Cooking Made Easy

So as I go along on my little healthy eating, high horse, I know what everyone is thinking-must be nice when you have the time and money to be holier than thou. But the reality is, I have neither time nor money-they simply are not allocated to something I still don't like very much. So here are my shortcuts to health-IER (not healthy eating since I still have those chocolate bars)!
1. Get the right cooking materials. My pots and pans had been with me so long, I had no idea where I got them. So I bit the bullet and invested in a huge pan with lid, and 2 really good pots. Guess who can boil water now in under a half an hour?!?! The new cookware has made a huge difference in what I am willing to cook.
2. Be realistic about your skills/goals. I hate to cook-have I mentioned that? If a recipe has to many ingredients, or to many exotic ingredients, I will never try it. One or two, weird things, yes. Experimentation can be fun. But using gas for an hour's car ride, because that is where the speciality store is, just takes away from the experience (and adds to the cost.)
3. I read something recently that summed up the whole organic experience for me-if you can't afford to go total organic (or find everything organic in your area), pick the things that matter most to you. Because washing of pesticides is easier than extracting hormones from my meat, I am way more pickier about the beef, chicken, pork I buy than where my carrot came from. It was aslo easy to get organic eggs. Also, thinking of animals being mistreated makes me feel worse than thinking my lettuce was mistreated. But that's me. if you don't eat beef in the first place, what's the point of worrying where it came from? Eating healthier isn't about dieting-it is about how we live and therefore should be done in a manner that we can maintain.
So, here are some super quick recipes I have learned over the years. I don't know the calorie content, sugar content, or what vitamins are there. These are just things that are helathier than Burger King, cheaper than a sit-down eatery, and easy to cook.

A. In a non-stick cooking pan, through in equal parts water and salsa. Toss in chicken thighs. Bring to boil, turn down to simmer, cook till thighs are done (about 25 minutes thawed, 35 minutes if frozen).
Obviously there is a lot of variation. More thighs, more salsa/water. The chicken doesn't pick up the spicy-ness of the salsa to much, but different kinds of salsa will change the flavor.
B. Tacos. I thought this one was so easy, everyone must do it. But in fact, few people do. Cook your meat, heat your beans, add vegies of choice, heat the shells. I am the slowest cooker I know, and even I can have dinner ready in half an hour (less if I forget the onions.) Added bonus: no grease dripping down my arm like you find at some taco places.
C. Vegetarian Bean Soup. Okay, I add hamburger so this is no longer vegie-only in my house. But pick your 4-5 favorite beans, rinse. Throw in a pot with 1 cup salsa, 1 can chicken broth, some cumin and corriander to taste, cooked meat of choice, and heat. In this recipe, the hot-ness of the salsa matters!! I also had someone tell me to try it with ham instead of hamburger. Other variations: sausage, no onions, top with sour cream. (I have over-cooked before and jsut added more chicken broth.)
D.Top Ramen. A lot fo people I know gave this up after college. And the nutrtion content of the noodles can't be all that high. But this is another no brainer I thought everyone did and a lot of people I talk to don't. Make your ramen and add stuff-vegie's of choice, meat of choice, extra spices, eggs, etc. I have added shrimp (which wasn't so hot) to chicken(which was awesome). On a cold night, when I am dog tired, this is perfect.
E. Peas in Shell tossed in honey. I don't remember the exact amounts in this but if I remember right, all I did was cook my peas in a little butter (or butter subsitute), and stir in just enough honey to coat them. It was yummy.