With the sky high cost of going out to eat as well as making meals at home; it is still easy to
have some simple and affordable meals that you can make for yourself and family
members that take the anxiety out of the dinner hour. Finding the inspiration to prepare
meals every day can be difficult enough without the added task of trying to keep things
affordable. Having 10 meals that you can put together in 10 minutes or less helps to keep
in your weekly food budget.
1. Tacos – for a healthy, fun eating that brings together multiple food groups, tacos are
tough to beat. They are also incredibly flexible, with versions available in chicken, beef,
fish, and vegetarian and vegan versions.
2. Soup on the Fly – While many soups require longer prep times and slow simmering,
there are a few ways to get a decent soup on the table in minutes. A version of pasta fagioli,
is one. Onions and celery cook quickly, carrots can be grated to greatly speed the process,
canned beans are already cooked, and most dried pastas cook in six to eight minutes. Add
a quick salad and some bread, and you have a nice summer meal on the table in no time.
3. Fried Rice – for this super-quick inexpensive meal, use precooked rice from a prior
home-cooked or takeout meal, or a minute rice, then add almost anything you want.
Whether you’re using leftover pork ribs, sale ham, or eve chopped chicken, fried rice is a
great was to use up leftovers of all types. Don’t forget the soy sauce.
4. Gourmet Sandwiches – horseradish-infused tuna melt, oven-toasted ham and Swiss, a
fresh mozzarella caprese-style sandwich, spread with fun condiments and bargain banana
peppers. Add some homemade potato chips or crispy oven fries and you got a decently
replicated café’ experience right at home.
5. Dinner Salads – There are lots of creative opportunities for salad: Chicken Caesar,
sliced steak, spinach and strawberry with feta and sunflower seeds. The time-saver here is
the low number of prep dishes to scrub and scour, and the reduced or removed cooking
time depending on whether you choose to use precooked meat or grill it up fresh that night.
Either way, this strategy puts a healthy, fast, meal on the table in a flash.
6. Stir-Fry – Thinly sliced beef, shrimp, small chunks of chicken, and tofu cubes all cook
quickly. Add to that the rapid cook time of diagonally sliced vegetables, and stir-fry bumps
nearly to the top of the list as far as time-saving dinners go.
7. The Slow Cooker or Air Fryer – The benefits here are the extremely reduced
preparation and flexibility, not to mention having fewer dishes to wash afterward. It takes
no time to cook something in either kitchen tool. Having a hearty dinner ready as soon as
you walk through the door is decadent indeed. Many simple, time-efficient recipes are out
there for slow cooker and air fryer meal prep.
8. Rip and Dunk – These are simple, flexible, and depending on your choice of ingredients,
extremely affordable. Hummus with a selection of flat bread and vegetable is one way to
go. Bread-bowl dinners and fondue are others. This type of dinner option can be as rustic
as you like.
9. Breakfast for Dinner – This is yet another area where you have a great deal of
flexibility. Using home-made baking mix or on-the-go pancakes and waffles, or serving a
hearty egg scramble with sausage and peppers are both quick options.
10. Affordable conveniences – Still cheaper than take-out or restaurant dining, having a
few convenience items on hand for those evenings when your schedule is completely out of
whack is a viable alternative. Frozen grocery store entrees, rotisserie chicken, even tater
tots can get everyone fed easily. The time saved can be used to regroup and get things back
on track for the next morning.
Enjoy this opportunity to add more fresh vegetables and fruit as convenience foods. There
are so many colorful and flavorful easy meals to be made with them. Enjoy the rest of
summer!
by Tammy C. Vaughn, Aging Services, Inc.
