prepare yourself for some ugly delicious food photography….
unfortunately I am not using my quarantine time to get any better with that!

I’m sure I am not the only person sick of cooking (and more sick of cleaning) but it seems to be all I do these days.
I swear I’m one dishwasher-unloading from a psychotic break.

Something that has helped tremendously is my Instant Pot that I am no longer afraid of (that release valve is terrifying the first time you switch it) OR a slow cooker.  If I could have all meals delivered to me and eaten in bed, I would. #lazy.

For the instant pot I find the time to cook from (duh) Google, but here’s some links:
(different people recommend different times but it always has worked for me)
Cooking Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot
Cooking Fresh Chicken Breasts in the Instant
Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot

And for a slow cooker, the easiest recipe in the world is chicken.  You can use just chicken + water, or chicken and stock, or chicken and salsa, or add a bunch of beans and veggies.  You get the point.  Google and a slow cooker/instant pot are your best friend right now if you are anything like me and shooting daggers at your husband every time he asks what’s for dinner as you are unloading the dishwasher for the second time that day.

So, some easy meals I’ve been making on repeat:

:: High Protein Red Lentil Pasta Dishes :: 
We’ve been making a lot of pasta, some with meat and some vegetarian.
I love to use Red Lentil pasta (Barilla Rotini is my favorite… I tried the Tolerant brand which has the exact same ingredient – red lentil – and we HATED it.  For me, I prefer Red Lentil Pasta much better than Chickpea Pasta if you are using a higher protein healthier pasta option.)
Of course, REGULAR PASTA would make all of these even more delicious.
I just feel better about things smothered in alfredo sauce if I can say “it’s high protein pasta and there are veggies in it” if ya know what I mean.

The thing that makes this quick and easy and delicious is Rao’s Alfredo sauce – it is all real ingredients and packs so much flavor.  It is AMAZING.  If you have had Rao’s red sauce, you know there is no better sauce in the world.  It’s hands down incredible.  Nothing can beat Rao’s.
I like pesto, too, but Rao’s is where it’s at.

I serve it with Chicken and Broccoli, and lately have been using frozen broccoli instead of fresh because it’s what I’ve been able to find.  I’ll add the broccoli to the pasta water to cook it or you can steam it in the bag and then just toss it into the boiling water at the end of the cooking time for the pasta.

Other frozen veggies I’ve been adding in later are peas and peppers.
I love the peas and peppers when we do ground spicy sausage!

And I am parmesan obsessed so top this all of with LOTS of  grated parmesan!
(I top it with wayyyyy more than this, but I posed a picture one time of how much parmesan I use on instagram and got a lot of “damn!!!! that’s a lot of cheese!” commentary and I don’t have time for that kind of negativity in my life.

(This is also just as good with pesto and veggies.
I make it with ground sausage, pesto and peas for Kip as an easy dinner.)

:: Tacos :: 
RIVETING meal idea I know…. just being honest because it’s happening A LOT.
We do shells or I’ll do a salad if I’ve eaten 17 slices of banana bread that day.

:: Egg Salad ::
I’ve been making lots of Egg Salad with variations of How Sweet Eats recipe.
I never have fresh herbs and I’ll use more mustard, both greek yogurt and mayo, etc, but it’s always always good.  I love the addition of the pickle juice!
I make the hard boiled eggs in the instant pot and it makes it so easy.  Easiest egg you’ll ever peel!

:: Chili ::
I think we have made this chili recipe from SkinnyTaste about 7 times.
I double the amount of the tomato sauce and use red kidney beans, but everything else I pretty much follow the recipe.
I have done it with turkey and with beef, and have doubled the recipe as well.  It always turns out great and couldn’t be easier.

:: BBQ Chicken :: 
Once a week I am making BBQ Chicken in the instant pot and serving it with Sweet Potato and a veggie.
You can easily do this in the crockpot too! (Crockpot chicken is the easiest way to make chicken ever!)

I bake the sweet potatoes in the oven at 425 for 45-60 minutes (depending on the size).
For Instant Pot Chicken: depending on weight of chicken, I cook 10-15 minutes with 1 cup chicken broth and let the pressure release. Then shred. You can do this in a crock pot just as easily too if you have a little more time (3-4 hours).
You’ll have chicken to use for the week for bowls, salads, you name it. If you have frozen chicken you can cook it from frozen in the instant pot, too! Just google “frozen instant pot chicken” to see the right number of minutes, but I’ve done 12-15 minutes high pressure.

:: Protein Pancakes or Waffles ::
I keep seeing people making 3 ingredient banana pancakes on instagram and I just need to say, NO.  Not for me.  No thank you.  I prefer my pancakes to taste like pancakes, and my bananas used to make a butter and sugar filled banana bread.
My recipe is the same for the pancakes and the waffles,
it’s just SO fast and easy if you have a waffle maker!
You can make it savory with cream cheese and everything but the bagel seasoning (my pregnancy favorite).  Or sweet with syrup OR cream cheese and jelly (my other pregnancy favorite was Greek Cream Cheese with Grape Jelly!)
Depending on what protein powder you use, adjust the amount for the right consistency.
I use Tone It Up Protein powder and use a 1 + 1/3 of a scoop or 1 + 1/2 scoops.

as a waffle it makes 3 waffles in my waffle maker.
I also like to make them sweet or savory with cream cheese and jelly or with cream cheese and everything but the bagel seasoning (I can hear my mom cringing now, but don’t knock it til you try it!)

:: Turkey Meatballs :: 
You can easily make these with beef too! So easy – I’ll use garlic powder/onion powder/all dry herbs because I don’t have any fresh and they taste just as great!
I have a big batch of these currently in the freezer because I AM SICK OF COOKING and want a night or two off 🙂

:: Cauliflower Crust Pizza :: 
We found these at Costco and they get very crispy and super delicious.

FROZEN PIZZA?!?!
Mind boggling “recipes” from me.
You’re welcome.

:: Turkey Roll Ups :: 
It’s like a deconstructed Turkey Sandwich.
Turkey + Cheese, Pickles, Avocado – toss some hot sauce and everything but the bagel seasoning on there if you like.  I’ll add cottage cheese for more protein.  And as always, serve with a huge side of Whisps Parmesan chips (my addiction – you can get them at Costco in a huge bag).
I’ve been eating these pre-quarantine like crazy too,
but these days I don’t have my Crepini Egg Thins Cauliflower Shells so I just do the turkey.

:: Garbage Salads :: 
My go-to, but I haven’t been able to have this every day anymore for lunch because I’m not going to the store as often and don’t have as much fresh produce.  I know you’ve seen this 9,000 times.
I do chicken, chicken fingers, or black bean burgers on top of spinach (I cut up the spinach really well) with avocado, cucumber, chickpea, hearts of palm, tomato, ANY veggie you can get your hands on.
I like to do red wine vinegar + dijon mustard or pesto as a healthy dressing.
I like Dr. Praegers Black Bean Burgers best – also like Morningstar Spicy Chipotle Black Bean.

:: No Bake Energy Bites ::
I’ve made lots of different energy bites recipes and all of them are super similar.
Recently I’ve been making Gimme Some Oven’s recipe (minus the coconut) 

:: Desserts :: 
Obviously, the quarantine staple is Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.  It’s my new addiction.

I’ve made it into muffins recently with is great for individual portions (and easy to freeze and thaw in small batches).
I baked them for 18 minutes,
so it’s also nice to have them done much faster than the hour and 10 minutes the loaf needs!

I have done it with gluten free flour, coconut sugar, different milks and it always always turns out!

And Delava Baklava.  It’s my long standing addiction of the past year.

(it does not taste like Rose Water, it just tastes like Baklava! Don’t let the label fool you!)

Tell me what you are cooking, eating, microwaving, opening a box and eating!
I need some new meal ideas!!!!
And you can always find more easy eats under the FOOD tab under WELLNESS!

Hope you’re all staying healthy and sane!!!!