The other night I was hungry, tired, and unimpressed with the food options in the house. In other words, I was in a mood to get food delivered.
The problem, of course, is that food delivery isn’t instantaneous. It tends not to be cheap or necessarily all that healthy either, but the wait can be particularly onerous when one is tired but also hungry. So, over the years, I’ve come up with a workable alternative-to-GrubHub meal.
I chop up either chorizo or pepperoni, but the key is that it’s a spicy meat. I add whatever veggies we happen to have around (there’s usually at least some spinach leaves somewhere, but I’ve done peppers, cauliflower…). Then I scramble three eggs or so, mix it together, and make it a meal.*
This takes ten minutes, max, so it’s much faster than getting something delivered. The labor is minimal. It’s cheaper for sure. And reasonably appealing — spicy flavors are always good, and bold flavors are one of the major upsides of restaurant meals (something to keep in mind for transforming otherwise brown bag lunches…) Wash it down with a bit of sauvignon blanc and I don’t feel deprived.
I’m not saying I don’t sometimes order sushi…(indeed, I did the next night after making the meal in this photo) but in general, delivery is more fun when you’ve planned it ahead of time and are looking forward to it all day, rather than resorting to it because no one feels like cooking. A 10-minute meal is hardly cooking, so it’s all good.
(Children can eat chicken nuggets!)
Do you have any back-pocket meals?
*No cheese. I love dairy but it doesn’t love me back. But a good goat cheese could probably make this even tastier/creamier.
I don’t think I have ever used GrubHub, uber eats, etc for the reasons you describe here. Plus- I have two teens- it’s already expensive to feed them, without delivery fees. Egg+ spice is a very good idea for a quick meal.
@SK – yep, adding in kids to the delivery order raises the cost quickly…
Somewhat similar – in Texas we do breakfast tacos – scrambled eggs, meat if you have it, left over potatos or any veggies you like , all in a tortilla.
I’ve also done a box of steamable veggies – Green Giant makes one with carrots, broccoli and peppers and then another that has some protein – carrots, black beans, edamame, and snap peas. Both are just minimally sauced and steam in 3.5 minutes. Add some cubed frozen chicken and cook in a minute rice (depending on how hungry!).
@Cindy- I’m a fan of prepared chicken thrown on anything. It really does turn it into a meal.
We love breakfast for dinner so grits, eggs, biscuits, and bacon – takes maybe 30 mins but you may have some of that leftover to heat up. You can also throw it all in a tortilla for a quick breakfast burrito.
We also like pasta or rice bowls so could be pasta and peas with pesto or any meat and veggies you have with rice. Both pretty quick to throw together.
Also tacos, nachos or quesadillas can similarly be quick if you want what you need on hand. We usually keep a can of black beans, have cheese and usually have some meat to use with veggies and salsa.
@Brooke – breakfast for dinner is a frequent option around here – not as a back-up but as the main plan. Everyone loves bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Throw in some fruit and it’s a balanced meal!
My go-to comfort food is tortellini with sausage or salami, cheese, and black olives. It’s not the healthiest but when you’re craving comfort, it hits the spot!
@AW – it’s probably still healthier than a lot of restaurant options!
The other night I made:
Ravioli (from package)
Sauce (from jar)
Salad kit (from bag)
and at least 2 kids were going on about how amazing it all was. Ha!
@SHU – sounds pretty good!
Ours are breakfast tacos, breakfast sandwiches, and burrito bowls with black beans and ten minute farro from Trader Joe’s (that’s actually what we had for dinner tonight!). I have little kids, and they sometimes eat theirs deconstructed, and they like to get to decide what toppings they want on their tacos or what kind of cheese they want on their sandwich.
@Elizabeth – a lot of things get deconstructed around here too. And last night we tried Trader Joe’s pulled pork – it was pretty good.
I completely agree. I hate eating money on mediocre takeout! I resort to frozen burritos, nachos with whatever I can throw on top, or some form of pasta like shu mentioned. But probably my most common back pocket meal is frozen pizza! I get cheese, but have also grown to love the cauliflower crust with veggie toppings. The frozen pizza is cheaper than takeout, quicker, and often tastier
Wasting money not EATING money… Lol
@Lori C- there are definitely some good frozen pizzas out there. And yes, much cheaper than delivery!
I keep individual portions of cooked beef mince in the freezer which someone will often have either with pasta or rice/burrito with some tinned beans and cheese when there’s no time to cook.
My favourite 10min meal is to fry some onion/garlic, tip in a tin tomatoes and a tin of chickpeas (including the liquid) – cook for 5 minutes then add any torn up green leaves (spinach/kale/rocket) you have for the last couple of minutes. Season with chilli flakes or Parmesan and eat with torn up stale bread / toast / pasta. You can even add 1 cup of dried small pasta and cook it together with the tomatoes and chickpeas but that requires some stirring and supervision!
@Amelia – tomatoes and chick peas are a good combo… and of course the chili flakes are a bonus.
That sounds great! Will try!
Honestly if it’s just me, something like an apple + some sliced up cheese might be supper. For me + teenage son when in a hurry, I like to pull frozen flounder filets from Costco straight out of the package and pop them in a skillet on medium high, sprinkle them (and the skillet…) with parmesan and breadcrumbs, flip, turn heat down to medium. Flounder cooks really, really fast even from frozen. Add some frozen veggies (thawed/heated in the microwave) and maybe some bread (or maybe not) and it’s a meal. I’ve also recently learned I can toss a (single) layer of frozen, peeled, tail-off shrimp into the air fryer and they are ready astoundingly fast (5 minutes?). Good with a side of veggies or to mix in with leftover rice or add to a salad.
@Alexicographer – oh, I well know the lazy supper…but I find that I’m often craving something cooked, hot, substantial…in which case the PB + apple won’t cut it (nor will cereal, though I have tried!!)
Ground beef! It is so easy to brown, throw in seasonings, a little chopped onion, or other veggies I have on hand. I can have something hot and hardy in front of me in 15 minutes.
Oh, and although I cannot do aged dairy, I can happily sprinkle on fresh goat cheese with no issues!
I have several meals that i resort to when in pinch
-Frozen shrimp cake with any side salad i quickly throw together.
-fried egg and Fetta place on a Tortilla bread (TikTok viral recipe)
– I always keep cubed salmon in my freezer so i cook them quickly with leftover rice or salad.
-Tuna salad
-frozen falafel to throw in a bowl of tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onions, hummus and coriander.
My standby is keeping my freezer stocked with sweet sausage and peas, my fridge with some kind of parmesan. Pasta with sausage, peas, sage or oregano (whichever you prefer), and parmesan cheese is all you need. Bonus if you can throw in a little cream!! Takes as long as cooking pasta, and you can add red pepper flakes for spice lovers. The trick is to find a tasty sweet sausage and the recipe never fails to satisfy.
When I don’t have time to cook I love to pull something out of the freezer! We often make big spaghetti sauce, chilis, soups, etc and then we make too much on purpose.
On lazy days, pull something out of the freezer, thaw in hot water, dinner ready in 15 min! 🙂
I like your idea too! Definitely better than take out.