Easy dinners for bad cooks?

Chili

Sweet and sour meatballs

Spagetti

Chicken alfredo

Try a potroast, make your own gravy and nice creamy garlic mashed potatoes

Stir frys

Really simple one: Make rice the way you normally would but instead of water use chicken broth and add some chili powder and cumin. When it's done you have rice that tastes like chili or a taco. Top with some cheese and/or add some cooked cubed chicken

Tacos or burritoes are another thing

Honey garlic spare ribs

Shepperds pie

Pot pie

Roast a chicken and look up some different glazes and recipes and pick one that looks good

Think of a take-out food you like and look up online how to make it yourself. I once had a craving for eggrolls and no money and I actually made my own eggroll wrappers from scratch. I couldn't believe that they came out exactly like take-out egg roll wrappers (my filling wasnt the best tho)

If I'm really in a hurry, I break a couple of eggs in a bowl, add salt, pepper, and my herb of choice, beat it and then scramble it.

Or I can beat a couple of eggs with milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of ginger, dip bread in it, and fry some French toast.

If I have leftovers and know I won't want to be bothered that evening, I cut up my leftover meat, add vegetables and instant garlic mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, water, and a few herbs- all in a Crock Pot- and let it simmer during the day for dinner in the evening.

Another thing I've done is put rice, salt, pepper, and butter in the bottom of my double-boiler, then put my meat and vegetables in the basket over it, and use that to make my dinner.

Good luck!

I know how you feel. I have a 16 month old daughter and a husband, so getting dinner ready some times and making it good and healthy can be hard.

I just tried a really easy dish that had lots of left overs. It was called "Cowboy Tacos" on the yahoo recipe pages...it took about 15 minutes to make all together.

A good and nutritious one: Go to a grocery store in the beans and canned veggie aisle and buy a can of "Texas Ranch Style Beans" - cook up either some low fat hamburger or turkey burger, add the beans...put them on a tortilla with a bit of cheese and maybe some sour cream...and waa-laa - dinner is served. High in protien, low in fat, really filling. If you add some bagged salad to it, you have everything you need.

You can also do baked nachos that are healthy and tasty...enchilada casserole (yes, we love mexican food), grilled halibut and steamed veggies..

Some times we even make breakfast for dinner - eggs on toast with ham.

Get a free subscription to Kraft Food and Family magazine.

It has recipes that are easy and delicious....and the magazine is free from the company. They will also send you regular emails with ideas, tips and recipes or you can just browse their website.

Last night I made Shepherd's Pie (from p. 12 in the newest issue) that was so easy! It has a color photo describing each step. It was just ground beef....I cook with ground chuck and I always add a little frozen chopped seasoning blend anytime I cook meat (beef, chicken, pork).

After draining, you add frozen mixed veggies and a cup of brown gravy. Top with mashed potatoes (you can use instant) that are mixed with cream cheese and shredded cheese. Then top with more shredded cheese and bake.

The nice thing about the Kraft magazine and website is easy, step-by-step instructions, no fancy ingredients that you can't pronounce.

You can get the stuff in a grocery store or is usually stuff that you might have on hand.

And it has colorful pictures to illustrate, plus reviews from regular people who cook for themselves and their families, not in some fancy restuarant.

Do you mean that you hate things with veggies and fruit together? gross. I would too.

But if you mean that you hate fruit and you hate veggies, then now that you are doing other grown up things, like getting your own place and learning to cook, add one more grown up thing to your list....start experimenting with trying fruit and veggies and you may be surprised what you like.

Suddenly when I was about 27 I found I liked brocolli. I just did not like the way it had been presented to me by others. I like it fresh, stems removed and steamed.

And out of the blue at 32 I suddenly Loved, like with a passion, tomatoes! Now I grow every kind I can find and eat them 3 meals a day in season.

Still not into peas, but I will cook with them and other things....who knows- one day I may suddenly like them.

You ought to start making soups, they are easy and cheap, one of my favourites is leek and potato soup, chop up 3-4 large leeks (make sure you wash them well and use as much of the green as possible) then take about 8-9 medium to large potatoes (if the skins are good just wash them without peeling) chop them up into large chunks, put all the veg in a saucepan, add enough vegetable stock or water to cover by about an inch and a half and cook for about 20 minutes then whizz up with a blender, if a bit thick add some milk to loosen it up a bit season to taste and enjoy with some crusty bread, Other soup I make include Lentil and vegetables, Minestrone and lots of others.

Fry a steak and microwave a whole potatoe with it's skin on. You could eat any kind of side veggie with that if you want.

Buy pork pieces (they are small cuts that come in packs, they look like they might be for stews) and either bake or fry them a bit then add mushroom soup and finish cooking them. Microwave or cook some rice as a side. This goes great with corn!

Mix sprouts, pre-sliced chicken pieces, and a bag of "stir-fry vegetables". Cook in a pan with teryaki sauce. You can skip this one if you absolutely can't stand veggies (like me) --- but trust me on this one, the teryaki makes up for it! You can eat this by itself or over rice.

If you have a crock pot, you can always put a roast in there and set the time you want it to be done at.

As for pasta, you have all kinds of possibilities. Fry some lean hamburger and then add it to pre-boughten tomatoe pasta sauce. Boil your spaghetti and voila!

Good luck! These are just a few ideas.

This is the easiest tastiest of chicken dishes!

I fix this for my family at least once a week for dinner.

Take a glob of mayo (about 2 spoon fulls)

Take a hand full of Parmesan cheese (either shredded or the powdered kind) I've done both)

Mix these 2 together

Spread on top of chicken breast or tenders (3 or 4) about 1 lb

Sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs

Bake on 400 for about a half hour.

Voila.. EASY Chicken Parmesan!

Get yourself a crock pot.

Simple meals that cook while you are gone.

IE, four to six chicken thighs, one can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of chicken with rice soup, place all in crock pot, cook on low about 7 or 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

There are numerous recipes like this for the crock pot that are very good.

You can do pork chops the same way.

This is my hubby's recipe.

2 cans tuna in oil, drained

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

3/4 soup can of milk

1/4 pound Velveeta, cubed

A handful of frozen peas

Garlic powder and pepper to taste

Heat everything except the peas, until the Velveeta has melted. Then stir in the peas and heat up. Serve over toast. It sounds gross, looks gross, but my god I can eat 2 servings of it, it's so good! It's a great lazy night meal for us

Another accidental concoction: Make taco meat. One pound burger, taco seasoning, and a can of fire roasted green chiles. Make a box of Velveeta shells and cheese. Combine them. Best homemade Hamburger Helper you've ever had.

Get some baked corn tortilla chips. Crunch up. In a Pammed (or lightly oiled) casserole dish put a layer of crunched tortilla chips, a layer of mixed enchilada sauce (red or green) mixed with one can of cream of mushroom soup. Top with some cooked ground beef or cooked ground turkey seasoned with salt, pepper and some red ground chile. Repeat all layers. Top with grated sharp cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes. MMMMMM!