Yes, you still have to cook. And clean. But only a little bit.
We all know it’s waaay healthier and cheaper to eat at home. We also know that cooking a meal and dealing with dishes after a long day pretty much sucks.
When I walk in the door after work on a weekday, I will encounter one of two possible scenarios:
The first is that there is a chicken (or some other type of crispy, tender and succulent meat) roasting in our miniature oven. My husband made meat! Yay! And he also made a stack of greasy pots and pans on the stovetop. Boo!
The second scenario is that the house will be quiet, my husband and child facing their screens silently. Hmmm. Boo?
Well, it’s mostly a ‘Yay!’, because then I know I won’t spend the rest of the evening grumbling about dishes, a chicken carcass, and a greasy stovetop.
I know all I have to do at that very moment is throw together some salad, or chop some veggies to snack on (a fair substitution for drinking wine) while I whip something up.
I love a good roast chicken, but a weekday calls for something simple and light—something that takes less than 30 minutes to make and clean up.
So, don’t stress yourself out on a school night with a fancy recipe. It’s really not necessary.
Here are some ideas that usually win at my place.
Grilled cheese
If you’ve got some good bread and good cheese hanging around, this is a quick fix that everyone will eat. Even vegans can get in on the action.
My paleo and keto friends might have to get more creative. Or just skip this one.
Slather copious amounts of butter on the bread for extra-crispy deliciousness.
I love to add pesto to grilled cheese. Chili sauce, bacon, tomatoes. Whole wheat, sourdough, rye. Sky’s the limit! Even gluten-free bread is good fried.
Add soup (tomato is our house favorite), or a fancy salad or slaw with fibrous, crunchy veggies and a savory, tangy dressing, and you win!
Pan-seared fish tacos
Quick! Pull a cod filet or two out of the fridge. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon or lime. Toss it in a hot, oiled skillet. Sear it on both sides until browned, then turn the heat down for 5-10 minutes (or put it in a 350 degree oven) depending how well-done you like your fish.
Chop up some cabbage or greens, cilantro, and any type of onion. Grab some salsa and lime wedges. Get your kid to help you set the table.
Heat up a cast-iron skillet (or any skillet) and blister some corn or flour tortillas. No oil necessary.
After you’ve heated the tortillas, be sure to cover them with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a plate to keep them soft and pliable until you’re ready to eat. Sometimes I put them back in the bag they came in.
If you’ve got time, here’s a yummy sauce you can drizzle on top of your tacos place of (or in addition to) salsa or sour cream. Add a tablespoon or so of cider vinegar or lime juice to two big spoonfuls of mayonnaise. Season with a dash of salt, white pepper, and cumin. Whisk.
Crumble fish, assemble and enjoy. TFL! (that’s Tacos For Life, if you’re down)
Eggs any style
There are so many ways to enjoy an egg. Here are some of my favorites:
- Fried, in a sandwich
- Scrambled with crispy leeks
- Fried, on top of a salad
- Scrambled and wrapped in a tortilla with chili sauce
- Fried, with rice and kimchi
- Scrambled into leftover rice/noodles and veggies; add soy sauce, hot sauce and cilantro
- In a 20-minute fritatta
Deconstructed nachos
This is my fancy name for chips and beans.
Maybe you made beans over the weekend or you cleverly have a can in your cupboard? Add some chips and some fixings, and you’ve got a meal.
Heat beans; sprinkle grated cheese into them if you like cheesy. Serve with chopped cilantro, onions, chips, chopped cabbage and lime wedges on the side. Sour cream, pickled veggies, any kind of salsa, and hot sauce are yummy, too.
Have fun scooping and crunching.
Garlicky or cheesy Noodles
You’ll need regular old wheat pasta for this one. Cook your noodles in salty water and drain, leaving a little bit of water in the bottom.
Throw in some butter or olive oil, minced or grated garlic (I use a microplane), a pinch of salt, and sautee on low for 2 minutes. Top with grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or cracked black pepper.
Chopped fresh herbs are really nice on this, too.
If you want a creamy or cheesy sauce (and a little bit more of a mess to clean), keep it on the heat, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of flour into the buttery, garlicky pasta, stir and add up to 1/4 cup milk or cream until you have a thick, bubbling sauce. Remove from heat and sprinkle a small grip of grated cheese in and stir until it looks cheesy enough to you.
Serve with a big salad if you didn’t eat your veggies before dinner 🙂
Make some edits
- If things are hectic between 5:30p and 7p at your house, give yourself permission to keep dinner simple during the week.
- If you’re a planner, do some meal prep on your days off. Chop/grate vegetables, roast a chicken, make a pot of beans or soup. Use your ready-to-eat stuff throughout the week.
- Don’t underestimate the power of chopped, crunchy vegetables like celery, carrots, fennel, cucumbers, and jicama. These are easier to prepare than a salad, easy to eat while doing other things, and super-good for you, too. Eat your vegetables!
Happy editing!
Erica
