Quick and easy emergency meals
photo by Shane Pope
Eating out can be a large expense. While it’s easy to rely on it as a quick solution, it’s often not the best choice. It’s easier said than done to have meals prepared in the freezer for emergencies. Slow cookers work well if you know ahead of time that your schedule is busy.
What do you have as a backup plan for dinner instead of getting takeout or dining out?
Here are a few ideas you can try.
CHICKEN PATTIES: While prepared frozen foods aren’t the best choice all the time, having a package can be a simple shortcut on a day that you’re rushed. Simply heat the patty, and serve on a hamburger bun or in a tortilla with a slice of cheese and lettuce and your favorite condiment. Or use some spaghetti sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. Serve with fresh fruit or a tossed salad.
BLT: It doesn’t take long to fry (or oven bake) a pound of bacon. Toast your bread, add lettuce and cheese, and serve with soup of your choice.
BREAKFAST: Make eggs, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal or waffles quickly and cheaply. Add fresh fruit, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc., to round it off.
FROZEN RAVIOLI: In a pinch, this is easy and a nice change from standard spaghetti. Boil, add spaghetti sauce, and serve with a loaf of crusty bread and salad. Or try Toasted ravioli.
25 oz package frozen ravioli
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup milk
Cook ravioli according to package, drain. Combine bread crumbs and cheese together in a ziploc bag and set aside. Mix egg and milk together in a bowl. Dip ravioli in egg mixture and then shake off. Dip in crumb mixture in Ziploc bag. Sautee in skillet in a little olive oil until golden. Or bake them. Spray with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees watching them carefully.
TACOS: Kits can be bought at your local grocery store. Bulk seasoning can be found at wholesale clubs, or you can make your own.
Taco Seasoning Mix
2 teaspoons instant onion, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon instant garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 pound ground beef
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the beef. Brown the ground beef, and drain grease. Add 1/2 cup water and the seasoning mix. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes filling for eight to 10 tacos. Make in bulk for later, and store in an airtight container. — Paula, California
CHILI: Homemade chili frozen ahead can be used over baked potatoes, pasta or on salad or hot dogs. In a pinch, you can keep canned chili in the pantry, too.
MINI PIZZAS: Use English muffins, bagels or French bread, and spread sauce, sprinkle on cheese, and add any additional toppings and bake.
TORTILLAS: Keep some in your refrigerator for lunches or dinners. Make easy sandwich wraps, quesadillas or fajitas in a flash.
FRIED RICE: If you know the following day will be hectic, you can cook your rice the night before and make fried rice quickly the following day. Simply add soy sauce, vegetables and any leftover meat or poultry.
KIELBASA: Easy to fry in a pan quickly. Microwave a potato halfway, and finish its baking time in the oven to speed things up.
ROTISSERIE CHICKEN: It’s not made at home, but is a better option than fast food. Most grocery stores have specials that include a couple of side dishes.
BUFFET: Cut up raw vegetables and fresh fruit, and add deli meats, cheese and crackers. Add yogurt or salad dressing for dipping.
Posted by Sara Noel
on January 14 2010. Filed under Frugal Cooking, Home & family.Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook
I save preety much every scrap for use later. Left over veggies and meat scraps make a great soup, left over pasta or rice would go in there too. Since I live alone I always cook once and eat from that, doing my best to waiste not a thing. My dog gives me dirty looks when I am too possesive of my leftovers. Its not hard to cook from left overs once you get the hang of it. It took me 3 years and I am still not were I would like to be. My fat huskey can atest to that lol!
1[...] Sara Noel at Frugal Village also has a list of quick and emergency meal ideas. [...]
2Our favorite “emergency” meals when we don’t want to/can’t afford to eat out:
1. Breakfast for supper. Eggs, hash browns or roasted potatoes, fruit, toast or biscuits. We never eat these for breakfast, so it’s a real treat for supper.
2. Sonora Pasta – Leftover chili, heated up with some velveeta cheese, salsa, black beans and then tossed with penne pasta. Add a veggie, salad, or fruit. Supper in 15 minutes!
3. Zucchini spaghetti – Saute onion, zucchini, sweet pepper, garlic to crisp stage in skillet. Heat up jar of pasta sauce and cook spaghetti. Pour pasta sauce over spaghetti, spoon on veggies, sprinkle with parmesan.
4. When you have leftover chicken/turkey, make black & white chili! Saute onion, celery and garlic; add washed canned black beans and undrained northern beans with some chicken broth; simmer. Season with chili powder & cumin; add can(s) of green chilis if desired. Add chicken or turkey; simmer til heated through. Great!
3Always always always cook more than enough and put the leftovers in the freezer. If you can’t remember in the mornings to remove them from the freezer to thaw by dinnertime, just zap them in the defrost cycle of the microwave. I just went though two bouts of colds and bronchitis (I know, I never got sick in the winter—until now!), and I can’t tell you how nice it was to have three or four different homemade soups and stews on hand in the freezer.
Carol
4http://frugallivingpress.blogspot.com/
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Drastic measures =-.
Whenever I cook ground turkey or hamburger, I cook the whole package, even though there is just two of us. I season it with onions, garlic, and green pepper. Then I scoop out half for freezing. Being seasoned that little bit helps when I take it out for a quickie meal – tacos, chili, spaghetti, etc.
5My all-time favorite emergency meal is the comfort food, tuna noodle casserole.
6In my house there is no such thing as left overs only “starters” for another meal. I plan my menu out a month in advance and cook accordingly. That doesn’t mean we don’t occasionally have to change things because something came up but I find fewer emergencies arise this way. My favorite emergency dinner is Beef stroganoff. 1 can precooked beef with gravy, 1 can cr of mushroom soup, a little garlic and onion, some cooked egg noodles and a lg handful of frozen peas. About 15 minutes from start to finish and it feeds a family of four nicely.
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