Quick dinner recipes and shopping lists for the week for busy employees.
Ahh, the universal issue that is a constant irritation for most of the workforce worldwide. What do I eat for dinner? I don’t have the energy for cooking, maybe I will just order in tonight, like almost every night. Where am I supposed to find the time to cook? I’m willing to take a bet on this, and if I am wrong, I will eat my socks. You, yes you, reading this, have at some point in the last few days or weeks been through the exact same question and answer session in your head, multiple times, if not daily.
It is a frustrating issue that just doesn’t go away. How do I know this? What makes me qualified to place such a bet? Well, it just so happens that I am a chef. I have been for over 20 years. So, I know food, and I know how people feel about food and cooking. I mean, its great that you are supporting your local establishments by ordering daily but, what if you could do it yourself? Not only that but, what if you could cook the same quality meals in your kitchen with ease? If you are still reading this, then you must be serious about getting on top of dinner time. You are in the right place; I am going to do what I can to make dinner time a breeze for you. In fact, the number one comment I receive from my students goes something along these lines. “Thank you for teaching me how to cook properly. I used to dread dinner time but after finishing your course, I am now excited to cook, every time.” Being excited about mealtime is hopefully where I can get you by the end of this. I will supply you with some great, quick and easy recipes that taste incredible and that you can easily pull off. Not only that, but I am also going to supply a weekly shopping list. Don’t say I don’t like you, yeah?
Now I am just giving you a sample here, don’t expect a month worth of dinner recipes and shopping lists. The menu I am going to suggest is something that most families would eat, if you eat gluten free or vegan, adapt the dishes to suit your requirements. I will include other options where I think they will work. The whole point is to think about what you want to eat and then plan it. Here is a pointer that is going to take your mealtime enjoyment to another level. A happier and easier one. Does that sound good? It does to me. The first concept that you should embrace and make second nature is to have all your ingredients weighed, measured and prepared before you even begin cooking. The term for this is mise en place. This is French for putting everything in its place. Trust me, this takes a lot of bother out of mealtime. When your mise en place is ready, your cooking will flow, easily. It will give you time to focus on what you are doing and not worry about weighing the butter while the fish is overcooking in the pan.
Ok, lets get into a sample menu for the work week. If you create two or three of these menus, you can rotate them weekly and not get bored. You will already have the shopping list from the last time. You will also soon be able to cook these dishes in half the time it takes you when you first make them. Do you see where I am going with this? Make your life easy. Cook smart, not hard. Let’s try see what we can come up with that gives variety, lots of nutrition and packs flavour, yeah? These are quick versions of the dishes and by no means the authentic recipe. I promise they do not lack in flavour at all.
The recipe
Adapt the recipe and replace with ingredients you would prefer if any of the listed ones do not float your boat. The recipes are for a family of 4 people. Half or double the recipes as needed. Easy, yeah?
Thai green curry (Chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetable) with steamed basmati rice…
Steak, egg and chips with a juicy salad. (Swop the steak for a pork schnitzel, mushroom or aubergine ‘steaks.’ Roast potato wedges will do)…
TSpinach and gorgonzola with pasta (add some crispy fried streaky bacon for the carnivores)…
Grilled fillet of line fish topped with an olive tapenade or pesto crust, served with smooth mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables. With lemon butter sauce….
Monday
Thai green curry
Ingredients:
- 600 g Chicken breast (or pork, prawns, beef vegetable)
- 1 Tbsp. Green curry paste
- 1 cube chicken, beef or vegetable stock
- 1 tin coconut cream (or coconut milk)
- 1 pepper sliced into julienne
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- A bunch of coriander.
- Fresh ginger root peeled (Use as much as you want if you enjoy fresh ginger)
- 1 -1½ cups of basmati rice
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- 1 cup water
Method:
- Slice the chicken into strips and set aside.
- Heat a deep pan or pot over medium high heat and add a little oil to the pan. Lightly season the chicken strips and then seal them in the pan until all browned but still uncooked. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add a little oil if needed and add the onions and garlic and sauté until they become translucent and begin to brown. Once this happens, add the green curry paste and sauté it for about 30 seconds. You pan should sizzle the entire time.
- Put a pot of water onto the stove to boil. Once boiling add salt and the basmati rice. Turn the heat to low and cook per the instructions on the packet.
- Add the peppers and half of the coriander to the pot.
- Add the stock cube, a tin of coconut cream and about ½ cup of water and then place the chicken back in the pot. Bring up to a simmer and check the seasoning.
- Simmer for two minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Remove from heat.
- Tear the other half of the coriander and stir it into the curry to infuse off the heat. Grate the ginger root on the finest side of the grater and sprinkle over the curry. Stir it in.
- Strain your rice and plate your dinner.
- Enjoy that bad boy and, enjoy the time you just saved by cooking a quick meal.
Tuesday
Steak, egg and chips with a juicy salad
Ingredients:
- 4 Steaks +- 200 g each (choose the cut you prefer but keep in mind to always choose the thickest steaks over thin ones)
- 8 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges or chips. (I don’t peel the potatoes as the nutrients sit under the skin and, the skin doesn’t bother me at all)
- 4 large eggs (free range is responsible, yeah?)
- Splash of red wine vinegar
- Splash of olive oil
- Crushed clove garlic
- Sprig of rosemary roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Salad of your choice.
Method:
- Turn your oven onto 390°F (200°C) If roasting the potato wedges (you can fry them, but roasting is much easier).
- Remove the steaks from the chiller and remove from packaging. In a large bowl, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Season with a couple grinds from the salt and pepper shaker. Add the steaks and rub the marinade evenly into all the steaks. Leave them aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a roasting tray add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add just enough olive oil to lightly coat the potatoes. Toss until all coated and seasoned. If frying, then do not season yet. Place a deep sauté pan or pot onto medium heat and add about 2 cm of oil to the pan. Allow this to become hot. Test by gently placing one piece of potato into the oil. If it sizzles you are good to go.
- Prepare the salad in a style you like.
- Place the potatoes into the oven or into the pan if frying. If frying, do not add them all at once as the oil will become cold. You need to fry them in batches. (See why the oven is less stress). When they become golden brown remove them from the oil and drain them on paper towel. Season when ready.
- Heat a griddle pan over high heat. You can use an ordinary heavy bottom pan if that’s what you have.
- Once the pan is hot, place the steaks two at a time into the pan. Adding them, all will drop the temperature and your steaks will be grey and dry. You must constantly hear sizzling.
- Cook your steak to the favoured doneness and set aside to rest while you cook the others
- When the steaks are cooked, drop the heat to super low. Add a bit of butter and making sure the pan is not too hot add the eggs.
- Cook them how you like them. If you want to know how to cook eggs properly then take my first lesson of my cooking and baking course, yeah? Good.
- The chips or roast potatoes should be ready, the steaks are rested, and the eggs cooked.
- Assemble your dinner and go to town on it. Thank chef for the amazing and tasty marinade.
Wednesday
Spinach and gorgonzola with pasta
Ingredients:
- 400 g washed baby spinach
- 1 cup of cream
- 1 pack streaky bacon if using
- 1 Tbsp. flour
- 1 wedge of gorgonzola cheese or blue cheese (use more if you really like the cheese)
- 4 portions of cooked pasta (choose the type you prefer)
Method:
- If using bacon, cut the bacon into strips and place into a pan over medium heat. Add a couple drops of oil and leave it until it begins to brown on one side and then turn over. It must fry in the fat rendered from the bacon so be patient and it will become crispy. This only works for streaky bacon not back or shoulder bacon.
- In a pot over medium heat add about ¼ cups of water and bring to a rapid boil.
- Put all the spinach into the pot at once and use a wooden spoon to press it down and mix it. Cover the pot and steam the spinach until wilted, soft and cooked. Do not overcook it or it will turn brown.
- Remove from the pot and place into a strainer and run cold water over the spinach until it is cold.
- Squeeze all the water you can from the spinach and then puree it into a smooth paste using a blender. If no blender then chiffonade the spinach finely.
- In the same pot add the spinach and the flour and mix well. Place the pot back onto the heat and add the cream to the spinach. Mix well and bring up to just before it boils.
- Remove from heat and crumble the cheese into the sauce. Stir gently until all the cheese has melted.
- Toss with pasta and viola, you are eating well and just saved some time by cooking easy.
Thursday
Grilled fillet of line fish topped with an olive tapenade or pesto crust
Served with smooth mashed potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables. With lemon butter sauce
Ingredients:
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- 4 portions of fresh line fish
- 4 portions of mashed potatoes
- 4 portions of mixed seasonal vegetables
- Tub of pesto or olive tapenade
- ½ cup of breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup cream
- 200 g cold butter cubed
- ¼ cup dry white wine (omit if you done consume wine)
- ½ lemon or 4 Tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ onion diced finely
Method:
- Place your oven onto 356°F (180°C)
- When the oil is hot, season the fish and place them into the pan with the skin side facing you.
- Cook for about a minute or until the fish is just browning and then flip them all over for 30 seconds.
- Quickly remove from the heat into an oven tray. You don’t want to cook the fish, just brown the surfaces. Now in a bowl mix the breadcrumbs and pesto or tapenade and add a layer onto the top of each fish portion. Like a crust. Set aside.
- In another pot add some water and bring to a boil. Place your vegetables into the water and cook until they are still a little crunchy.
- Remove from the water and drain them well in a colander.
- In another pot or pan over medium low heat, add the mashed potatoes to heat up. (Yes, you can use a microwave if you have too).
- In another pot, over medium heat, add the white wine and onions. Allow this to reduce by half and then add the cream. When this again reduces by a third, turn the heat down to low.
- Place the fish into the oven.
- Now, take the butter a cube at a time and whisk it into the cream and wine reduction. When the cube has melted and is part of the sauce add the next. Keep going until all the butter is used up. Never ever allow this to boil or it will split. Add the lemon juice and season if needed.
- Heat a pan over high heat and add some butter and a little oil. Sauté the vegetables until hot. Season and remove from the heat.
- You fish should be cooked perfectly by now. That’s if you moved with a little pace, yeah?
- Plate your dinner and enjoy a perfect bite with one of everything on the plate in one mouthful. Don’t say I don’t like you!
Friday
Super easy roast chicken, vegetables and roast potatoes. no trussing and no stress.
- 1 chicken between 1.5 kg and 2 kg
- ½ onion as is
- Some spices you enjoy
- Tub of pesto or olive tapenade
- 2 sprigs thyme or rosemary chopped
- 8 potatoes peeled and quartered
- Root vegetables like carrot, beetroot, parsnip or sweet potato, diced. Or use diced butternut.
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Heat your oven to 356°F (180°C)
- Season the chicken and rub with the herbs and whatever spices you enjoy.
- Place the onion inside the cavity.
- In a large roasting tray, place the chicken in the centre and arrange the potatoes on one side and the vegetables on the other side. Toss them with a little oil and some seasoning.
- When the oven is hot, place the tray into the oven and set a timer for about 40 minutes. (This is about average for a 1.5kg bird.
- Relax and put your feet up, you just scored 40 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, tug on a drumstick and if it comes loose or seems like its going to come loose you are golden. If not add another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, carve the chicken and enjoy your super easy roast chicken.
- Prepare some instant gravy and pour in any drippings from the pan if you like it saucy.
Follow the same style guide as above for ingredient and methods.
That’s your week of cooking right there. Now, to make this even easier, you can prepare the pasta, rice and mashed potatoes ahead of time. Like on a Sunday if you have the energy. Cook them and freeze them for when you need them. Just do not add the milk to the mash yet. Add it when you heat the potatoes up again! You can in fact also prepare the spinach and gorgonzola ahead of time as well, it is better when fresh though.
So now, because I like you guys, I’m even going to go the extra mile and give you a shopping list for the week’s meals. Winning, yeah?
Before doing the shopping, check your fridge and pantry for some of the ingredients you should already have. No need to double up. The whole point is for it to be affordable and easy while still tasting awesome. Got it.
Your shopping lists
Meat, poultry, fish
- 600 g boneless and skinless chicken breasts (swop for pork or beef or prawns)
- 4 x 200 g – 250 g beef steaks (choose thicker over flatter and choose the steak you prefer. Swop for vegetable option if needed)
- 6 large free-range eggs
- 4 portions of fresh line fish
- 1 pack streaky bacon (for the spinach pasta if you have meat eaters around)
- 1 chicken between 1.5 kg and 2 kg
- 1 chicken between 1.5 kg and 2 kg
Vegetables
- 1 pepper of any colour
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- A bunch of coriander.
- Fresh ginger root
- 400 g washed baby spinach
- 24 large potatoes (for the chips, roasties and mash)
- Salad greens and garnish or premade salad of your choice
- 4 portions of select fresh vegetable mix of your choice e.g., beans, marrows, squash, corn, carrots and peppers)
- 4 portions root vegetables like carrot, beetroot, parsnip or sweet potato or, butternut
- Rosemary and thyme sprigs
- Fresh lemon or lemon juice
Dairy
- 250 ml fresh cream
- 100 ml fresh cream
- Wedge of gorgonzola
- 250 g butter (salted or unsalted)
Tinned
- 1 tin coconut cream
Dry goods
- Small jar of green curry paste
- Beef or chicken stock cube or powder
- Basmati rice
- Pasta (recommend tagliatelle but any works fine)
- Jar of basil pesto or olive tapenade
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- Dry white wine (for you and the beurre blanc sauce, see I have got you covered)
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Ready made chicken gravy if you like it saucy.
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