Conjuring meals out of the store cupboard

sonastin

Thanks to this thread, I've become really disciplined at cooking from scratch, meal planning, avoiding junk food & takeaways, etc. However, over the last couple of weeks things have gone a bit awry and I can't work out the best way to deal with it... I'm looking for a bit of inspiration or advice.

The problem has cropped up when I've found myself having to work late unexpectedly and the meal I had planned is one that takes a long time in the preparation/cooking. I finally make it home from work, absolutely ravenous, with an hour of cooking before I can fill my hunrgy tummy. So far I've managed to cope by treating myself to 1 takeaway, 1 meal out and 1 emergency stop for a ready meal from the SM and completely depleting my stash of emergency left-over freezer-surprise tubs. Also managed to postpone planned meals to another day so as yet now wastage.

What I could really use now is some advice on staples that I can keep in the store cupboard to turn into a meal of some description at zero notice. I'm sure I used to do it all the time but the only things I can think I used to eat are the sort of instant-ready-meal type things that I'm congratulating myself on having cut out of my diet.

The one thing I don't like to do is use meat straight from the freezer - my mum will quite happily defrost in micro and use it straight away but my microwave is temperamental and does a bloomin good job of making sure the outer edges are cooked to a dessicated texture while the middle remains ice-bound. And for the time being, I'm not going to have the opportunity for a batch-cook to replenish the freezer - and the freezer is kinda full anyway so might not be able to fit one in if I did!

(There's just me & OH to cook for. I'm trying to get him to make a start on dinner when I'm working late but he often works even later than me so half the time I phone him and he's still at work himself!)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have. My mind is blank and I'm struggling at the moment.

SailorSam

A few quick store cupboard menus

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/storecupboard

maman

As you say, HM Ready meals (Bolognese, chilli, curry etc) are the way to go longer term.

As a temporary situation, It depends how healthy you want to be.:D:o

Oven chips with battered/breaded fish and frozen peas are easy. Similarly tins of ham or corned beef with chips. Many sausages, burgers and faggots can be cooked from frozen. Or there's always good old egg and chips or omelettes.

I used to buy tins of curry,chilli, sweet and sour or stewing steak (from M&S when on offer but all stores do them) and quickly do pasta or rice to go with them.

I'm sure others will be along soon with healthier alternatives.;)

Fosterdog

A stir fry is great for when you are working late and want a quick but nice meal, depending on what you have in for your already planned meal you can throw in any meat or fish, a mix of veg (can be put in frozen if pieces not too big) and some sauce/flavouring either from a jar, freezer or freshly made. My quick sauce is sticky sesame, just honey, sesame oil, sesame seeds and some soy sauce.

I usually have some fresh noodles in the fridge but also keep some dried noodles in the cupboard for emergencies.

K9sandFelines

What about beans and jacket potato, omelette, pasta with a little bit of bacon, mushroom and a sauce that you can make in advance but warm through whilst the pasta is cooking. Risotto is quick to cook also. Can't think what else off the top of my head

Butterfly_Brain

I do a sticky tuna noodle dish that doesn't take long to do.

Basically it is a tin or two of tuna chunks depending on if you are feeding two or four people.
Frozen stir fry veg
Dried egg noodles
Honey, soy sauce and garlic or use a stir fry sauce from aldi
sesame seeds
Make the sauce by mixing soy sauce, honey and a crushed clove of garlic in a bowl
Cook the noodles in boiling water
In a wok put the tuna and stir fry veg,
Drain the noodles add to the wok and pour over the sauce heat through and serve with sesame seeds sprinkled on the top.
Cheap, quick, filling and tasty

Maitane

Hi Sonastin,

It depends on the type of things you like to eat.

Personally, we like to have cartons of passata, pasta, egg noodles, rice noodles, rice and tins of things like peas, carrots, mixed vegetables, sweetcorn, chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans, potatoes and tuna. I quite like a tin of corned beef and a tin of ham too. We've got a decent spice store going on too.

I have cocoa, yeast, flours (bread, plain and SR), pickled things like gherkins, beetroot and onions and tinned water chesnuts.

For a bread substitute, I try and find wraps that have long dates or vacuum packed chapatis which tend to have a few months on them.
I also try to keep some long life bottled sauces, stock cubes and an unopened mayo too. Then in the fridge, I try to have a chorizo and some italian style hard cheese.

That way, we can have:

• pasta with chorizo and a sauce of passata and herbs with cheese grated over it

• the spices and passata can make a curry sauce for chickpeas and mixed veg served with some rice

• a dish with butter beans and chorizo that's like baked beans (ish) but quick thanks to the beans being cooked, I even put the mixed veg in for some extra veg

• the corned beef can be made into a type of hash if you take the tinned potatoes and beef then chop and fry them to serve with the carrots and peas

• tuna can be used with pasta or combined with the sweetcorn and mayo and put into the wraps

• Noodles can be cooked and tossed in a sauce with water chestnuts, sweetcorn and carrots
• The yeast and flour make pizza dough
• Cocoa, flour and mayo can be made into brownies with the help of a decent recipe.

floss2

Staples of bacon, pasta, eggs, parmesan & black pepper = carbonara. Takes as long as it takes to boil your pasta!

cheeswright

Hi Sonastin
I'm sorry I kind of dont get this....? are you on any kind of restricted diet ? or do you have any allergies?
otherwise there are loads of unglamorous but nutritious meals that take under 10 mins
beans on toast - followed by fruit and yoghurt if your 5 a day is important
poached eggs on toast if its not
salad and omlette
veggi sphagetti
spag carbonnara - ok those last 2 take 12 mins - unless you buy quick cook sphagetti
also a sachet of microwave rice and a ton of veg - we also use quorn when we want super quick food if you have to have something meatier - otherwise a few frozen prawns helps - or a chopped in boiled egg.....

uncooked par baked bread - split open and stuffed with anything handy + philly cheese - then baked
toasted sandwiches
etc
sorry if I've missed the point...wouldnt be surprised today !

theoretica

I aim for protein, stodge and veg in my meals. Pick one from each class and sometimes the combination is a little odd, but at least it is nutritious!

Protein:
Tinned fish (and meat), eggs, cheese, some frozen fish can be cooked from frozen, nuts, beans...

Stodge: Bread, pasta, noodles, couscous, oat cakes, fast cook rice

Veg: Salads, frozen veg, and most green veg cook pretty fast.

Also a stash of tomato puree, olives, chutney, whatever you like for flavour.

sonastin

cheeswright wrote: »

Hi Sonastin
I'm sorry I kind of dont get this....? are you on any kind of restricted diet ? or do you have any allergies?
otherwise there are loads of unglamorous but nutritious meals that take under 10 mins
beans on toast - followed by fruit and yoghurt if your 5 a day is important
poached eggs on toast if its not
salad and omlette
veggi sphagetti
spag carbonnara - ok those last 2 take 12 mins - unless you buy quick cook sphagetti
also a sachet of microwave rice and a ton of veg - we also use quorn when we want super quick food if you have to have something meatier - otherwise a few frozen prawns helps - or a chopped in boiled egg.....

uncooked par baked bread - split open and stuffed with anything handy + philly cheese - then baked
toasted sandwiches
etc
sorry if I've missed the point...wouldnt be surprised today !

No real dietary restrictions but I guess large appetites. I'm afraid I'd be considering a lot of the things you've listed as "quick snacks" rather than a proper meal and OH would definitely be asking what we're having for the main course! I guess it didn't occur to me that not everyone has the protein/stodge/veg combo every day - should have been clearer on that.

We usually have a good selection of veg in the fridge and a variety of stodge in the cupboard so I think my main problem has surrounded the protein question. For OH that usually means meat - pulses&beans will get a definite "yuk" and fish will get a "do we have to?". On the odd occasion, I am more than happy for the answer to be "yes!"

Some good ideas here though so thanks for that. I think I need to check the freezer aisles for more cook-from-frozen meats and stash the odd pack of stir-fry veg in the freezer. And have a couple of emergency packet sauces & tinned meats in the cupboard too. Those are the things I used to eat all the time but got cut with the move to do more cooking from scratch. My mind was just completely blank as to what I used to have beyond ready meals and junk food - now you've reminded me I don't think my diet was that unhealthy after all!

Thanks all :T