quick and easy weeknight meals

Quick and Easy Weeknight Meals

After a tiring day at work, you don't have the energy to cook an elaborate meal, do you? Or if you are one of those who don't like to cook, making dinner is never easy. Here, we have brought you some quick-fix recipes for weeknight meals.

Making dinner can feel like a chore, but it is entirely possible to eat well with minimal time and effort spent - even if you don't like to cook. Whip up the main course in ten minutes or less, and spend the extra time doing something fun or relaxing. The last thing you want to do when you get home after a long day is spend an hour preparing dinner. But you still need to eat. Do you really want takeout again? You're not seriously contemplating eating that block of cheese for dinner, are you? You'll regret it. And put down the cookies. What you need is a nice, hearty, home-cooked meal that can be ready in minutes, with minimal labor. Doing a little preparation in the morning can do the trick. Advance preparation for dinner will save your efforts after coming home exhausted from work. Time-consuming recipes can be kept for the weekends! Here we give you five easy recipes, one for every working day of the week. Each meal recipe given here, makes for a good dinner, and the cooking takes very less time. Now, if you are thinking about their nutritional aspect, fret not; for they aren't unhealthy. Here's a week's worth:
Monday - Tacos
Ingredients Taco shells Ground beef, 1 pound Diced tomatoes (undrained), 1 can Oregano Cumin powder Chili powder Cayenne pepper Hot sauce Slices of cheddar cheese (as many as the taco shells) Sour cream, 1 tablespoon Salt to taste The quantities of oregano, cumin powder, chili powder, and cayenne pepper will depend on your choice of their flavor, and how strong you want it to be. Cooking Time: 5 to 10 minutes Procedure Just brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet. Then add a can of diced tomatoes (undrained) to it. If you want to go the gourmet way, buy the tomatoes that have garlic, peppers and cilantro already mixed in. Sprinkle with oregano, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper, and add a dash of hot sauce if you wish to spice up the recipe. Let it simmer for a minute while you place a slice of cheddar cheese in each taco shell. Then remove the mixture from heat and fill your tacos. Top with a dollop of sour cream, and enjoy your 10-minute taco dinner. Nutrition Bit If you are health-conscious, use whole wheat taco shells. Eating whole wheat food can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. It is also advisable to choose lean cuts of meat for the filling.
Tuesday - BBQ Chicken
Ingredients Chicken breasts BBQ sauce Salt to taste Pepper Paprika Salad or Minute rice (Optional) The quantities of pepper and paprika will depend on your choice of their flavor. The quantity of BBQ sauce will depend on the number of chicken breasts used. Cooking Time: 5 to 10 minutes Procedure Butterfly the chicken breasts, and sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika on them. Brush with BBQ sauce and broil for 2-3 minutes per side, or until done. Brush again with BBQ sauce, put it back under the broiler for a minute or so, and then serve. This one is so quick, and the broiler pan holds so much, that it's handy to prepare a couple of extra BBQ chicken breasts to keep in the fridge for a quick lunch. The best part is that they won't go bad for a few days and you can try out different recipes with the chicken breasts. Chop them up and toss on a salad, or serve with Minute rice for another great meal in under 10 minutes. Nutrition Bit As you do not use vegetable oil for this BBQ chicken recipe, it is a great way to keep a tab on your calorie intake. Apart from protein, chicken also provides selenium which helps improve your metabolic performance.
Wednesday - Curried Pork
Ingredients Skinless pork shoulder or pork steak Onion, 1 Salt to taste Pepper to taste Coconut milk, 1 can Curry powder, 1 teaspoon Salad (Optional) Cooking Time: 6 hours + (You can always make the preparation before leaving for work, to return to a well-cooked delicious meal of curried pork.) Procedure This one takes a few minutes of advance preparation. In the morning, before you leave for work, slice an onion and place the slices at the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle a skinless pork shoulder (or pork steak) with salt and pepper, and place it on top of the onion. Pour in a can of coconut milk. Cover the pork and add a teaspoon of curry powder. Lock down the lid and set to cook on low. The longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. If you have only six hours or so, cook it on high instead. Either way, by the time you get home, the pork will be tender and delicious, and you will be able to eat it straight out of the slow cooker. Serve it with salad from a bag. It's even faster than a drive-through. Nutrition Bit Eating pork can be beneficial for your health as it contains riboflavin, thiamine, and potassium.
Thursday - Peel-'n'-Eat Shrimp
Ingredients Shrimp Old Bay Seasoning Ketchup Horseradish Lemon juice Horseradish and ketchup will be used to make the sauce. Their amounts, as well as the quantity of the seasoning will depend on that of shrimp. Cooking Time: 5 to 15 minutes Procedure Place a steam basket in a large stockpot, and put in your shrimp. Add a very generous amount of Old Bay Seasoning. Cover the stockpot and steam until the shrimp are opaque (usually for about 5 minutes or so). While this is happening, mix together equal parts of ketchup and horseradish to make a killer cocktail sauce. When the shrimp are done, put them in a bowl, squirt some lemon juice on them, then peel, dip, and eat until you are full. Nutrition Bit Shrimp can be a rich source of iron, protein, and vitamin B12. Also, it has lower amounts of saturated fats.
Friday - Steak
Ingredients Steaks (Rib eye or New York strip) Potatoes, 2 Salt to taste Pepper to taste Onion powder (quantity depends on the flavor desired) Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (The baking of potatoes takes time.) Procedure It's Friday and you want to relax. You have a little more time for dinner, but you don't have the energy to stand by the stove. You want a drink. So wash a couple of potatoes and place them in the oven. Set the oven to 425 degrees and go have that drink. Take a shower. Play with the dog. Whatever you do, leave the potatoes alone for an hour. About 30 minutes before the potatoes are done, remove the steaks (they should be rib eye or New York strip) from the fridge. Now sprinkle salt, pepper and onion powder on them. Let them sit out while the potatoes finish. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven, and place them on the stove top so that they stay warm. Broil the steaks to medium-rare (about 8 minutes in total, depending on the thickness). Then serve with the baked potatoes. Nutrition Bit Beef is a rich source of protein. It has other nutrients like iron, B vitamins, and zinc.
The quantities of the main ingredients in each recipe have not been specified (tacos in the first, chicken breasts in the second, pork in the third, shrimp in the fourth, and steaks in the last recipe). Decide on the basis of the quantity to be cooked and the number of people to be served. See, dinner just seems like a chore when you are thinking about it, but it is entirely possible to make a delicious meal with a minimum fuss. Take advantage of bagged salads, Minute rice, and pre-made bread, and you will be eating like a king.

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