Convenience Dinners

Spaghetti. Pasta. Jar of sauce. And vegan meatballs from Aldi or an impossible/beyond burger patty. Cook the burger, chopping it into grounds. Throw in the sauce. Boil the noodles. Viola. It's my go to when I don't feel like cooking/have no time/need something quick. If I have an extra minute or two, I throw a loaf of bread in the oven. I usually buy marked down French bread and keep it in the freezer when I need it. Or if I only have sandwich bread, I turn on the broiler and butter up the bread, add garlic powder and oregano and then toast the bread in the broiler for a minute or two.

A nice veggie & tofu "pad Thai". Most of the grocery chains have some version of a frozen stir fry mix, I just throw that in a wok with some cubed tofu and a little soy sauce and sesame oil, cook some rice noodles on the next burner, throw everything together and cover with peanut sauce (sambal oelek, peanut butter, a little soy, and water to thin). We've basically started keeping all of that stuff on hand as basics because it's a 20-minute meal and it only uses a pot and a pan really.

1. pasta and jar sauce
2. pesto star (just pesto and pizza dough, look up "from my bowl" pesto star
3. trader joes Japanese fried rice + frozen garlic cabbage + beefless bulgogi (thaw all in microwave, then crisp up a bit in pan)
4. smoothie, baked potato wedges, edamame (this is my true exhausted and nothing sounds good meal)
5. pan fried tofu, noodles, raw veggies
6. when all else fails: oatmeal

Stuffed peppers: Cooked quinoa, two types canned beans, frozen chopped spinach, frozen corn, taco seasoning. Mix together, stuff peppers, bake, then top with jarred salsa, store bought guac, and tahini.

Big fan of the instant pot for grains. Can of black beans, quinoa, whatever veggies I have on hand plus spices thrown in for 1 minute high pressure and 10 minutes before manual release. Wrap in a tortilla and you have a burrito. You can sub rice or whatever other grain, or have no grain at all. I make extra to throw in the freezer for a quick lunch!

I’m also a huge fan of freezing in general and will make double recipes of casseroles on weekends when I have a bit more time. We eat one that night and then have the second in the freezer. I pull it out to thaw the night before a busy day and pop it in the oven to heat through.

Chikn patties, baked potatoes, and frozen veg. Everything can be made in the microwave in about 10 minutes and is filling and reasonably healthy. We also make beans n’ things which is exactly what it sounds like. Sauté whatever veggies we have on hand, throw in two cans of beans that I’ve rinsed, and call it a day.

Falafel night

Frozen falafel (Trader Joes has a couple of options) Hummus Tomato Cucumber Pickles Wheat pita (keep a spare park in the freezer)

banza mac'n'cheese, my 2 year old loves it and so do we. it's not the cheapest, but it's much less than takeout. typically if we have that, we also have a black bean burger (don lee farms, costco) and a frozen vegetable. usually broccoli, which we also get from costco.

Pasta plus jarred sauce, frozen peas Ikea balls. Rice or frozen veggies or bread or whatever we have Frozen daiya pizza Tofu scramble A smoothie If we have dhal and rice, i do a quick palak to refresh the meal Hummus and rice cakes Pancakes

Easy quesadillas - soft taco shells, refried beans. Honestly you can stop there if you're in a super hurry, spread the beans on one taco cover with another, microwave for a minute, basic, filling, gets you through the night.

With a bit more time, throw some extra taco seasoning in the beans, get some vegan cheese, toss the prepared quesadillas on the stove for a few minutes each side.

The more time you have, the more fixins. Peppers & onions? Salsa? Vegan sour cream?

It's a really great, incredibly basic dish that you can adjust to your current level of energy.

Can of beans. Cup of rice. Can of diced tomatoes. Season accordingly.

Lentil soup...I always keep lentils on hand and make either lentil swiss chard soup or lentils and rice with fried onion, the latter of which is SUPER easy, filling and delicious.

As a side note, I used to make all my own sauces and such but lately with a toddler, busy job, and a new house, I've been leaning into pre-made sauces from Trader Joe's. It cuts out cooking AND cleaning!

If you want really easy- savory huel. I like the Mac n cheese best

Beans on toast

A tin of beans (.I.e. Black eye beans or borlotti) a tin of lentils and a jar of ready made sauce, served with spaghetti.

Or just pure and simple baked beans on toast or a jacket potato