Quick And Easy Make Overs For Packaged Foods

We all live busy lives and have so much to do, and there are times when we just don't feel like really cooking, and we don't want to order out, or that is not an option.

I myself live alone and I am not always in the mood to cook a real meal for myself. I also cook for a living at my job, so I don't always want to come home and do it all over again. I tend to buy packaged meals that I can add my own ingredients to and add more flavor to the meal.

I tend to buy a lot of Ramen noodles which I found adding cheese, such as sharp, Swiss, jalapeno and monetray jack gives it a nice creamy flavor, plus I like to slice up a few cherry tomatoes and toss those in as well, when I have them on hand, .

I also buy boxed Mac and Cheese and add extra cheese to it as well, which kicks it up a notch, plus I use half & half instead of milk. I buy the instant Mac and cheese in the small one serving containers, and do the same thing with the cheese as well.

I am a big fan of Steak Umms. I love them! I make quesadilla's with them, and better yet, I just found out the meat department has fresh shaved beef!! Also if you have leftover Taco meat or chicken, you can use that as well .I even use steak umms or fresh shaved beef to make a croissant sandwich with cheese. I like to add Steak Umms to my homemade pizza, as well ( yes pizza is one thing I like to make homemade. I don't like frozen pizza at all). You can also add Steak Umms to a can of Beefaroni . Brown up the steak umms in the microwave for about a minute, add the the Beefaroni with some cheese of your choice, heat it up in the microwave or your stove top, and you have just made a plain can of Beefaroni a little more tasty. You can also add Steak Umms to leftover rice, add some chives and a little garlic powder for added flavor. If you have leftover green peas throw them in also. Now you have a whole different dish. Maybe make garlic toast on the side.

I also like making steak umms or shaved beef on an egg & cheese English muffin. I also like to buy canned Chili Con Carne and then I will boil up some elbow macaroni and mix it up together, and of course add some cheese on top. I also tend to buy frozen Burritos and cook them for about 1 minute, unroll it and add cheese and salsa, roll it back up and heat til the cheese is melted. Oh so good, and it just transforms the plain old flavor.

You can also make beef patties ( Jamaican beef patties, which you can get at the Indian corner stores) like that. I also adore collard greens , but don't always have time to make them from scratch, so I buy a bag of frozen collard greens and bake up some bacon in the oven. ( I use tin foil on a baking sheet), this way I don't have to wash the baking sheet, and it saves a lot of clean up time. Then I chop the onions, saute them , add the collard greens, bacon, chicken broth, garlic, hot sauce and simmer until they done, and if you are in a real hurry or don't have bacon, just use Baco's if you have them on hand. Baco's should be a pantry staple, as you can add them to so many dishes.

Another packaged meal that you can kick up a notch, is Lipton Noodles. Depending on the flavor you choose, the possibilities are endless. And quick hint here , Green Giant vegetable steamers go really well mixed in with the Lipton noodles. And it makes a super quick meal! I love coming up with my little concoctions with Lipton noodles. And they are not even that expensive, especially if they are on sale. By all means stock up on them! They will come in handy, and they are a good pantry item, because they have a good shelf life.

Do you like scrambled egg ? Are you bored with plain eggs? Well you can chop up some pepperoni and add to the eggs, and add cheese. If you have cherry tomatoes throw some sliced one in as well. You can also toast an english muffin and put the eggs on that for a quick sandwich !

. With a little imagination we can all "spiff" up everyday packaged meals. You will save money as well as a lot of time in the kitchen. Also a good thing to remember is that tin foil and throw a way aluminium pans can be our best friends, when we don't feel like doing dishes. So there you have it, some of my quick meal ideas for packaged foods. I hope this has helped you out when thinking about what to make on a busy night! So with these few quick ideas you can now have a little extra time to relax.