Anyone got any easy recipes a man can cook on his own when his wife is traveling? Thanks in advance for your comments..... 
Food A Man, A Can & A Plan!
- Thread starter BargainHunter
- Start date
i love the title too! 
as for simple meals-whole foods carries a bunch of boxed risottos to which you essentially only need to add milk (and maybe some butter) which are delicious-my BF loves these. or mix up a little cream of mushroom soup, broccoli, curry powder (optional), chicken (cooked) and top with grated cheese and crunchy onion bits and pop it in the oven-yummy!
as for simple meals-whole foods carries a bunch of boxed risottos to which you essentially only need to add milk (and maybe some butter) which are delicious-my BF loves these. or mix up a little cream of mushroom soup, broccoli, curry powder (optional), chicken (cooked) and top with grated cheese and crunchy onion bits and pop it in the oven-yummy!
I just discovered a canned product that astonished me.
Glory brand black beans and rice, caribbean style. I picked it up, just out of curiosity, as a little adventure, and what a surprise!
It tastes great! It really tastes like moros y cristianos that you would spend hours making yourself. And it's cheap - about a dollar!
Glory brand black beans and rice, caribbean style. I picked it up, just out of curiosity, as a little adventure, and what a surprise!
It tastes great! It really tastes like moros y cristianos that you would spend hours making yourself. And it's cheap - about a dollar!
Quesadillas--you need tortillas of your choice, shredded cheese, leftover chicken pieces or taco beef, veggies (like chopped onions, green peppers, tomatoes), a nonstick pan and a spatula.
Cook quesadillas with whatever fillings you like, for a few minutes in a nonstick pan over medium heat--this way, no extra calories from butter or oil in the pan. Flip halfway through cooking time. Plate and enjoy.
Cook quesadillas with whatever fillings you like, for a few minutes in a nonstick pan over medium heat--this way, no extra calories from butter or oil in the pan. Flip halfway through cooking time. Plate and enjoy.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. This was VERY helpful! I already passed it on! He's going through chemo and needs to be healthy. Your suggestions are so very good. Is the "Glory brand black beans and rice, caribbean style" hot spicey? Or, can us gringos eat it without breaking into a sweat?
It is spicy a little bit, but not the hot kind of spicy I think you are talking about, people who don't like much flavor in their food
Is the "Glory brand black beans and rice, caribbean style" hot spicey? Or, can us gringos eat it without breaking into a sweat?
can eat it up happily!And it is also very good in quesadillas! Then once the quesadilla is done, you put salsa all over the top, and then shredded lettuce and chopped onions and tomatoes and MORE cheese on top of that!
Oh, and I don't think you can buy a salsa in the store that is going to make you sweat. No matter what the label says, they are all very mild. But if you are worried, you can buy one that actually says mild, and it is still very good.
Pace Chunky is the best one, I think, for red salsa, Herdez for green, but best of all will be to make it yourself!
Another good thing from a can is Progresso brand split pea soup. You can have it just as it comes, or you can add some chopped up ham, bacon, or just about any smoked sausage. I also like to add sour cream or yogurt and balsamic vinegar to mine, but I am strange. Cornbread is the ideal accompaniment but you can also make little microwave quesadilloids with corn tortillas and shredded cheddar cheese, or that 4 cheese taco cheese or something. Sargento is the best brand of that.
Progresso brand basil and tomato soup is also very good served with sandwiches made with butter or I Can't Believe it Costs More Than Butter, peanut butter, and the fruit jam of your choice. I like Hero brand black currant preserves best.
Salad in a bag is easy, you can add whatever you want, depending on how much work you want to do, and for dressing, try WishBone Cilantro and Lime, or you can get Paul Newman Ranch and then on top of that add a little swirl of Kraft Catalina. Or you can do Good Seasons Italian, which tastes great but you do have to mix it up. I don't use as much oil as they say to, just a splash, and then vinegar, and if you like it weaker, some water.
Pace Chunky is the best one, I think, for red salsa, Herdez for green, but best of all will be to make it yourself!
Another good thing from a can is Progresso brand split pea soup. You can have it just as it comes, or you can add some chopped up ham, bacon, or just about any smoked sausage. I also like to add sour cream or yogurt and balsamic vinegar to mine, but I am strange. Cornbread is the ideal accompaniment but you can also make little microwave quesadilloids with corn tortillas and shredded cheddar cheese, or that 4 cheese taco cheese or something. Sargento is the best brand of that.
Progresso brand basil and tomato soup is also very good served with sandwiches made with butter or I Can't Believe it Costs More Than Butter, peanut butter, and the fruit jam of your choice. I like Hero brand black currant preserves best.
Salad in a bag is easy, you can add whatever you want, depending on how much work you want to do, and for dressing, try WishBone Cilantro and Lime, or you can get Paul Newman Ranch and then on top of that add a little swirl of Kraft Catalina. Or you can do Good Seasons Italian, which tastes great but you do have to mix it up. I don't use as much oil as they say to, just a splash, and then vinegar, and if you like it weaker, some water.
Oh, and by "bacon," I'm talking about the microwave kind. Some of it has smaller slices, about 25 calories, the only thing is, if you like it chewy as opposed to crispy, that will happen in just a few turns in the microwave, but other than that, it's great. No work, and it's real bacon.
And another old no work favorite, frozen waffles, to have with it. Now they make a Special K fat free one, 60 calories, tastes the same as the others, and you can have 2 with your 50-75 calories of bacon, some I Can't Believe it Costs More Than Butter, and a dab of jam, and for a bit over 200 calories, you get to eat waffles and bacon. I know all this calorie stuff is probably not a concern for your situation, but it might be useful to somebody.
And another old no work favorite, frozen waffles, to have with it. Now they make a Special K fat free one, 60 calories, tastes the same as the others, and you can have 2 with your 50-75 calories of bacon, some I Can't Believe it Costs More Than Butter, and a dab of jam, and for a bit over 200 calories, you get to eat waffles and bacon. I know all this calorie stuff is probably not a concern for your situation, but it might be useful to somebody.
How is he in the kitchen?
Could he do crock-pot?
Throw in a can of crushed tomatoes, maybe a little basil and some Italian sausages, cook for most of the day and they turn out delicious. He can serve it with pasta. So easy!
Also chili in the crockpot- just throw in a few cans of beans, some browned ground beef (brown first on frying pan on stove), some canned diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, whatever he wants. It's very simple. Cook all day on low or for four hours on high. He can refrigerate the rest and eat it all week.
Have a George Foreman grill? Marinate some chicken for an hour or so in some Italian dressing and then grill. He can serve it with rice or salad.
Here is a delicious chicken recipe that is so easy. Get a glass oven pan, put in some chicken and throw in a bottle of Catalina dressing. It comes out so delicious.
He can also make himself a pizza with frozen Pilsbury pizza crust, sauce, cheese and toppings. Follow instructions on package, or can make a calzone with the same Pilsbury crust- just unroll it, add cold cuts and chesse, roll it back up, and voila! Heat in oven according to instructions or until golden brown.
Could he do crock-pot?
Throw in a can of crushed tomatoes, maybe a little basil and some Italian sausages, cook for most of the day and they turn out delicious. He can serve it with pasta. So easy!
Also chili in the crockpot- just throw in a few cans of beans, some browned ground beef (brown first on frying pan on stove), some canned diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, whatever he wants. It's very simple. Cook all day on low or for four hours on high. He can refrigerate the rest and eat it all week.
Have a George Foreman grill? Marinate some chicken for an hour or so in some Italian dressing and then grill. He can serve it with rice or salad.
Here is a delicious chicken recipe that is so easy. Get a glass oven pan, put in some chicken and throw in a bottle of Catalina dressing. It comes out so delicious.
He can also make himself a pizza with frozen Pilsbury pizza crust, sauce, cheese and toppings. Follow instructions on package, or can make a calzone with the same Pilsbury crust- just unroll it, add cold cuts and chesse, roll it back up, and voila! Heat in oven according to instructions or until golden brown.
ps. make sure he drains beans for chili lol He can use any beans he wants- red, black, Boston baked, kidney, whatever.
One more idea for healthy eating- just toss a salad with spinach leaves, tomatoes, maybe some fresh mozzarella. Add dressing (even better is olive oil and red wine vinegar with that and a little salt and pepper), and whatever other veggies he might like. He can have it with sliced bread.
Also the grocery store sells pre-cooked chickens!!!! Just buy one and heat frozen vegetables with it.
Also the grocery store sells pre-cooked chickens!!!! Just buy one and heat frozen vegetables with it.