recipe ideas for a non-cook? page

[sarah k.]

My husband is living alone for nearly a month (the rest of us are on vacation), and has little interest in spending a lot of time in the kitchen or at the store, so I'm trying to arm him with some simple recipes that he can make in large quantities. He's a very adventurous eater, but works 10 hours a day, and is susceptible to convenience foods and fast food. He's lost about 15 pounds on my cooking, with no exercise, and I'd love it if he didn't backslide while I'm gone.

So? Do you have any simple, yummy recipes for a quasi-bachelor?

[Leida]

Why don't you cook huge batches of meat sauces etc and load the freezer with them in portioned containers + get him a pile of steaks, turkey breasts and chops + grind a few rubs (or few contained of Mrs. Dash), frozen veggie mixes and tell him to buy salad mixes? That's what I do for my husband. After that, he is a big boy and can manage.

[loafingcactus]

Anything I cook, I cook in a quantity and freeze. Crockpot stews. Right now I have three ribeyes in the fridge, which will be six meals. The other day I did a pork butt and cut it into servings and froze. Aside from convenience, this means I don't have to eat the same thing for several meals in a row but can get some variety.

[belinda]

Last week I cooked an eye of round roast in the crockpot. After eating it for two days, I sliced the remainder and portioned it into half a dozen servings and wrapped them for the freezer. One bag full goes great in a salad with greens, half an avocado, and a few slices of bacon

You can't get much simpler than opening a can of tuna or salmon or frying up a couple of eggs and some bacon.

[SlimIcy]

Buy a pork shoulder, cut it to fit into a crock pot. Leave in in the pot on low with a few cups of water 6-8 hours. Remove the bones and 'shred' it to the consistancy of pulled pork. Add in some salt, pepper, and favorite sauce combination (mine is buffalo and butter) and let sit for another hour or two before turning the pot off. Allow to cool a bit if you can resist.

Result: pounds of delicious pulled pork that will go good on top of everything.

[davem]

SlimIcy nailed a good one. I finished almost that exact process this morning.

Get a couple basic "staples", especially the food he likes, help pre-prep, and leave simple recipes on cards. At the end of the day though, it's the old horse and water bit.

[DaisyEater]

Buy a pork shoulder, cut it to fit into a crock pot. Leave in in the pot on low with a few cups of water 6-8 hours. Remove the bones and 'shred' it to the consistancy of pulled pork. Add in some salt, pepper, and favorite sauce combination (mine is buffalo and butter) and let sit for another hour or two before turning the pot off. Allow to cool a bit if you can resist.

Result: pounds of delicious pulled pork that will go good on top of everything.

I do a lot of cuts like this for my lunches. I cook once a week and just eat this stuff with salad. I did a brisket this week instead of pork shoulder. 10 hours on low in the crockpot with some onions and beef broth. Then I just shred it up and season it.

The buffalo sauce sounds awesome!

[Betho]

I'm planning a trip away next month for a week with the kids and while I'm gone I'll just prepare food ahead for him. I remember the first time I did this I got all kinds of crap from people (What, he can't cook for HIMSELF?) but the truth is, the guy's repertoire is boxed mac & cheese and that's about it. He's not primal so I'll mainly make him a week's worth of burrito fixings and have it all in the fridge. It's his favorite food and easy for him to make but since I went primal I hardly make then anymore... they aren't easily "customizable" for primal like some of the other meals I make.

So I guess it depends on what he likes! But the staples we rely on when I'm out of town are various frozen leftovers, sandwich makings and burritos. Not primal, I'm afraid, but better than eating out or eating boxed food.

[gunnk]

Taco salad (no chips!). Make up some seasoning packets for him. He browns a pound or two of ground beef, tosses some on top of a bed of lettuce, adds cheese, salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Makes several full meals easily.

Does he GRILL? If so, "burger salads" are great. Since going "bunless" that's what I make. Burger on a bed of lettuce with all my usually toppings.

What about freezing up some stew in advance? Put it into single-serve containers for reheating.

And, like others have said, slow cooking is an easy win.

[abstractpersona]

beef steak, summer squash, zucchini.
Use a vegetable peeler lengthwise on the squash and zucchini, to make long fat ribbons. You can wilt for a few seconds on a frying pan, but it's not necessary. Arrange ribbons on a place.
Slap beef on frying pan with butter. Cook. Put on top of ribbons. Eat.

Salmon, onions, red peppers, spinach
Stick salmon under oven broiler for 10-15 minutes. While broiling, stir-fry sliced red peppers and onions with butter or coconut oil. When that's done, add the spinach just until wilted. Eat.

Ground meat with lettuce leaves (OPTIONAL: add chopped celery, onions, peppers, carrots to the meat mix)
Fry meat (with the optional vegetables if so wanted). Put meat on a lettuce leaf and scarf it down.

Taco salad (beef, avocado, red onions, tomato, lettuce)
Use a spicy marinade for beef.
Chop vegetables. Assemble. Slap beef on frying pan with your choice of fat. Cook. Slice thin and eat with salad.

Pulled Pork, just grab a recipe online, make a huge batch in crockpot, that will last him atleast a week. He can eat that on omelets, salads, wrap on a lettuce leaf, etc.

Meatballs, what can be easier? Grab a few pounds of meat (I like to mix beef and pork, though pork and turkey is nice too), add italian spice blend (you can make that ahead of time for him), add a few eggs, mince onions, minced garlic, minced or chopped red and green peppers (hint: I use a box cheese grater to mince). Roll it up in small meatballs. Add your choice of fat to frying pan, heat, add meatballs, cook on low heat, can also be done on crockpot. And half-way cooked, add tomato sauce. Keep cooking 1 hour until sauce reduces. Can be done on crockpot.
Can be frozen, you can make enough for weeks at a time, makes a great breakfast, a great snack, and can make a filling salad! Yummy!

Chicken thighs, buy skinless if you're in a hurry. Add balsamic vinegar and some water to a pirex dish, add as many thighs as you want to cook (they keep well), salt and pepper. Broil 8 minutes, flip, another 8 minutes. Chicken thighs are so moist and hmmmm... delicious :-)

Spicy shrimp - spicy marinade (can be olive oil, water, chili paste, or paprika/cayene, or even take seasoning mix, + lime)
Make a huge batch, can freeze. He can make quick stir-fries or curry or salad...

If he or you cook this stuff ahead of time, all he needs are 5 minutes a day to chop vegetables, and fry for 2 minutes.

All of these meats can be done in a big batch ahead of time, except salmon, I guess. Then he can take 5 minutes to chop vegetables... ofcourse, he can do that ahead of time if he wants to as well.