Low-Spoons Recipes, Tips, & Solutions!

Maybe a bit strange, but I also meal prep borlotti beans for breakfast. When I have spoons, I drain and rinse the can of beans, sort into 2-3 containers, and then season with a dash of salt, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (whatever vinegar I have). Or sometimes I just do the dash of soy sauce. Sometimes I add dry dashi power. Up to you!

I put in the fridge to let sit and then eat in the morning with my kefir!

Everything is already prepared, it's just assembling them in the pan, then putting it in the oven.

BJ's brand/ Wellsley Farms' Frozen Five Cheese Stuffed Shells

(I have a large roasting pan so my recipe is for all of the shells in one pan, but you can divide the shells up into 2 pans, or maybe only make a few shells at a time).

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F

In a very large deep baking pan/dish *there are disposable ones*:

2. Pour and mix directly in the pan - a bottle of marinara/red pasta sauce and a bottle of Alfredo sauce. *You can pick any sauce you like and do not even have to mix different ones*

*Optional* Season the sauces in the pan, to taste (salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, Goya Adobo).

3. In an even layer, place the frozen shells on top of the sauce, and push them down a bit.

4. Pour another bottle of marinara/red pasta sauce on top of the shells as evenly as possible. The goal is for the shells to be covered with sauce as much as possible.

*Optional* Sprinkle with any seasonings or herbs you want (salt, oregano, Italian seasonings, basil, garlic powder)

Optional* Sprinkle shredded/powdered Parmesan cheese over the shells/sauce.

*Optional* Then place mozzarella cheese on top, you can use sliced mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, even cheese strings pulled apart. It has to be low moisture though.

5. Cover pan completely with aluminum foil.

*If you put all of the shells in one big pan then the pan will be heavy*

1 part masa harina to 1 part water, a pinch of salt, a cap of olive oil (amount is not that important). I also like to put a lot of sage in it. Mix it up into a dough, form it into golf balls, smush them sort of flattish. The edges will break but that's okay.

If you have no energy after this, microwave for a minute. This will be edible but not ideal. Much better if you can cook them on a nonstick pan at medium heat. They will get whiteish instead of browned (if the flour is the yellow kind).

They're done when they're sort of tough on both sides and still a little mushy and wet in the middle. You really should eat them right away but you can cover and chill extra dough for later.

They go with microwavable turkey/chicken sausage, leftover turkey bacon, Indian food packets, or baked beans. If you want them sweeter/more breakfasty, they're great with a little honey on top and some hot chocolate.

Usually plain is the cheapest and most versatile

You can nuts & seeds to your cottage cheese to make it super filling (with raw veggies & crispbreads/crackers on the side which can be a complete & balanced no heat meal) as a savoury

Or you can make it sweet by adding fruits, honey & other sweeteners for a nice snack/dessert

Then we add our suitable cheese. (You want some that melts well. Not all cheese is created equal- I am a basic babe and go with "Mexican 4 cheese" packaged blend) and put the second tortilla on top.

Turn on the heat. Then while it's all getting warmer, we use the flat flipper utensil of choice to marshal our cheese bits so they're in the tortillas and not sticking out on the pan surface. We don't wanna make a mess. I dunno about you but my pan hates melted burny cheese bits.

Wait a while. You can check the melt by lifting the edge of the top tortilla with the spatula flipper. When it seems the cheese, is melted, we flip. Toasted side should have some nice browning bits. Second time, we wait not as long as the first time, maybe a minute, then we flip out onto plate. Let it cool a little, and then you gotta cut it into triangles to eat it- tradition. Or just pick it up like a hungry goblin, Nom nom nom.

Add other stuff if you wanna get fancy. You could smear some salsa of your choice in there for more spice, add in some leftover cooked chicken or beef or whatever, or sliced avocado if you are favored by the ancestors and blessed with such a bounty, but first thing in the morning this pico does not gallo, so I just add a lil salt and pepper. The pan is now hot enough to do eggs as a side.

when I'm low on energy I really like making mushroom chicken orzo. it's 1 pot and pretty much just a pour-everything-in-and-cook recipe

ingredients:

chicken (thighs or breasts or whatever part you feel like using) (however much you want)

olive oil (or whatever oil you have on hand)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cans (or cups) chicken broth

1½ cups orzo pasta

italian seasoning

salt

pepper

parmesan cheese

instructions:

cube your chicken

in a medium size pot heat your oil and cook your chicken

when the chicken is done add your cream of mushroom soup and chicken broth. I recommend adding the cream of mushroom soup and then slowly mixing in the chicken broth so the cream of mushroom soup mixes evenly

add your orzo and heat until boiling

add salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to taste

cook your noodles until you're satisfied with their texture. keep an eye on them because sometimes you need to add water.

add parmesan cheese and serve

One of my most cherished family recipes is microwave rice. It's just regular rice but you cook it in the microwave, and you can use this method for mexican rice, pilaf, or other stovetop recipes. It is much easier than cooking rice on the stovetop, and cheaper than rice sold specifically for microwaving. It is a very convenient option especially if you don't have a rice cooker

1 c long grain rice* (e.g. basmati, jasmine, calrose)

2 c liquid (e.g. water, broth, the tomato onion mixture for mexican rice, etc)

Instructions

Rinse rice, either in a strainer under running water, or by swishing it around in the bowl you plan to cook in then carefully dumping out as much water as you can (this saves a dish but requires more coordination)

Add rice and liquid to a big microwave safe bowl (big bowl prevents it from bubbling over, and gives rice space to expand)

Microwave uncovered for 5 minutes at power level 8 (if you cover it, it will boil over)

Stir, then microwave uncovered again for 15 minutes at power level 3 (the rice should be slightly firm, but not crunchy)

Fluff, then cover and let rest for about 10 minutes

Try looking up recipes for savory oatmeal. Budget Bytes has one for inspiration. Oats and water don't require refrigeration and you can use frozen veggies and room temp condiments.

also, for the savory breakfast post, its an added bonus if it can be made with things that dont expire when your fridge breaks. because my fridge is broken. freezer is fine but things like mayonnaise and milk i cant use right now. butter is okay. no cheese. im hoping to find powdered eggs at the store.

Italian-American anon here incoming with a super easy snack/lunch/dinner salad that is relatively healthy.

- fresh mozzarella (I use pre sliced or the lil balls to make my life easier)

- cherry/grape/cherub tomatoes, you can also use sliced regular tomatoes which are cheaper if u have spoons for chopping

- extra virgin olive oil

- salt, pepper

- optional but fresh greens. Most people I know who make this use basil. I prefer to just add a f***load of pesto and use arugula instead, unconventional and may get you yelled at by an Italian but still good.

- also optional but I like to use some balsamic glaze on top.

Combine all ingredients in a large container, spritz your balsamic glaze on top.

It's pretty filling and doesn't require heat. Also pairs well with and brightens up a charcetiue board (another low spoons friendly meal plan)

love caprese salad. you can also put it with pasta!

spaghetti or angel hair pasta

2-5 eggs, depending on serving

olive oil or butter (i like to use a mixture of both)

parmesan cheese

optional: any meat to go on top: bacon bits, meatballs, prosciutto pieces, whatever.

bring a pot or pan of water, salt, and a teeny bit of oil (to prevent sticking) to a rolling boil. cook/stir your pasta (i’m usually fine to stir mine just once) set aside some of the pasta water and drain.

turn off the heat of the pan (trust me you will want to do this or your oil/butter will burn, smoke or splatter). go sit down while the pan cools.

turn heat on medium-low and add your oil/butter. i also like to add pre-minced garlic here because no way am i chopping any garlic. once the pan is hot, add your pasta and stir-fry it a bit so it’s a little browned.

turn off/down the heat, crack your eggs on top and add the pasta water, and mix well. this should make a creamy sauce. (sometimes I overcook it and the eggs cook a little, but it’s still really good this way anyways)

add salt, LOTS of pepper, your toppings, and go to town

This is a yummy, high-protein vegetarian snack that only requires a 1 tbsp measuring spoon and a regular spoon (or just a regular spoon if you’re okay with eyeballing the measurements).

You need:

1 5.3 oz cup of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt 2 tbsp peanut butter powder– I haven’t tried mixing regular PB with yogurt so IDK how difficult that might be 1 tbsp grape jelly/jam

Recipe for when you are able to supervise the stove for ~15 minutes. Can be made with exclusively shelf stable ingredients

Ingredients for one big or two small portions:

200 grams of pasta

1 can / 400g of chopped tomatoes (some stores sell once with garlic already in it)

1 splash balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons italian spice mix or oregano, basil, and thyme

garlic in some form (powder, frozen, paste, whatever works for you)(approximately ½ to one teaspoon)

salt(start with ¼ teaspoon, add to taste)

pepper(start with ¼ teaspoon, add to taste)

½ teaspoon of sugar

bit of grated parmesan if you’re feeling fancy

Instructions: 

Make pasta according to package instructions

dump everything else in a small pot, set heat to medium - high. stir occasionally. 

when the sauce has reached a texture you like, test taste, add spices if necessary.

But if you don't have the energy to cook meat, you can use pre-made (like a rotisserie chicken or summer sausage) if available or go the vegetarian route and toss on some frozen vegetables.