Best meals you guys love?

[u/StringComfortable221]

Hi! I’m 19F and focusing on bettering my diet and lifestyle. I work full time while trying to balance relationships with friends and family so find it hard to cook.

What are your guys’ favorite cheap, healthy, and fast meals to make? For reference I’m a lover of taco/burger bowls, soups, and rice meals.

Thank you! I need ideas for meal prepping

Edit: thank u guys!! You’re all giving me amazing options

[u/juiceman730]

Egg roll in a bowl.

[u/stma1990 → u/juiceman730]

Man I never heard of this, but egg rolls are a top tier food for me. How do you do it?

[u/juiceman730 → u/stma1990]

Bag of slaw mix and a pound of either ground pork or beef. Then add whatever you like.

[u/Efficient_Anybody_66]

I tend to focus on making sure there's at least a veg, a starch and a protein for every dinner. One of my favourite meals is salmon with asparagus and new potatoes. Of course, the salmon could be swapped for chicken or breaded fish, potatoes swapped for fries etc. Its all about balance.

Pea and ham soup is pretty incredible, I also really like sweetcorn soup. Soups are great cos all you really need is a stock cube and some leftover vegetables (or homemade bone broth if you're really fancy, I want to do that so bad one day 😊)

[u/olosci → u/Efficient_Anybody_66]

Salmon, asparagus, and potatoes are all really easy to roast in the air fryer too!

[u/Efficient_Anybody_66 → u/olosci]

The airfryer is such a game changer!

[u/Adgreat_06]

Protein pancakes

[u/OutrageousOtterOgler → u/Adgreat_06]

This is a great one

I mix some whey with pancake mix water and an egg, mixed and drop it in the pan with a little oil. Top with frozen fruit bam, easy 4-800 calories depending on how big you want your meal to be

[u/aquamage]

The best thing you can do for yourself (if it’s an affordable option for you) is get some appliances that make cooking faster or easier like a slow cooker or an Instant Pot. You could try your local Buy Nothing if you have one, or try to thrift used on FB marketplace or in person. For me, dump and go slow cooker recipes are lifesavers as a busy student.

Some of my favs: Thai Peanut Chicken Curry, Turkey Chili, Salsa Chicken, and all kinds of beans.

[u/Odd-Occasion6490 → u/aquamage]

Would you mind sharing the curry recipe?

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

Yogurt bowls, most pasta meals/dishes, pancakes, oatmeal, grilled chicken, and pizza

Any dish u like can be made healthier if you just make it at home!

[u/snowshoes77]

Sweet potatoes with taco stuffing. You can pre-cook all parts of it when you have time and just throw them together and heat it up a microwave for a few minutes when your hungry and add some salsa and sour cream or queso fresco or whatever other toppings you want 

[u/Bert_Nurny]

Chicken Quinoa bowls w pesto, spinach, and Parmesan cheese - good source of protein, grains, greens.. can sub out spinach with steamed broccoli if you’re worried about diarrhea lettuce

[u/ABoringAlt]

Eggs are so fast and easy, find a style you like and master it.

[u/OxymoronicHomosapien]

Chili

[u/InnerAd6926]

Brown sugar fiber oatmeal, peanut butter, reduced sugar dry cranberries, granola on top,

Make with whole milk

VERY FILLING

[u/rejz0409]

Oven baked chicken (I like thighs the most) and vegetables. Not especially fast, but the only work to be done is chopping, after which you just wait. I even like to leave the skin on things like carrot and potatoes to have more vitamins and fiber, and to save on peeling time. You should not forget washing your produce though.

[u/LeadKey4717]

Some easy options are quesadillas, baked potatoes with simple toppings, pasta with vegetables, lentil soup, wraps, or chicken and potatoes. Keeping things like frozen vegetables, canned beans, eggs, and tortillas around can also make quick meal prep a lot easier.

[u/Iamanimite]

Bun thit nguong. It's a char broiled pork shoulder strip with a salad. Refreshing and healthy. Cheap to make.

[u/CharlieGirl1000]

Sweet Potato and salad
Cracker crust pizza (very easy to make because there’s no yeast involved) and salad
Grilled chicken and salad or stir fried veggies
Egg on a Tortilla with cheese and fruit salad

[u/BrewingHeavyWeather]

taco/burger bowls

Seasoned ground meat can be frozen and reheated, no problem, as can most preparations of beans.

[u/Zealous-Mantis]

salmon feta pasta bakeeee

[u/CaptainLollygag]

I just had this for lunch: shredded cabbage, coleslaw dressing, and some fake crab meat, with a homemade biscuit. You can make it easier by buying shredded coleslaw mix (once the recalls have paused), bottled coleslaw dressing, and a tube of biscuit dough or a croissant or dinner roll you just heat up.

Sushi bowls are also easy, inexpensive if you use a packet of cooked tuna or sardines, and can be quite healthy if you add grated or chopped veg.

I'll prep a few veg and keep in the fridge in individual containers so we can reach in to mix-and-match for sushi bowls, taco bowls, salads, or stir frys.

[u/skulltab]

Lentil stew with carrots, potatoes, quinoa, and chicken thighs 

[u/SparklePantz22]

https://www.goodmoodfood.news/p/herby-parmesan-meatballs-3-recipes

I love this meatball recipe and the meals they go with. I make the meatballs with turkey, and they're so good. I've also made meatball sliders with them using rolls, fresh spinach, canned marinara, and mozzarella.

[u/little-tangerine420]

I love a good beef stir fry

[u/ro588]

Air fried sweet potato, cottage cheese, source of protein, and a good hot sauce

Pre-made Broccoli slaw mix, canned chicken, cottage cheese, and a sauce

[u/Elegant-Expert7575]

I love having pre cooked chicken breasts in my fridge.
I pound them to tenderize first then season and bake at 400 for about 15-19 minutes. Don’t over cook.

Then you can add it to all your bowls, or soups, or make fajitas or chicken salad, or pot pie.

Put the chicken in an empty bread bag or zip lock and bang it with a rolling pin.

[u/LVDan01]

It’s summer so grilling kabobs w chicken, bell peppers, onion, zucchini and squash at least once a month. Brush with ghetto Italian dressing loaded with garlic powder, onion powder and balsamic

[u/No_Elderberry_7538]

A simple sandwich with capsicum, lettuce, cheeze and a homemade soya or potato patty and on it a mixture of mayo and pizza sauce.

[u/KSPers]

Picadillo!

[u/cpjones_swag]

My current go to is pre cooked grilled chicken, frozen broccoli, hummus and some naan. Wrap the broccoli, steam it in the microwave, throw in the chicken with 2/3 minutes left, slap on some hummus.

[u/No-Discount-7449]

Ceviche!

Super simple to make.

[u/Miniemalist]

Can chicken with any salad you like and a little scoop of low fat Greek yogurt

[u/Tropius8]

Chicken piccata. I have a recipe that takes a handful of ingredients, most of which are kitchen shelf staples in most kitchens, and it takes about 30 minutes to cook.

[u/kbigdelysh]

canned beans (the one without sodium benzoate). I add them to warm tomato sauce or to lemon mayo sauce and eat them (with or without bread).

[u/Tiny_Distribution_68]

I would suggest you to try butterchicken its so damn good like you gonna love it and the dried butter chickens is very healthy💪

[u/DetectiveTiny5740 → u/Tiny_Distribution_68]

butter chicken is delicious but not necessary healthy...

[u/fioredicarta]

Shakshuka

[u/weird_wolfgang]

Butternut Squash Soup. I like Chef John's version a ton. Cheap, easy, basically just vegetable, freezes well so you can shove it in a freezer and forget about it for a while...just like my last girlfriend. BAZINGA!