Do you want the recipe for one of my all-time favorite delicious, reliable, convenient lunches?
Here you go:
avocado not to scale
That’s it. I pour out the salad kit, put a cut-up avocado on it, and I eat the whole thing. Sometimes, I let the greens sit in the dressing for a bit before I eat it if I want to go the extra mile.
Let me know if you have any favorite meals for yourself (or for your family, if you must) that are basically a thing that’s already prepared + one other thing you add to it.
Cook pasta, add frozen peas for the last 30 seconds or so, drain, and add a jar of pesto.
Good, and my kindergartener has always loved it too. Sometimes we do chopped broccoli instead of the frozen peas and he loves that as well. (Despite being an otherwise picky eater who will not eat cheese, o heresy!).
Also, sticking a poached egg on top of leftovers. How to poach the egg? Get a mug, fill with cold water, crack the egg into it, cover, and microwave for 30-45 seconds. Sounds terrible but it's not: it will be a near-perfect poached egg!
I don't know without knowing what happened... did the egg just not come out cooked for you? In that case, probably use a longer cooking time (just put it back in, zap a little longer). Did you remember to cover the mug?
Cottage cheese plus salsa. I know! Sounds horrible! It was something my mom ate in the 80s when she was dieting! That's where I learned it! But I really like it! Also, salsa on a hot baked sweet potato. It's seriously great. Just plain ol' salsa (I like pico de gallo but you do you!) on a nice hot sweet potato.
Jumping on the cottage cheese bandwagon, but with a sweet take - cottage cheese plus berries plus a little of your favorite sweetener in the food processor until smooth and creamy. The CC has just the right flavor to give it a cheesecake-like twang but super easy and not high calorie.
This is my go to salad for big dinner parties because it is SO easy. I prefer pistachios and have fancied it up with Cara Cara oranges but it's great without!
Frozen pizza + arugula tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Somehow the greens stacked on top make it so much better ?!?!
Also, when I make Mac and cheese for my kids I eat it with leftover roasted veggies of any kind + lots of sour kraut. Extra points if it's red saurkrat. Eat the rainbow 🌈 😜
ok, so this isn't like, a healthful hack BUT it has genuinely enhanced my life. the "EVOL" brand of frozen microwaveable truffle mac and cheese is legitimately really really good and filling and warm and has the right tiny amount of bread crumb crunch and is not too truffle-y. You don't even have to poke holes or pull back the wrapping before you nuke it for 04:30. As for my addition to it, usually it's just fresh pepper + eat it out of a real bowl. But plenty of other things would be amazing. I hope this reaches someone in need.
Aldi take and bake veggie pizza. I put a clove or two in my garlic press and sprinkle it all over before baking. ELEVATES that shit to gourmet immediately.
Top Ramen (soy sauce flavor is my go-to) + veggies (broccoli? carrots?) + Trader Joe's frozen gyoza + an egg (boiled in the same pot with the ramen noodles)? OH MY. That's more than one thing, but nothing takes effort!
Locally made pierogies with sour cream. I pan fry the pierogies in olive oil until the outsides are a little cripsy, toss 'em on a plate, and add a dollop of sour cream. Yum.
Trader Joe's frozen fried rice is my favorite base for this kind of recipe - add in an egg or two, any assorted leftover vegetables from other meals, maybe some chicken. My kids go crazy for it.
My thing to add to basically everything are the fried onions that you buy in a can. I have celiac and found gluten free ones at Kroger, and basically add them to all things. Bagged salad kits, stir fry, eggs, etc. For whatever reason they are so delicious and really put that packaged thing over the top.
I do the whole whatever is in the leftover pile + an orange or an apple or an avocado. The thing + another thing is always the best lunch! Last night, I made waffle iron hot sandwiches out of pork my husband had cooked and served them with mini tater tots. 100% family approval! I sound like a frat dude with my waffle iron (i.e. George Foreman grill), but I may never eat a hot sandwich that doesn't come in crunchy squares again!
“Crack dip,” as we refer to it, is always a huge crowd pleaser at gatherings. One jar of roasted corn & black bean salsa (I tend to grab Newman’s Own or Desert Pepper but any will do) + one block of cream cheese. Heat on low and stir until blended. Serve with chips :)
If you can get the hardest avocados out there, let them ripen on the counter until perfect then toss them in the fridge. They’ll easily last at least another week, often closer to two! The closest store to me only does 10/$10 sales which seems like a crazy amount of avocados but I can still get through them almost all on my own this way (I usually share a couple).
May I recommend an egg cooker? I had originally poo pooed it as a dirty dirty "unitasker," but a friend bought me one to prove a point when my son was little and loved eggs beyond measure and it comes in clutch on a day when you need to eat something of nutritional value but you are also a lazy cow. It can hard, medium, or soft boil & mine even has a poaching insert! Best $24.99 ever.
The answer is a fried egg on top of literally anything. The bagged salad? Leftover pizza? Cup o' noodles? Any leftover in the fridge? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
oh, and also - my favorite meal for myself is technically microwave popcorn and red wine, but when I need to also feed another adult it's kraft mac & cheese (extra creamy, please) mixed with a can of decent tuna and lots of cracked black pepper.
tuna salad (mayo, salt, pepper. Optional additions of chopped pickle, celery, pepper, whatever veg) + the super crunchy, thick-cut potato chips for scooping. Tortilla chips work in a pinch too.
Buttered white rice (I normally use leftover rice or minute rice) with kimchi and a fried egg or two on top. Ultimate comfort food and relatively nutritious
Also, a three thing lunch: a scoop of TJ's precooked lentils, a couple big spoonfuls of their jarred bruschetta, and a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, microwaved with a lid on for a couple minutes till the spinach cooks down
An avocado smushed up with some salsa and dollop that onto a really crunchy (in the texture *and* culture sense) cracker like Wasa or Ryvita. Technically three things but two are just opening packages.
I do this but with Trader Joes frozen crispy chicken cutlets (so you do have to heat those up but they do nicely in the toaster oven). I slice them on top and feel like I'm having a fancy steakhouse salad.
My favorite "can't even" lunch right now is to make a plate with sliced apples, peanut butter, crackers, and cheddar cheese. Infinite possibilities and all are delicious
Packaged Ramen + either a scoop of mayo or a raw egg. Or both. You need to temper the egg so I have to be in the mood but it's delicious and it makes me feel like I'm giving my kids more of a full meal. If I'm getting really fancy I'll add greens such as green onions, bok choi, kale, spinach, or whatever's in the fridge.
Cook pasta, add frozen peas for the last 30 seconds or so, drain, and add a jar of pesto.
Good, and my kindergartener has always loved it too. Sometimes we do chopped broccoli instead of the frozen peas and he loves that as well. (Despite being an otherwise picky eater who will not eat cheese, o heresy!).
Also, sticking a poached egg on top of leftovers. How to poach the egg? Get a mug, fill with cold water, crack the egg into it, cover, and microwave for 30-45 seconds. Sounds terrible but it's not: it will be a near-perfect poached egg!
We do cut up grape tomatoes in pesto pasta, but I like the peas idea, too!
microwave mug egg poaching is mind blowing game-changer - I will definitely try and likely be forever grateful
Does the egg stick to the mug if you don't oil it? (Do you oil it?) Thanks!
No sticking, because it is floating in the water. Egg and water don't mix.
I have done it at work in a paper cup with water and it was also fine then!
amazing, thanks!
I just tried this egg thing and it didn't work! Can you share more details about it? Size of mug, volume of water, etc?
I don't know without knowing what happened... did the egg just not come out cooked for you? In that case, probably use a longer cooking time (just put it back in, zap a little longer). Did you remember to cover the mug?
Here is the Bon Appetite version of the recipe :)
https://www.food.com/recipe/microwave-poached-eggs-bon-appetit-magazine-455672
Thanks!
Cottage cheese plus salsa. I know! Sounds horrible! It was something my mom ate in the 80s when she was dieting! That's where I learned it! But I really like it! Also, salsa on a hot baked sweet potato. It's seriously great. Just plain ol' salsa (I like pico de gallo but you do you!) on a nice hot sweet potato.
Cottage cheese on hot, buttered cooked corn and lots of black pepper. It was my go-to in college when nothing else appealed to me.
Cottage cheese and black pepper with potato chips for me.
My dad did cottage cheese with apple sauce- it's not bad?
So I love the combination above in a different take - cottage cheese on potato, with copious salt and pepper. Olive oil bonus ingredient.
I have never considered this option but you are a genius this sounds amazing
Cottage cheese with Doritos was my mom’s go to in the 80s. Oh how I wish I could feed my kids like my mom fed us!
Cottage cheese plus everything bagel spice plus whatever crackers you have on hand is basically a bagel…so much better than it should be.
Cottage cheese plus kalamata olives including the juice. mix and put on crackers!
Jumping on the cottage cheese bandwagon, but with a sweet take - cottage cheese plus berries plus a little of your favorite sweetener in the food processor until smooth and creamy. The CC has just the right flavor to give it a cheesecake-like twang but super easy and not high calorie.
Cottage cheese with pineapple is my fav! It’s also great on toast with TJ’s everything bagel seasoning
Costco pre-cooked beets, cut. Costco goat cheese log, Crumbled. Any dressing. Salt & pepper. Extra fancy: Trader Joe’s candied pecans. Perfection
Ooo beets and feta are goid together too
Ooo yes, I bet! The saltiness of the feta! Yummm
This is my go to salad for big dinner parties because it is SO easy. I prefer pistachios and have fancied it up with Cara Cara oranges but it's great without!
I will have to try it with pistachios and Cara Cara’s!
Oh, I do the cooked beets cut up with a sprinkle of brown sugar!
Must try now!
Frozen pizza + arugula tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Somehow the greens stacked on top make it so much better ?!?!
Also, when I make Mac and cheese for my kids I eat it with leftover roasted veggies of any kind + lots of sour kraut. Extra points if it's red saurkrat. Eat the rainbow 🌈 😜
I was just thinking today how much I love a salad on top of a pizza (I had a BLT pizza last night) as well as a hamburger on top of a salad.
I have a local pizza place that does an arugula pizza with balsamic glaze and shaved parm and it is sooooo yummy
"avocado not to scale" lol!
I love to cut up an avocado, cut up a grapefruit, mix the two, and enjoy. So good!
ooh unexpectedly fancy!
Yes! Not to sound too fancy, but I also add a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of flakey salt. SO good and quick and easy!
I've had that somewhere fancy! Maybe an African restaurant? YUM.
Grapefruit with avocado sounds weirdly good!
ok, so this isn't like, a healthful hack BUT it has genuinely enhanced my life. the "EVOL" brand of frozen microwaveable truffle mac and cheese is legitimately really really good and filling and warm and has the right tiny amount of bread crumb crunch and is not too truffle-y. You don't even have to poke holes or pull back the wrapping before you nuke it for 04:30. As for my addition to it, usually it's just fresh pepper + eat it out of a real bowl. But plenty of other things would be amazing. I hope this reaches someone in need.
I like this one too! Also like their green chile vegetarian breakfast burritos.
Aldi take and bake veggie pizza. I put a clove or two in my garlic press and sprinkle it all over before baking. ELEVATES that shit to gourmet immediately.
Top Ramen (soy sauce flavor is my go-to) + veggies (broccoli? carrots?) + Trader Joe's frozen gyoza + an egg (boiled in the same pot with the ramen noodles)? OH MY. That's more than one thing, but nothing takes effort!
Waitttttt just boiling the gyoza in with the ramen noodle water? This is so so genius
Oh yes, and a drizzle of sesame oil if I have it!
This is also my go-to! Also frozen shrimp if I have any.
Locally made pierogies with sour cream. I pan fry the pierogies in olive oil until the outsides are a little cripsy, toss 'em on a plate, and add a dollop of sour cream. Yum.
Steam in bag green beans + a creamy salad dressing. The whole bag.
I do this with mixed vegetables , but with butter and seasoning!
I think the best dip in the world is Greek yogurt with some salt and pepper, olive oil, and hot sauce stirred in. I literally salivated typing that.
That sounds delicious.
Chips and dip but make it cookies and plain Greek yogurt. The sweetness and the tang.
This sounds incredible! Will be trying this ASAP
Trader Joe's frozen fried rice is my favorite base for this kind of recipe - add in an egg or two, any assorted leftover vegetables from other meals, maybe some chicken. My kids go crazy for it.
We love their Japanese fried rice for this!
this is a weekly staple in my house
Is the rice already flavored?
Yes, already flavored but not overly so (I often add to it)
oooh--I like doing a few fried eggs on top of TJ's Pajeon
My thing to add to basically everything are the fried onions that you buy in a can. I have celiac and found gluten free ones at Kroger, and basically add them to all things. Bagged salad kits, stir fry, eggs, etc. For whatever reason they are so delicious and really put that packaged thing over the top.
Trader Joe's Bruschetta + pre-cooked lentils + feta. 30-60 seconds in the microwave. Delicious salad or add chips for a yummy dip.
LOL this is my lunch today at work
I do the whole whatever is in the leftover pile + an orange or an apple or an avocado. The thing + another thing is always the best lunch! Last night, I made waffle iron hot sandwiches out of pork my husband had cooked and served them with mini tater tots. 100% family approval! I sound like a frat dude with my waffle iron (i.e. George Foreman grill), but I may never eat a hot sandwich that doesn't come in crunchy squares again!
I rescued terrible mashed potatoes with the waffle iron yesterday! (Well and with egg, a bunch of cheddar cheese, and some flour)
That sounds delish! I am going to try that!
“Crack dip,” as we refer to it, is always a huge crowd pleaser at gatherings. One jar of roasted corn & black bean salsa (I tend to grab Newman’s Own or Desert Pepper but any will do) + one block of cream cheese. Heat on low and stir until blended. Serve with chips :)
Avocados are so expensive here! If you can regularly get avocados for under a couple bucks without having to buy 6 at once, count yourself lucky!
My personal "can't be arsed" lunch is a boiled egg with two pieces of white toast. Yesterday I also had tomato juice as a beverage. Fancy!
If you can get the hardest avocados out there, let them ripen on the counter until perfect then toss them in the fridge. They’ll easily last at least another week, often closer to two! The closest store to me only does 10/$10 sales which seems like a crazy amount of avocados but I can still get through them almost all on my own this way (I usually share a couple).
They also last longer if you buy ones that still have the little bit of stem attached 👍
Bonus is that this method usually avoids a lot of the bruising that I was finding when buying riper avocados.
May I recommend an egg cooker? I had originally poo pooed it as a dirty dirty "unitasker," but a friend bought me one to prove a point when my son was little and loved eggs beyond measure and it comes in clutch on a day when you need to eat something of nutritional value but you are also a lazy cow. It can hard, medium, or soft boil & mine even has a poaching insert! Best $24.99 ever.
We call ours The Banshee because it makes a screaming sound when it's done. My son finds it hilarious!
I will look into it, thank you! I know my sister made a lot of sous vide eggs for my nephy when he was young.
The answer is a fried egg on top of literally anything. The bagged salad? Leftover pizza? Cup o' noodles? Any leftover in the fridge? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Same. Egg on chili, egg on soup, egg on roasted veggies, egg on pasta, egg on rice, egg on toast. Eggs on all of the things.
Ramen noodles + frozen peas and carrots for the kids. always a hit
We do this and add edamame and maybe an egg.
"avocado not to scale" has me howling for some reason. thank you for brightening an otherwise miserable week.
oh, and also - my favorite meal for myself is technically microwave popcorn and red wine, but when I need to also feed another adult it's kraft mac & cheese (extra creamy, please) mixed with a can of decent tuna and lots of cracked black pepper.
that sounds so sophisticated! I hope your weekend is restorative.
tuna salad (mayo, salt, pepper. Optional additions of chopped pickle, celery, pepper, whatever veg) + the super crunchy, thick-cut potato chips for scooping. Tortilla chips work in a pinch too.
You can also do this this with a lightly mashed can of chickpeas (then add the mayo, etc) for a vegetarian version!
Buttered white rice (I normally use leftover rice or minute rice) with kimchi and a fried egg or two on top. Ultimate comfort food and relatively nutritious
Bagged salad plus shredded rotisserie chicken!
Also, a three thing lunch: a scoop of TJ's precooked lentils, a couple big spoonfuls of their jarred bruschetta, and a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, microwaved with a lid on for a couple minutes till the spinach cooks down
An avocado smushed up with some salsa and dollop that onto a really crunchy (in the texture *and* culture sense) cracker like Wasa or Ryvita. Technically three things but two are just opening packages.
Boxed chicken broth + frozen chicken & cilantro dumplings from Costco (or any other frozen dumpling) + handful of baby spinach thrown in at the end.
A bagged salad with some lunch meat on it
A friend did that but with a can of tuna. It was delicious!
I do this but with Trader Joes frozen crispy chicken cutlets (so you do have to heat those up but they do nicely in the toaster oven). I slice them on top and feel like I'm having a fancy steakhouse salad.
My favorite "can't even" lunch right now is to make a plate with sliced apples, peanut butter, crackers, and cheddar cheese. Infinite possibilities and all are delicious
Leftover quinoa, scrambled egg, Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and some cheddar cheese. Yum!
Packaged Ramen + either a scoop of mayo or a raw egg. Or both. You need to temper the egg so I have to be in the mood but it's delicious and it makes me feel like I'm giving my kids more of a full meal. If I'm getting really fancy I'll add greens such as green onions, bok choi, kale, spinach, or whatever's in the fridge.
LOL I do this salad https://www.taylorfarms.com/products/asian-chopped-kit/ + frozen chicken tenders cooked in the air fryer (and I also eat the whole thing).
I like sliced avocado + genoa salami (just dump in a bowl and add pepper).