None of these fancy or innovative meals, but they're wholesome and (at least semi-) homemade. Having these dinners as a backup plan has prevented us getting expensive takeout many a night, and most of them hardly take longer than waiting for takeout!
Here's are some of our top "emergency" dinners:
Fritatta - If you're not familiar with this dish, fritatta is basically a simple crustless quiche. I make it by scrambling 8 eggs with some milk and adding shredded cheese, fresh or dried herbs, and bits of whatever vegetables or meat I can find. I cook it on the stove (without stirring) until the edges are dry, and then I put it in the oven (in my oven-safe skillet) until fully cooked, with some extra shredded cheese on top.
Quesadillas - If I have tortillas and cheese, I can always make some version of quesadillas, by filling the tortillas with the cheese and whatever else I can find and baking them briefly at a high temperature. I often fill quesadillas with beans, chicken, chilies, corn, sauteed onions and peppers, olives - the list is endless!
Freezer meals - When I can, I try to double the recipe for a dinner that I'm cooking and freeze the other half. These meals are such a life-saver on crazy nights or on days when I'm out all day and don't have time to cook. I don't do any organized "freezer cooking"; I just try to freeze leftovers when I can. However, if you're interested in a more formalized plan for this, check out this series on making freezer meals.
Soup and Sandwiches - If I call my mom and tell her that I have nothing for dinner, she is liable to suggest "grilled cheese and tomato soup." She has good reason - talk about simple, hot comfort food! Any kind of soup and sandwiches do for a hearty meal in a pinch. Sometimes I have leftover soup in the freezer that I can pull out, and I do try to keep some canned soup around, when I can get it for less than $1.00/can. I've also made this super easy tomato soup recipe. (If I use milk for the cream, it is totally made from items I almost always have in the pantry.)
Pasta - Our number one go-to food - extremely quick, easy, and filling! We eat just plain pasta with marinara on a fairly regular basis, but you can always add ground beef to have bolognese sauce in not too much more time. Spaghetti with olive oil and sauteed garlic is another super quick and delicious option.
What are your family's "emergency" meals? I always need new ideas for those crazy nights!
More WFMW (including an amazing gift-wrapping station idea) is here.
Don't forget my giveaway for an excellent and inspirational book, Jantsen's Gift, here.
We always have soup and sandwich makings spaghetti and sauce on hand for those quickie dinners!
ReplyDeleteBreakfast for dinner is always a favorite.
ReplyDeleteI like having hamburger patties, hot dogs, kielbasa, or Italian sausage in the freezer- anything I can just throw on the Foreman grill works well for our quick meals.
ReplyDeleteAfter years of dual careers, we have come up with lots of quick meals! Click my name for our recipes. I particularly want to make sure you know about Honey Baked Lentils, the ideal main dish for days when you're at home but have little time for cooking and no fresh ingredients. You can mix up HBLs in 5 minutes from cheap, shelf-stable ingredients and then stick it in the oven for an hour and give it no further attention. And it's delicious! We love it with baked squash or sweet potatoes at the end of a busy day of household chores.
ReplyDeleteSome of our favorites:
ReplyDelete* Baked beans with hotdogs
* Stuffed baked potatoes (with just about any leftover meat, broccoli, onions, garlic, cheese, sour cream, chili, or whatever else you want to throw in there)
* Soup with cheese, apples and or pears, and bread on the side