Easy Meals.

I am burnt out on meal planning.  I am just plum out of ideas.  And cooking-energy, too (saving it all for those play dates, right?).  So, we tried to keep it simple this week.  What's on our easy-meal menu, you ask?  Mostly meals inspired by miscellaneous items that have been sitting in our pantry (e.g., canned diced tomatoes, canned crushed tomatoes, instant stuffing, rice pilaf, kidney beans, croutons . . .). So without further ado . . . (as presented by our always happy-to-eat A.)

Crunchy, Cold Chopped salad with Breaded Chicken Tenders and Cranberry Spritzers.  Ingredients:  Romaine Hearts, chopped; frozen corn; chopped avocado; chopped cucumber; chopped tomato; chopped breaded chicken tenders (found in your grocer's frozen department); croutons; shredded cheese; and your favorite dressing (we prefer a peppercorn or bacon ranch).  Note:  Best if all ingredients are nice and cold.  Directions:  Bake your chicken tenders, then chop.  Mix all ingredients together, except chicken, dressing, cheese and croutons.  Toss salad with dressing, add remaining ingredients (chicken, etc.).

As for the spritzers - my current obsession - just mix cranberry juice with (our preference) raspberry (or lime) sparkling water.

Steak and Noodles and Salad (an all-time favorite, better served with rice, IMO):  any cut of steak you prefer (I usually use two steaks; this time, M. bought me boneless short ribs) cut into bite-size pieces, bunch of scallions sliced (incl. green parts), container of sliced mushrooms chopped (or just simply torn in pieces), two brown gravy packets, and any seasoning you wish in any quantity you choose (I use Mrs. Dash, salt, and pepper).  Add to that, soy sauce and egg noodles or rice. Directions:  On the stovetop, brown the cut beef, scallions, and mushrooms and season.  Once the meat is browned, mix two packets of gravy mix w/ two cups of water.  Pour over beef mixture.  Allow to simmer for however long you wish (the longer the better, i.e., more tender the meat).  Serve over egg noodles or rice.  Add soy sauce.

(The only food picture I took this week, sorry.)

As for the salad, we used leftovers from Sunday night's crispy chicken chopped salad, minus the chicken.

Chili with Garlic Bread and - what else - Salad. I have a fancy-schmancy chili recipe that includes some red wine and italian sausage, but isn't so prep-time friendly. In favor of simple ingredients and time-savers, I made this simple Chili recipe:  1lb ground beef; 1 chopped onion; 2 cups water; 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes; 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (I used two frozen Trader Joe's cubes - have you tried these?!); 2 tablespoons of chili powder; and 1/2 teaspoon each: dried oregano, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.  Simple Instructions:  On the stovetop, brown your beef (drain if necessary); throw in your onions and cook until softened, then throw in the rest!  Simmer for at least 30 minutes (mine simmered for a few hours).

Note:  we sprinkle our chili with cheese and sometimes indulge with a dollop of sour cream.

Add to that 1 loaf of frozen garlic bread (we had the Alexis twin pack on hand and used one loaf; the other was combined with the Steak and Noodles meal, last minute) and a tossed salad (I made up another huge tossed salad consisting of lettuce, tomatoes, shredded carrots, cucumbers, and croutons to nibble on throughout the week).

Smoked Sausage, Rice, Cornbread Stuffing, and Peas.  Even easier.  I had a box of Zataran's New Orlean's Style Rice Pilaf on Hand.  I added to that 1 3/4 c of chicken broth, can of diced and drained tomatoes, and one chopped onion.  Then, I whipped up some Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing, following the package's instructions, which called for butter, chicken broth, onion and celery.  Next and on the stovetop, I cooked all-beef smoked sausage in 3/4 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes.  Add to that, one package of frozen sweet peas, microwaved for 3 - 4 minutes.  Shamefully quick and simple.

Penne with (Easy!) Cream Sauce and Salad.  And, finally, for tonight's dish - something even easier than every other night.  Ingredients:  Cooked Penne Pasta (you have to eyeball the amount that seems to fit the sauce; sorry!); 1 14.5 oz can Italian-Seasoned Diced Tomatoes; 1 clove of garlic; 1 onion, chopped (and olive oil for sauteeing); 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 tablespoon dried basil; 3/4 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon oregano; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; and 1 tablespoon butter.  Directions:  On the stovetop, cook onion and garlic until translucent.  Add to that everything except the cream and butter.  Bring to a boil and cook until most of liquid is reduced (5 or so minutes?). Then, add in the butter and heavy cream, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Transfer from stove to blender. blending until smooth.  Mix with penne.

I sometimes add red pepper flakes (pre-blending), peas and/or sprinkle the dish with fresh parmesan.  M. adds hot sauce (honestly, M. adds hot sauce to just about everything).

Tonight's salad:  lettuce, shredded carrots, dried cranberries, green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and croutons (more leftovers!).  

For my whole-food afficianados, sorry, but many of my ingredients are frozen, packaged, preserved and, hence, have very long lives (which is why I've had them on hand for so long and need to use them). Certainly, I'd love to make every meal every day purely from scratch.  But, frankly, I ain't got the time or energy right now.  If you have meal shortcuts or simple from-the-pantry recipes that you're willing to share, PLEASE DO.  No one will appreciate them more than me!