| If you've had a tiring or stressful day at work, the last | | | | 8.Quick curry or Chilli - Use the bolognese recipe from |
| thing you want to do is to spend a long time preparing | | | | tip number one and add curry powder or chilli powder |
| a meal when you get home. Here are some ideas and | | | | to turn it into a curry or chilli. Serve with rice. |
| tips for quick and easy main meals:- | | | | 9.Rice - Rice can be fiddly to prepare in a saucepan |
| 1.Pasta - Most pasta can be boiled within 10 minutes so | | | | because you have to keep an eye on it and keep |
| it is great for a quick main meal. Bolognese sauce is | | | | stirring it. Buy a rice cooker or a microwave rice |
| simple to make - fry an onion with garlic, add mince | | | | steamer to make perfect fluffy rice while getting on |
| and brown, stir in chopped tomatoes or passata and | | | | with cooking other things. |
| add mixed herbs or oregano. Simmer for 15-20 | | | | 10.Chicken - Chicken breasts are very versatile. Look |
| minutes and serve. You can also add vegetables to | | | | for marinade recipes and sauces to coat chicken |
| the sauce - mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, | | | | breasts with and then bake in the oven for hassle free |
| whatever takes your fancy. Red wine also makes a | | | | chicken. Serve with salad or a jacket potato for a |
| great addition to the sauce. | | | | healthy, nutritious meal. |
| For a quick cheese sauce use crème fraiche | | | | 11.Jacket potatoes - Jacket potatoes can be served |
| mixed with grated cheese, bacon and mushrooms or | | | | as a main meal or as a side dish. Microwave, or bake |
| use mascarpone. There are so many free recipes | | | | in the oven to get a crispier skin, and serve with a |
| online for quick pasta sauces. | | | | tasty topping. Topping ideas - baked beans, beans and |
| 2.Quick Pizza - Fry some onion, garlic and mushrooms, | | | | grated cheese, tuna and sweetcorn mayonnaise, curry, |
| spread passata over a slice of french bread (sliced | | | | chilli, coleslaw, bacon and mushrooms, mushroom |
| lengthways) and pour onion, garlic and mushroom | | | | condensed soup, prawns and mayonnaise or prawn |
| mixture over the top, grate some cheese over the | | | | and marie rose dressing, bolognese sauce, cottage |
| pizza and grill. | | | | cheese, cream cheese and chives. |
| 3.Omelette - Omelettes are easy and quick to make | | | | 12.Pork chops - Pork chops are quick and easy to |
| and are tasty with a salad and chips or a jacket | | | | cook. Grill or coat with a marinade and bake. A simple |
| potato. | | | | but great tasting recipe is to brush with a mixture of |
| 4.Slow cooker meals - use a slow cooker to cut down | | | | soy sauce and marmalade and bake in the oven - |
| meal preparation. Prepare meat and vegetables in the | | | | very tasty. |
| morning before you go to work and the slow cooker | | | | 13.Make double - Whenever you make a pasta sauce, |
| will have a hot, tasty casserole ready and waiting for | | | | chilli, bolognese or casserole, make double the amount |
| you when you get home. | | | | and freeze for a quick meal on another day. |
| 5.Use canned condensed soups as a basis for sauces | | | | 14.Search online for quick recipes - Print out recipe |
| for meat and pasta. | | | | ideas, file in a ring binder and give them a rating when |
| 6.Potato wedges - rather than doing chips all the time, | | | | you have tried them. You'll soon build up a file of |
| cut potatoes (skin on or off) into wedge shapes, par | | | | recipes that you can depend on. |
| boil for 10 minutes, drain, drizzle with olive oil and bake | | | | 15.Use Pre-prepared food - Use prepared salads or |
| in a hot oven for 30-45 minutes. Great with fish, steak | | | | chopped vegetables to cut down on preparation time. |
| or chops. | | | | You will find many more tips, main meal ideas and |
| 7.Easy, no effort fish - Season fish fillets with herbs | | | | recipes online. Enjoy experimenting and trying out new |
| and spices and then seal in a parcel made of foil. Bake | | | | recipes. |
| in the oven for about 20 minutes. | | | | |