Go To Meals ?

Naturally

Naturally

Well-known Member
Location
Corner of Walk 'n Don't Walk
I'm a life long bachelor who never was a good cook.
For 20yrs, most meals were provided by the military.
Outside of that, I've struggled to settle on easy consistent meals that fill all nutritional requirements.

For a time in retirement, I lived mostly on thick and hearty beef and vegetable soups I came up with.
When that became mundane and boring, I subscribed to "Home Chef", a meal service.
Thing was, not only was Home Chef expensive but during the hottest months of summer, the meals didn't arrive in the best condition.
I canceled the meal service.

For the last three years or so, I've eaten Birds Eye Voila! Skillet Meals. There are several varieties but most are veggies and chicken.
I eat one entire 21oz. package each day at one sitting. The packages are said to contain 3 servings each.
I doctor the skillet meals up with liberal amounts of California Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a cast of various seasonings.
I end up with kind of a Tex-Mex taste. I never add salt. The meals have enough in them. I always microwave them from 12:15 to 13:30 depending on the package.
I eat fruit a couple of times a week. In the evenings, you might find me with some ice cream. I take a senior multi-vitamin daily with a meal.
I go out to eat about twice a month and focus on meals that contain fish or shrimp.

Also twice a month I go shopping and always get about 14-16 of the Birds Eye Skillet Meal packages and toss in the freezer.
The variety of packages keeps me from becoming bored and the price of the packages keeps my grocer bill under $200 a month for the meals.

I wish I was a great cook as some of you are. I'm not. The packaging and effortless convenience of the skillet meals works for me.
No meal planning. No worry of rotating food in the frig and shelves for freshness etc etc.

So how do you work your meals? Thanks !!!

Jim
 

I like easy skillet meals but do them from scratch. It doesn't take too much effort and it doesn't have the preservatives.
Don't get me wrong. I applaud that you're eating veggies and chicken and those meals are healthier than fast food.
Could you copy them using fresh ingredients?
 
Well..possibly your fellow countrymen will come up with something easy and wholesome for you to cook.. but if I was in your shoes.. and I do live alone... I would be buying fresh chicken drumsticks or skinned and boneless thighs... ( and I do ).. in bulk from Cosco.. or somewhere simialr, freezing them into your preferred size portions.. then taking them out of the freezer, and thawing them in the fridge overnight..

Then, marinading them in some sauce.. ( ready made jars ).. or even cooking without sauce.... either in an Air fryer ( which I do ) or in a slow cooker or in the oven.. Serve with salad, microwaved ( steamed ) frozen veggies.. and or rice or noodles..

The beutiy of hte Airfryer is that the food can be left unattended and when it's ready it shuts itself off, so if you're busy with something else there's no panic to get to the cooker.. or stand over something..same with the slow cooker.. but of course the latter takes all day or.. if preferred you can put your met/chicken/posr/beef.. into the slow cooker with the veggies and a little water before going to bed, put it on low and it will be ready when you get up in the morning.

if you cook a portion enough for several meals you can freeze them for other days and they'll just need to be zapped in the microwave for a few minutes..
 

hearlady said:
I like easy skillet meals but do them from scratch. It doesn't take too much effort and it doesn't have the preservatives.
Don't get me wrong. I applaud that you're eating veggies and chicken and those meals are healthier than fast food.
Could you copy them using fresh ingredients?
Click to expand...
I've thought of doing just that hearlady !!! ... but the veggies in the Birds Eye Skillet Meals are fresh frozen to begin with. Perhaps the biggest benefit to buying fresh veggies would be hand picking. Other than that, I don't think freezing fresh veggies takes any nutrients away. My mother and grandmother canned and froze foods. The chicken may be a whole 'nother story. Maybe fresh chicken from the grocer's meat dept. would be best. On the other hand, I'm not convinced hand picked fresh would be as economical as the Birds Eye packages.
hollydolly said:
Well..possibly your fellow countrymen will come up with something easy and wholesome for you to cook.. but if I was in your shoes.. and I do live alone... I would be buying fresh chicken drumsticks or skinned and boneless thighs... ( and I do ).. in bulk from Cosco.. or somewhere simialr, freezing them into your preferred size portions.. then taking them out of the freezer, and thawing them in the fridge overnight..

Then, marinading them in some sauce.. ( ready made jars ).. or even cooking without sauce.... either in an Air fryer ( which I do ) or in a slow cooker or in the oven.. Serve with salad, microwaved ( steamed ) frozen veggies.. and or rice or noodles..

The beutiy of hte Airfryer is that the food can be left unattended and when it's ready it shuts itself off, so if you're busy with something else there's no panic to get to the cooker.. or stand over something..same with the slow cooker.. but of course the latter takes all day or.. if preferred you can put your met/chicken/posr/beef.. into the slow cooker with the veggies and a little water before going to bed, put it on low and it will be ready when you get up in the morning.

if you cook a portion enough for several meals you can freeze them for other days and they'll just need to be zapped in the microwave for a few minutes..
Click to expand...
Holly, I have looked from time to time at the Airfryer options but just haven't pulled the trigger on one ... yet. Your experience with them is encouraging. I have a slow cooker but find I only use it every year or so. The biggest benefit to me is as you stated, freezing portions for easy reheat later.

Oh, and one other thing I eat from time to time is a Low Country Boil. Smoked Sausage, Red Potatoes, Corn and Shrimp with a hot bite to it.
 
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I soak about 5 or 6 quartered Brussels sprouts for 20 minutes, drain the water and microwave, covered. for 4 minutes. Then to that in the same bowl, I add strips of cold cuts (usually turkey or chicken) and half a package of microwaved Ben's basmati rice. Mix them all together. One dish - has vegetable, meat and starch all in one.
 
Naturally said:
I've thought of doing just that hearlady !!! ... but the veggies in the Birds Eye Skillet Meals are fresh frozen to begin with. Perhaps the biggest benefit to buying fresh veggies would be hand picking. Other than that, I don't think freezing fresh veggies takes any nutrients away. My mother and grandmother canned and froze foods. The chicken may be a whole 'nother story. Maybe fresh chicken from the grocer's meat dept. would be best. On the other hand, I'm not convinced hand picked fresh would be as economical as the Birds Eye packages.

Holly, I have looked from time to time at the Airfryer options but just haven't pulled the trigger on one ... yet. Your experience with them is encouraging. I have a slow cooker but find I only use it every year or so. The biggest benefit to me is as you stated, freezing portions for easy reheat later.

Oh, and one other thing I eat from time to time is a Low Country Boil. Smoked Sausage, Red Potatoes, Corn and Shrimp with a hot bite to it.
Click to expand...
the AF is an actual boon... everyone thinks it fries food, it doesn't it bakes them. Depending on what you'd want to use it for it can do all sorts of things from being a basic (chep AF).. which will cook your food.. to an all singing all dancing one which will steam/bake/roast and or dehydrate food for you ( think of apples being made into apple crisps )... very easy very quick and all cooked in one pan, which makes hardly any mess. I encourage you to treat yourself to an AF... , there's no need to buy a recipe book, there's a whole myriad of Youtube instruction with recipes.. and some for whatever brand of AF you have....oooh and thanks to the non stick properties , and the fact most of us use parchment paper in the base, the washing up takes seconds..
 
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The Olive Oil, seasonings and sauces I add to just about every Birds Eye Skillet Meal

3WgD6jX.jpg
 
debodun said:
I soak about 5 or 6 quartered Brussels sprouts for 20 minutes, drain the water and microwave, covered. for 4 minutes. Then to that in the same bowl, I add strips of cold cuts (usually turkey or chicken) and half a package of microwaved Ben's basmati rice. Mix them all together. One dish - has vegetable, meat and starch all in one.
Click to expand...
Deb may I ask why you do that with Brussel sprouts ?... just asking because fresh brussel sprouts have little or no vitamins in them after they've been lying around for days or even weeks after picking.. and then by keeping them soaked in water you're losing what's left if any... then microwaving them for a whole 4 minutes.....fresh brussels would only need zapping for a minute or 2 max

The best thing is to get frozen veggies.. they're picked and frozen within 2 hours..they retain all their goodness.. and then you can put a single portion or more if you prefer but a single portion into one of these microwave steam pots.. for 3 mins.30 seconds will have them cooked perfectly..and retain all the goodness....further to that you could add a bit of frozen other veggies at the same time, like Broccoli or corn or whatever, and add another 3 minutes to the cooking time, and you have several veggies, and only one easy pot to wash
sistema-microwave-dishes-1113-red-plastic-bowl-can-915-ml.jpg
 
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Suggestions: ( take it or leave it!! LOLOL)

Take an adult cooking class (for men)

or google "simple recipes for two"

An aside: I was a single mom to 2 sons and a daughter. They were required to prepare one meal a week. The meal plans were done before the shopping day (week end).

The rule was the cook doesn't clean up. (they were careful NOT to use every pot/utensil and/or leave a mess on the stove.)

An aside: their wives or "live ins" prefer the sons' cooking.
 
againstthegrain said:
Suggestions:

Sheet pan meals

bbq/grill

Breakfast for dinner or lunch, (eggs just came down in price recently)

Meatballs and macaroni (meatballs freeze well, and adapt to a wide variety of flavors)
Click to expand...
I always have a pack of frozen Swedish meatballs in the freezer.. I portion them into manageable packs.. and again the day before I put a bag to thaw in the fridge... 8 or 10 meatballs take just 2 mins to reheat in the microwave.. and can be added to anything..noodles.. rice, mashed potatoes and veggies.. anything..
 
Go To Meals?

I'm guessing you don't have time during your busy day after getting ready to go to work, working for at east 8 hours plus the travel time needed to come & go to a job to learn how to cook.

But if not working, learning how to feed yourself great food doesn't take years of schooling. The reward for feeding yourself great meals by reading recipes & prepping something that you only saw in pictures will fill part of the time you have free during your day.

And the best part !!! If you have left over food those can be your go to meals when you don't feel like cooking.
 
Knight said:
Go To Meals?

I'm guessing you don't have time during your busy day after getting ready to go to work, working for at east 8 hours plus the travel time needed to come & go to a job to learn how to cook.
Click to expand...
lol.. good thing women don't feel like that most of the time :sneaky::D..not only get ourselves ready for work..get the family ready for school and work..after making their breakfast.. then preparing their packed lunches, then our travel to work an 8 or 9 hour day, then to the supermarket to get the shopping, and home to cook dinner for several people.. do the washing and the housework, and do it all over again the next day ... and men wonder why we have a headache.. :ROFLMAO:
 
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hollydolly said:
Well..possibly your fellow countrymen will come up with something easy and wholesome for you to cook.. but if I was in your shoes.. and I do live alone... I would be buying fresh chicken drumsticks or skinned and boneless thighs... ( and I do ).. in bulk from Cosco.. or somewhere simialr, freezing them into your preferred size portions.. then taking them out of the freezer, and thawing them in the fridge overnight..

Then, marinading them in some sauce.. ( ready made jars ).. or even cooking without sauce.... either in an Air fryer ( which I do ) or in a slow cooker or in the oven.. Serve with salad, microwaved ( steamed ) frozen veggies.. and or rice or noodles..

The beutiy of hte Airfryer is that the food can be left unattended and when it's ready it shuts itself off, so if you're busy with something else there's no panic to get to the cooker.. or stand over something..same with the slow cooker.. but of course the latter takes all day or.. if preferred you can put your met/chicken/posr/beef.. into the slow cooker with the veggies and a little water before going to bed, put it on low and it will be ready when you get up in the morning.

if you cook a portion enough for several meals you can freeze them for other days and they'll just need to be zapped in the microwave for a few minutes..
Click to expand...
Yes Costco has meals to be reheated. Normally those meals are suitable for a family of 4, cut them in half and it works great for the 2 of us those meals are then frozen. The rest of the time we bring meals in from local restaurants.
 
mrstime said:
Yes Costco has meals to be reheated. Normally those meals are suitable for a family of 4, cut them in half and it works great for the 2 of us those meals are then frozen. The rest of the time we bring meals in from local restaurants.
Click to expand...
yes I know they have ready prepared meals at Costco but I always buy fresh ( unless I'm buying frozen duck spring rolls)... and portion everything up and freeze it myself... Of course rather than freeze things raw.. folks could cook everything first and then freeze in portions.. I just rather do it my way ..(y)
 
Frozen meals from the grocery store are full of sodium to make them taste better and unhealthy. It’s not that hard to cook meat, rice or potatoes and a vegetable. Make enough for 3 days and only cook twice a week.
 
If you like an Asian flair try fish sauce (or soy but I like fish sauce), a dash of good sesame oil, and some siracha sauce (with the green cap not red) Easy, delicious.
 
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