To make the meal with fish: Note: You don’t need to thaw anything. Just put stuff in the oven, check it until done, cook the potato in the microwave. On a baking sheet, put frozen vegetable in a layer. Top with frozen fish fillets. Add seasonings. Cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Flip fish, return to oven, and increase temperature to 450 degrees. While fish finishes cooking, wash a baking (russet) potato. Prick with a fork several times, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave for about 5 minutes. Turn and microwave for another 4 minutes or so until done. (The total amount of cooking time depends on your microwave and the number of potatoes.) When baking potato is finished (about 10 minutes from step 3), it’s time to check the fish. Flip it over again and cook for another 5 minutes or until done. To make the meal with chicken: Note: Same as with the fish, you don’t need to thaw anything, just set everything in the oven. On a baking sheet, put frozen boneless chicken breasts in a layer. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip chicken, add seasonings and frozen vegetables, and cook for 15 minutes. Flip chicken and cook for 10 minute more. While chicken is finishing, microwave the baked potato. Baked Potato Bar You can add just about anything on top of a baked potato, but this list might help you brainstorm. Herbs and seasonings: Salt and pepper Chopped fresh basil, cilantro, oregano, dill Crushed red pepper Chopped chives Fats: Butter (whipped, herbed, garlic) Olive oil Sour cream Cheeses: Cheddar or jack Crumbled blue or feta Grated Parmesan Meats: Chili Taco meat Chicken or beef fajita Pulled pork Crumbled bacon Chopped ham Chopped salami or pepperoni Vegetables: Sauteed or caramelized onions Chopped scallions or red onions Creamed spinach Blanched and chopped broccoli Grilled corn Sauteed mushrooms Grilled onions Sliced canned or fresh jalapenos Thawed frozen peas Sauces: Salsa BBQ sauce Gravy Alfredo sauce Nacho cheese Ranch salad dressing Marinara sauce Pesto Soup + Rice Casseroles Don’t forget all the casseroles you can make that are basically uncooked rice mixed with canned condensed soup and optionally some meat and then cooked in the oven. Putting everything in a dish takes about 3 minutes or so, then you’re just letting it sit in the oven. If you get the store brand of condensed soup, the price is even cheaper. And remember, these recipes usually make 4 to 6 servings, so depending on your family size you’ll have leftovers (no cooking the next meal!) Below are a few example recipes to get you started, and then you can modify them as you wish depending on what you have on hand. Rice casserole This is the bare-bones recipe. In my opinion, the butter is optional (if you use butter or margarine, remember it can be melted in the microwave). 1 cup rice 2/3 cup melted butter 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 ½ soup cans of water Mix all ingredients together. Pour in a buttered casserole and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. If mixture becomes dry, add more water. Chicken rice casserole Look this one over to see how a similar recipe can be made with chicken. 1 ½ c. uncooked rice ½ c. water 1 can onion soup 1 chicken, cut up Pepper 1 can cream of chicken soup Spread rice in buttered 4-quart casserole; pour water and onion soup over rice. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side up, on rice and soup mixture. Spoon chicken soup over chicken. Cover; bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Tuna rice casserole One can of condensed cheddar cheese soup One can of tuna, drained About 4/5 of the empty soup can filled with milk 1 ½ cups of uncooked rice Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish Whisk together the soup and milk in a large bowl Stir in the tuna and cooked rice Bake in 375-degree oven until bubbly, about 30-40 minutes Let it set for 15 minutes before serving Potato-Based Casseroles There are also lots of casseroles you can make that require nothing more than slicing some potatoes, layering them with a few more items in a dish, and setting it in the oven. Here are a few to get you started. Pork chops with potatoes and onions 3 potatoes 3 onions Salt and pepper 6 pork chops, ½-inch thick 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup Peel and slice potatoes and onions into 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of chops; lay on top of vegetables. Spoon soup onto chops and potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until done. Package steak supper This one doesn’t even require a dish to cook in, but be careful because the package contents will be hot. One 1 ½ lb chuck steak, 1-inch thick 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix 1 tsp. steak sauce 3 carrots, quartered 2 stalks celery, cut into sticks 2 to 3 medium potatoes, halved 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine ½ tsp. salt Place meat in center of a large piece of foil; sprinkle with onion soup mix and steak sauce. Cover steak with vegetables; dot with butter and sprinkle with salt. Fold foil over meat and seal securely. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours or until done. Ham and potato meal-in-a-dish 1 lb. sliced ham 2 large potatoes, sliced thin 1 large onion, sliced thin 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup milk (optional) Grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese Brown the ham on both sides and place in casserole. Cover with alternate layers of potatoes and onion until all are used. Dot with butter and season. Add the milk. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. (Optional) Top with grated cheese and brown.