Tina, my partner used to make all his meals like this, (he's the main dinner cook), but now we are poor, they have all been used up & can't afford to buy more, so, he now has to use all the dried herbs & spices that have been in the cupboard all along, (I have been asking him to make meals with them for ages), so now he has no excuse. I'm like Janelle, I make big one-pot meals with diced chicken breast, or mince or diced cheap cuts of beef. If you add things such as barley, lentils and dried peas, chickpeas and etc, that will thicken it up, and make it very nutritious. I also add things like turmeric, & ginger for my arthritis. Kev will use curry powder sometimes, but I tell him that can get boring, I use all the different things, cumin, mixed herbs, all sorts of things I keep. If you buy them in the little packets from the greengrocer, they are usually a bit cheaper and quite fresh. You can also buy some in cardboard pots that are cheaper way in the Supermarkets. Don't forget, if you use split peas & chickpeas, both need to be soaked overnight, and the chickpeas need to be pre cooked for up to 2 hours, then added to the mix, and cooked for another 45 - 60 minutes. I also add finely shredded cabbage early on which will pretty much disappear. I also sometimes do a pasta bake, using diced chicken breast, and frozen mixed veg, the Heinz ones are nice, with your choice of pasta shapes, (I like elbows)......add some grated cheeses, some in it and the rest on top, it makes a great quick meal, you can add anything you like, really. It's a good place for 'disappearing' those veg the family doesn't really like, but you know are really good for them......except (Brussells Sprouts!!)...I personally love Brussells, but not in a one pot meal!! I also cook up 2 cups of brown rice for 30 mins, (you will need to top up the water after about 15 mins), then freeze it in 1 person portions, and freeze.
Why not look up some meals on Taste.com ? You can do this when you have a little time to spare, not at the last moment, as it can be addictive, looking through recipes.!!
Good Luck, Tina, and happy cooking.....always happy to help.
Silver Angel
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