, and budget, thinking outside of the box can feel like
it will take too much time, energy, or work. However, sometimes meal
planning is possible and easy by using just what you have in your refrigerator,
freezer, and pantry. Try these suggestions.
Breakfast night
Consider having eggs, cereal, waffles, and breakfast sandwiches. Serve with
fresh fruit.
Leftovers frittata
• Take any meat or vegetables that are left over from the night before
(e.g., chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, potatoes, and rice)
• Heat them up in a pan with a little olive oil
• Crack 1–1½ eggs/person and scramble them up with some milk, Dijon
mustard, and a bit of shredded cheese if desired
• Pour the egg mixture over the leftovers
• Bake in a 350° F oven for 20–30 minutes
• Serve with toast and a salad
Calzones and Stromboli
Keep pre-made pizza dough, cheese, and tomato sauce in the house for a
quick meal. If you want something other than pizza, make calzones or
stromboli. Here is an easy-to-make recipe:
Put out ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Serve with Greek
yogurt and:
Make a big salad with a bag of pre-washed lettuce and any fresh vegetables
you have in the house. Serve with bread, a roll, or crackers. Look in the
cupboard and refrigerator for anything you can include on the salad, such as:
•
• Tuna fish or canned salmon
• Olives
• Canned beans
• Roasted peppers
• Artichokes
• Sliced or shredded cheese
• Sliced or chopped hard-boiled eggs
• Sliced cold cuts
Quesadillas
Freezer combos
Precooked meats
Precooked chicken strips, rotisserie chicken, and ham saves time. You can
add these precooked meats to salad, soups, and sandwiches.
Use the carcass of a rotisserie chicken to make soup for the next day:
• Boil the carcass in water with fresh carrots, onion, celery, parsley, and
salt
• Add some pasta or rice before serving for a heartier meal
Broth and soup
See note under Precooked meats for how to use the carcass of a rotisserie
chicken to make a homemade chicken soup.
It only takes a few minutes to make this quick and satisfying meal. Serve with
some fruit or vegetables.
Items to keep on hand
The following items are easy to incorporate into meals. Many also have a long
shelf life or can last a while in the refrigerator:
• Baby carrots
• Onions
• Celery
• Apples
• Pears
• Beans
• Frozen fruits and vegetables
• Vacuum-sealed precooked chicken
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Cheese
• Hummus
• Frozen shrimp, meats, pastas, vegetables, breads, and soups
• Leftovers, such as chili, stews, and casseroles
• Canned fruit, vegetables, tuna fish, salmon, salsa
• Peanut or almond butter
• Dried pasta, or grains such as quinoa, farro, barley
• Whole wheat flour tortillas
• Nuts and nut butters
• Seeds
• Dried fruits