Simple meals to cook for lunch? Please help me!

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Matt.

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Ok so i cant really cook, and want to learn. So i am trying! What i would like is some simple meals that i can put together for lunch each day. I am lucky enough in that i am close enough to work to come home every day so can make myself a vaguely decent meal.

So what i am after is some simple recepies (eg. pasta), that i can cook in 20mins, or cook the night before and have ready... Any help would be appreciated as its about time i learnt to cook and eat properly!

Thanks!
 
didn't delia do a series aimed at students
"how to boil an egg"...
 
Spicey chicken? Simple to make, tastes gorgeous, quick to cook & hits the spot.

Get yourself to somewhere like asda, and buy some chicken breasts. Go onto the spices aisle, and look for some chicken spices, depends how spicey you like things etc. I normally use 2 different kinds to add a bit of flavour. Also get some naan's, or some pitta breads, maybe some salad etc if that's what you like?

Chop them up into slices (imagine chicken dipper type size), put them onto a plate as you cut them. Spice them lightly, turn them over, same again.

Stick a frying pan on the go, bit of cooking oil, give it a few minutes to warm up. Stick the chicken in, turn every few minutes or so for about 20-30 minutes.

Prepare your pittas/naan's/bread, whatever you choose to have, stick the chicken on them, couple of plates, couple of cold beers, get yourself sat out in the garden & enjoy.

Tellin' you now, it goes down a treat and isn't too heavy. :thumbs:
 
simple....ask Hepburn on here. All you need to do is boil the kettle, peel back lid and pour in water up to the filll line. stir et voila.......... a delicious pot noodle
 
BeHappy said:
simple....ask Hepburn on here. All you need to do is boil the kettle, peel back lid and pour in water up to the filll line. stir et voila.......... a delicious pot noodle
Click to expand...

:bang: Am I ever going to live down pot noodles?

Behappy needs a kick :D
 
:wave:

I just couldnt resist...:lol:
 
oh err yes.....must be it then :thinking:
 
that was a fib....I 'washed my hair' instead:lol:
 
You could throw a number of simple recipes into a slow cooker. Start it off early morning, be ready at lunch time. Freeze what's left over into meal size portions and then reheat and add rice/pasta for the next meal...

Or, at the real risk of some below the belt comment from BeHappy :D, you could rustle up a nice ploughmans lunch in no time at all...
 
students corn beef ash. can of corned beef chopped, can of boiled potatoes chopped, can of peas, salt and pepper, some olive oil and frying pan all in together fry it up and viola!
 
Creamy smoked salmon & prawn pasta -

Spaghetti / tagliatelli (sp?!)
Pot of creme fraiche
onion - finely chopped (I use red onions)
Smoked salmon - I get the cheap n cheerful offcuts which work just fine for this
Prawns - optional, can do without them really
Sqeeze of lemon juice
Pepper for seasoning

Cook the pasta, lightly fry the onion and combine with the creme fraiche, lemon juice & pepper in a pan, throw in the smoked salmon and prawns, stir, mix the sauce through the pasta, eat.

Dead easy and quick - have it with some garlic bread and if you are feeling posh you could chuck in some chopped chives too :thumbs:
 
Check out Lidl ready meals, beef or chicken, giant Yorkshires etc. £1 each can't go wrong!
Microwave 2 minutes.
Jim
 
jimybell said:
Check out Lidl ready meals, beef or chicken, giant Yorkshires etc. £1 each can't go wrong!
Microwave 2 minutes.
Jim
Click to expand...


I am trying to learn to cook and be more healthy... Ready meals arent really what i am looking for right now :). Oh and i dont, and will not, own a microwave :lol:

Basically i am after proper meals that i can put together in 20mins or so that are good and healthy, and a good meal. I am not the worlds greatest cook at all, but i can handle the basics just fine.
 
jimybell said:
Check out Lidl ready meals, beef or chicken, giant Yorkshires etc. £1 each can't go wrong!
Microwave 2 minutes.
Jim
Click to expand...

Perfect for the bin :)

Its been proven, you can cook fresh, decent food just as quick as ready made muck :)

Matt....you got any jamie oliver cook books?
 
not really jimybell :love:

....but with all the health and fitness issues I cant understand why you'd want eat stuff like that? ok every now & then but regularly :nono:
 
BeHappy said:
Perfect for the bin :)

Its been proven, you can cook fresh, decent food just as quick as ready made muck :)

Matt....you got any jamie oliver cook books?
Click to expand...

I have lots of cook books, but up until now they have been for decoration only :lol: I am slowly trying to pick recepies i can manage, but any recommendations would always be appreciated.
 
Stick two pans of water on to boil.

Put broccoli in one and pasta in the other. Conchiglie or lumaconi shaped pasta seem to work best.

When both are cooked (about 15 minutes), drain and sling them together in one or other pan. Add a good wedge of chopped up dolcelatte and stir a bit until melted.

The cheese is sufficiently salty so you shouldn't need to salt either the pasta or broccoli water.
 
jacket spuds and stuff like tuna or beans cheese and bacon that sort of stuff always good, quick and easy and relatively healthy.
 
This thread is great

I've been doing more cooking than ever recently....i've managed to cremate food in ways that were previously unheard of :D
 
Cheese an egg in the oven

Get a small oven proof dish (soup bowl size) and butter it, grate about 4oz or 5oz, of cheese (preferably Lancashire crumbly, cheddar cheese tends to be greasy), chop 1 small or 3rd of an onion (depending how much you like onion), and combine with the cheese in the dish,and make a small hollow in the middle, break 1 or 2 eggs into the hollow, and add a splash of milk, if you like it spicy sprinkle sparingly with a little paprika, slice 1 tomato thinly and arrange around the egg/s, cook in the oven gas mark 7 ( 425 F,220 C) for 15 to 20 mins,till golden brown, at the same time, bake a couple of slices of, garlic bread, or just butter some of your favourite bread, and serve with a side salad oh and don't forget to make a cup of tea.

Dave
 
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Easy Chill - make in advance and freeze. Leave out in morning to defrost and then simply reheat. 4 portion recipe.

1 onion finely chopped
2 small or 1 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
450g mince
1 tin chopped tomato
300ml stock i.e oxo cubes
6 good splashes of Worcester sauce
2-3 teaspoons of mild chilli powder (depending on how hot you like it)
1 teaspoon flour
1 chopped green pepper (optional)
1 small tin of kidney beans drained (optional)

Fry garlic in tablespoon of oil for 30 secs. Add onion and fry until soft - prob 3-4 mins max. Add mince and brown all over (no more). Add all the remaining ingredients except kidney beans. Bring to boil and simmer for 25 mins. Add kidney beans and cook for 10 more minutes max. Serve with boil-in-the-bag or microwave rice for one. Or serve with jacket potato.

Bolognese - make in advance and freeze etc as above:

As above, but replace worcester sauce with 1.5 tablespoon of tomato puree. Replace chilli powder with 1/4 teaspoon of basil. Delete pepper and kidney beans. Serve with pasta cooked per packet instructions.
 
Garlicky Chicken Pitta's


Slice a couple of chicken breasts thinly

Stick in a sealable bag and add 1 tablespoon of plain flour and one teaspoon of garlic powder, seal bag(REALLY SEAL IT!:bang:) and shake to cover chicken.

Fry off in a bit of oil, about 5-10 mins.

Shred some lettuce into a bowl, add the cooked chicky, spoonfull of mayo and mix up.

Toast the pitta's, stuff in the garlic chicky, Nom Nom Nom


Job's a fish :thumbs:
 
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Fill and boil kettle.
Open sachet of cup a soup and empty into mug.
Fill mug with hot boiled water and stir.
Butter some bread or rolls.
Dunk in soup and eat...

And BeHappy, not a pot noodle in sight :D
 
Cheese on toast makes a great light lunch, especially with a little side salad... Easy and quick to cook. One of my favourite meals :)
 
Matt. said:
Oh and i dont, and will not, own a microwave :lol:
Click to expand...

Microwaves are so handy for defrosting stuff, part cooking. If you need to reheat rice or pasta the microwave is the only thing that gives good results.
They are dam good at making scrambled eggs.

You dont just need frozen ready meals to have and use one.
 
hepburn said:
Fill and boil kettle.
Open sachet of cup a soup and empty into mug.
Fill mug with hot boiled water and stir.
Butter some bread or rolls.
Dunk in soup and eat...

And BeHappy, not a pot noodle in sight :D
Click to expand...



errr....in the same class as pot noodles actually. ;)
 
Have you got a bread maker? I use mine to make pizza dough!

Roll out dough, place on a pizza shaped oven tray (the ones with holes make a good crispy base)

Bake base for 10 mins on low oven while chopping toppings......

Spread onto base a mixture of tomato puree/ketchup

bung on toppings, add grated cheese ( I keep bags of it in the freezer ready to use)

bake in a hot oven for about 10 -12 mins or cheese is nice and browned :D



Yummy! :)
 
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