We like the Stouffers Chicken Broccoli Pasta, and the Lasagnas from them as well.

When I was working lots of split shifts (6a-3p and back at 10 p-7a) we would keep some of the tubs of potatoes from Owens or Country Crock (the container looks a lot like the butter containers), then I could grab a Rotisserie Chicken at the store, throw some veggies in the microwave and a relatively healthy meal. Keep the chicken in the fridge easy to heat up if you want hot.

I'd take the left over chicken, debone and chop it, throw in a jar of salsa, can of black olives, sometimes corn and or beans, then I'd layer that with tortillas and cheese
"Mexican Lasagana" You can sit to debone the chicken, and stir the other stuff together, it is forgiving so you could do a little at a time.

Wish I were close enough to drop by and spend a day filling your freezer, I make a great sheperds pie! Do you have a friend that might do that for you, get all the prep work done, so you could just slide it in the oven an hour before you want to eat?, or another thought, if you know a troop of girlscouts, that may be something they could do, help you out, and help them with their community service projects.

Hugs to you, Ellie

Maryanne, click on the link below. Between my often too busy to cook daughter and me (too tired to cook)we have tried several of these and liked them all.

Here is a link that might be useful: Good stuff from Birds Eye

The frozen Bertolli meals are very good (pastas and meat) and just the right amount for 2 people.

Do you have a crockpot?? There are many things that you can throw in and have great meals ready later on! A couple skinless/boneless chicken breasts, some salsa and a box of wild rice...mmm. Chicken breasts, a can of cream soup, a box of broccoli & rice. A pot roast, some small potatoes, a bag of those little carrots, an onion chopped and a envelope of onion soup...easy, peasy and great! Pork roast and a jar of sauerkraut...may sound weird, but boy is it good! Veggie soup...a can of tomato juice, stew meat, chopped up veggies and you have soup later in the day.

Can you tell that I love a crock pot?? I will even make them in the summer when it is really hot and put it out in the garage to heat up the garage and not the house...although it doesn't warm up anywhere near the oven!

Noodles into water, put on to boil (or do you get the water boiling, then drop them in)?

Meatballs into microwave for most of cooking, then into spag. sauce, then into microwave again to finish.

Noodles into colander when al dente (save outflow for soup, later, if you choose).

Noodles on to plates.

Pour spag. sauce (incl. meatballs) on to noodles.

Voila! (Look at that!!) (There you go!!) (etc.).

o j

Mary ann from Taxes,

Many of us at KT have developed substantial affection for you.

I neglected to say - I regret that you're feeling so poorly.

I hope that things improve ... and that right soon.

Sending good thoughts ... and hopes ... and some prayers.

(((((Mary ann and family))))).

ole joyful

How about a salad with chicken strips in it. Bake or Fry the chicken strips, cut them up and dump over a premade salad add a dash of honey mustard dressing and you have a chicken salad that rivals the one at the drive throughs. Fast and good for you.

The meatloaf in the section next to the mashed potatoes that Ellie was talking about is pretty good, you might try those too they are pretty fast and easy. I don't know how the rest of them are I've only tasted the meatloaf ;0)

I'm sorry you aren't up to snuff Maryann, hope you get back on top soon. Hugs!!

Marie Callendar's chicken pot pies. One will cook in the microwave in 4 minutes. DH and I sometimes split one. They are delicious. We buy them in boxes of 8 at Sam's. Of course, you can get them individually also. My GDs love them.

Mary Ann, the crock pot meals are great! We put a turkey breast (I prefer JennieO brand) in, along with some Mrs. Dash herbs and a little salt (do not add water) and let it simmer all day. It makes about a cup of "juice" which can be used for gravy, sauce, etc. if you like that. The flavor is sooooo good and you'll have enough leftovers for at least a couple of meals and some sandwiches. I hope you'll feel better soon. You've been a real "trooper" throughout all this! Fondly, and with my prayers, Bettye/AZ

Thanks everyone! I'm off to buy groceries and will try the items you've mentioned.

Sandy, I love to use my crockpot, but I quite often don't know if Jammer will be home for the night until too late for slow cooking. And I don't cook a meal if it's just me here. I think I'll buy what I need for some of the crockpot recipes and when I know for sure he will be in
I will cook it. Hmmm maybe I can cook it anyway and if he doesn't come in I can freeze it for another day?

Ellie, that is so sweet of you. I wish you were close by too as I've never eaten Sheperd pie.

I'm late, but add this FOR SURE to your next shopping list.

Bertolli frozen dinners for two.
Absolutely, MHO, delicious.
Cooks in less than 10 minutes.
All you need is a salad to go with it. AND bread to soak up the delicious sauce!
------------------------------------------------------------
RE: bologna
Here's how I kick mine up a notch.
Put a slice in the frying pan (do not slit) and fry it just until it makes a cup.
Put bologna cup on a piece of lettuce with tomato slices, and fill that cup up with either potato salad or egg salad.

I am another Stouffer's fan. Even some of their tv dinners are ok.

Zatarain's Rice mixes are also good. They now have low salt versions. Love the dirty rice.

Our Walmart has microwave ready baked potatoes. They are a little pricey at a dollar each but there is no washing or prep needed at all. Seven minutes on high and they are the flakiest microwaved potato I've ever tasted. I keep a couple around for a quick lunch topped with cheese and bacon bits or chili.

Lucca frozen meat sauce is a staple in my freezer. So is a bag each of frozen meatballs and frozen ravioli. I can take out just what I need. The meatballs are for sandwiches both Italian style with pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese or heated in BBQ sauce or brown gravy.

There are lots of little single serving packets of veggies available now that can be steamed in the microwave. I have only tried the peas but they are good.

Take good care of yourself Maryann. Hope you're feeling a whole lot better soon.

I agree with Wildchild on the Walmart ready to bake potatoes. You can then buy the microwave steaming bags which cook up broccoli quick and perfectly... then add some cheese, sour cream and bacon bits for a "loaded" potato!

I have fallen in love with Boston Market's Chicken, broccoli and cheese meals. The chunks of chicken a so big and it tastes so good. I've had about 6 so far. Right now because it is a new product my Walmart has them for $2.28 each and each onehas a $1 right now coupon./ I'ved emailed the co to tell them how much I like them in fact I'm going to have one in about an hour.
plus my freezxer is full of them

Maryanntx, I sure hope all is going well for you and that you'll be back on your feet 100% in no time! Whether lurking or posting here & there I enjoy your posts. Best wishes to you and yours.

I like pretty much all Stouffers stuff. Boston Market is pretty good too. Frankly there's a lot of things you can put together with minimal fuss too.

Some other quickie meals I like is frozen meatballs heated in some canned gravy. Bake some potatoes or use instants to go with it. Warm up a can of veg and some garlic bread.

Country style ribs and baby back ribs (braised) are surprisingly easy. I use a small convection oven to lightly brown them for a few minutes, then line a pan with foil. Put the rib inthere, season them how you like, put in some teriyaki sauce (or whatever you like) and have some liquid, whether beer, wine, broth, water, pop, juice or ??? but have a lot of liquid to make them tender. Cook at about 250 for several hours to get them tender. At the low temp it doesn't matter if it goes even an hour over! Generally they'll just get more tender. A bagged salad is fine but cole slaw seems a requirement (deli is fine). Whack-a-tube biscuits go good with it too. And works well in a crock pot or an electric roaster.

Oh let's see, Tater Tot Hotdish, Macaroni Hotdish. Even a simple meatloaf isn't all that time consuming to put together, then put in the oven with some potatoes. Boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked up and mixed in with some quick cooking rice is nice too.

Another use for frozen meatballs would be meatball subs. Actually, you could make a huge pot of them, simmered in the sauce. Then one meal of meatball subs. Another of Spaghetti & meatballs, and leftovers can be made into a hotdish with some macaroni, onions, kidney beans and top it with cheese.

I also enjoy a chef's salad. Get a couple slices of 1/2" ham, turkey, maybe some other meats, some good cheeses you like, bag of salad greens, a couple hard cooked eggs and put together a big tasty salad. I like pepperoni in mine.

A turkey breast isn't all that tough either if you can handle it. Or have hubby clean it and you just pop it into the oven. Could use a cooking bag or a roaster. There's some decent canned gravies out there. Stove Top stuffing works for me.

Then if you're adventurous, just see what's in the cupboards. I had a package of hamburger I needed to use and didn't know what I felt like. So I cooked it up and started grabbing canned goods. Some canned sliced potatoes, diced tomatoes, a can of BBQ Manwich, some minced onion, can of corn, some pepperoni slices, can of kidney beans, and a can of wild rice along with some seasonings. I just called it the "Slop du-jour" and it was actually pretty tasty.

Another vote for a pot roast too. Use cooking bags if you like or a crockpot/electric roaster.

And another think I actually enjoy on occasion is simply some crackers or toast with sausage and cheese slices. Occasonally top it with a glass of wine and you have a fru-fru party meal!

Right now it's hot and sticky here so I went to the store and picked up some deli ham, turkey, nice bakery buns, coleslaw, steakhouse potato salad and some ice cream sandwiches. That's my menu for the next few days!

Gourmet, or Gourmand? Your choice. :) Course I even like a peanut butter sandwich... throw some bacon on it toasted for a real taste treat. Oh yeah, grilled ham & cheese sandwiches too. Sloppy joes.... This isn't the time of year for soups & stews but if you like, hey, why not. Soup and sandwich is a good meal too, maybe a side salad?

Hope it gives you some ideas. Health and happiness to all.

Maryann,
I like to always keep those cans of white meat chicken on hand. I get them in a stack of 4 or 5 from Sam's.
Just drain the juice (I save it for soup) then break it up with a fork or sissor in a bowl, squirt on some Ranch dressing (I like peppercorn ranch) stir it, and serve it on Triscuts or your favorite crackers. You can have a salad (from the bag) with it, and if you are really feeling up to it, microwave a vegetable to add to the meal.
That makes a well rounded meal and easy to keep on hand.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Now I don't know what to try first! LOL

Also thanks for the kind words. Actually I'm not feeling bad, just extremely tired. The doc says it's from the chemo and the fact that I'm slightly anemic. I'm just so glad that I'm not feeling sick! And obviously the meds the doctor gave me to stimulate my appetite is working. I'm thinking about food and cooking and eating much more than I was before.

Maryann, I hope you are feeling back to normal soon. I really love the Kraft magazine, they have all sorts of fast meal ideas that are great. If you sign up they will email you recpes monthly and send the magazine as well.

We bought this at Super Walmart on Sunday, had it in sandwiches tonight. Lettuce and tomato and miracle whip, YUM! I think I will try it sliced and diced on my lettuce salad too.