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The last thing many of us want to do after a hard day's work and the commute home is cook dinner. This often leads many of us to be tempted by the drive-through fast food window. There are other options, however. Here are some ideas for preparing real food with very little prep time. Here are some fast and easy dinner recipes and tips.

Here are a couple of fix-it-fast meals:

Coconut Orange Roughy- Steamed Asparagus- Green Salad

Prepare enough for two meals

Ingredients:

Four Orange Roughy Filets

1 pound fresh asparagus

Lettuce, tomato, cucumber (or whatever you like on your salad)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Add 2 TBS coconut oil (or olive oil)

Place a baking dish into the oven and get the oil hot

Place the fish into the hot oil

Reduce oven temperature to 350F

Sprinkle with coconut (preferably unsweetened)

Bake for 15 minutes

Meanwhile;

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil

Add washed fresh asparagus spears

Cook for about six minutes or until tender

Place torn lettuce leaves on dinner plate

Top with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber,

and fresh parsley coarsely chopped.

Makes 4 servings. Place extra fish and asparagus in a

Glass storage container and serve within three days.

This meal takes about 20 minutes - start to finish!

FAST and Easy Stir-Fry Shrimp

1 Package Frozen Stir-Fry Vegetables

Pound fresh or frozen Shrimp - thaw in microwave

1 Package Uncle Ben's Pre-cooked Brown Rice Pouch

Cooking oil

Soy Sauce

1 Jar Sweet and Sour Sauce

In a wok or large skillet place 2 TBS cooking oil and preheat.

Cook stir fry vegetables and add shrimp stir together until shrimp is hot.

Heat the rice in the microwave and top with stir fry vegetable/shrimp mixture.

Prep time about five minutes - prep and cooking time about 20 minutes.

CHICKEN MANDARIN ORANGE SALAD

1 Bag Salad Greens

2 Cups Cooked Chicken (here's where you can use that extra frozen cubes) or canned

1 can mandarin oranges - drained

1 carrot - chopped

2 TBS Slivered Almonds

Bottled Asian Sesame salad dressing

Dinner rolls

Place lettuce on dinner 2 dinner plates

Top with oranges, chicken, carrots and slivered almonds

Drizzle dressing over all.

Serve with heat and serve dinner rolls.

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook In Batches: Cook several meals worth of meat or poultry and freeze ahead. Pyrex glass bowls are great for this as you can freeze, reheat and serve all in the same bowl. No transfer containers or disposables.

Brown enough ground beef, turkey or chicken for several meals and freeze the extra. It will be ready for sloppy Joes, tacos or pasta sauce.

Cook two chicken breasts at once and cube and freeze the extra for salads, sandwiches, Alfredo or add it to canned soup for heartier meals.

Other make ahead-meals are:

Meat Loaf

Turkey Breast

Lasagna

Chili

Beef or Chicken Stew

Pulled pork

A six-quart crock pot is excellent for making a large amount of food at one time. Prepare the ingredients on the weekend or the night before and put them into the crock-pot in the morning. You'll arrive home to the savory scent of beef stew, roast chicken, or pasta sauce.

Learn more about this author, Pat Merewether.
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