Try this receipe, all women that I've cooked for have loved it. Spaghetti on one night and pizza later in the week.
Near the beginning of the week make this:
* Chop 1/2 an onion (whatever color you perfer), throw it in a medium size pot
* Add 1 tbsp garlic (if you have time use a garlic head, but with a 30 min limit, go with the prechopped stuff)
* Drizzle with oil (preferably olive oil if you have it)
* Cook on medium high for a few minutes until it smells good/starts to brown.
* Add 2 cans prechopped tomatoes (standard size, I think the standard size is ~16 oz)
* Add 2 cans tomato sauce (again the standard size can)
* Add 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp salt, ground pepper, dried basil, oregano, and parsley (leave out any if you don't have it or use a combined italian/pizza seasoning mixture).
* Add 1 tsp chili powder or dried red pepper or cayenne pepper or anything hot.
* Simmer on medium low for 30 minutes.
* Add more seasoning right at the end if you like it full of flavor. I almost double it, half in the beginning and half at the end for two layors of flavor. But I like my food to burst with flavor in my mouth. Big hint: if it tastes too much like tomato, then you didn't add enough salt.
While that is simmering:
* Chop 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of each of these: mushrooms (~2) and green bell pepper (~1/2 pepper).
* Optional: Fry up any meat that you may want. Ground beef / turkey works well.
* Boil some pasta.
When the simmering is done:
* Divide the sauce into two. Put half in the fridge or freezer.
* Add the meat/mushrooms/green pepper and simmer a few more minutes.
* Optional: add a splash of alcohol. Try brandy or red wine.
* Top pasta with the tomato sauce and eat with grated parmesan cheese.
Near the end of the week:
* Take out out frozen sauce a day early if you froze it.
* Simmer sauce ~30 more minutes once it has thawed, it'll become thick.
* Prepare a pizza crust (pre-packaged, boxed, or even with a bread machine it takes less than 5 minutes of labor).
* Chop ~1/4 cup of several vegetables/meats. Suggestions pick 3-4 of these (prechopped black olives, onions, pepperoni, jarred artichokes, red bell pepper, mushrooms, etc).
* Optional but wonderful touch: roast some garlic/chilis. This sounds difficult but it is easy. Coarsely chop 1/2 garlic head (peeling will be time consuming, but worth it). Put garlic on a cookie sheet/pan. Drizzle with oil. Put chili peppers (~2-3 jalepenios worth, or anaheim, or red fresno, or thai, or whatever) on cookie sheet. Put under broiler for 5 minutes. Optionally peel the chilis and chop.
* Most of a bag of white cheese.
* Spread sauce and toppings on pizza crust.
* Bake ~20 minutes at 400°F.
Two meals out of one nice base. Pasta should be just over 30 minutes and pizza just under an hour worth of time.
Tonight, I'm using my pasta sauce to cook this very pizza for my GF. The toppings tonight will be vegetarian: artichokes, pine nuts, red bell pepper, roasted garlic and roasted red fresno pepper. I made the pizza crust and chopped the veggies last night, so today it'll take me only a few minutes of labor.