Quick and acceptable meal train dinners

amother

↑ Amaranthus

Thu, May 19 2022, 1:21 pm

amother [ Mimosa ] wrote:

Doing this in my neighborhhod 20 years Lzecher nishmas my Bubby. I work FT ... My go to meals (1/2 hour active prep time):

Broiled chicken, 25% more than dinner eaters (for lunch next day), sweet potatoes or rice
or
1 1/2 or 2 trays of dairy spinach lasagna
or
Tray of meatballs and sauce and tray of spaghetti
or
Fresh fish for adults NOT FRIED, kid-friendly fish, rice or sweet potatoes

AND
Dressed salad (ie Israeli, Caesars), or undressed cut garden salad with bottle of dressing, unopened or cut up kid-friendly veggies lined neatly in pan with hummus or bottle of dressing on side

AND
Cut melon, oranges or washed grapes enough for meal plus snacking.

My family loves when I'm sending a meal because we eat the same fresh out of the oven dinner- guaranteed no leftovers for dinner that day. Wink

...and I always prep an extra meal or two of meatballs or lasagna for the freezer when I do this- it adds 10 minutes but saves me at least an hour in the future.

Kudos to you.
What’s your recipe for meatballs? And fish?

amother

Steelblue

Thu, May 19 2022, 1:37 pm

I rarely send. The rare times I sent, I think I sent chicken lo-mein and either a soup or salad, maybe both? (I have no recollection if I sent dessert). It's a one pan complete meal, so it's easy to transport, easy to reheat if needed, and the picky eaters can just eat the pasta around the chicken.

amother

Broom ↓

Thu, May 19 2022, 2:13 pm

I also don't get those who say chicken on the bone isn't fancy enough.

Is it unusual in your circles to serve chicken on the bone Friday night? Everyone around me does that (and I've lived in more than one community, was the norm in both). And if it's fancy enough for Shabbos, it's certainly fancy enough for a weeknight dinner!

amother

↑ Broom

Thu, May 19 2022, 2:15 pm

Though is it really cheaper than cutlets?

It's cheaper per weight, but you're paying half for the bones. I actually find that chicken on the bone ends up costing more.

(Chicken on the bone was actually my most appreciated meal postpartum. Most others sent sweet chicken stir-fries and my children don't like that.)

↑ doodlesmom

Thu, May 19 2022, 3:17 pm

amother [ Amaranthus ] wrote:

How long for minute steaks? What spices?

I let it go for hours but at least 4. Till dinner time….
I put salt garlic paprika, pepper, maybe chili powder…
The meat gives chicken flavor and juice and vice versa.
Make sure the pan isn’t empty…then it dries out.

↑ Raisin

Thu, May 19 2022, 3:34 pm

amother [ Broom ] wrote:

I never serve chicken on the bone during the week, since I like to keep it for shabbos. Just like challah, gefilta fish, kugel...I would never eat those for a weeknight dinner either!

amother

Yolk

Thu, May 19 2022, 4:03 pm

Chicken stir fry with frozen veggies in it, rice on the side, (if you want salad also but this has veggies already). Can upgrade with cut up fruit/dessert/soup etc

For milchigs lasagna or baked ziti with a blended veggie soup, cut up veggies like peppers, cucumbers, celery, (can add baby carrots) and give a little dressing for dip

amother

Bisque

Thu, May 19 2022, 5:02 pm

All those doing salmon wow, here it’s super expensive.

I usually do either pepper steak from fresh and tasty or minute steak with potatoes.

Soup, salad and either fruit or cookies, sometimes store bought.

amother

Chartreuse ↓

Thu, May 19 2022, 5:07 pm

amother [ Steelblue ] wrote:

What’s your one pan lo mein recipe?

amother

↑ Chartreuse

Thu, May 19 2022, 5:07 pm

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

What’s your minute steak and potato recipe?

amother

↑ Aquamarine

Thu, May 19 2022, 5:15 pm

amother [ Broom ] wrote:

Yes. It comes out much cheaper. Even with the bone and skin.
To feed my family of 8 this week -
chicken thighs $19 - 3.60/lb
chicken cutlets $30 - 7.99/lb

(It’s scary how much it’s gone up.
A few months ago it was half.
But cutlets went up more.
It used to be 2.99 for thighs and 3.99 for cutlets. Now the difference is much bigger).

amother

↑ Mimosa ↓

Thu, May 19 2022, 5:31 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

In what world is shnitzel or meatballs easy or quick?

Quick Meatballs.
Roll meat by hand, line in alum pans with meat ball rows. Add pasta sauce to pan, add italian seasoning, onion and garlic to be fancy. Bake in 350 F oven 35 minutes. Done. Make 4 trays at a time. It takes 15 minutes to shape 5 lbs of meatballs in 4 pans, pour, cover and bake. Eat one, send one, freeze 2.

While meatballs bake in sauce, boil pasta, cut veggies, cut fruit into aluminum pans. Label and date pans with a sharpie. 15 minutes.

Making dinner for 2 families with 30 min hands on time is quick to me.

↑ lamplighter

Thu, May 19 2022, 6:39 pm

amother [ Mimosa ] wrote:

You don't add anything into the meatball mixture?it's just meat? Meatballs are effort bc of the steps and the rolling. Meat sauce is much simpler.

amother

↑ Mimosa

Thu, May 19 2022, 6:51 pm

lamplighter wrote:

You don't add anything into the meatball mixture?it's just meat? Meatballs are effort bc of the steps and the rolling. Meat sauce is much simpler.

I could add stuff, follow the Lubavitch cookbook recipe of 1/2 c flour, 1 egg, salt and pepper per lb meat. That adds 5 minutes. They key is to cook it all in the oven in bulk in the pans.

Alternatively, add a can of cranberry sauce into the pan with marinara and raw meatballs. Cook the same, serve with rice. Presto, now it could be a Friday night Shabbos dinner main course

This is my method. Please share yours. I love to learn tricks to easy quick dinners.

dena613

Thu, May 19 2022, 6:56 pm

I know according to some this isn't acceptable, but...

chicken on the bone
Rice
String beans

If I have blended veggie soup in my freezer, I'll send that along too
If it's summer time and I am cutting up melon for my family, I'll give that too

DVOM

Thu, May 19 2022, 7:10 pm

My kids are very unadventurous eaters, so I actually really enjoy going all out when my friends have babies because it satisfies the stifled creative culinary queen in me, but if I need to pull together a gift meal in a hurry I send:

Pan of roasted mini peppers, onion, cherry tomatoes
Sliced onion, potatoes, and sweet potatoes layered under chicken bottoms. Usually make a mayo-ketchup-apricot pam- onion soup mix dressing to slather chicken in.
Corn salad or cold slaw, both in creamy dressing
And a pan of Dunkin Heinz brownies

If dairy, pasta in cream sauce (sauted garlic cube, heavy cream, salt pepper)
Roasted couliflower or broccoli
Salmon or talapia, baked with maple & mustard sauce
And the same old Dunkin Heinz brownies

amother

Trillium

Thu, May 19 2022, 8:01 pm

I feel that when you send someone supper, they are really relying on it and by the time it arrives the whole family is starved cuz sometimes when one part of supper is ready you can serve that first and then come back when rest is ready...but if you aren’t cooking there isn’t anything to Nosh on... therefore I feel it needs to be a full supper - soup, protein, starch, warm veg and/or salad. And something else- pastry or simple dessert.

Typical supper is send:
Soup: blended squash
Chicken: sesame nuggets- dipped in flour and sauce and baked
Baked potato wedges
Salad- lettuce. Purple cabbage. Alfalfa sprouts. Grape tomatoes. And I can add anything else I’m in mood of such as sliced mushrooms, sunflower seeds etc...
Dessert: jello and canned fruit. Or mini apple cups- cubed apples in cupcake holders with pie crumbs on top(usually make big batch of crumbs and keep in freezer)

If it’s a large size famiIy I might Do salad and a baked veg such as broccoli stalks.

amother

Chambray

Tue, May 24 2022, 7:39 pm

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

We’re not fish eaters so idk salmon prices, but pepper steak and minute steak aren’t too cheap either... but id love to get those meals Smile

TCR

Tue, May 24 2022, 9:04 pm

amother [ Trillium ] wrote:

can you please post sesame nugget recipe? tysm