Easy meals without a microwave?

Please don't say sandwiches.

I am housesitting for two weeks and my cousin does not have a microwave, but she does have a toaster oven and a regular oven. I need ideas on meals that can cook up within minutes. I know for breakfast I can eat waffles, oatmeal, and cereal, and for lunches I usually eat a sandwich at work. I can't do pizza because I won't be able to reheat it and I don't like cold pizza.

Any ideas for easy meals?

I heat up leftover pizza in a toaster oven as my preferred method.

Why not do the opposite and take a slow cooker with you, if you have one. Turn it on before you go to work and you'll have a hot meal waiting for you. Top it up every day and have it with spaghetti, rice, potatoes whatever

Spaghetti and pesto, salad

I assume she has a stovetop? Or not?

Shove vegetables on a pan and sauté them. Very healthy. Also a very delicious meal, at least I think so. Mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, tomatoes, etc. There's a knack to it, but it's easy enough to pick up, I suppose. Worth getting good at it because you can make some amazing sautéed meals that are incredibly good for you. You can also go get a broccoli and boil it then add a sauce. Nice easy, healthy meal. You could boil some celery along with it. Depends what sorta stuff you like, really. I love veggies so I tend to cook with them daily.



^ Made this at some point. (I take pictures of stuff I've cooked because I love cooking and I'm very weird )



^ Here's another one I made recently. Was a lot because I jogged the previous day and needed a good decent munch!

Pasta is a good one to use as well... pasta, rice, noodles, that sorta thing. If you're okay with a treat, you could do what I do and make mac n cheese. One of my favorite meals. Not so quick and not so easy to make a really good sauce, but once you've got it down, you'll be looking good! The way I make the sauce, I get it rich and creamy, quite a thick sauce... is amazing. All of this is very cheap as well, at least in England. The downside is the cleanup, but it's worth it IMO.



^ Here's a cheese sauce I made earlier that went along with some penne pasta. xD

There's of course salads.. that's simple enough.. just buy veggies, chop them up, season, mix, stick them on a plate, and eat. Something I used to do when I was in supported housing and didn't feel comfortable using the kitchen much was to buy some cous cous and mix it with some veggies, like cherry tomatoes, olives, and cucumber. I survived off that kinda thing for a long time.

There's eggs... you could do eggs in a few different ways as I'm sure you know... I like making scrambled eggs mixed with various sautéed vegetables.

Making flapjacks (British, not American!) can be nice too, and is quick and cheap. There's also pancakes.

PS
From looking at your profile I think you'll appreciate that the above is both cheap and healthy.

I have been living on pea salad this summer. Thawed bag of frozen baby peas, mix together mayi & sour cream throw in grated cheese ( protein) & I season with onion powder & tons of dill weed. I usually make up 2 packages of peas at a time.

I love frittatas. Sauté veggies usually add spinach. Then add the scrambled eggs over that. On the stove for a few minutes then smother in cheese & stick it in the oven to bake at 350 until it gets brown & bubbly.

I bade a yummy cabbage casserol. Cut the cabbage up & throw in a pot to cook. When done I put it in a casserol dish, salt, pepper & I like graham masala season on this then cover with slices of white velvetta & pour heavy cream over they. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top ( your fav brand) & bake until bubbly. I don't do much meat in hot summer weather. But just a burger patty in a fry pan & sauted mushrooms & onion is easy & good

I found those por cooked carnitas are great. Though it's microwave it's not the only way yo cook. I throw a bag of Mexican corn in the fry pan, can of black beans rinsed well, & can of broken up sweet potatoes or fresh pre cooked ones then throw in the package of carnitas meat. Makes a lot of left overs & no need to cook for days but yummy

You can totally reheat pizza in the oven or toaster oven... I've done it before (I actually used to make toast in the oven too, since I didn't have a toaster).

Just preheat it to 350F or so, take a baking pan (like a sheet you'd make cookies on), put a piece of foil on it for easy clean up, and pop a slice in the oven. Watch it, so that it doesn't burn. It should only take ~5 minutes, I'm guessing... and it will get nice and toasty and the cheese will be melted and it will be delicious.

But, really, there are much better things you can make. Have you thought about learning to make some simple meals that are a bit more cooking than just heating something up? It's a skill that's really, really valuable (one that I wish I had started learning much earlier). I wish I could offer more advice... but I'm still learning too... and I think that most of the things I make might not be good first steps for you...

I did roast some chicken this week, then I divided it up into individual servings and froze it. So now, if I want to make a chicken salad, or some stir fry, or anything where I need a random protein to throw in with some veggies - I can just pull out one serving of chicken and defrost/reheat it.

One easy way to get something yummy... sautee up some vegetables and protein (chicken works, frozen pre-cooked shrimp is super easy and tasty, but don't cook it too long, b/c it gets less yummy). Do stir-fry type vegetables... all in one pan. When it's done... toss a little bit of toasted sesame seed oil on it... it gives it a really yummy stir-fry flavor, and is easy!

If you can make (or get!) chicken, I do a yummy, easy pesto salad too. Cold, cooked, chopped or shredded chicken plus cherry tomatoes and brocolli (I get frozen, steam it for about 9 minutes, then set it in ice water to make it cold). Mix with a bit of mayo and some pesto from the store... voila, pesto chicken salad. You could also serve it over a plate of greens if you wanted more veggies.

For something super quick and easy and lower carb, I get provolone cheese and turkey slices (with no weird ingredients, check the ingredients and go for something that's very basic, no sugar added!). Put down a piece of cheese, a slice or two of turkey, and some yummy Dijon mustard, and fold in half. Easy bread-less snack/meal... I usually eat 2 of those plus some baby carrots and canned whole olives as a quick meal when I need something lighter and fast with no cooking.

You can also roast veggies in the oven really easily... chop up veggies (I do an onion, a red pepper, a green pepper, maybe some zuchinni or carrots - almost anything works here) - as you chop, put them all in a big mixing bowl. Put in a little bit of olive oil and just a splash of balsamic vinegar... and season with a little salt and italian seasoning (or something else, if you prefer). Again, heat up the oven to 350, spread the veggies on a baking sheet covered in foil... 20 minutes on one side, then stir/flip as much as you can, and another 20 minutes. These turn out really good, and you can make a lot at once and use them the rest of the week.... they make a good hot or cold side if you have some protein, and can jazz up a boring salad really well too.

You can cook sweet potatoes in the oven easily too... I usually cook them the same way I roast veggies (above) - you can even add a little parmesan if you like. But, you could also poke holes in them and just bake them when you're cooking other things (check online for directions).

I know, it's overwhelming... I'm still learning... and maybe it's more than you want to deal with while you're housesitting (sorry if I got carried away ). You could always check the frozen food aisle at the store... they sometimes have nice meals that you can just add to a pan to heat up, or add to a pain with some protein (and they should have good directions for that) - they're usually pretty simple I think.

Good luck!

Don't boil your veg. You're losing vitamins. Much better to microwave or steam them. I like your pics. I'm a cheeseaholic so I'd be licking the pan haha. I do stir fries quite often. Quick and easy. Yeah cous cous is good. Can't get much quicker or easier than that..

Pasta is my go to mid week thing - can just add pesto or a bit of bacon and mushrooms. I also grow my own herbs in pots so have those on top. Slow cookers are great because you can make soups (pumpkin, pea and ham, chicken and veg) or stew.

First thing that came to mind was salads. So many choices and so much variety and healthy.

Second thing was pasta. Again so many different ways it can be done.

Someone mentioned stir fry. Again, so many options, easy and healthy.

How about broiling veggies in the oven?

I may lose some vitamins but it's a price worth paying for, IMO. I absolutely will not microwave my vegetables. lol I actually rarely go near my microwave, now. In some cases, boiling apparently can improve some of the vitamins. Honestly, with the amount of it I eat, both boiled and sautéed, I'm not concerned. That said, I like learning new cooking thangs, so I'll look into steaming; if I enjoy it and get more out of the food, then it's a plus.

The OP will not have a microwave anyway....

As for salad. And summers. I like pasta salad. It's not hot so it is easy to eat, still has "food" in it to keep you going. People sometimes seriously forget to eat sometimes when it is warm, LOL.

The only cooking is the pasta, drain and let cool off a bit. Then chop up whatever you want to add. For me, it is usually boring stuff like tomato and cucumber, also I usually add olives, sometimes corn. All salad veggies is OK in this of course. And I eat with a dash of dressing, usually the pink type.

As for a meal that cooks itself (but might dirty the oven and does not rate all that high on healthy but who cares?), choose a bunch of nice looking taters with clean peal, just wash and chop them into wedges. Put in an oven tray with a little oil under and a tad sprinkled on top. You can add some salt before ore after cooking depending on what you like. Cook in the oven in tad more than 400 F for as long as needed minus about 7 minutes. It depends a lot on the oven and the size of the slices but for me that is maybe 20 minutes. They should just start to brown when you do the next step but not look all done. After that, I plop in one or two sausages and let them cook for a while until it is all cooked. Carefully try a wedge to see if it is cooked through. This I eat with some garlic sauce and ketchup. I'm not a fan of fries so this is my replacement for fries.

My husband makes everything in the toaster oven, I joke he should write a cookbook. For example, he fills some chicken breasts with cheese and bacon, brushes some olive oil on the chicken, sprinkles some herbs on the top and bakes. He also bakes fish in the oven. Brush some melted butter on the tray, drizzle a bit of white wine and lemon juice over, add spices and salt and bake.

For side dishes we usually have some couscous on hand. Also, since it's winter here and the fresh vegetables are really sad looking, we keep some bags of frozen veggies in the freezer to quickly steam.

Oh, and I also saw the comment about broiling veggies in the toaster oven. It reminded me that I love to make a spread made from eggplant and red pepper. I roast 2 eggplants (cut them in half) and a red pepper in the oven until very soft. Then, I peel the pepper and take the seeds out and scoop the eggplant from the skin. Process it in a blender or with a hand blender with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, ras al hanout spices and tahini. If you don't have tahini, then first grind up some sesame seeds in the olive oil and then add the other ingredients. Serve with pita bread. It is delicious. People request that I make it.

Thank you for your input, but I'm looking for meals, not just veggies.

The way I see it I saw several meals suggested. But maybe it is better if you describe what you normally eat. And what constitutes a meal for you.

Without knowing what you like I'd suggest a simple stir fry with rice noodles (they cook faster than rice or pasta). Sauces can be extremely simple. Also, may I suggest checking out some of the minimalist cooking sites out there. One I've been using lately is Recipes Archives | Minimalist Baker

Also, I make breakfast for dinner quite a bit. Eggs are very versatile and an omelet or a skillet scramble makes a rather filling meal at the end of the day.

Lark, some times all I have for dinner is veggies. What do you mean by a "meal"?

Honestly, a trip to YouTube would likely yield many a recipe. There's some great YT channels for cooking. If you like meat, you could get some minced beef and make spaghetti bolognese; you don't even have to add any vegetables at all. Cheap and filling.

^ This!

If you are looking for ideas for meat entrees you can roast or broil chicken parts in the oven. Add a salad and you have a meal.You can also cook fish fillets in the oven. Can fry fish in a frying pan too, but not particularly healthy.

I buy a rotisserie cooked chick at the store for multiple meals. I make some veggies plus rice the night I bring the chicken home. Following nights I'll heat up parts of the leftover chicken to go with a salad and/or veggies. I also cut the meat off the bones, dice up the meat, add some dried cranberries (or nuts or other dried berries) and some sweet onion salad dressing and stir it all up. Quick and easy chicken salad. I eat it on bread in sandwiches, but you can put it over lettuce and have a salad.

Several people mentioned stir fry. Pick whatever meat you want, if you want meat. Cut it in small pieces. Brown it in a wok or skillet. Add veggies of your choice. Real quick and easy is frozen stir fry veggies. Stir fry it all. Toss some soy sauce and poof! quick dinner. I put it over rice to make it more filling.

I also make something my husband used to call stir fry pasta. See above for cooking meat and veggies. No soy sauce though!!! When the meat and veggies are almost done I add cooked pasta and stir. Sounds weird, but it's good.

I make homemade pasta salad by cooking tricolor pasta. I run cold water over the pasta after I drain it in the colander to chill it. Dump the drained, chilled pasta in a bowl. Add Italian dressing and veggies, meat, whatever you want to dress it up. To me a bowl of this, especially if I added some diced chicken is a meal.

Loving all these suggestions! I do a meat, mushroom & onion stir fry and put it on a tortilla already prepped with cheese and sour cream, fold it over when the bottom is brown & the cut in fourths. Add rice or beans too.

I do not like veggies, I'll eat steamed veggies such as carrots, broccoli, asparagus, and artichokes, and I like potatoes. I'll eat salad, but I need an entree.

I like meat and carbs.

My grandfather suggested eating my meals at home after work and then go to my cousin's house, which is a very good suggestion so at least I know I have meals I like at home and don't need to buy as many groceries.

Ramon noodles, boil a pot of water add the noodles cook for a couple of minutes and presto, done.

Fried potatoes, eggs cooked as you prefer, bacon or sausage and wheat toast with jelly. I could eat this any time of day.