Dinners

Alibali

Hi,

I am looking for dinner suggestions - I feel that most days now we are eating too much processed food and want to try and go back to more fresh meat etc. On work days I find time is an issue, so I was hoping for some suggestions on quick, easy meals that I can prepare after work (with not alot of preparation involved as I have a toddler going through a very clingy stage at present) and that dont cost the earth!

Any advice/tips will be gratefully received.

Thanks!

paulineb_2

You'll find a lot of suggestions on the food and groceries and the old style boards.

meritaten

Yes, come and post this in 'Old Style Moneysaving'. We are a friendly, helpful bunch and will work with you to suggest easy, quick 'cooked from scratch meals'!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Steak, chicken breast, fish, pork or lamb? Get boneless cuts (and remember, one chicken breast is enough for two people) and thin pieces, throw in hot pan with or without spices/herbs, tip onto plate with potatoes and veg or salad.

Done in about ten minutes flat.

meritaten

I love couscous - made in five minutes flat to accompany a meat or veg 'star' of the meal.

KxMx

Cold cuts of meat can be added to pasta, tinned tomatoes, sweetcorn and heated through.
Minced beef/chopped meat added to gravy and vegetables of choice is also very tasty. Potatoes optional depending on time.

onlyroz

Stroganoff - slice up some steak or some pork. Chop an onion. Fry the meat and onion in some oil and add a tablespoon or so of paprika. Stir in a carton of sour cream, add a few handfuls of button mushrooms, a few teaspoons of mustard and some worcestershire sauce. Heat through for a few minutes and serve with rice.

Sea-food pasta - heat up some olive oil and add a few crushed garlic cloves, some prawns (my preference is raw tiger prawns), a can of chopped tomatoes and some chopped fresh parsley. If you like a bit of heat add some Indian pepper sauce (e.g. tabasco). Serve with pasta (my preference would be linguine).

Carbonara - chop up some bacon (or use lardons or pancetta cubes), mushrooms, onion, red or green peppers. Fry in olive oil for a few minutes. Meanwhile get some pasta on (e.g. tagliatelle). Also whisk up some eggs (one egg per person should do) and grate some italian hard cheese, e.g. parmesan, gran pedano or peccarino. Stir half the cheese into the eggs. Drain the pasta. Bring the bacon and veg off the heat, add the pasta and the egg mixture. Stir through for a few minutes (note that the residual heat in the pasta is enough to cook the egg) and serve with the rest of the cheese.

aileth

My favourite 'friday night' dish is a good chunk of pork belly, crisp it up for some crackling, then turn the belly into a stew with some chorizo, chopped toms and lots of different beans, red kidney etc, onion and lashings of garlic. Yum!

browneyedbazzi

I make turkey burgers from scratch (fairly quick, cheaper and healthier than beef) and my red meat loving boyfriend prefers them now.

I do a one-pot 'spanish' chicken - chicken thighs, chorizo, potatoes (part boiled new potatoes usually) and tinned tomatoes all in a large casserole in the oven - 5 minutes to throw together then about 40 minutes in the oven and it's done.

Another after work favourite here is cumberland sausages with caramelised red onion - it takes about 10 minutes to brown the sausages and make up the caramelised red onion then it goes in the oven and doesn't require any more attention. (I toss some new potatoes with rape seed oil and some seasoning and put them in the oven at the same time with the sausages so you get nice roast potatoes to go with it)

Pasta bake is another quick and easy crowd pleaser - I make up my own spicy pork from scratch that I cook freeze in portions (pork mince, salt pepper, red chili flakes, fennel seeds) then it's quick and easy to toss with some cooked pasta, tinned tomatoes, top with cheese and pop it in the oven to bake. I make lot in one go then have leftovers for lunches

onlyroz

For super-easy meat balls mix together pork and beef mince 50:50 and then add a pack of sage-and-onion stuffing (e.g. Paxo). Roll into balls, chill in the fridge for a bit, and then fry them until they're cooked through.

Metranil_Vavin

Mince-based meals are quick to do..chilli con carnie/spag bol etc

You can also make up big batches, portion it up and freeze it for days when you just want to bung something quick in the microwave