After a long day of moving, a hot meal and a shower is all you want. But do you really want to eat more pizza for the next few nights? Instead, try one of these easy meals to make after moving day -- just make sure you unpacked all your cooking essentials first.
1. One-pot Mexican quinoa
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can of black beans
- 1 can of corn kernels
- 1 jalapeno (diced)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup chicken stock
Directions: Saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno in a skillet until everything is soft and the onion is translucent. Then add the quinoa, beans, corn, tomatoes and chicken stock and let it all simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes covered. For the last few minutes, uncover the pan and give it all a good stir. You can make some chicken on the side and serve it all up with some fresh avocado and cilantro.
2. Grilled cheese
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of bread
- Slices of cheese
- Butter
Directions: Grab a non-stick skillet and start heating it up on the stove on medium heat. Toss in about half a tablespoon of butter and let it melt while you butter all four sides of the bread. Once the butter in the skillet melts, lower the heat and place both slices of bread in the skillet so they can begin to brown on the outside. Put cheese on both slices of bread so that you can barely see the edges of the bread. Allow the cheese to melt before flipping one slice onto the other. You can take a spatula and press down to get maximum contact on the skillet but you may create a cheese waterfall and end up with a mess. The risk is yours to take.
3. Roasted chicken*
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 onion (cut in half)
- 2-3 carrots (chopped)
- 2-3 potatoes (chopped)
- 1 lemon (sliced into rounds)
- Butter
- Dill
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare the chicken by placing it on a roasting rack and liberally seasoning it with salt and pepper (don't forget the cavity). Place the onion inside the cavity and truss the chicken. In a bowl, place the chopped carrots and potatoes and toss them with rosemary, dill, thyme, salt and pepper to coat and then add them to the bottom of the roasting pan. Cut four squares of butter and place them between the skin of the chicken breast with the slices of lemon. Add a few more pats of butter to the roasting pan vegetables and place it all in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F and continue roasting for another 45-60 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
*This recipe seems much more daunting that it actually is. You can easily get the chicken and vegetables prepped in 15 minutes and then continue unpacking while it cooks.
4. Pizza pasta bake
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 3/4 cup pepperoni slices
- 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1/2 box of pasta (elbows, rotini, bowties, etc.)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- Oregano
- Basil
- Garlic
Directions: Brown the ground sausage in an oven-safe skillet and drain any excess fat. Add in the pepperoni slices and cook until they are heated through. Once the pepperoni is heated, add the uncooked pasta, tomato sauce and seasonings to the skillet with a cup of water and bring everything to a boil. Once the pasta is cooked, remove the skillet from the heat and start up your broiler. Add some of the mozzarella, stir it and then add the remaining mozzarella on top before placing it under the broiler to brown for about two to three minutes.
5. Lemony asparagus and arugula pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 box of bowtie pasta
- 1 cup of chopped asparagus
- 2 cups of arugula
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- Juice of two lemons
- Olive oil
Directions: Cook the pasta according to instructions and set aside with 2 cups of the pasta water. In a skillet, heat up two tablespoons of olive oil and saute the asparagus with salt and pepper. Once the asparagus is heated through but still crunchy, remove it from the heat and add the cooked pasta, arugula, lemon juice and cheese. Add in the reserved pasta water a bit at a time to create a sauce and continue to stir. Once everything is combined, plate and serve!
All of these meals with the exception of the roasted chicken, can be made in less than 30 minutes.