I grew up in a chicken, rice and broccoli house. At least 3 nights a week we had some combination of those three things, so I always have a bag of individually frozen chicken breasts, some frozen broccoli and rice (at least 2 different types) on hand.  I moaned about it as a kid, but now I'm busily working too, I see how useful this holy trilogy can be.  I then just dress that stuff up with what's in the pantry (stir fry sauces, marinades, canned beans or tomotoes, etc).  I find a bag of fresh spinach can also be a life saver!

That is a great idea. It would be great way to use my rice cooker. 

What about dinner for breakfast?  Is that a good fallback plan?  I mean you already have steak and eggs, why not hamburgers and eggs?

The cheddar and sausage is awesome. I like having omlettes for dinner ecspecially with picante sauce poured over the !!!!!!!!

 Did you mean breakfast for dinner? We have waffles or pancakes in our house a couple times a month. Kids love it!

I always try to keep a bag of frozen chicken breasts in the freezer to make my favorite emergency meal.  Lay 4 to 6 chicken breasts in a 9 X 13 inch baking pan.  Spread a can of cream of mushroom soup over them.  Grate 2 cups of your favorite cheese and sprinkle that over the chicken and soup.  Then I make a box or two of stuffing mix according to the directions but 1/2 cup short of water.  Spread this over the whole cassarole and pop in the oven for 1 hour.  Its a great warm meal in a hurry.  Hope you enjoy it. 

what oven temp?

I usually keep a bag of frozen cooked ravioli and my favorite jarred pasta sauce on hand. I put them together in a casserole dish with some grated mozzarella and  bake for 20 min at 400 F. Yummy baked cheese ravioli. You can also add some frozen meatballs in the casserole under the cheese.

Something I also make is Turkey kielbasa and bavarian style kraut. Just brown the sausage in  a skillet being careful not to burn and then cover with a can of bavarian style kraut. Add 2 tbsp of butter to the skillet and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve with honey mustard and good hot dog rolls from the bakery.

Anything Mexican is fast and easy. Just brown some chopped meat with some taco seasoning. Then chop some onions, tomatoes and shred some lettuce and place on a platter. Heat the taco shells or burrito wrappers and serve family style with some sour cream, shredded cheddar or jack cheese and  salsa on the side. If you like taco salad just add lettuce, tomatoes, onions and broken tortilla chips to a large bowl. Add some hot taco meat and shredded  cheese and mix together. Combine equal amounts of sour cream and salsa and use as a dressing. Serve immediately.

English muffin pizzas were always a hit when I was a kid and my grown teenagers ask for them often. Split one package of English muffins in half and spoon one tablespoon of jarred pizza sauce over each of them . Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and some pepperoni or canned mushrooms. Bake at 400F for about 10-15 min until cheese is bubbly.

In our house it is always "Tater Tot Cassarole".......We always have at least 3 of the 4 ingredients on hand.  It is very simple to make.  Heat tater tots according to bag directions in a 13 X 9 cake pan.  Brown 1 1/2 lbs. hamburger ( we use ground turkey) with some chopped onion, or just season with onion powder if you don't have onion.  Drain, add 1 can cream soup, we use cream of chicken, but you can use cream of mushroom, cream of celery for a different taste.  Pour the meat mixture over the cooked tater tots and cover with shredded cheese.  We generally use mild to sharp chedder but I guess you can use Monterey Jack, or even Mozzerella.  Pop it back into the oven and heat it about 10 mins or till the cheese is melted. 

Jen

I like to make indoor barbeque chicken: Layer a 13x9-inch pan with aluminum foil (or grease it; I like the foil because it saves on clean up). Lightly oil the aluminum (keeps the chicken from sticking). Put a small amount of barbeque sauce in the bottom of the pan. Lay the leg quarters in the pan. Pour enough barbecue sauce to cover the chicken. Cover the pan with more aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (or until done). Serve with salad, biscuits or bread and mashed potatoes seasoned with a bit of garlic powder. If you put it on your best dishes, this simple meal becomes a party. Your family will love a mid-week party. Don't forget to use the good glasses for your sweet tea or iced water!

BTW, this works great with pork chops, too!

Thanks for a great idea PattyMarie.  I will definately be trying it in the near future.  Can you use any chicken parts?  Meaning if I have a whole cut-up chicken would that work?  Would I need to adjust anything?

Any chicken parts work, as do pork chops, steaks, & ribs...just adjust your cooking time. Chicken breasts take a bit more time. I'd suggest checking doneness with a meat thermometer for any meat other than chicken. A word of caution...lift the foil on the side away from you before checking for doneness. Steam builds up inside and you could get a burn if you open on the side closest to you.

 HOW ABOUT FIVE ALARM CHILI  ??

  YOU COULD  USE  jar OF SALSA the chunky kind 

as you brown the meat you are cooking the rice 

and well when you combine every thing add extra hot sauce 

i think Paul neuman's salsa is perfect for this quick meal

you could also make up some cornbread and offer salad--- in a bag--fast  adding onion mushrooms  with just 

red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing   I said 5 alarm because you said emergency meal ROFL

One of my favorite fallback dinners is meatballs with egg noodles. I usually just make a sauce of jarred beef gravy, cream of mushroom soup, milk, a couple of beef bullion cubes and a splash of worchestershire sauce (more or less depending on your tastes.) I just heat the frozen meatballs in the sauce, boil the noodles and serve it with a side of of green beans. The whole thing is ready in less that 30 minutes!

I make the same meal as HelenKostyra's Five Alarm Chili without the hot sauce and call it the easiest Spanish Rice ever!

I use 1 lb of ground beef or turkey, 2 cups of cooked white rice, and a 24 oz jar of Tostito's mild chunky salsa. (I like the crispness of the veggies in this salsa.) It can be served with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce on the side so other folks can spice it up if they like.