Simple and Quick Go-To Recipes

I’m guessing that many of us are feeling a little burned out on cooking, and there are evenings when we just want an easy menu that will satisfy the family. I’ve felt that way more than once over the past few months. I’ve come up with some recipes that are easy to get on the table – not a lot of prep and not a lot of planning. And not a lot of pasta, either, for those of us who are watching our waistlines.

So here is a list of eight approaches to provide a satisfying meal along with a little variety. You might want to do some advanced planning for a weekly (or longer) menu, but the idea here is to wing it when you have to. I selected meals that use things that I have in the freezer, the fridge, and the pantry. No exotic ingredients. I also tried to come up with approaches that make creative use of leftovers. So if you’re looking for a break next week, here you go.

Sheet pan meals. A couple of my subscribers have become big fans of sheet pan dinners. They tend to be easy and don’t require a lot of cleanup afterwards, and you can substitute vegetables that you have available or that the family likes. Use a sheet of aluminum foil on the sheet pan, make sure to cut the meat and vegetables about the same size to ensure that they’ll cook evenly, and you’re set. As an example, here are 12 sheet pan chicken recipes.

Stir-fry. This has been one of my go-to meals for years. Start by thinly slicing some beef, pork, or chicken and marinate it in soy sauce and a spoonful of cornstarch. If you want to serve it over rice, which will take about 20 minutes, put the rice on the stove now. Then stir fry the vegetables in a wok or frying pan over high heat in a little oil – broccoli, bok choi, asparagus, pea pods, green beans, whatever you have on hand. Remove them from the pan and stir fry the meat with a little chopped garlic. When the meat is cooked through, throw in the vegetables and a little broth, cook for a few minutes, add the marinade, and stir it all up to make a sauce. Top with chopped scallions, peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds. It’s all ready in about a half hour.

Fried rice. If you’re making rice, cook a little extra for fried rice later in the week. Put a little oil in a frying pan over low to medium heat, then throw in the rice along with some leftover cooked pork or beef, shrimp, or chicken. Toss it till it’s hot. Whisk an egg and stir it in with a little soy sauce and chopped scallions, and you have a fantastic dish to feed the family in about 15 minutes.

Fish in a dish. I have two go-to fish recipes that are easy crowd-pleasers. The first uses any white fish, covered with panko mixed with chopped garlic and grated lemon rind and baked in the oven for 15 minutes. The second is a Mediterranean fish, using a good firm white fish such as cod or haddock. Serve this one over rice, and you’re ready in 20 minutes.

Quick chili. Here’s a recipe that feeds eight. Make it fast, then put the leftovers in freezer containers. If you’re like me and Mrs. Farmboy, there are three or four dinners here. So all you need to do next time is thaw one from the freezer. If there’s not enough for a full dinner, bring out some taco shells, grated cheese, and chopped lettuce, and you will make the kids – or yourself – happy with a quick taco dinner.

Scrambled eggs. They were my mother’s go-to dish when she was out of gas. She added some hot dogs and, if available, grated cheese or leftover vegetables, and that was dinner.

Sausage skillet. Take your sausage of choice and brown it in a hot frying pan, take it out and add to the pan some chopped tomatoes and onions, broccoli, or bok choi. While that’s cooking down, cut the sausage into quarter-inch slices and return it to the pan. Heat everything up, and that’s a meal. You can do the same type of thing with shrimp. Maybe add a can of white kidney beans (cannelloni) instead of some of the greens.

Freezer extras. Last but not least, think freezer. If you have the freezer space, make your meal in two separate dishes and put one in the freezer. Meals that are freezer-friendly include lasagna, pot pies or meat pies, meatloaf, burritos, pot roast or roast ham leftovers, and the Midwest standby hotdish.

That’s my approach. What’s yours? Please share with the rest of the Farmboy community by commenting on the website.

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