My sister, Cindy mentioned she would like more information on getting food on the table fast. My husband loves that I can walk in the door and we can sit down to eat within half an hour.
Part of it is being ready to cook when I walk in the door. I buy food that is fast to fix. I remember to take something out either the night before or in the morning or have back-up quick foods.
I buy ground beef or ground chuck and divide it into one pound portions and freeze in aluminum foil or freezer bags. Frozen hamburger meat is so versatile. You can cook it on the stove with some water for faster cooking and then you can make taco salad, chili, sandwiches (sloppy joes) or even hamburger helper meals. This part of my back-up plan when I forget to take something out for dinner.
I buy T-bones or Ribeyes on sale and have them cut into 3/4 inch steaks so they cook faster. I individually wrap them in aluminum foil or in a freezer bag. Don’t freeze them together because they take much longer to thaw.
Pork chops, buy in bulk on sale, wrap individually. You can grill the pork chops with onions, or steam them and and add BBQ sauce or make gravy with them.
The gravy is just a matter of taking a cup or so of cold water, adding a tablespoon of all purpose floor and stirring until totally dissolved. Then add the flour mixture to pork chops when the chops are done and cooking on low. Stir until the gravy mixes well with juices and starts thickening. If it gets too thick, just add some tap water. Add a little worcheshire sauce for flavoring. You can add a package of pork seasoning to make the gravy if you prefer.
Chicken…I buy the frozen chicken breasts that are boneless. They are individually frozen (IQF-Individually Quick Frozen)so that helps. Just throw the package of breasts in the freezer. They are ready when you are. This is another “oops, I forgot to take something out meal”.
Steam and spice the chicken the way you like (BBQ, grilled with lemon pepper, etc). Be brave, add soy sauce or teriyaki. lol
Another quick meal is make a salad and then chop up the grilled chicken and throw on top. My favorite salad is served with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, shredded cheese, boiled egg and chicken with Ranch Dressing.
I also like to keep boiled eggs on hand. Great for salads or a quick egg salad sandwich. Egg salad sandwiches are great for breakfast, too. You can eat it on the run. Better than a donut.
I have already written about making roasts by cooking them overnight and then make french dip sandwiches with the leftovers.
And then who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner occasionally. We only have a big breakfast on weekends so it is great to have bacon, egg, cheese bagels and home-fried potatoes during the week.
Okay, that’s how to do the meat part of the meal quickly.