Spagetti Bolognase...Is there anything just as easy?

[Angelark]

I'm getting close to having bub #4 and would like to know any quick recipes for main meals whilst I'm in the late stages of pregnancy and for when bub is born. Meals that can be frozen would be good too.

Thanks

[NibbleCurlynBub]

Curries, stews?

[zenifa]

shepherd's pie, lasagna, curries, pasta sauces eg chicken cacciatore, beef burgundy, quiches, fish pie

[cheezelkat]

Apricot chicken, lamb stew (my fave), impossible quiche.

I use my slow cooker for almost everything and start cooking dinner at lunchtime - so easy!

[HayleyD]

I make an easy chicken pie that I freeze (I make it fit weight watchers but you could add whatever you want)

Put 1 sheet reduced fat puff pastry in bottom of pie dish

Cook chicken breast (I use only 240 grams - but that is only because of WW) onion, mushroom in a frypan.

Add cooked mixture to pie dish and our over one can of cont'l chicken and mush soup and mix a bit

Cover with 2 sheets of filo pastry (if not WW I would use another sheet of puff pastry - YUMMO)

When my DH makes it he adds bacon and cheese - but you could really put whatever in.

Tastes delicious!!!

If you are making jsut to freeze I would put it in the frige until it cools down and then cut it - it holds together neater that way.

I always make it for nights when we play sport together.... HTH

[SassyMummy]

A lot of pasta dishes ARE that easy... not just spaghetti bolognaise! :yes:

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/16782/gnocchi+with+sage+butter

This is really yummy, and probably the quickest meal I've ever made. It's so basic, but the flavour is amazing!

Gnocchi takes less time to cook than pasta... about 1-2 mins in boiling water... once it floats to the top, it's done! :thumbsup:

[TwoBlue]

Tonight I made the best and easiest meal that I actually got off a BH'er ages ago...

Chopped chicken fillets
chopped onion
whatever vegies you have (tonight I used fresh mushroom and broccoli but have used frozen peas and corn)

Brown onion, add chicken and brown chicken
add vegies (stir fry them for a minute or so)

add
500ml cream and 1pkt french onion soup (pre mix the cream and packet mix)

cook until sauce thickens a bit and chicken cooked through (about 10 mins)

serve with pasta or rice

YUMMMOOOOOOOO :chef:

[Nex]

Baked potatoes

Microwave or bake 1 large potato per person

Chop up and put in the bottom of a large bowl

top with Butter and grated cheese

AND any of the following combo's

Tuna, avocado, tomato and sour cream
Bolognese sauce and parmesan
Ham and pineapple
Chopped chicken, capsicum, shallots, sour cream

Often I'll just see what I have in the fridge and make something up!

[Angelark]

Thank you

These all sound easy and really yummy:) Even my DD's should be able to make these.

[CaitlinArai22]

get a pie maker and make sure you always have a freezer with pastry, and cook double of meals like spag bol - then the next day you have bolognaise pies, yjum yum (or stew pies, etc)

Buy a rice cooker - they are wonderfull and such a time saver - i hate getting up and down to check the stove!! plus they can steam vegies and only cost like $20 now

spend some time cutting and freezing bags of mixed vegies for stirfrys - then you can just grab some diced meat, a packet mix, and you have vegies ready to go. seems to save time doing 3 or 4 carrots at once, rather then trying to do it every night, plus saves washing prep stuff each night!
I now sit on the lounge with a bin at my feet peeling vegies, then i get up wash them and swap the bin for a chopping board and knife. by the time i've watched the simpsons, i've [prepped a whole weeks worth of vegies.

I spend a day now and then cooking and refilling the freezer with
pasties, curry puffs, spring rolls, lasanga, mini pizzas - then you always have food you can just shove in the oven and have dinner!

chicken and mushroom pasta - just cook chicken, add mushrooms, onions, garlic to a pan, cook 3 mins, add cream and cooked pasta, heat on low for a while, serve.

tomato chicken pasta - as above but add some tomato mix rather then cream(i make jars myself, so i always have pasta sauce when needed, flavoured how i like it, but you can buy dolmios or something), water it down and simmer for 20mins

chicken and pumpkin soup - boil pumpkin till it starts falling apart, add diced vegies (whatever you have lying around, i like potato, celery, leek, onion, carrot, cauliflower), add liquid chicken stock and chicken stock cubes, add chicken from leftover BBQ chook i had lst night when too lazy to cook:laughing:

lamb casserole - buy lamb casserole packet mix from woolies/IGA/coles/etc
cook lamb (quickest to use diced lamb), add vegies (i like potato pumkin brussel sprouts carrots and peas) add water and packet mix, simmer for 1/2 hr or vegies are cooked

Strogonoff
brown diced/stripped meat and onions. add mushrooms. add maggie strogonoff mix and water, simmer half hr, add sour cream

btw, i think its funny you say bolognaise is easy lol, i learnt to cook with my nonna and it was a drawn out process that took foprever and had a million ingredients :laughing:
I more make the mix now to go in my lasanga, but thats worth the time cause i can make up 2 trays at once, cut them into dinner sized serves and freeze them, doing it that way i can freeze 8nights worth of lasangya - i try to make all my meals in bulk, stroganoff is another great one for that!!

sorry to :ecomcity:

[CaitlinArai22]

oh and pizzas - on lebonese bread. i just thrown on some bbq sauce, tomato sauce and mix them up - DP loves this - and throw on whatever spare vegies are about - great the day before payday.
sometimes i scramble an egg and put that on with some diced bacon

you can make good combinations too, i like beef teriyaki, and satey chicken lol

only trouble is keeping the cheese away from DP!!

and one of DP's faves - apricot chicken - you'll laugh at this.

out of food one night, and too lazy to walk to the shops, i threw whatever was left in a pan. this consisted of

2 chicken tenderloins, diced and covered in flour
one carrot
half zuchini.....

and a 1/2 jar of apricot jam.....

he now says its one of his faves, i think its hilarious

[MJ410]

:laughing: I love it CaitlinArai! My only concern would be how much sugar is in it :yes:

[JabberJaw]

Invest in a slow cooker for sure, just bung it all in in the morning, set it to low, and tada dinner is ready right when you want it! I love mine, did silverside tonight and i carved it with a butter knife, also do roast beef, porcipine balls, lamb shanks, soup and stews.

[Angelark]

OMG! Thankyou Excellent ideas and tips. You sound so organised, you should right a cookbook for busy Mums/Families. I love the pie maker idea gives DF a bit of variety for his work lunches.

The "Spag Bolognaise" I know I used to do the same thing cook all day adding special ingredients because that how I thought DF preferred it. Went to his sister's for tea the other night she just throws together the Mince and Paul Newmans. So what does DF say "Why don't you make it like this" :hair: So Paul Newmans it is!

Thanks again:)

[CaitlinArai22]

lol, i am anything but organised most of the time!:laughing:
I like to have meals planned out (and precooked/frozen where possible), because we're on a very strict budget (2 pensions), and dave can be so unpredictable with his moods/tastes. Sometimes i'll be begging him to eat for a couple of days, and then he decides he's hungry at 2am, and if there is nothing there, he'll leave it another day or 2. so we always have food prepped, so i can cook at the drop of a hat, and he has some options (this week for instance, he's doing one meal a day - about 5pm, which is GREAT for a change - and he's "vegetarian" - i'm sure he'll be back on meat this time next week).

But yeah, i reackon i could write a book on "doing things the cheap and easy way" - you learn how quickly when you're a young teen in your own house:laughing::laughing: sink or swim lol. for instance, it now only takes me 15mins each week to do the full house's dusting, including skirting boards and windows sills - took me a while to work out, but i can waste about 3mins filling a bucket and about 8 - 12 mins all up rinsing out the sponge between sills/rooms/shelves, or i can tie a plastic bag to my belt for rubbish, use babywipes, can skip the bucket and rinsing, and the dusts lifts way more effectively - plus no changing chemicals when you get to tv screen, glass tables etc!!
i save at least 15 mins doing it this way, which doesnt sound like much, but i save my back trying to carry a bucket as well, and that 15 minutes is enough to throw together some scones or cakes, and straighten the couch covers and curtains, and rugs.

anyway i'm going way off subject, i actually came back in here to give you a desert recipe i got from another bubhubber for lemonade scones

1cup cream
2cups lemonade
3cups self raisingflour

mix ingredients,
coat hands and bench well with flour, roll pastry(i just press with my hands) and cut to appropriate size (i use water glass)
put on greased/floured tray in 200degree oven for 12-15 mins.

have fun!

[Angelark]

Thanks for the Lemonade scones recipe. Yum :) My 12 yr old is into making patty cakes at the moment so she can try her hand at these...I wonder if you can freeze scones?

Thats a handy tip of dusting with baby wipes. :thumbsup: I could have used this tip this morning.

Thanks again