Easy meals my husband can cook for us both
March 8, 2017 2:15 PM Subscribe
I'm just about to have laser eye surgery and I will be out of commission for over a week, holed up in the dark and pretty much unable to see anything.....
My husband is not a bad cook, he just really doesn't cook and I need to give him some easy and flavourful meals to cook while I am out of action.
He's very good at grilling meat and is definitely capable, but I usually do 99% of the cooking in the house because I'm home before him and I enjoy it very much. I don't want to treat him like a baby but this is definitely one of those occasions where I need some structure for him rather than just say - well, this is what we have in the house, make something!
So I'm really looking for some simple and delicious meals that he can cook for us while I'm recuperating, that aren't going to take him HOURS to make.
He's much better at putting together a meal i.e. meat and 2 veg, rather than cook something in one pot e.g. a risotto, curry
I'm planning on freezing a few meals ahead of time just in case, but I'd like to encourage him to cook more and need a few easy meals to help with this. I'm just kind of exhausted and uninspired when it comes to cooking right now, so if you have any simple (but delicious) recipes that are a staple in your house, it would be great to hear them. Hubby can follow a recipe very well, but prefers dishes that are low maintenance and don't require a TON of chopping (some chopping is of course fine!)
No dietary restrictions/requirements at all.... just easy, tasty meals please!!
He's very good at grilling meat and is definitely capable, but I usually do 99% of the cooking in the house because I'm home before him and I enjoy it very much. I don't want to treat him like a baby but this is definitely one of those occasions where I need some structure for him rather than just say - well, this is what we have in the house, make something!
So I'm really looking for some simple and delicious meals that he can cook for us while I'm recuperating, that aren't going to take him HOURS to make.
He's much better at putting together a meal i.e. meat and 2 veg, rather than cook something in one pot e.g. a risotto, curry
I'm planning on freezing a few meals ahead of time just in case, but I'd like to encourage him to cook more and need a few easy meals to help with this. I'm just kind of exhausted and uninspired when it comes to cooking right now, so if you have any simple (but delicious) recipes that are a staple in your house, it would be great to hear them. Hubby can follow a recipe very well, but prefers dishes that are low maintenance and don't require a TON of chopping (some chopping is of course fine!)
No dietary restrictions/requirements at all.... just easy, tasty meals please!!
Almost every vegetable, but especially roots, is delicious tossed in olive oil and salt and roasted, and it's a really easy thing to add to your process if you're otherwise cooking.
Preheat oven to 400 and stick a cooking sheet in there.
Chop up some vegetables, toss them in olive oil, sprinkle them with salt.
The oven should be ready by now. Pull out the tray, spread the veg out, put the tray back in the oven.
[Grill your meat or whatever, you've got 30-40 mins to figure that out]
Veggies are done!
What I like to do, because I am extremely lazy, is hit up the produce section and buy the little bins of pre-chopped veg so I don't even have to do that.
posted by phunniemee at 2:27 PM on March 8, 2017 [6 favorites]
Preheat oven to 400 and stick a cooking sheet in there.
Chop up some vegetables, toss them in olive oil, sprinkle them with salt.
The oven should be ready by now. Pull out the tray, spread the veg out, put the tray back in the oven.
[Grill your meat or whatever, you've got 30-40 mins to figure that out]
Veggies are done!
What I like to do, because I am extremely lazy, is hit up the produce section and buy the little bins of pre-chopped veg so I don't even have to do that.
posted by phunniemee at 2:27 PM on March 8, 2017 [6 favorites]
This is the definition of easy, so apologies if it's not as gourmet as you were hoping for. It's what we taught our teenagers.
Can he brown ground beef (or turkey, or chicken)? If not, teach him that. Then you drain it. Then:
Mix in a jar of marinara sauce, a shot of wine and some bay leaves and pepper, simmer, then boil pasta: Pasta bolognese.
or
Mix in taco seasonings (just buy the packets) follow directions, serve with taco shells and whatever veggies and toppings you like: tacos
or
Mix in a box of Spanish or Mexican rice, add some hot sauce, follow the directions on the box: Dirty Rice
Was going to mention roasting vegetables for a side dish, but phunniemee beat me to it.
posted by Mchelly at 2:30 PM on March 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Can he brown ground beef (or turkey, or chicken)? If not, teach him that. Then you drain it. Then:
Mix in a jar of marinara sauce, a shot of wine and some bay leaves and pepper, simmer, then boil pasta: Pasta bolognese.
or
Mix in taco seasonings (just buy the packets) follow directions, serve with taco shells and whatever veggies and toppings you like: tacos
or
Mix in a box of Spanish or Mexican rice, add some hot sauce, follow the directions on the box: Dirty Rice
Was going to mention roasting vegetables for a side dish, but phunniemee beat me to it.
posted by Mchelly at 2:30 PM on March 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Not what you asked but my husband had laser eye surgery and was ready to work in about three days.
YMMV and easy meals are good meals, just want to encourage you if you are at all concerned about being down for the count for so long!
posted by kellygrape at 2:47 PM on March 8, 2017
YMMV and easy meals are good meals, just want to encourage you if you are at all concerned about being down for the count for so long!
posted by kellygrape at 2:47 PM on March 8, 2017
Response by poster: Not what you asked but my husband had laser eye surgery and was ready to work in about three days.
Your husband may have had Lasik surgery - I'm having PRK which is a much longer recovery time.... hopefully it won't be as bad as I'm expecting but I have to take a full week off work and I've been informed by others who have gone through it that I really won't be doing much in the first week... not even watching TV!
posted by JenThePro at 2:57 PM on March 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Your husband may have had Lasik surgery - I'm having PRK which is a much longer recovery time.... hopefully it won't be as bad as I'm expecting but I have to take a full week off work and I've been informed by others who have gone through it that I really won't be doing much in the first week... not even watching TV!
posted by JenThePro at 2:57 PM on March 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
A few ideas from my current or past weeknight rotation:
Tortellini and peas with prosciutto -- super easy (just pop frozen stuff in pan and sauté). Add additional/ different veg if desired.
Homemade pizza with side salad. If you use store bought dough, it makes it faster, but freezing homemade dough works really well, too. It's mostly just assembly and putting it in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes. There are lots of flavor combination ideas online, but I've recently really liked pre-sautéing onion and mushrooms, using either feta or goat cheese instead of the regular mozzarella, and topping with spinach or arugula for the last three or so minutes.
Lemon chicken + rice or couscous + green beans (tossed in a pan until hot but still crisp, maybe with slivered almonds if I'm feeling fancy) or asparagus (tossed in a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper and put under the broiler for a few minutes). There are loads of lemon chicken recipes of varying complexity. I like a tagine with preserved lemon and olives, like this. There are a decent amount of spices, but very little chopping.
posted by alligatorpear at 2:58 PM on March 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Tortellini and peas with prosciutto -- super easy (just pop frozen stuff in pan and sauté). Add additional/ different veg if desired.
Homemade pizza with side salad. If you use store bought dough, it makes it faster, but freezing homemade dough works really well, too. It's mostly just assembly and putting it in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes. There are lots of flavor combination ideas online, but I've recently really liked pre-sautéing onion and mushrooms, using either feta or goat cheese instead of the regular mozzarella, and topping with spinach or arugula for the last three or so minutes.
Lemon chicken + rice or couscous + green beans (tossed in a pan until hot but still crisp, maybe with slivered almonds if I'm feeling fancy) or asparagus (tossed in a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper and put under the broiler for a few minutes). There are loads of lemon chicken recipes of varying complexity. I like a tagine with preserved lemon and olives, like this. There are a decent amount of spices, but very little chopping.
posted by alligatorpear at 2:58 PM on March 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
brussel sprouts are easy to roast in the oven. add in some chopped bacon for extra flavor.
salt and pepper porkchops then throw it in the cast iron. takes like, 3 minutes to make. if u want to get fancy, you can add a mustard sauce, but not neccessary.
roast a whole chicken? pretty simple to add in some root vegetables then you have a whole meal out of the oven.
posted by monologish at 3:10 PM on March 8, 2017
salt and pepper porkchops then throw it in the cast iron. takes like, 3 minutes to make. if u want to get fancy, you can add a mustard sauce, but not neccessary.
roast a whole chicken? pretty simple to add in some root vegetables then you have a whole meal out of the oven.
posted by monologish at 3:10 PM on March 8, 2017
Maybe get an InstaPot Pressure cooker and/or an Anova Sousvide machine. The InstaPot is great to make simple & excellent one pot meals. And, for cooking meat (and more), the Anova is fantastic at cooking to the perfect temperature with little fuss.
posted by toddst at 3:36 PM on March 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by toddst at 3:36 PM on March 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Make what I call "Nom Nom Mushrooms":
Slice mushrooms of any type, not too thin because you're gonna brown them a bunch. Also slice a half an onion (quarter if a huge one). In a pan melt a large pat of butter and add some olive oil as well. Toss in the mushrooms and onions and season with salt and pepper and some good paprika, stir it up so everything is evenly coated, and let it sizzle away on medium heat. The mushrooms and onions will release a lot of liquid. Once that stops happening the mushrooms will begin to brown. You will maybe be surprised at how long this takes. When they are lightly browned, pour a cup of good wine into the pan - red or white doesn't matter, as long as you like the taste of it. Scrape up any bits stuck to the pan and let things simmer until the mushrooms start to brown again. At this point you can either stop or if you have the time, repeat the wine-deglaze-simmer-brown process a second time. Taste and season if needed, the mushrooms should be all brown with a shiny coating and the onions should be pretty broken down but still visibly sliced.
These mushrooms are awesome on their own on crunchy toast but you can make them ahead, keep in the fridge and then reheat right before serving. Sprinkle with fresh herbs like rosemary or parsley right before plating. You can also take them off the heat and stir in a dollop of sour cream, omg so good.
Since your husband can grill, have him grill literally any kind of meat, or he can experiment with the oven broiler (that's grilling upside down!), and then top that meat liberally with the mushrooms. Serve with a crunchy salad and/or zapped green beans.
Zapped green beans:
Wash and trim ends. Cut into mouth-friendly pieces (probably in half). Place in microwave safe dish and toss with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and either a squeeze of lemon or a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Cover dish with plastic wrap and poke holes in top. Zap for a couple minutes on high. Look in at them - have they gone really bright green? Repeat zapping for two minutes at a time until they are very bright green. Take off the plastic wrap (be careful!) and poke a bean with a fork. If they are tender you are good to go. If you want them cooked more then recover and zap for a couple more minutes.
You can make a big batch of these and leave them very crunchy and fridge most of them. Use them cold in salads with hard boiled egg, beans, and chopped lunch meat or canned tuna. Or reheat in a hot pan to get them cooked through right before dinner or zap with other leftovers so they don't get limp.
posted by Mizu at 3:52 PM on March 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
Slice mushrooms of any type, not too thin because you're gonna brown them a bunch. Also slice a half an onion (quarter if a huge one). In a pan melt a large pat of butter and add some olive oil as well. Toss in the mushrooms and onions and season with salt and pepper and some good paprika, stir it up so everything is evenly coated, and let it sizzle away on medium heat. The mushrooms and onions will release a lot of liquid. Once that stops happening the mushrooms will begin to brown. You will maybe be surprised at how long this takes. When they are lightly browned, pour a cup of good wine into the pan - red or white doesn't matter, as long as you like the taste of it. Scrape up any bits stuck to the pan and let things simmer until the mushrooms start to brown again. At this point you can either stop or if you have the time, repeat the wine-deglaze-simmer-brown process a second time. Taste and season if needed, the mushrooms should be all brown with a shiny coating and the onions should be pretty broken down but still visibly sliced.
These mushrooms are awesome on their own on crunchy toast but you can make them ahead, keep in the fridge and then reheat right before serving. Sprinkle with fresh herbs like rosemary or parsley right before plating. You can also take them off the heat and stir in a dollop of sour cream, omg so good.
Since your husband can grill, have him grill literally any kind of meat, or he can experiment with the oven broiler (that's grilling upside down!), and then top that meat liberally with the mushrooms. Serve with a crunchy salad and/or zapped green beans.
Zapped green beans:
Wash and trim ends. Cut into mouth-friendly pieces (probably in half). Place in microwave safe dish and toss with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and either a squeeze of lemon or a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Cover dish with plastic wrap and poke holes in top. Zap for a couple minutes on high. Look in at them - have they gone really bright green? Repeat zapping for two minutes at a time until they are very bright green. Take off the plastic wrap (be careful!) and poke a bean with a fork. If they are tender you are good to go. If you want them cooked more then recover and zap for a couple more minutes.
You can make a big batch of these and leave them very crunchy and fridge most of them. Use them cold in salads with hard boiled egg, beans, and chopped lunch meat or canned tuna. Or reheat in a hot pan to get them cooked through right before dinner or zap with other leftovers so they don't get limp.
posted by Mizu at 3:52 PM on March 8, 2017 [5 favorites]
If you like fish, one of the easiest meals we do is salmon-in-a-foil-pouch.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lay out two large pieces of tin foil on a large baking sheet. Spray with oil. Put a handful of either asparagus or green beans on each piece of foil, and lay a salmon fillet on top with the skin down (you want to make the little pile of veggies about the same size as what the fillet will be so it all stacks up -- does not need to be exact!). Spread a large spoonful of prepared pesto sauce onto each salmon fillet, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and then fold up the foil packet. Bake for 15 minutes. You can serve with rice or bread if you want a starch, or without for a lighter meal.
posted by rainbowbrite at 4:24 PM on March 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lay out two large pieces of tin foil on a large baking sheet. Spray with oil. Put a handful of either asparagus or green beans on each piece of foil, and lay a salmon fillet on top with the skin down (you want to make the little pile of veggies about the same size as what the fillet will be so it all stacks up -- does not need to be exact!). Spread a large spoonful of prepared pesto sauce onto each salmon fillet, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and then fold up the foil packet. Bake for 15 minutes. You can serve with rice or bread if you want a starch, or without for a lighter meal.
posted by rainbowbrite at 4:24 PM on March 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
I think I've recommended this elsewhere on the green, but:
Grilled pork tenderloin or chicken with jerk seasoning
coconut rice w scallions (simply replace 2 c of water with can coconut milk when cooking the rice)
pineapple salsa (fresh pineapple, red bell pepper, hot pepper of your choice, lime juice, cilantro. Medium dice for the first two, fine mince for everything else).
You can put the rice on and chop up the stuff for the salsa in the time it takes to fire up the grill and cook the pork or chicken. Nothing to it but chopping and sprinkling, since he already grills.
posted by Diablevert at 5:40 PM on March 8, 2017
Grilled pork tenderloin or chicken with jerk seasoning
coconut rice w scallions (simply replace 2 c of water with can coconut milk when cooking the rice)
pineapple salsa (fresh pineapple, red bell pepper, hot pepper of your choice, lime juice, cilantro. Medium dice for the first two, fine mince for everything else).
You can put the rice on and chop up the stuff for the salsa in the time it takes to fire up the grill and cook the pork or chicken. Nothing to it but chopping and sprinkling, since he already grills.
posted by Diablevert at 5:40 PM on March 8, 2017
My fiancee and I have both gotten in the habit of slow-cooking a ton of black beans (with a diced onion and some garlic) in a crock pot and then either just mixing them with quinoa/rice/couscous or having black bean burritos/tacos for a few days. So you (or he) could slow-cook the black beans before your surgery (or he could just set it up and let it slow cook during the day) and then dinner can essentially be assembly.
posted by dismas at 6:34 PM on March 8, 2017
posted by dismas at 6:34 PM on March 8, 2017
Have you considered a meal delivery service? They are pricey but your husband is exactly the kind of cook who these services are made for.
I've tried Blue Apron, Plated and Home Chef and I think Home Chef has been my favorite. Bonus: if you like the meals you have pretty comprehensive recipes and it's just enough for 2 people so it comes together quickly.
posted by Saminal at 7:55 PM on March 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've tried Blue Apron, Plated and Home Chef and I think Home Chef has been my favorite. Bonus: if you like the meals you have pretty comprehensive recipes and it's just enough for 2 people so it comes together quickly.
posted by Saminal at 7:55 PM on March 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Parmesan-Dijon Chicken Breasts! We do about 1/4 lb. chicken per person, you can vary to suit your appetites. You will need a bowl of 4 T. melted butter mixed with 2 T. Dijon mustard, a sack (gallon Ziploc or lunch-size paper sack) with 3/4 C. dry breadcrumbs mixed with 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese, defrosted chicken, baking dish. Preheat oven to 375F. Dip each piece of chicken in butter/mustard until well-coated on all sides. Drop in sack, close, shake for several seconds until well-coated with crumbs. Repeatwith each piece of chicken. Bake at 375 for 20-30 min, flipping chicken halfway through cook time. Serve with potatoes and a green vegetable. So easy and tasty!
posted by epj at 8:47 PM on March 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by epj at 8:47 PM on March 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
i got an instant pot and it is actually worth the hype. All the food cooking is now down to a program. Want to cook rice . 1 cup rice, 11/4cup water . rice button. Want to make chicken - 2 frozen chicken breast - any seasoning 1 cup water and 10 min . etc
and once you press the button, you are done.
I am annoyed by meal delivery(blue apron etc) service because they charge you an insane amount for the ingredients that you get and they contribute to food scarcity and wastedness.
posted by radsqd at 8:14 AM on March 9, 2017
and once you press the button, you are done.
I am annoyed by meal delivery(blue apron etc) service because they charge you an insane amount for the ingredients that you get and they contribute to food scarcity and wastedness.
posted by radsqd at 8:14 AM on March 9, 2017
If you have a slow cooker, there are a lot of meals that involve dumping things in and then walking away. One of my favorites is:
1-2 lb chicken thighs
1/4 c olive oil
1 large can crushed or diced tomatoes
a handful of capers
1 large chopped onion
a glug of red wine (optional)
chopped mushrooms (optional)
Put on low for ~8 hours. We usually serve with rice.
posted by oryelle at 8:22 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
1-2 lb chicken thighs
1/4 c olive oil
1 large can crushed or diced tomatoes
a handful of capers
1 large chopped onion
a glug of red wine (optional)
chopped mushrooms (optional)
Put on low for ~8 hours. We usually serve with rice.
posted by oryelle at 8:22 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Allow me to suggest the humble grilled cheese sandwich. When made with great bread and great cheese it is wonderful and satisfying and filling. It is easy to pair with any of your roasted vegetable recipes. You can also plus up the grilled cheese by adding bacon or caramelized onions or if you are feeling comfortable a fruit jam that you have in the fridge.
posted by mmascolino at 9:37 AM on March 9, 2017
posted by mmascolino at 9:37 AM on March 9, 2017
I apologize if you don't have a Trader Joes nearby because this is very TJ centric. But this link has some dead easy meals to make from TJ ingredients:
http://cupofjo.com/2016/09/trader-joes-meal-hacks/
Two other meals from Trader Joes that aren't even really recipes, just how to assemble a meal from components:
Trader Ming's Mandarian orange chicken + steamed broccoli + rice (TJs even has frozen rice). We actually sub in the Trader Joes General Tsao sauce.
Trader Joes Channa masala + baby spinach + rice. MIcrowave the channa masala, mix in baby spinach, then serve over rice. You can also get pretty good frozen naan from TJs too.
posted by donovangirl at 10:02 AM on March 9, 2017
http://cupofjo.com/2016/09/trader-joes-meal-hacks/
Two other meals from Trader Joes that aren't even really recipes, just how to assemble a meal from components:
Trader Ming's Mandarian orange chicken + steamed broccoli + rice (TJs even has frozen rice). We actually sub in the Trader Joes General Tsao sauce.
Trader Joes Channa masala + baby spinach + rice. MIcrowave the channa masala, mix in baby spinach, then serve over rice. You can also get pretty good frozen naan from TJs too.
posted by donovangirl at 10:02 AM on March 9, 2017
We've been doing Blue Apron for a couple of weeks...my bf doesn't cook a lot but he had great success with their simple steps and the food looked like it was professionally done (and it tasted great). I have a couple of vouchers, if you'd like one for...I think 3? free meals, msg me.
posted by kattyann at 10:29 AM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by kattyann at 10:29 AM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Best Broccoli of Your Life (also featured in my husband's go-to meal Mustard Tofu with Purple Smashed Potatoes and Broccoli - and I have to tell you, that mustard vinaigrette is SO good on the broccoli that even if we don't have tofu and potatoes I ask for it)
20 Sheet Pan Dinners You'll Love, especially the smoky roasted chicken and the potato, salmon, and asparagus
Quick sesame chicken
posted by Lyn Never at 2:27 PM on March 8, 2017 [9 favorites]