Interesting meals while cooking for 2 with limited kitchen gadgets

[Soliloquy]

For the next 4-6 weeks I'm at my mom's house (she's in assisted living) with just one of my teens. She has a regular kitchen but no instant pot, food processoor, slow cooker, etc. Also, I am so un-accustomed to cooking for only 2 people! I'm used to cooking for 7 and making enough for two meals so I don't have to start from scratch every night.

I've done spaghetti, burritos, and baked chicken with vegetables. And I'm totally out of ideas. I could just eat vegetables and some protein and be fine, no complaints. But if I keep cooking the same old thing all the time my teen starts asking for carryout and I'm trying to save money. (I'm not trying to go overboard catering to him but I'm also asking some things from him right now that are hard and not necessarily fair, so I want to give a little on the food.)

I can look for a slow cooker at Goodwill. But I doubt I'll find any other other appliances I'm used to for cheap.

What do I cook for 2 that's interesting?

I'm thinking I'll make stir-fry tomorrow. We both love that. Oh, and my mom's kitchen only has very basic spices and I don't want to spend a fortune starting over on spices, either. At home I have a stock of spices for making all our favorites. But I can buy a few. There are Penzey's everywhere, here.

I also plant to go to Costco soon, but I have to be careful and remember there's only 2 people to eat whatever I buy! It's a huge adjustment in my thinking.

---------- Post added at 08:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 AM ----------

I have easy access to Aldi, Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods, as well as regular supermarkets.

[tempus vernum]

Wo do a lot of Easy fast meals now w me working And a lot of times it’s just S and DH for dinner

Some that are easily meals for /
*egg roll in a bowl (ground beef bags of
Coleslaw spices and tamari w rice— let me know if you want the recipe)
*chicken wings/breasts
*Tacos
*Cowboy grub (basically ground beef, pinto beans, rotes and spices. Can be also served over rice)
*chicken salad (breast’s on side Of a large salad)

I will keep thinking. Let me know if you want recipes for the ones I summarized

[knitlove]

Sheet pan dinners, that can be almost any style. Stirfry to mexican.

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[Maedchen]

Can be done with any meat. Soak mei fun noodles in water while you cook. Brown the meat, open a bag of mixed stir fry veggies, throw drained mei fun rice noodles in. Season with soy sauce, tamari, or Chinese 5 spice with a little maple syrup over if you prefer a sweeter dish.

If you eat pork, pan fried pork chop, broccoli and baked potato.

[ViolaMum]

Will your teen eat soup? (Tortilla-chicken soup, minestrone, avgolemono, or perhaps carrot-ginger?) If you have a decent bakery nearby you can get an interesting bread to go with it.

Quesadillas
Panini or Croque Madame/Monsieur
Chili (30 minutes on the stovetop; my kids only eat it with corn chips and sour cream )
Satay (chicken or beef, with rice and stir-fried green beans)
Lasagne, Lasagna rolls, or eggplant rollatini

If you go to Costco, the rotisserie chickens are good and you could get two interesting meals out of just one.

[mamaKristin]

Originally Posted by knitlove

Sheet pan dinners, that can be almost any style. Stirfry to mexican.

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Sheet pant meals are so easy and tasty. A quick switch up of spices and it's a totally different meal.
Potatoes/peppers/carrots/onions/zucchini/cabbage/any veggies!, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Add a couple of italian sausages and some italian seasoning. Toss with pasta.
Chicken breasts and greek seasoning, serve with rice and tzatzki.
pork chops and rosemary.
form meatballs and serve with rice.
toss vegetables with soy sauce, and drizzle hoisin sauce over chicken pieces, serve with rice.

[Singingmom]

Burgers or hot dogs with frozen fries and a salad.

Rotisserie chicken shredded for chicken salad sandwiches and chicken tacos.

[Soliloquy]

Thank you for all the ideas!

I found a George Foreman grill so I will use that sometimes.

[Lady Grey]

If your teen likes CFA, Costco has frozen nuggets that are pretty similar in taste. I think the brand is Bare?

[Soliloquy]

He's never had Chick Fil A. We're not into breaded foods, really.

I'm one of those oddballs that can't understand what people like about Chick Fil A.

[Maedchen]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

He's never had Chick Fil A. We're not into breaded foods, really.

I'm one of those oddballs that can't understand what people like about Chick Fil A.

Their fries are really good when I am craving a snack. (which is not often) After not eating fast foods out for so long I ate some of the grilled chicken nuggets at ChickFilA I really didn't want to eat them after I tasted one. To me you can taste the chemicals to preserve the meat.

I do stop and get their lemon aid more often than anything. (We have been gluten free for 17 or 18 years and I just got used to not stopping for fast foods.)