So like. I live alone in an apartment and I never know what to make for dinner. I'm sick to death of Macaroni and Cheese and Hamburger Helper, and I'm trying to avoid ramen and microwave stuff (like Hot Pockets) as much as I can. Gimme some suggestions, KHV.
Honestly, I just google ingredients I have and a type of food I want. For instance, you said you cook with hamburger helper so you're already using ground beef and I love making soups soooooo Most of my best stuff comes from random ideas. I rarely plan ahead. ALSO IF YOU LIKE PUMPKIN If you're tired of beef, then grab some shrimp on sale somewhere and make a shrimp pasta.
Pasta (fusilli), using tinned tomatoes to make a sauce and chopped up sausages fried in a pan as meatballs. I tend to also put one onion (chopped and fried) into it and I season the sauce with salt, pepper, garlic, mixed herbs, a tiny bit of sugar, Lee & Perins sauce, ketchup and brown sauce but the seasoning is up to you.
Cuban Sandwiches are pretty good. Paninis aren't bad either. Or you could just buy a bad of Tyson Chicken Nuggets while figuring out what to do for the next couple days
Grilled chicken breast is a solid place to start. Really versatile in that you can season it a ton of different ways, and it's a good base for a lot of different dishes. A personal favorite of mine is chicken breast seasoned with parsley, garlic, and a little black pepper, served over pasta with some steamed veggies (broccoli and cauliflower are both p great). Sauce optional; I usually go with just a little bit of alfredo. All-in-all the ingredients are pretty cheap, and it's a solidly healthy meal (especially if you opt for low-fat alfredo and/or whole-wheat pasta).
My life has recently become stir fry. I pick a meat, add some veg (like peppers and spring onion), pick a sauce (sweet chilli or soy normally) and some noodles and then fry it all up. You can put whatever the crap you want in there, it's great : D My other favourite dish is pesto pasta with a bit of chilli and bacon. I also bulk it out with a butt ton of vegetables but it's soooo good, one of my absolute favourites! Or jacket potato with basically anything- you can microwave it for 8 mins (4 mins each side) because I can never be bothered with putting it in the oven to crisp up the skin.
My favourite dish that is easy to make is fried rice with shrimp, veggies and a couple of fried eggs. I personally use Norway lobster, which is really just a big ass shrimp, though I don't know what alternatives you guys have over there in the US, but regular shrimp should be fine. First you boil rice and cool it down (if you start frying rice while it's hot it'll get soggy). Then you start frying a couple of eggs, scramble them, and just add everything else. Veggies, rice, shrimp and fry all of it. If you make a lot you can bring it as lunch too, which is a pretty sweet deal.
