Roasting chicken with some potatoes doesn't take alot of work. You can pick up a chicken (or chicken parts, i like thighs) and some vegetables (potatoes, onions, peppers, squash, carrots) for relatively cheap and chuck them in the oven at 350 for a while (45 minutes ish) and you've got dinner.

One of my favourite things to do with a bit of fish (almost any fish, trout is nice) is take a fillet and pop it in the oven for a 15 minutes with some sliced onions and peppers, some salt and pepper, little olive oil. 15 minutes, 350. Done.

Calvin

I know I've posted this recipe out here before, but I'm doing it again since it's one I never tire of, it's so versatile, easy and absolutely delicious.

Barley-Wild Rice Risotto

3/4 cup barley
1/4 cup wild rice
(You can also use all barley and skip the wild rice. Just increase the amount to 1 cup. Wild rice can be kind of tricky. The goal in this recipe is to have both ingredients finish cooking at the same time. Not all wild rice will cook in 45 minutes. Some takes much longer and if you mix the barley and wild rice, you could end up with undercooked wild rice. Whatever brand you're using, make sure you know how long it takes to cook before using in this recipe.)
2 T. olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water

Toast barley and wild rice in a heavy saucepan with the olive oil stirring constantly until the barley starts to turn light brown. Add the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the onions and cook an additional 25-30 minutes or until the mixture starts to become creamy.

At this point the possibilities are endless. I like to add a can of diced tomatoes and some chopped fresh rosemary. You could also use fresh tomatoes in season. Cook a few minutes longer. When done to your liking, toss in some chopped parsley, about 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and butter to taste. The finished dish should be very creamy, not soupy.

You can also add chopped chicken, shrimp, peas, broccoli or anything else that sounds good to you. The Parmesan and butter would go well with just about anything.

As far as leftover ingredients go, I never toss anything. If I can't use all the onions I have, I chop them up, toss in a ziplock bag and freeze. Same goes for garlic. The cloves freeze perfectly whole. Tomato paste: Don't you hate it when a recipe calls for 1 T of the stuff and you have to open an entire can? Dump the remaining paste in a ziplock bag, seal, flatten the whole thing out and freeze. When you need some more, just break off a piece right from the freezer.

Kevin

oven roasted tomatoes

slice matoes lay out on a foil lined cookie sheet

apply:
fresh diced garlic
coarse sea salt
pepper
thyme
a pinch o' oregano
evoo
balsamic vinegar

and

cook at 250 for 3 hours or until matoes look roasted

when done allow them to sit an air cool, the put in plastic bag for later or eat them as is, theyre actually really tasty

=D

Hi Calvin,

Here's a link:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Italian-Vegetable-Soup-with-Beans-Spinach--Pesto/Detail.aspx

They have all kinds of recipes for whatever you might have in mind.

I don't do lunch much, because DH likes to eat fruit and nuts (for weight control) for lunch. Nuts are really nutritious and filling, but fattening if you eat too much. :) I often have Ryvita crackers (Sunflower seeds and Oats are my favourite), with pb or cheese (2 of my favourite foods). :)

Also I love tofu-when there is flavour added.

Sorry I don't have a recipe-I just dice up some tofu (usually 4 lb. at a time-it freezes very well), add barbeque sauce, olive oil, (roughly 3 parts bbq. sauce to 1 pt. oil, freshly minced garlic, mix up and store in 'fridge in a plastic bag.
I like this tofu on salad-it's delicious and healthful!.

Like Kevin, I don't toss - just freeze.

Nothing wrong with making dinner and eating the leftovers for lunch, and usually the food tastes better because the flavours blend overnight. If there's leftover, DH and I often eat them for breakfast.

I like to cook, but often find orchids taking over my time, so it's nice to have leftovers for dinner, too. :)

Carol

Awesome suggestions! Thanks guys - I'm off to the supermarket now to pick up some ingredients! :)

..and by the way, the freezing suggestion is fantastic - Thanks K and C - I will definitely put that to good use in the future.

Hi, Calvin,

You can also cook a big dish on Saturday or Sunday night and have it several times during the week. DH fixes a curry w/ chicken and veggies, a pasta w/ ground pork & veggies, a stew w/ beef and veggies. Usually, the stews and curries go over rice of some sort, which can also be made in big batches.

For lunches, you could have turkey sandwiches (if you like them) w/ slices from a turkey roll on a healthy bread, basil or a healthy butter substitute, and a fresh veggie instead of lettuce - sliced green pepper, sliced cucumber, etc.

For raw veggies, you can chop say, broccoli (always listed as being extra good for us) and whatever else into the pre-cooked rice, along w/ a slice of turkey roll, chopped, pieces of canned, pre-cooked chicken breast, or chopped-up pieces of cheese for protein, and basil and grated parmesan cheese. These last 2 are enough to make any vegetable taste good. Add a bit of soy sauce, if salt isn't a concern.

These are quick, easy, and healthy. Hope it helps.

Whitecat8

heres one for the grill

all or most can be bought at a regular super market
but i grow my own oyster and shiitake =D

slice:

shiitake
oyster
button

and throw in a bunch of enoki

into a foil envelope with some soy sauce and a bit of butter
toss on the grill for the last 6 min of cook time flip to other side after 3 min .

it's quick easy and also easy to clean up after

enjoy =D

Gaston

An easy veggie side-dish -- roasted cauliflower. Preheat oven to 400 - 450 deg F. Cut or break-up by hand a head of cauliflower into small 1/2 to 1" florets and place in shallow roasting dish. Drizzle and toss with a good amount of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons or enough to coat most pieces. Salt and pepper to taste and roast until golden brown, maybe 15 minutes (??) re-tosssing once. It's not rocket science but don't mess with it too much -- you want to leave the pieces in contact with the pan so at least one surface carmelizes a bit.

The roasting & carmelizing makes the cauliflower really sweet, with crunchy edges and soft insides.... Yummmmm!

Thanks for the great recipes, WC, gaston and rita! I tried Kevin's risotto the other day with tomatoes, zucchini, onion and bits of bacon and it was great!! It tasted even better as left-overs

Gaston - I have always wanted to grow my own edible mushrooms so I'd love to hear your experiences with that - I am a huge mushroom fan.

Calvin

it's an awesome and neat experience. and it's easy to do too
i get my kit's from a place called fungi perfecti normally i only get them every once in a while but theyre well worth the price, because you get double what you would from the market and in most cases you can find some less accessible varieties as well.

Gaston

Here is a link that might be useful: this should send you in the right direction