Easy meal suggestions...

[etwahl]

In the past, whenever DH went away, my eating always suffered. I hate cooking for one, and lately I've been tired and stressed and don't feel the energy to put too much into meals.

Any suggestions for healthy meals which will keep me alive?! :)

I'm open to easy "make at home" meals, healthy frozen meals (that taste good, normally I HATE frozen food), etc.

Thanks so much!

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[COElizabeth]

If you have a Costco membership and like fish, the Kirkland packages of Atlantic salmon are very convenient. They have several individually wrapped, frozen skinless filets in single (generous) servings. I thaw them and then bake at 350 degrees in a glass pan sprayed with non-stick spray. An easy way to get some of those good fatty acids that are supposed to be so needed in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and I don't think salmon has a significant amount of mercury, so you can eat as much as you like, unlike with tuna.

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[aka_mama2be]

SAms club has a box (large box last awhile) of potatoe flakes or something that produces GREAT mashed potatoes. I never would have thought I'd eat such a thing and DH bought it and a gravy mix there and they are good!!!

Also a super easy meal is to grab Lipton Onion soup mix cartons-easy recipes on all of them that incorporate using the Lipton Onion Soup mix in them. I always make the potatoes they have on the recipe. It is just cut potatoes, olive oil and lipton onion soup mix-mix them together and bake about an hour.

Both would go great with the salmon mentioned above.

[ddmarsh]

For really nice convenience post-baby have you checked into Schwan's delivery in your area? Most of their food we've tried is quite good and while it's no bargain, I don't find it to be terribly expensive. Best part is they come right to your door :).

Debbie

[Rachels]

Cook a lot now and put stuff in your freezer! Soups, stews, lentils, etc. are all good. I do a lot of cold cuts and fruit these days. Protein bars or drinks, granola bars, yogurt, cheeses, etc. are good for quick snacks. And TONS of water.

This is a good place to yell for help. Do you have a community where you are-- colleagues, a church, friends, neighbors? If so, ask them to bring you cooked and freezable meals. People like to have a task, and you need to eat! I lost a ton of weight because I am nursing and wasn't eating enough. It's not a good thing. I'm sure that the degree to which I got run down has contributed to things like pneumonia, mastitis, etc. I wish I had been more careful in the very beginning, and that I had been more direct in asking for help with food!

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[megsmom]

It's hard cooking for one, so don't! I would cook normal sized meals of things you like and then put them in the freezer in portion sizes for you. This worked great for me when I was living alone and is what I do now since I don't have time to cook every night. Great are things that you can dump in a crock pot or oven and forget about. I make huge batches of pasta sauce, chili, soups, roasts (all ya need is soup mix and cut up potatoes and carrots), and pot pies and just eat leftovers or freeze it. The quick and easy recipes on the back of Busquick aren't bad either. It's not gourmet, but the campbell's soup line of recipes are worth a try.

A great meal around here in no time flat is boiled pasta, a jar of Ragu's new meat sauce and cheese. Brown it in the oven, make a little salad (I have resorted to spinach leaves in a bag and little cherry tomatoes and carrots) and you have pretty decent meal.

Jen
mom to Meghan 7/13/01

[CherylT]

I would suggest using a crock-pot/slow cooker. You'll probably have to either modify recipes to scale back a bit or just freeze leftovers, but I LOVE my slow-cooker. Just toss ingredients in during the AM and eat 7-10 hours later!! Soups, roasts, stews, ribs, etc. - so easy. Try the library for some cookbooks. I really don't know what I would do without it (especially with 2 kids now).

Cheryl (aka CT)
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[kathsmom]

Tammy,

If you can go to the library, see if they have Taste of Home magazine. It is a cooking magazine, and they usually have recipes on cooking for one or two people. I have a cookbook by Southern Living magazine called Light Cooking for Two.

If I can get DS down tonight (he's been very fussy today!), I'll try to post or e-mail you some recipes. Taste of Home also has freezer recipes in it at times. They also have a sister magazine called Quick Cooking. If you can't find them at the library, check your grocery store.

HTH!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (9/23/02)