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25 Quick Meal Ideas When You are In a Hurry (Or Just Don’t Want to Cook)

January 18, 2012 By 13 Comments

Sometimes I’m just in a hurry or not that hungry and I don’t want to take a lot of time trying to make something. For those crazy days, I have my “go to” list of quick items I can make so I avoid ordering a pizza or getting fast food. To make sure I always see this list, I have it taped inside my cabinet door so that way when I open the cabinet and think “I have nothing to eat” I can quickly refer to this list!

Note: Make sure you read the entire article, I’ve included a bonus worksheet & grocery list you can download to create your own list to include your favorite quick meals!

My list is made from things I normally keep on hand. I won’t always have each of these items on hand but I try to rotate things around and make sure I do. I also don’t go out and buy all of these things at once. If I’m running low, I will add a few items each week to my grocery list so I don’t blow my budget.

25 Quick Meal Ideas When You are in a Hurry (or just don’t want to cook!)

1. Peanut butter & jelly
2. Grilled Cheese & tomato soup
3. Cheese quesadilla
4. Lunch meat sandwhich
5. Cheese and crackers
6. Bacon,lettuce & tomato
7. Fried egg sandwich
8. Pancakes
9. Steamburgers (loose fried hamburger)
10. Pasta noodles w/ spaghetti sauce (no meat)
11. Macaroni & cheese
12. Bean burritos with cheese and onions
13. English muffin or bagel mini pizzas
14. Tortilla pizzas (soft shell tortilla topped w/ pizza sauce, cheese & toppings)
15. Canned soup
16. Mixture of rice, black beans & salsa in a soft shell tortilla (add cheese & microwave 45 seconds)
17. Tortilla chips with beans & cheese
18. Popcorn
19. Chicken, ham, turkey or egg salad
20. Sauteed grilled vegetables & rice
21. Chopped chicken or beef w/ bbq sauce on a bun
22. Baked potato w/ broccoli & cheese
23. Buttered noodles
24. Salad greens with vegetables, beans & cheese
25. Baked beans w/ veggie hotdogs
26. Hard boiled egg with toast

Ok so ya there were actually 26 ideas listed! As you can see from the list, there is nothing fancy about these meals. They are simple and can get you buy when you just don’t have the time or energy to cook. Having these types of things on hand can also help you if you are sick or the weather is bad and you don’t want to get out!

If you want to make your own list  to keep at home like I do, I’ve made a quick meal idea guide that you can just click on and download. A new screen will open and you can just save or print the pdf! I’ve even included an extra page with a grocery list for you. This helps me remember what I want to keep on hand and when I’m running low, I won’t forget to buy it the next time I’m at the store.

What are your favorite “go to” meals when you are in a hurry? Leave a comment and let me know!

Filed Under: Blog, Budgeting, Featured Bar, Recipes
  • http://twitter.com/belle_vierge Belle Vierge

    French toast peanut butter, honey, & banana sandwich.

  • http://twitter.com/prairieecothrif Miss T

    This is an awesome list. Another favourite I have is steamed veggies with rice noodles and peanuts. It is really good;

  • Brikay05

    Lemon Pasta – mix lemon rind, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, lots of fresh grated Parmesan, a T of extra virgin olive oil and some starchy pasta water. Toss with cooked noodles. Yum!

  • http://moneycactus.com Shaun @ Money Cactus

    +1 on the french toast, easy and tasty!

  • Pingback: 25 Quick Meal Ideas When You are In a Hurry (Or Just Don't Want to … | 60 Minute Meals

  • AKM

    I am really fond of canned soup. Doctored up with things like hot sauce and herbs, it’s definitely do-able. (ALDI’s minestrone, for example, is quite good!) This week, I splurged and got some nice Havarti slices and a great sourdough boule at TJ’s, and had that with my minestrone. I felt so rustically simple and European! :-)

    Breakfast for dinner rocks, too!  Beans and greens are another healthy favorite for this Southern girl.

  • http://thejennypincher.com The Jenny Pincher

    YUMMY I love french toast! I need to add that to my list.

  • http://thejennypincher.com The Jenny Pincher

    Steamed veggies are so versatile and quick, never thought to add the peanuts but I will have to try that! What type of sauce do you use with it?

  • http://thejennypincher.com The Jenny Pincher

    This sounds awesome! I saw a recipe the other day for lemon pasta but it was more of a cream sauce. I like this option much better! I’ll have to try it.

  • http://thejennypincher.com The Jenny Pincher

    Another good thing to add to canned soup is cooked quinoa, it adds a little more protein so you stay full longer!

  • http://www.moneytrail.net Pam at MoneyTrail

    Scrambled eggs — sometimes with ham and cheese added to them.  I also save leftovers in freezer plates so that I have homemade frozen dinners.

  • AKM

    I don’t know what sauce Miss T uses, but I love making mock peanut sauce! I can’t remember my exact recipe, but it’s usually something like peanut butter, a bit of water, soy sauce, hot sauce (ideally it would be something like Thai chili but I never have that so I cheat with Tabasco), garlic, ginger, five-spice powder, etc. YUM! 

  • http://youhavemorethanyouthink.org/ Shawanda

    What a fabulous idea! I love grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. (Although the bacon will add about 20 minutes to the prep time.) One of my favorite quick meals involves Ramen noodles and tuna fish. It’s not the healthiest, but it is quick. I’m excited to see if I can come up with more.