Easy Cooked Meals?

I think one of the largest problems with me losing weight usually has to come down to convenience.  I come home for lunch, and I can either cook something nice (which means a lot of work and time spent), or I can eat something bad for me, but is easier and less time consuming.

So to wrap up, do you have any suggestions for easy to cook/clean recipes that are quick and cheap?  /impossible_request

I made something fast and easy today.  I combined 1/2 cup each canned black beans and canned stewed tomatoes, both no salt added.  I keep a container of pre chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper on hand so I added some of that.  I microwaved it for 5 minutes, then tasted and seasoned with some salsa (Trader Joe's fire roasted, low sodium)  Then I prepared 1 cup whole wheat cous cous (1/4 cup dry cous cous and 1 cup boiling water) and put half of it on top of the bean mixture, drizzled on a tablespoon of olive oil to balance it all out, and microwaved it for a minute. 

I froze the leftover canned beans, tomatoes and cous cous separately.

It was very tasty and got a nutritional grade of A, with 443 calories - a huge serving that I couldn't finish.  I could see making a whole casserole of this and finishing it in the oven with a little shredded low fat cheese on top. 

You could get really creative with bean/grain mixtures like this.   

claire,  that sounds great! I think you can never go wrong with combining tomatoes, any whole grain, and any kind of beans. It's healthy, cheap, fast and versatile!

Do the prep work ahead of time. Cut up vegetables, meat, measure everything out, put it in the refrigerator and when you get home just throw it into the pan/pot/oven. Trader Joe's makes it easy for you by cutting out the prep work. If you're just making an individual portion, it shouldn't take that long to cook something once its all measure and prepared.

You can save a portion of last night's dinner in a handy plastic container, and just heat it up. Also, there are plenty of convenience foods, such as canned soups and frozen entrees that aren't as bad for you, and have good nutrition.

I like making a nice big crockpot full of a stew or soup, then portioning it up and freezing it. You have your own frozen lunches and/or dinners that are better for you and cheaper too. 

One of the best suggestions I got on this site was to plan my meals in advance. That makes it harder to cheat, and easier to stick to good nutrition and lower calories. This, too, is less expensive than impulse buying fast food or prepared food.