Hard day...where's the fast food?

[butternutsquash]

No, I don't literally mean I want junky burgers and fries...okay, maybe a little. But how about wine too? Or really, anything that comes with less than 20 minutes of prep time.

Today was a LONG and HARD day. From work to home, it's just been one of those days. The last thing I want to do right now is figure out what to cook for dinner and wash dishes.

Ultimately, I'll truck on through. Make myself a cup of tea and finally sit down for a moment. But oh boy, do I not want to get up to fix dinner in a half hour.

I'm obviously venting. Thank you if you read any of this! Haha

Headed to the reality tv...

[ArtFossil]

Oh believe me, I'm sympathetic!

If I don't have leftovers, which is my definition of perfect happiness. I have become adept at firing up the grill and the microwave and producing a delicious protein and vegetables, accompanied by my own mayonnaise or clarified butter or avocado or olives, in a remarkably short time.

And I often do what my mother used to do, which is get the meal ready or nearly ready and then sit down to relax for 20 minutes before I eat.

And you can produce roasted sweet potato slices drizzled with olive oil and sea salt and fresh ground pepper in 15 minutes.

Plus, the dishes can wait until tomorrow. :-)

[ladyshanny]

Omelette

Ground meat curry (basically brown ground meat, add some veggies...bagged coleslaw & green beans work great, pour over enough coconut milk to simmer the works, add curry powder, simmer until veggies are tender). From start to finish, 15 minutes, 1 pan, no plate if you eat right out of the pan.

Cut a sweet potato in half, place cut side down in a 450F oven on a well greased sheet tray. Bake for about 20 minutes until done. Poach or fry 3 eggs, place on cut potato half, top with mayo, ghee, avocado or a fistful of olives. Sub out the sweet potato for steamed brocoli covered with lime juice and salt if you want something more green/less starchy.

Can of tuna, chunked up apple, shredded spinach, mayo, curry powder. Could put that on top of the sweet potatoes or brocoli above, too.

Can of sardines, sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic, some olive oil, salt and basil (fresh or dried), half an avocado.

You can have all of these made in less than 20 minutes and with minimal clean up.

[jburth7]

My go to is eggs and sauteed veggies, can be ready in less than 10 minutes.  There are weeks when I eat this meal twice a day for several days (I always eat it for breakfast and on late work nights or nights when my family is eating something non-compliant), it's my go to

[praxisproject]

Also, it doesn't help today, but if you have a few meals in the freezer, they're great on days like this.

[Mistyfire]

Omelette

Ground meat curry (basically brown ground meat, add some veggies...bagged coleslaw & green beans work great, pour over enough coconut milk to simmer the works, add curry powder, simmer until veggies are tender). From start to finish, 15 minutes, 1 pan, no plate if you eat right out of the pan.

Cut a sweet potato in half, place cut side down in a 450F oven on a well greased sheet tray. Bake for about 20 minutes until done. Poach or fry 3 eggs, place on cut potato half, top with mayo, ghee, avocado or a fistful of olives. Sub out the sweet potato for steamed brocoli covered with lime juice and salt if you want something more green/less starchy.

Can of tuna, chunked up apple, shredded spinach, mayo, curry powder. Could put that on top of the sweet potatoes or brocoli above, too.

Can of sardines, sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic, some olive oil, salt and basil (fresh or dried), half an avocado.

You can have all of these made in less than 20 minutes and with minimal clean up.

Ground meat curry was just what I needed tonight. I used some ground lamb and frozen vegs. I did give in, though, and put it in a bowl

[Mercy]

I agree with the eggs and sautéed veggies. I just try and keep nuts, eggs, frozen chopped/diced veggies around for emergencies and need-to-eat-now situations. I do make a weekly menu that I keep on my fridge, so I know what I'm eating the next few days and if need be, stop at the store to pick up fresh produce or whatever. It's just too hard to get home after a long day and even try to think about cooking. Preparation in key for me. If I get hungry and something complaint isn't around I'm in trouble!