Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Simple Skillet Meals

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Is it just me, or when the weather starts to get really warm, there’s just a longing to be outside in the sunshine rather than in a hot kitchen preparing a lengthy meal? Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’d just turn on the AC if I needed to whip up something strenuous, but lately I’ve been trying to come up with some short and sweet recipes that can get you in and out of the kitchen in a snap!

Enter, simple skillet meals.

I created these based on one of my favorite grocery store bargain buys—frozen vegetables. Wait, are you thinking, “Oh I prefer fresh produce due to the nutritional content?” Well get this, nutritionally speaking, frozen veggies are similar to -- and sometimes better than -- fresh ones. This makes sense, considering that these veggies are usually flash-frozen (which suspends their "aging" and nutrient losses) immediately after being harvested. Frozen veggies are often picked in the peak of their season, too.

So what I’ll do is start in the frozen section, find a frozen veggie blend and then head to the meat section to find what would best pair with it to make a complete meal—easy, fun, fast, AND cheap! And if you don’t eat meat, you can always head to the tofu, canned beans, or meat substitutes, such as Boca.

((Each skillet serves one, but can be easily doubled or tripled))

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In a Snap Teriyaki Steak Skillet

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz cubed top round steak

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  • 1 (14 oz bag) PictSweet Dluxe Teriyaki Vegetables with Sweet Soy Glaze

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Directions:

  • Spray small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium.
  • Once skillet is hot, add in cubed steak and cook for 4-6  minutes until almost cooked through, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in 1 1/3 cups teriyaki vegetable mix + 1/3 c water and continue cooking on medium heat until steak has reached desired doneness, water has evaporated, and vegetables are cooked through.

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  • Serving suggestions: sliced steam potato and steamed baby carrots.

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Minute Mexican Pork Skillet

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz cubed pork chop

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  • 1 (12 oz) bag of New Age All Naturals Southwest Fiesta Blend Frozen Vegetables

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  • 1/2 c of frozen assorted bell pepper strips (I got these from Trader Joe’s)

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Directions:

  • Spray small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium.
  • Once skillet is hot, add in cubed pork and cook for 4-6  minutes until almost cooked through, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in bell pepper strips and 3/4 c frozen southwest vegetable blend.
  • Lower heat to low and cover skillet for about 5 minutes, or until pork is no longer pink and vegetables are cooked through.

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    Serving suggestions: steamed butternut squash slices(sprinkled with chili powder) and steamed baby carrots.

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    What are your favorite skillet meals?

  • 9 comments:

    Meg said...

    Anything with steak is amazing - I love teryaki stir fries! This post is wonderful, I'll be coming back here to get quick dinner ideas!

    Happy Wednesday girl!
    Meg

    Jenny said...

    oh wow, these are just perfect for summer time! In the warmer months my dinner fare usually includes burgers and sandwiches... I need to branch out!

    Krista said...

    A hit in my house is chicken breast, rice and salsa with cheese on top. There's never any leftovers when I make that!! ;)

    Meredith (Pursuing Balance) said...

    I make simple skillet meals with frozen veggies too! Seriously, they are so perfect for when you get home from a long school day. They take hardly any time to make at all!

    Jessica said...

    These look great! I love easy dinners!

    The Purple Carrot said...

    Hi! :)

    Just wanted to come over to your blog to say I'm glad we're Facebook friends ; )

    Sook said...

    The stirfry looks delicious!

    Jessica said...

    You're so right about how great frozen veggies are. I don't give them enough credit.

    Anonymous said...

    frozen veggies have been my salvation through the college years. without them, I think I would be consuming V8 for dinner nutrients! (I'm still not into using real heat to eat; the microwave has been provider)