Easy Recipes for Nursing Students

I like to cook in batches and freeze things for later to save time. If we all post easy recipes, it should help us get through nursing school.

[Commanderzoom]

Crock Pot Chili

4 cans red kidney beans

2 cans black beans

2 green peppers

1 onion

chili seasoning

2 cans diced tomatos

2 cans tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup sugar (trust me, it makes it taste better)

Brown ground beef and drain off fat. Dice green peppers and onion, then saute in butter or olive oil. Drain juice from beans. Throw all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for about 8 hours. Divide into portions and stick in the freezer.

Crock Pot Spaghetti

2lbs ground beef

2 cans diced tomatos

2 cans tomato sauce

2 cans tomato paste

Italian seasoning

2 onions

2 green peppers

2 zucchini squash

2 yellow squash

1 pack celery

Brown ground beef and drain off fat. Dice onion, green peppers, and celery & slice squash--saute in olive oil or butter. Throw everything into the crockpot for about 8 hours. Divide into portions and freeze. You'll just have to boil the noodles when you're ready to eat.

[tokidoki7, ASN, RN]

My favorite dish to eat when the weather becomes chilly:

Meatball Vegetable Soup-

1 can (18.5 oz) ready-to-eat French onion soup

1 can (14.5 oz) sliced potatoes, drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano

1 pgk (10 oz) of frozen mixed vegetables

12 frozen cocktail-size meatballs, halved

In large pot, combine the ingredients and 1/8 tsp of pepper. Cover over high heat, bring to a boil. Cook until meatballs are heated through and flavors have blended 15 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with chopped parsley.all

[tokidoki7, ASN, RN]

Another favorite recipe:

Chunky Cabbage Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 carrot, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

10-oz bag shredded coleslaw or cabbage

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 small green bell pepper, sliced thin

15 oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

10 package frozen corn

15 oz can diced tomatoes

48 oz low-fat, no-salt, chicken broth

In large pot, heat oil. Add onion, carrot, garlic, cabbage, salt and pepper; cover and cook until softened, 4 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, chickpeas, corn, tomatoes, and broth. Cover; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer a bout 7 minutes, or cook until of desired tenderness. Delicious with warm corn bread.

[CrufflerJJ, RN]

I posted some of my favorite recipes over on Allnurses Central back in July. See:

http://allnurses-central.com/share-your-recipes/allnurses-cooks-325065-page4.html

[ProudRN2B]

i do crock pot recipes on sunday's and freeze leftovers for the easy dinner nights...

here's a few of my favorites...

taco soup

2 pounds ground beef

2 cups diced onions

2 cans pinto beans

[color=#3d3d3d]1 can black beans

[color=#3d3d3d]1 can whole kernel corn, drained

[color=#3d3d3d]1 can mexican-style stewed tomatoes

[color=#3d3d3d]1 can diced tomatoes

[color=#3d3d3d]1 can rotel

[color=#3d3d3d]2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles

[color=#3d3d3d]1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix

[color=#3d3d3d]1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

[color=#3d3d3d]brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. to serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos. we top with fritos instead of tortilla chips.

[color=#3d3d3d]

[color=#3d3d3d]http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zesty-slow-cooker-chicken-barbecue/detail.aspx

[color=#3d3d3d]http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-buffalo-chicken-sandwiches/detail.aspx

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[color=#3d3d3d]

[shakeytails]

One of my favorites-

Mushroom Stew

Into crockpot put-

1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1" chunks (or whatever lean pork is on sale)

2 small packages of sliced 'shrooms

2 big bell peppers, cut into big slices

1 generous tsp of Italian seasoning

Dump one large can of tomato sauce over the top. Don't bother stirring it in.

Cover and cook until the pork is tender- about 8 hours on low depending on the Crockpot.

This is absolutely delicious served with fresh baked French or Italian bread from the supermarket.

Shepherd's Pie

Cook ground beef with some chopped onions and a splash of Worcheshire sauce. Put cooked beef in the bottom of a casserole dish. Dump a bag of mixed frozen veggies (I use corn and peas)over the top of the beef. Layer a couple/few pieces of cheese over the veggies. Make enough instant mashed potatoes to layer over the top of the cheese. Cook at 350 until heated through- about 35 minutes depending on the size of your casserole dish. This freezes well if you intend to make meals ahead of time.

[Agrippa]

Wow, all I have to offer is this.

I just take a bunch of chicken breast, chop it into strips, marinade it with whatever you want, then grill it. I then store it in the fridge for up to like a week (prob shouldn't but it works for me.) Another source of protein for me is tuna, tofu, and sometimes lean beef.

Then for carbs I usually make a lot of rice and/or spaghetti and put the leftovers in the fridge.

[shakeytails]

Wow, all I have to offer is this.

I just take a bunch of chicken breast, chop it into strips, marinade it with whatever you want, then grill it. I then store it in the fridge for up to like a week (prob shouldn't but it works for me.) Another source of protein for me is tuna, tofu, and sometimes lean beef.

Then for carbs I usually make a lot of rice and/or spaghetti and put the leftovers in the fridge.

I marinate stuff for several days as well, it hasn't killed me yet. Usually I take the easy way out and just use plain Italian salad dressing as a marinade. You don't have to cut up the chicken/beef/pork unless you want to. Whole bone-in chicken breast is great on the grill after it's been soaking a couple of days. When London broil was cheap I used to marinate it for days as well before grilling (I can't figure out beef prices- london broil and flank steak are some of the toughest pieces of meat available, yet the supermarkets want $4-5/lb for the stuff!).

If you want a high carb, too-much-salt side dish, make some potatoes. Slice a couple of potatoes not quite all the way thru and nuke them until they're done or almost done. Put them on a big piece of foil, add some sliced onions, a glob of margarine and sprinkle with a package of onion soup mix. Wrap them up in the foil and let 'em cook on the grill while you're cooking the meat. I love 'em!

[mkblakley07]

Wow, all I have to offer is this.

I just take a bunch of chicken breast, chop it into strips, marinade it with whatever you want, then grill it. I then store it in the fridge for up to like a week (prob shouldn't but it works for me.) Another source of protein for me is tuna, tofu, and sometimes lean beef.

Then for carbs I usually make a lot of rice and/or spaghetti and put the leftovers in the fridge.

Well, with your chicken strips, you could throw together a stir fry easy... You don't have to be creative.. HEB sells frozen stir fry veggies and the premade sauces for almost every persons taste, all ya gotta do it throw it in a pan and cook it :wink2:. Would go great w/the rice as a carb source too. And I bet it would be freezable...

Also, I make breakfast burritos and freeze them for those early mornings...

Here's what I do:

I scramble 24 eggs (I put cheese in them)

I cook a package of bacon (or you can do chorizo)

I fry some cubed potatoes up (a whole lot, so I can put as much as I want in the burritos :) )

I get those gigantic tortillas (I bet the flavored ones like the jalapeno or sundried tom. ones would be good too, but I use plain flour tortillas)

I put one strip of bacon, some eggs, some more cheese and potatoes in each tortilla, roll them up, then get cling wrap and individually wrap each one.

Then I put them all in a freezable zip loc bag and put the date on them (just in case it takes a while to eat them... I don't like old burrito....yuck!)

Then, when you want to eat one in the morning, just pop one in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and go!

[shakeytails]

Those breakfast burritos sound great! They've got to be better than the couple of slices of toast that I often settle for as I'm in a hurry to get to class or work.

[newbebop, ADN, BSN, MSN]

not so much a recipe, but some tips I am working on.

prep work on the weekends, and now, before it gets crazy. ;-)

When I buy veggies, I try to get them quick and ready right away. A head of cauliflower will go to waste if left whole. (and take up more room) but if I cut it and bag it, hubby will remember to get it out if I am not around. Or I have a quick snack on the go. This applies to most fresh veggies. I also try to have some other prep work done and available for quick grab. Dicing an onion...do two and throw the other in the freezer, ready to be tossed into another dish.

it is also nice to have on hand those easy, 20 min or less type meals. even though they aren't the best nutritionally, they still beat out fast food and can be dressed up with a bag salad. ;-) I have a couple of bags of frozen raviolii in the freezer and pasta sauce on hand. And breakfast for dinner is always fun.

it will be interesting to see how it comes together. My husband's cooking is limited to mac and cheese and PB and J. which I am sure will eventually find their way into our dinner rotation. ;-)