Quick Meals
Granni's Recipe Box is filling up with.....  
...Breads
...Granni's Cookies
...More Cookies
...Scratch Cakes
...Party Stuff
...Veggies & Salads
...Entrees
Just got home...? big meeting tonight.....? hungry husband.....? hungry kids? Been there; done that. Here's granni39's solution. Patti, this one's for YOU!  ... but PLEASE share!
LINKS - more ideas - quick & easy meals:

iVillage Mealmaker
has "Quick Find" plus
low fat, 30 minute meals and more!


Minute Meals "ditto"!  They're moving to another URL, but provide link for you.

Kraft Foods has a interactive kitchen and more!

and what would a list like this be without...
WeightWatchers
They have a  Recipe section with Food Ideas, Recipe Renovations and a Community Recipe Swap.
Quick  'n Healthy Wet Burritos (microwave)

Frozen burritos (bean or meat)
Salsa (spicey or mild - your favorite)
Shredded cheese (2%  is good - nofat not so good)

Defrost burritos. Apply 1-3 tablespoons salsa. Sprinkle cheese over all. Heat in microwave until cheese melts. Serve with lettuce & your favorite dressing on the side.
Speedy  Chicken Parmesan

Frozen boneless chicken breasts (available in 4 lb. pkg)
Pasta sauce in a jar (Ragu Light or Healthy Choice)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pasta or baking potatoes
Salad or vegetables (canned or frozen)

Put frozen breasts in oven preheated to 400 degrees in flat pan, covered with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, drain most of juices, turn breasts over and cover each with  3-4 tablespoons pasta sauce. Sprinkle 1-3 tablespoons mozzarella and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, bake potatoes in microwave. Add a salad or veggie.

Or cook pasta while chicken is baking. Serve beside the chicken with additional heated pasta sauce, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and a salad.

Granni's Super Easy Chili

1 pound lean ground beef
2 cans beans with Mexican seasoning
2 cans tomatoes with Mexican seasoning
Chopped onion and garlic to taste

Spray bottom of 5 to 6 quart saucepan with Pam. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Drain any residual grease. Add beans & tomatoes. Simmer at least 20 minutes.

Just plain beans & tomatoes in your cupboard? Add 1/4 cup taco seasoning to the pot, then simmer.
Half Hour Beef Stirfry
(prepare 12-24 hours ahead)

1 lb. lean beef (cut into 1" pieces) (or pork)
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen stirfry vegetables
Cooked rice

Prepare marinade in morning or night before; add meat to it. Turn upside down a couple of times during the 12-24 hours it marinates.
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tbsp. lemon juice
garlic to taste
1/8 tsp. dry mustard powder*
1/8 tsp. dry ginger*
1/2 tsp. dry oregano*
red pepper flakes to taste*

*If you're in a really big hurry, don't like or don't have these seasonings, just use the oil & soy sauce!!!

Before beginning to stirfry, measure 1 cup rice, 2 cups water  and  1 bouillon cube in a 2 quart microwaveable bowl. Set microwave oven for 5 minutes on high. ... then microwave  20 minutes at 40-50% power.

After you start rice, saute meat with the marinade  sauce about 15 minutes.  Add veggies & cook an additional 15 minutes.

Remove rice from microwave & fluff with fork. Serve.
ALMOST AS QUICK SOFT TACOS

8-12 Corn  tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
garlic to taste
1/4 cup taco seasoning
1/4 cup salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1/4 cup hot water
shredded cheese (your favorite)

Brown beef with onion and garlic. Add taco seasoning, salsa and water. Wrap tortillas in paper towel and heat in microwave oven for about 1 minute, more or less. Put on table & let everybody build their own. If you have time or want to, serve with shredded lettuce & chopped tomato or more salsa. Heat beans & rice if desired.
November 1 2002
STIRFRY VARIATIONS:

Substitutes for the beef:

2 or 3 raw chicken breasts, cut up
or 1 lb. chicken tenders

or 12-16 oz. deveined shrimp, tails & shells removed

Prepare marinade without the oil or lemon juice. Put 2 tsp. olive oil in stirfry pan and saute meat - chicken for 15 minutes or shrimp for 5 minutes.

Add frozen stirfry veggies and the marinade. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve with rice and/or chowmein noodles. 

HAVE ON HAND FOR QUICK MEALS:
In the Cupboard:
Spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti
Macaroni
Salsa
Boxed stuffing mix
potatoes in a box
Canned beans
Tomatoes
Tuna
Salmon
Rice
Quick rice mixes
Condensed soups
Taco seasoning
In Freezer or Refrigerator:
Frozen chicken or tenders
Individually frozen fish filets
Ground beef (flatten to freeze       it thaws faster!)
Frozen potatoes (french-fries,
   tater tots, hash browns)
Frozen veggies
Frozen veggie/pasta combos
Frozen ravioli (stuffed pasta)
Frozen burritos
Shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese for pasta
Soy sauce
Tortillas - corn or flour
Before you leave for work pull flattened ground beef, chicken breasts or fish filets from freezer to the fridge......when you get home, pull it out to the sink if not thawed yet..... or have the kids pull it out of the freezer to the sink when they get home from school.

While meat is cooking in broiler or stovetop, cook quick rice mix in microwave oven and steam frozen veggies on stovetop..... or

.....cook frozen veggie/pasta combo in microwave or

.....pop frozen potatoes in oven, fix frozen veggies in the microwave or

.....fix macaroni and cheese stovetop and heat canned veggies.......or.......well, you get the idea!
Zonya Foco's
Lickety Split Meals for Health Conscious People on the Go!
It's THE cookbook for busy people.


Also, see Granni39's Quick Ravioli Bake below
GRANNI39'S QUICK RAVIOLI BAKE

1 - 25 oz. package frozen ravioli
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 lb. ground beef or crumbled soy product
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Brown the beef with onion and garlic powder. Add pasta sauce to it. Spray lasagna pan with vegetable spray and lightly cover with a bit of the sauce. Layer ravioli and meat sauce alternately ending with sauce. Sprinkle parmesan over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour at 375 degrees F.

Serve with a salad. Sometimes I add frozen mixed Italian vegetables when layering this dish.
At a loss for what to serve for dinner tonight? I just subscribed to ...
The Daily Dish. It's a newsletter from
All-Recipes. A meal for each day and they're ALL quite simple and quick to prepare!
I've got a little recipe site for grampa's heart support group. All healthy recipes and links to some other great sites!

Recipe Swap