This month’s challenge is to cut down on plastic by replacing TV dinners. We’re using 3 strategies to meet this challenge. Strategy #1 is making homemade freezer meals. Strategy #2 is shelf-stable ‘meals in a jar’ and strategy #3 is 15 minute meals. The 15 minute meal strategy is the one we’ll be exploring more this week.
About 15 minute meals
I admit, I have mixed feelings about using 15 minute meals as a TV dinner replacement. On the one hand YES, you can make a whole meal in 15 minutes. So that part is fine as an alternative. On the other hand, the 15 minute meal recipes I’ve been looking at usually require a meal plan. The thing with TV dinners is that I use them when I don’t have a meal plan, or the plan fell through for whatever reason. Which means I need to tailor my 15 minute meal “plan” around not really having a plan.
Based on those parameters, I’ve put together a list of my go-to meals when I need something really quick for dinner. To be a TV dinner replacement, the meal needs to be ready in about 15 minutes with foods I already have on hand in my cupboard or fridge.
Sorry if anyone is disappointed that my list of 15 minute meals is so basic. If nothing else, think of it as a quick reference list for when you need simple meal ideas.
What foods you need for 15 minute meals
It’s good to know what foods to keep stocked in your cupboard or fridge for quick meals. Below are some suggestions, feel free to tailor them for your preferences and what works best for you. This is just to help give you a starting point and ideas.
Foods to always keep stocked in the fridge are: eggs, mayonnaise, bread, tortillas, butter, cheese
Foods to always keep stocked in the cupboard/pantry (preferably in bulk) are: canned meat, canned tomatoes, salsa, beans, pasta, rice (instant for quick meals), potato flakes, rolled oats, canned veggies, corn chips, nut or seed butters.
- I personally prefer to rely on freeze-dried foods* over canned foods.
What type of 15 minute meals to use for this challenge
There are lots of great 15 minute meals out there, and many of them use fresh ingredients. Which is why they tend to need a meal plan. The problem for me is unless I have a solid meal plan in place, and a dedicated chunk of time to cook (like with my freezer meals), life tends to happen. Then that fresh produce goes bad before I finally get around to cooking it.
For me, this is usually because I underestimate the real time it takes to do things. This is one of my personal habits I’m trying to improve… In the meantime I want to make sure I have well balanced meals that I can make quickly and not be eating too late at night.
What fresh foods to keep on hand
So what’s the best compromise to have quick “emergency” meals with fresh produce?
My suggestion is to just keep a few veggies on hand that can easily be added to any meal. (I also suggest using a combo of all 3 of this month’s strategies but I’ll go over that in more detail next week.) So it’s not quite a meal plan but more like strategic vegetable choices.
Ideally, you want foods that can store for a little while and are easy to prep and cook, like carrots, celery, and sweet potato. You’ll also want veggies that can be used in a lot of dishes, like zucchini and onions. Spinach also fits a lot of these categories too.
My vegetable recommendations
These are my 5 personal go-to veggies that I like to keep on hand:
Zucchini – a very versatile veggie. You can make a zoodle meal which literally takes 15 minutes from start to finish (depending on your protein). What are zoodles? They’re zucchini noodles made by spiralizing a zucchini. Other types of summer squash also work but I find zucchini’s work best. You can also cut up the zucchini and throw it in with regular spaghetti sauce or a minestrone soup. The only downside is it doesn’t last much more than a week in the fridge.
Onion – also very versatile. While the onion doesn’t make for a very good side dish on it’s own, it can be used in almost anything. The onion really adds flavor and bulk to any meal.
Sweet potato – easy to cook and usually has a shelf life of a few weeks. It can also be quite versatile. Sweet potatoes and yams can also be spiralized into veggie noodles.
Carrots/celery – easy to prep and cook or can be eaten raw and they can usually last a few weeks in the fridge. These can also be added to many different dishes.
Spinach – Usually lasts a couple of weeks in the fridge (give or take a few days), can be used in many dishes, and can be the base of a meal itself. Easy to prep, quick to cook or eat raw as a salad.
In conclusion
These are my recommendations for easy 15 minute meals with ingredients I usually have on hand. I would just like to note, that while I focus on each strategy individually, it doesn’t mean the strategies to replace TV dinners can’t be used together. In fact, I find the 15 minute meals to do even better when paired with the other two strategies – homemade freezer meals and ‘meals in a jar’. So next week, I’ll be covering more about what combos work really well using the 3 strategies together.
*I will only recommend products that I personally use and love and hope can be of benefit to others in their sustainable journeys. (*) indicates an affiliate link where Sustainable Pursuits llc may receive a small compensation for product recommendations.
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