Easy Cooking

I love to eat. There is no argument about that from any side. And I really enjoy cooking. But sometimes after work (and the gym, and errands, and…) I have no desire to make dinner. I realize pizza, fast food, and cereal aren’t exactly acceptable options every night. 

But really, I find there are two issues – and I think most dinner preparers can agree.

1) It takes SOOOO long!

2) I don’t know what to make.

You want to snap your fingers and a delicious, gourmet meal full of vitamins and nutrients. Blah blah blah. Yeah, I want to do that, but I have a job. And have a house to run. And I don’t even have kids yet. Yikes! How do working parents do it? I suppose asking demanding to know what someone wants for dinner works most of the time, but I am not a short order cook, nor do I strive to be. Thus the introduction of the time honored (and my personal favorite) pulling an Eric Cartman, “Screw you guys, I’m…” making whatever the heck I want! 

I’m always keeping an eye out for easy recipes that aren’t terrible, are pretty easy, and aren’t too bad for me (because let’s be honest, if it’s really easy to make, it’s probably not THAT good for you). And here is what I’m working with:

I’m starting to obsessively read cookbooks for recipes that sound good. And if I really like them and decide I’m feeling cheap, a quick snap with my phone’s camera and I’ve got it forever. Or for a while… My current favorite cookbook is “5 in 10”. Five ingredients (or less) in 10 minutes (or less). Yay! Great desserts, easy sauces, and interesting flavor combos. What I really like is that it goes over classic cooking techniques and ways to make them still taste great but work faster. For example: adding white wine to a pan after cooking chicken or fish and a little bit of flour to thicken up your now made sauce. I didn’t go to culinary school – I would never know to do that. But it’s tasty!

Another easy solution I’ve found is adding different spices and flavors to the same dish I made the week before. I’ll cook it the same way, but I’ll add rosemary instead of oregano. Or heck, I'll add both!

I’m not going to lie, frozen bagged dinners (which are BOGO at Publix all the time) that include veggies, chicken or shrimp, pasta, and a sauce are great. I usually add fresh sliced up veggies to these to make a really easy on pan stir fry. 

I’m also a huge fan of the Sandra Lee method & getting something that is half made at the store already – Like chicken finger salads. (Though I love to make my own chicken fingers with panko breading – if you haven’t tried it, it will change your life) I’m so happy to pop into the store, grab their chicken fingers, then go to the produce section and make myself a delicious salad. And voila, I’m a culinary genius. (It’s not really cooking, but it’s fast and easy)

Other things to make cooking easier – I keep a running list of easy to make dinners & side dishes (aiming for mostly veggies). That way if I am stumped, I can always look at easy things I’ve made before that have passed with flying colors. 

What are your favorite easy recipes?