Quick Dinners For When You're Tired
We've all been there; it's the end of a busy day, you're tired and hungry, but you haven't planned dinner and have no idea what you're going to put on the table.
Here are some quick and easy dinner options that you can whip up in less time than it would take to order and wait for takeout.
DIY Pizza
Keep a couple of plain pizza bases in your freezer or pita bread to use as pizza bases. It's super easy to use them for emergencies; spread tomato paste over thinly, sprinkle some Italian herbs, then add whatever you've got.
Chopped onion, pineapple, ham, shredded chicken, olives, capsicum... you can often use up leftovers. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top, add a swirl of your fave sauce, then pop into the oven for around 15 mins or until the base is golden brown and cheese is melted (no need to defrost the base).
Soup for the soul
Have some fresh packaged soup in the fridge at all times, next emergency backup is to have a tin of soup (can be condensed - the benefit of this is they typically have a long life so they're easy to have on hand in your pantry).
Chuck one or two slices of toast in the toaster, pop a few slices of cheese on the side and voila! Bonus if you're having a vegetable-based soup (adds good vitamins and minerals) with lentils or some other type of legume (protein).
Simple stirfry
Slice up an onion and add to a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, saute until lightly browned. Add your choice of meat, cut into bite-sized cubes, and cook until browned. Add 1-2 cups of your choice of veges (such as a few sliced carrots, half a sliced capsicum and several sliced mushrooms. Could alternatively be a frozen stirfry vegetable mix).
Add a tsp minced garlic, a tsp minced ginger, 1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey and a little water. Add fresh noodles or other noodles of your choice prepped according to package instructions.
Bumped up grilled sandwich
Make yourself the best grilled sandwich of your life. It could be a toastie with the works (cheese + some kind of vegetables like tomatoes and mushrooms + protein such as baked beans or shredded chicken).
Alternatively you could have an open grill sandwich. Top a piece of multigrain toast with half a chicken breast pan fried in your favourite herbs and spices. Add sauce like tomato relish and aioli, and some salad ingredients like avocado, lettuce leaves and tomatoes.
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