Easy and Quick Meal Ideas for my two year old and I?

Question

With my husband's school and work schedule, it's my son and I for dinner four nights a week and I get home around 5:45 and my son goes to sleep around 7, so I need some quick dinner ideas using our specific diet. I'm vegetarian, I don't drink milk or use eggs for cooking. I use soy milk and I do eat cheese. Example dinner: broccoli you can steam microwave in it's own bag (5 min.) instant mashed potatoes (boil water, add dehydrated potatoes) vegetarian chicken patty (micro 1 min.) This was last nights meal and typical of what we like and my ideal time to prepare! We don't like many veggies (spinich, whole mushrooms, peppers) and get our main source of protein from beans and veggie meat products. I don't like to cook with tofu. I'm really getting tired of noodles with a side salad or grilled cheese and soup. Does any one have quick (15 min or less) complete meal ideas using easy on hand items?

Answer 1

The best idea is to put some extra time and effort into preparing do ahead
meals when you have the time. Like on the weekend. You can prepare
mass amounts of casseroles that you like then freeze individual portions
for during the week. I make tons of soups then freeze them for later use.
You could make lasagna, chili, cabbage rolls, anything you like that makes
lots and will freeze for later. It is hard to think about cooking after working
all day!! I hope this helps.

Answer 2

I too am a vegetarian, try this site

http://www.ascendpress.org/Community/OaKitchen/QuickMeals.htm

If you really are pressed for time there are a lot of things that you can do with rice, cook it and add cheese that you have melted. You could make burritos, that is fast and my 2 year old loves them. You could make lasagna, it takes a little bit of time, but it is well worth it in the end. How about a homemade pizza, use a premade crust, that is a winner at my house. There are also tacos that you can make using the beans for burritos, I season them with the taco seasons and use it like meat, but you use veggie meat subs, so use the ground meat sub. And so many other things as well. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 3

Since you eat cheese why not do a bean and cheese quesidia. It takes about five minutes. You can use refried beans smeared on a tortilla with cheese crumbles or slices and micro for about two minutes. One should feed you and your little person. Add a little salsa and sour cream on top if you'd like and it's ready.

The other thing you can do is a broccoli and cheese cassarole it bakes in about ten minutes and is simple enough to do. You put the water it asks for in a pan along with broccoli then add cheese to the top and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes unchecked adding other vegetable if you'd like under the cheese before poping it in and it's done.

you can also try eggplant bowls these take about ten minutes prep and 15 minutes bake time. You make the bowls first out of the bottom of the eggplant and make eggplant rings out of the top and stuff them with cheese, tofu based products, other vegetables. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes without having to check on them and their ready. Bake them on a cookie sheet with a tinfoil tray on top so that the juice doesn't run.

Good Luck!!

Answer 4

Search for my response to a similar question under my name Radius Simsy. I gave her like 10 great recipies. We are in the same boat. I am veg, my husband is not, and we have 2 toddlers. We do veg 30 min meals every night!

Oh yeah, Rachael Ray has a new 30 min veggie meal book out now.

Answer 5

Michelle's was a fantastic answer, but just to add that some kids don't like the texture of vegetables. Mine are like that, doesn't matter how pretty they look, but they'll happily eat vegetable soup (which is drop dead easy to make at home) even made with vegetables they won't touch normally, and they've never noticed mashed carrots in gravy :)

Answer 6

Mac-&-Cheese,easiest thing!