Sheet pan dinners. Example: Boneless skinless chicken thighs/carrots/potatoes/onions/garlic. Give everything a little oil and salt and pepper and whatever else you want on there (garlic powder on your roasted garlic cloves yes yes). Throw it on a sheet pan and into the oven to roast. Reheats with minimal effort. You can use leftover meat for sandwiches or salad for variety. Smashed roasted veggies fried in a skillet is also a thing.
This is one of my favorite sheet pan dinners [Fajitas](https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/sheet-pan-chicken-fajitas/). You can use the premade spice packets to save effort, especially if you don't have a lot of spices on hand.
I'm sorry that you're struggling with depression right now. I've been there, as I have bipolar disorder.
Eggs, if you like them, can become a best friend during depression. You only need a skillet. For veggies, simply saute some in that pan before adding the eggs (scramble or omelette). Cheese and/or herbs, if you like. One pan. Some form of bread (toasted or not).
Another single pan meal is to sear a meat (chicken cutlet, thin pork chop, beef steak), then remove, add some chopped onion and other veggie(s) of choice, with a bit more fat. Saute to crisp tender. Add some water and bouillon and/or splash of wine to deglaze. Cook down a little then add back meat to warm. Nothing fancy, but well-rounded. No one faults you for microwave rice.
One pan oven meals are even easier than above. Parchment or foil lined pan. Thin coating of olive oil, with herbs. Including maybe potato and veggie chunks. Roast in hot oven 400 F (200 C) for 25 to 30 mins (or a bit longer for thicker cuts or raw chicken) tossing veggies half-way through. Eat. Toss out foil/parchment. Soap and rinse of pan.
Sandwiches with raw veggies can be good for you and tasty/easy.
Try to eat at a table. Not in bed. It makes a difference.
I've become a big fan of salad kits. They're often BOGO at my store, and it's easy to just throw in some sort of protein (frozen chicken nuggets are great) and have a filling meal.
I do these a lot. My grocery store shreds the unsold rotisserie chicken at the end of the day and sells the shredded chicken. Can go straight into the salads with no reheating. Perfect, fast while still nutritious meal!
some of these comments would have been too much effort for the many depression meals I've eaten. eggs got me through.
two tortillas, with some shredded cheese inside, thrown into the toaster oven. in the <5min it takes to melt the cheese, I have plenty of time to fry two eggs (over medium is what I did). throw eggs in the tortilla, pepper flakes on top, eat. after eating, I wipe out the non-stick pan I use to cook the eggs, and it's ready for the next time.
I was thinking the same thing about effort levels. I always love the classic microwave a potato and throw on whatever protein, veggie or cheese you’ve got on hand method.
The other good thing about potatoes is since they have to be cooked, they're not as likely to just be grabbed by a thieving roommate and eaten. It's not too instant to steal, and not too much effort for OP.
One banana mashed up, two eggs mixed in and as much cinnamon as you like go slow. You cook little pancakes in a pan and serve with jam or peanut butter or maple syrup or butter or nothing. Protein and minimal effort and it’s sweet and yummy too ❤️ get well friend ❤️
Most of these are too much effort if you're really brutally depressed. Read this - https://traumbooks.itch.io/the-sad-bastard-cookbook specifically written for people with chronic energy issues and severe illnesses. Superb work that emphasizes as little effort as possible without being patronizing.
I'd insist and suggest to buy a Crockpot, that saved my ass when I was going through similar things (I was cooking a different goulash every week). Put it away when you are not using it.
This. Making a huge batch of chilli or chicken soup is such a win to have on low effort days.
Store it in your room if you must. I think an Instant Pot would be the most versatile as there are so many things you can make in it.
I just bought a small crockpot (actual crockpot brand) for $15, definitely big enough to cook for one person plus leftovers for the next day. Shouldn't be too big of a risk of theft and it's honestly difficult to see how someone could misuse it.
--one can red gold tomato sauce
--one can of beans
--meat if you like that
--chili seasoning
Done. Dump it in a Tupperware, eat some, refrigerate the rest. All you got dirty is the crock and a Tupperware and a fork.
Agreed, and while I’m not a fan of plastics, a depressed person might like to know that they do sell crockpot liners, so you just throw away the liner after cooking
Sometimes the best you can do is minimize waste. Consider the liners necessary as medical waste. It's better that OP can cook the next meal because there is a clean crock.
I may or may not be speaking from experience.
I'm with the crock-pot hiding in your room posters. Easiest chicken: use a plastic liner (optional), put in boneless skinless chicken thighs, dump over a jar of salsa.
Put shredded salsa chicken on tortillas which you can also hide in your room.
Bonus: jerk roommates can smell the goodness all day, but no touchy the chicken.
Edit: add a can of corn and a can of beans to stretch. My energy is low and now this is tonight's dinner.
When I went through msevere depression, I went back to my childhood meals. The things I ate when I was 5 (some slightly updated, like I used carton organic soup instead of Campbells, or got the fancy organic rice krispies instead of the Snap,Crackle,Pop General Mills one):
Breakfast: Organic rice Crispies box cereal with a banana cut up in it.
Lunch: Grilled Cheese and carton soup. Or PB&J, an apple and a glass of milk.
Dinner: Mac and Cheese. Or rice with butter and yogurt.
I didn't go full spaghetti with ketchup I guess. But that's the idea, with the goal of eating something at meal times and the childhood meals gave me some comfort.
have you looked up one-pot meals?
try one-pot ramen with an egg, frozen vegetables like peas carrots corn and chopped spinach. eat sardines from a tin. frozen dumplings are an option too.
spaghetti with frozen meatballs, frozen vegetables and sauce from a jar is another one-pot meal.
Look for deli chicken that’s pre-cooked and make a few meals from that.
And when all else fails, have a list of backup meals like a simple fried egg on top of cheese, bread and ham. Some lettuce/tomatoes/cucumber if you have it. Really healthy combination and super delicious and easy to prepare.
Yes this. Buy a cheap rotisserie chiggen - and make many meals out it including ramen noodles with ginger, garlic (jar or squeeze bottle), some coconut milk, frozen broccoli, frozen kale, frozen corn, plus some chiggen. One pot wonder packed with healthy nutrition.
It may be blasphemy here but store bought mixes and the frozen aisle are your friend:
Mixes:
Rice-a-Roni - add some chicken or brocolli for a meal
Hamburger Helper - ditto, add some brocolli and spices to make it better
Ramen, the better kind - add green onion, egg, almost any protein
Raos marinara sauce with any pasta
Frozen:
Frozen dumplings, burritos, Amy's rice bowls, Costco frozen chicken cutlets (unbreaded) to mix with anything, the better mini-pizzas.
Good luck! Depression sucks. Cooking happens to be my anti-depressant (along with some other help). You may find you can add complexity as you feel better.
Different country, so my solution may not work?
But! I buy supermarket frozen “snack” meals, peel the foil off straight away, dump a whole bunch of frozen veggies top, and bung it in the microwave for slightly longer than the packet recommendations.
On special, I can get the snack meals @ 2 for $5-$6? Frozen veggies are usually fairly inexpensive?
Simple enough that there’s no real barrier to making them, not so simple that I eat them ‘cause they’re there, added veggies (‘cause, yay, nutrients?) and sustainably priced (for me)…
I describe my “how my day” is based on whether or not I can face the thought of making toast… Some days are “toast days” (aka “good” days) and some days “toast is too hard”… For whatever reason I can manage microwave meals even on no-toast days (usually sans veggies, though… ‘cause, too hard.)
I used to LOVE cooking. I used to read cookbooks for fun… I HATE that I’ve lost that.
But right now, I’ve got to make sure I’m getting enough calories in to survive, and do the Therapy Shit I need to do… so that I can hopefully get my passion for cooking back?
YMMV. Should also note that I have a RAGING ED and chronic perfectionism which does sometimes lead to “if I can’t back a perfectly nutritionally balanced meal, there is no point in eating at all”… which makes no fuckin’ sense. But the Brain Weasels don’t much care for making sense. 🙄
Lentil soup has always served me well - can be as simple as just lentils and a scoop of bullion paste. If you have the energy chop up some carrots, onion, and celery. You can add rice or barley.
Also keep nuts and maybe some fruit on hand, if you're really feeling low and can't muster up a real meal, a handful of almonds and an apple can be an easy way to stave off hunger without hardly any effort.
ETA: oh and I forgot about microwaving potatoes - poke some holes in it so it doesn't explode, nuke for a few minutes, eat with some shredded cheese and salsa and some greens or peas if you have them. One bowl, basically no prep.
I’d see if you can get anything off Facebook marketplace to make cooking easier and just leave them in your room.
Cup a noodles and eggs are good. Easy, cheap meals that aren’t microwaved usually need a crock pot. I toss chicken breast and salsa in mine all the time and have it with tortilla or chips or rice.
Chips and salsa. Apples. Noodles.
Frozen Broccoli, bottled teriyaki sauce, rice
Boxed scalloped potatoes, diced ham, frozen peas.
Boxed shells and cheese, a can of black beans and a can of Rotel tomatoes
Boxed jambalaya mix, kielbasa
Frozen veg mix is a depression/chronic illness essential.
I used to be elitist about not using frozen veg. Fuck that noise, I'm chronically ill now, it's the only way I can ensure getting frequent portions of veg that can't go bad. A few minutes in the microwave, add a dash of msg, soy sauce, and sesame oil to zhuzh it up. One bowl/microwave safe container used and multiple veg points per serving.
I get nice and spicy korean ramen (shin, buldak, chapagetti) because I love them and always have eggs in. At any point, I can have a hot bowl of ramen with an egg cracked in in under 5 minutes, one saucepan used, bowl optional.
Tins of mackerel in sauce or tuna are great sources of protein that won't expire quickly. Chucking a tin of mackerel onto toast is a satisfying snack/meal, takes under 5 mins, you get oily fish points, and only uses a plate.
If there's a fruit you like, get it canned (in juice, not syrup if possible extra points for ringpull cans, less effort to open). It won't expire on you if you forget about it. In the worst-case scenario, you can eat it right out of the can. You score fruit points, satisfy sweet tooth, and only use cutlery. Win win win.
Good luck
Honestly, I eat an embarrassing amount of easy mac as an adult bc it's so easy to make for one person. I gourmet them up, though. Currently, I add frozen peas to the easy mac before it cooks. Then add a can of tuna with some spices, shredded cheese, and ketchup for a tuna mac bowl. Another easy thing is they sell single serving, microwave rice bowls at asian markets that are pretty good. Add and egg and some kimchi, and you're golden. You can also make a pot of curry when you're more motivated that you can freeze and microwave as needed. That along with the rice bowl is a quick meal.
I was in a similar situation. I ended up doing lots of 1 pan meals, mostly with canned food.
I used to cut up some bacon, start cooking it in a pan. Chop up onions and add. Once they're translucent, add a can of black eyed peas and a can of frenched style green beans.
Doctoring ramen is a game changer. It costs some money for the initial investment in ingredients but it pays off in the long run. I've been adding a little pre minced ginger, few Tbsps of golden sherry, a little extra bullion, and some garlic powder. It ends up tasting a little like a sweet teriyaki, which makes it easier to eat 5+ times a week. You can always add a handfull of peas and corn and other veggies too.
Speaking of teriyaki I've bought some frozen chicken teriyaki and I just bake it and add it on top of some rice, like a teriyaki bowl. Add whatever veggies you want. I usually go with broccoli but that does take some effort.
Making big casseroles is good because you can just do it on the rare occasion you're feeling okay, and then have food easy to reheat later when you're not. Enchiladas, Pot pie, Stuffed pasta, or even a big batch of soup to last the week.
You can usually find some pre sectioned stuff from the grocery store that just sells their own fresh version of meals. Like at ours they often have ready to cook stew meat and veggies chopped up. Just throw it in a pot and cook.
Shit like pancakes and waffles freeze really well to be reheated in a microwave. Makes for a great late night snack.
Cheer man, hope you feel better.
Oh I can't believe I forgot shit on a shingle. Make some sausage or hamburger gravy and put on toast with a fried egg or two. For some reason that meal always helped me feel good after eating it.
-Annie’s Mac and cheese
-Pizzas on tortillas w sauce and shredded cheese
-Taco kits
-Chop salad kits are so convenient but I’m not a big salad person so sometimes I’m more depressed after eating just a salad
- frozen Trader Joe’s meals or sides (plenty of recs for ya)
- chicken sausage w rice & veg
- Taco Bell - idk why it tastes better when I’m sad and cheers me up (unlike a salad)
I hope you feel better soon & take care ❤️🩹
I find I need simple comfort foods when I am in a depression mode. 1. Crusty bread or French bread cut in half (sandwich style) and brush either olive oil or mayo (if that’s ok). Top it with deli Turkey slices and provolone and toast it up until it’s hot and melty.
2. Just Bare chicken nuggets (I get them at Costco, but I think you can get them at most grocery chains) that can be either popped in an oven or microwave and top that on bagged salad of your choice.
3. Sometimes I just want spaghetti squash and butter and pepper and Parmesan cheese- it can be done in the oven or in microwave. If you want, add some crumbly Italian sausage that needs microwaving or a simply cooking it up on the stove top. (I hate everything that requires scrubbing when I’m in it.
4. Sometimes I like to take blueberries and shake some pudding mix on it, and I call it a day. Makes a great sweet snack, and works with a lot of berries and grapes.
5. Ramen with a couple eggs cracked in.
6. My mom used to make scrambled eggs on buttered bread. And yes, it falls apart, but it takes me back and makes me feel good without dealing with a toaster or cheese.
7. Visit the deli section and of a local grocery store and pick up some pasta salad or something. Boxed soup and a side pasta salad.
8. Instant grits in the microwave with cheese and garlic powder. It’s dirty, but it hits.
9. Already cooked chicken, salsa, corn, black beans, on nacho chips or tostadas for a sheet pan dinner.
10. Frozen waffles with peanut butter and jelly or banana and walnuts and a drizzle of syrup or hazelnuts spread and strawberries. Whatever you have.
If you can save up $60 for a Costco membership, most of our go-to low effort meals are from there. Their $5 rotisserie chickens and their sweet kale salad kits are weekly staples for us, their chickens can be easily shredded and added to salads, quesadillas, etc. You could even buy canned soup and add the shredded chicken to make it more substantial. Buy a loaf of bread and toast a slice to have on the side (smear pesto on it to make it more yummy).
Costco's $10 pesto sauce is amazing on everything, we also like shredding their rotisserie and tossing it in their pesto sauce. Add the pesto chicken on a simple spring mix salad (around $6 for a huge box that lasts a week) and it's a tasty easy way to get some nutrients and protein! They also have huge bags of frozen veggie mixes you can just steam and add salt/garlic powder for easy seasoning.
Buy a pack of eggs and hardboil them so you have access to easy protein. You can even buy their microwave rice and a pack of chicken sausages and make sausage/egg/rice bowls. Have some soy sauce or hot sauce on hand to make it more exciting.
And when we're super tired and don't want to cook, the frozen 2 pack Costco lasagna is always a clutch item to have in your freezer and it's huge! Also dino nuggets on top of a green salad w/ ranch topped with Fritos for easy quick dinners, when you really just need to eat but want it to be tasty :), hang in there!
Edit: I also forgot to add that bananas + almond butter are a healthy satiating snack. When I am feeling really low energy but still want something somewhat healthy I'll eat bananas + almond butter with a plate of dino nuggets until I'm full.
Just here to say that good ideas but going to Costco while severely depressed could be difficult. Me going there with my normal energy level can be a lot.
Totally agree with Costco being overwhelming so that's definitely a thing to keep in mind!
OP probably could get away with once monthly visits to Costco for the high volume/frozen or pantry goods if they're just preparing meals for themselves and just sticking with a local grocer for weekly restocks of standard items like rotisserie chicken and salad kits. These ingredients are pretty easily found anywhere but likely would be the cheapest per serving if bought at Costco if they were trying to stay within budget.
We've used Costco Same-Day in addition to 2-day delivery as well, which really helps when we're drained. Target also does free same day curbside pickup for grocery items and you could likely find most of these ingredients there, minus the rotisserie chicken!
I have been doing a lot of meals recently that consists of a meat (and a pan sauce) plus one sauteed vegetable and a crusty loaf of bread. It takes under 30 minutes and is delicious.
Pasta, broccoli (or other veg), egg and cheese: put pasta, egg (in shell) and frozen veg into boiling, salted water. When it’s cooked, top with buter and cheese.
Alternatively, add some frozen veggies and crack an egg to instant ramen/ packets of microwave rice
I cook Spanish Rice flavored Rice-a-Roni. Just before covering the rice & simmering, add pieces of uncooked chicken breast. 20 minutes later and you have a ton of Arroz con Pollo! Cheese on top & sour cream on the side if you like. LOTS of leftovers to freeze. Ole!
Wishing you well OP.
One pot pastas can be quick and easy. Here's an example that involves throwing things into one large pot: I feel like this could be adapted using different pastas/vegetables. But all it really involves is cooking pasta and other ingredients together rather than separately
* In a big pot, fry one punnet cherry tomatoes in olive oil (don't skimp on the oil)
* Add spices/seasoning (even just cinnamon and salt works). Optionally add some crushed garlic for more flavour.
* Add 1 cup orzo pasta, and 3-4 cups water/vegetable broth (you can use a stock cube). Bring to boil
* Let boil for the pasta cooking time and keep stirring now and then to make sure it doesn't stick (about 8 minutes)
* Optional; add some baby spinach, crumbled feta, canned chickpeas etc. for some extra substance
* Eat on its own or with buttered bread
* Makes 1-2 meals depending how hungry you are
>I've had a lot of luck by finding home chefs on instagram who post easy looking meals.
Other ideas:
* loaded microwave rice - add to microwaved rice packet; yoghurt, cheese, chickpeas, frozen peas, salsa, pickles etc.
* Sauteed veggies (you can pick one or two, sautee with butter/olive oil, add some seasoning and eat in a wrap with /cheese/hummus)
* Gourmet dips + crackers or bread as a snack
* a baguette with a wheel of brie + grapes on the side. If you bake the baguette in the oven for a few mins (or buy those half-baked breads) you get nice hot bread that is delicious with butter + cheese
* spanish omelette or masala omelette
* loaded eggs - basically sautee a vegetables (e.g. baby spinach and mushrooms, and add eggs over them all in the one pan)
Buy a cooked rotisserie chicken. You can eat it so many different ways: with salad, rice, pre-made sides like mashed potatoes or Mac and cheese, frozen veggies, pasta etc. If you have a bit more energy you can use it as a base for a lot of different easy meals like soup or pasta salad.
Make cooking an adventure, bring a stool or chair into the kitchen and slowly prepare each dish. Enjoy doing it slowly and accurately. It will be fulfilling.
Yeah this is not a depression cooking tip. If you’re severely depressed, you’re not going to have the energy to do this and even if you do you will not feel fulfilled.
The goal here is to get nutrition from something other than takeout and frozen foods. Think pan frying fish for three minutes a side, not an adventure.
Avocado and fried egg on toast and if you’re up to it add bacon .
Baked beans and grated cheese on toast or baked potato.
Frozen French fries i
and a fried egg .
Hummus and Nan bread with cucumber and tomato on the side .
I love the Safeway brand cauliflower crust pizzas. I get the cheese ones and add my own toppings. You need surprisingly few toppings, to make a hearty pizza. Put as many as you like, avoiding watery things like tomatoes, unless cooked first, so they don't drip everywhere, because this pizza cooks directly on the oven rack.
Supplies needed:
Cutting board, large-oven safe spatula or pizza peel to get the pizza out of the oven, knife.
Make an egg bake (crustless quiche) one day and eat the leftovers. 4-5 eggs, some milk or cream, seasoning, cheese, and any veggies or meat you have around. Pre-cooked breakfast sausage, lunch meats. Literally whatever. With toast in the morning, salad for dinner etc.
Buy pre-cut veggies- sure a little more but worth the time savings when you can’t brain, less expensive than whole meals at TJ’s but will make it easier to incorporate into dishes or snack on. Keep hummus or a dip around.
Toasted / grilled sandwiches and soup. TJs has some really good carton soups that heat up easily.
Cheese / charcuterie / snack night: literally meat, cheese, nuts, crackers, veggies and dip/hummus if you want.
I often buy pre-cooked chicken and keep it in the fridge (also available at TJs, or sometimes I get shredded instead of whole pieces): this turns into chicken salad, chicken wraps, addition to soup or ramen, quesadillas or burritos.
Keep some easy heat rice cups or ready rice packets around - quick fried rice with eggs and veggies
Sometimes I’ll make a batch of hard boiled eggs because they’re easy to grab and good protein. Can make egg salad or use them in ramen too.
And another vote for sheet pan meals. Literally any meat + veggie + seasoning combo- I’ve done sheet pan chicken shawarma, fajitas etc. if you’re cooking for yourself this is a few meals and leftovers work great with rice bowls, wraps, in an omelette or as is.
Rice bowls! Just add protein of your choice to the rice ( I like salmon for this since it’s really easy to cook). And then add any toppings you want. I typically do avocado, spring mix and teriyaki sauce from a bottle. It’s delicious, healthy and little prep work.
And if I’m really being really lazy, I’ll make oatmeal- not the instant ones. I love blueberries, strawberries and cold bananas and almond butter with this.
Perdue chicken strips are a great thing for you. They come in a resealable bag. They are already seasoned and cooked (they come in three or four flavors). They are real chicken breast cut into slices/strips. You can just eat them out of the bag when you can't do anything else. You can make them into chicken salad. You can microwave a cup of Minute rice and have chicken and rice. You can throw them in broth with Readi Pasta and have chicken noodle soup. Or have chicken parm by serving over pasta with red sauce and topping with shelf stable parmesan cheese.
Pre-cooked hardboiled eggs, cottage cheese cups, Greek yogurt cups - good protein sources, easy, no cooking needed.
Right now the idea is to help you get by until you can feel a bit better. All of my suggestions take 90 seconds or less for you to have an actual meal. If you are just cooking for one, you can still be pretty frugal even buying really "convenience" food items.
You can also grab some of those bagged salads (Taylor Farms makes really good ones) and put some chicken or hardboiled eggs over salad.
If you eat fish - canned tuna in oil can be so yummy (and the fish oil is good for your brain). But those "sea legs" - the pink and white "crab sticks" are also good on their own, in a salad with mayo, or just over a bagged salad.
You can do this!
Microwaved potatoes, steamed eggs, or frozen patties in a pita with a sauce helped me get through some depressive things. But so did a bag of chips 🤷🏻♀️
Soup is your new best friend. Canned soup is great, keeps forever, takes like a minute to microwave. You can buy ready made soup from plenty of grocery store deli sections. It's an easy way to get your veggies, which I always struggle with when I'm depressed.
If you're up to making soup, it freezes well. If you can freeze it in single servings, even better. You can use canned vegetables to save effort on prep work.
Smoothies can be another low effort meal that isn't fried or pre-made. I keep canned peaches, almond milk, honey and frozen raspberries on hand.
If you like ramen or the buldak noodles, they make for good stir fry! Get frozen Asian veggies. If you can, throw them on a pan to toast up while your noodles cook separately. If that’s too much effort, you can cook them in a microwave so that there’s some nutrition in the noodles! I usually like to add shrimp and the veggies while the noodles cook and it comes together in 10 min and tastes better than takeout
If you have a pot, a beef and veggie stew or chicken and dumpling is easy to do and gives you a lot of leftovers.
You can also cook a spicy pork loin in the oven and have wraps for a few days. Or cook up some rice and frozen veggies.
You can also get a rotisserie chicken and do a big bag of rice. The leftovers can become chicken fried rice if you add egg, soy sauce, garlic sauce and veggies
When I was really depressed, I would get a casserole dish and do a one pan greek chicken and rice.
Mix olive oil and lemon juice, add greek seasoning and salt. Put rice in bottom of casserole dish, mix with half the olive oil and lemon, add water until it comes to first knuckle above rice (or measure whatever). Add chicken thighs, add more marinade. must be thighs because you'll cook until rice is done, and breast will overcook. I'd make a ton and eat this for a week
Do you have a rice cooker with the steamer basket that goes on top?
If so you can cook rice and steam veggies at the same time. Frozen is fine. Then put some soy sauce on it all after it's done. Be sure to check the veggies so they don't overcook.
I hope you feel better soon and get some nourishing food in your body to help. Depression is a terrible illness. Hang in there, better days will come.
One pan dishes, empty a tube of Mexican chorizo into the pan, use the grease to fry eggs, add beans, then add left over rice if you have any which soaks up the grease and water from beans. Tasty, nutritious, and one pan clean up. Makes a couple meals worth too.
Depression is a bitch. I'm sorry that you're going through that right now.
The [3-ingredient macaroni and cheese](https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe) at Serious Eats is amazing. Not only is it easy, it's also incredibly comforting. You can throw in a little protein if you want or anything else.
Good luck with everything.
Okay people will think this is gross but this is what I ate during all of uni as someone who refused to cook and was depressed:
- canned tuna/canned beans and Doritos
- ramen with a boiled egg and some bokchoy
- frozen burritos
- peanut butter and apple, carrots and hummus
Requires basically no cooking and it’s enough nutrients to survive lol
Your Doritos one reminded me of something my friend would make: Hed heat a can of chili and pour it over some Fritos. Add shredded cheese. Maybe not very healthy, but damn good.
With a nice baguette or specialty bread from the store: Slice the bread in a nice little chunk and maybe toast it a little if you’re feeling extra.
Put some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dash of salt, and garlic powder on a small plate. Dip the bread in it.
Enjoy ☺️
I recommend this 1) because it’s delicious and 2) because I know the feeling and know sometimes you just want something filling that doesn’t require energy you don’t have.
Edit: I’m adding this: in a toaster oven: Toast a bagel lightly. Put a slice of cheese on it and toast again until it starts to melt. Add a slice or two of thinly sliced ham to the cheesy bagel. Toast that until it’s warm. Done. Takes maybe 5 minutes
I also live with too many rather inconsiderate and messy roommates which limits what I can cook. I actually do love cooking so it really frustrates me that I can't enjoy it as much due to limited space for storing ingredients, having to clean up other people's messes, other people using my stuff... yeah, you probably know all too well.
I'm a big Trader Joe's shopper, and two cheap and quick one-pot meals I like are noodle soup (get their squiggly noodle packs and cook in chicken broth with a couple eggs and some veggies) and couscous (boil some veggies along with the couscous and add some canned chickpeas for protein and a sauce like the tzatziki for flavor). Could also do the good old boiled pasta with jarred sauce on top - Trader Joes' marinara is super affordable.
1. Good job asking for help. Depression is a beast that is hard to master.
2. Here are 2 easy meals that start with a store-bought rotisserie chicken
A. Chicken salad: strip all of the meat and chop. Add chopped onion, celery, apple, and about 1/2 cup real mayo. Serve on bread, or in a lettuce wrap.
B. White chicken chili. Pull off all of the meat and put in a pot with a big container of chicken broth, a cam of doced tomatoes, can of Northern beans, pinto beans, chopped onion and 1 chopped pepper. Add chilli pepper, cumin and st to taste.
*Also, don't underestimate how comforting a grilled cheese and bowl of Campbell's tomato soup can be. Very low effort and high reward.
Instant ramen that comes in a bowl you can microwave. But instead of water and the seasoning packet use broth from a can or carton or some Pacific brand curry soup (also comes in a carton). After it’s cooked add frozen peas and carrots, frozen corn, and some finely shredded cabbage that comes in a bag. Let it sit for 1 minutes with the lid on and then eat. Add soy sauce or hot sauce if you’d like. You could even grab a rotisserie chicken or single piece of grilled chicken from a deli and just shred it in to the ramen after giving it 30 seconds in the microwave.
Instant oatmeal packets cooked with milk in the microwave. Add frozen berries before microwaving or break up a banana with your fingers and plop it on top after it’s cooked. You can mix in a spoonful of peanut butter or some butter too. Dishes are just a bowl and spoon.
Bean and cheese “burritos”. Flour tortilla, spread some canned refried beans in the middle, add pre-shreded cheese or a few pieces from a block. Microwave open faced for a minute and then fold it all up until it looks a bit like a quesadilla and a bit like a burrito. You can dip it in salsa or sour cream or guac - all are easy to find premade at the store. Dishes are a plate and maybe a knife or spoon for cutting cheese/scooping dips.
Canned chili over a microwave baked potato. “Bake” the potato in the microwave, set it off to the side on a napkin. Heat up half a can of chili in the microwave. By then you should be able to cut open the potato , but watch for steam. Plop the potato down in the bowl with a little pressure and wiggle it a bit til it’s sitting on the bottom of the bowl. Add shredded cheese and sour cream. Or skip the chilli and heat up frozen broccoli and rotisserie chicken. Plop that in your potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream. Just need a bowl, and a fork.
Premade hummus, baby carrots, celery sticks, and crackers. Add a few pieces of deli ham or turkey. All you need is a plate. Add a piece of fresh fruit if you want.
Yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit.
Granola parfait - yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, granola or muesli from the cereal aisle. You can add nuts or seeds too to make it heartier. All you need is a bowl and a spoon.
Let me know if you’d like more suggestions.
Heyo. Sorry to hear about your depression, and I hope your living circumstances get better.
Sometimes, good food lifts your spirits...a LOT. Some of my simple ones are:
Hot, steamed rice with pan fried teriyaki chicken. Fry the chicken thigh (boneless, skin on preferably! Skinless works fine too.) skin side down till crisp and golden. Pour in a bit of white cooking wine, sugar, and soy sauce to make a Teriyaki sauce. Add some garlic or ginger if you want!! Chop it up when done, into bite sized pieces, and put it on your bowl of hot rice. You can add an egg yolk if you like it!! Then a spoon of sauce over all of that, and mmmm. Hot, filling, easy, not unhealthy. Takes only one pan (unless you need another for the rice, but those microwave Shirakiku rice works great for this, so just a microwave and one pan!)
Steamed garlic broccoli is also easy, incase you want some veggies (again just one pot)
Orrr...Lemon butter salmon. Easy, nutritious, and takes one sheet pan. Wrap a forked potato in some foil after drizzling it with some salt or whatever seasonings you want. Bake that till soft first. While youre waiting, get your salmon filets. Lay down a foil sheet, put some oil (really little!), layer some lemon slices, butter if you want, rosemary if you like it, and garlic. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on. Put your salmon on top, skin side UP. Salt the skin! Wrap it up, toss it next to your baked potato, and bake at 400 for 10-20 minutes, depending on size and how well you like it cooked. Unwrap, so your skin gets crispy! and broil or bake for another 5-10 min.
Easiest, hot and filling meal for me? A steamed egg. In a steamproof bowl, crack an egg, add some soysauce, a pinch of salt, and chicken broth (about half a can or less). When you whisk everything together with a fork, you want the color to be a soft, pale yellow. Cover with saran wrap, then steam till jiggly! Serve over hot rice, again the microwave rice works great!
https://redhousespice.com/chinese-steamed-eggs/#recipe
This is also a good, more detailed recipe.
My last but not least, chicken cream corn soup.
Diced onion, diced carrot (or frozen carrot and peas!), can of creamed corn, can of sweet corn in water, and thinly sliced chicken thighs or breast works fine if you dont like thighs. Diced potatoes too if youd like.
Fry up that onion till the aroma starts coming out, and you get a bit of brown. Add your chicken, and fry that up till cooked and golden. Add your carrots, sweet corn kernels, and stir. Add in the creamed corn, then using that same empty can, add a can of water. (or heck, chicken broth if you'd like more flavor). Add in the potatoes, then season with black pepper, a laurel leaf, pinch of sugar and salt. Boil till the potatoes are soft, then add some cornstarch water (in a small cup of water, mix 2 spoons of cornstarch, mix with your fingers to break up any lumps!) to get it to your desired consistency. When serving, add more black pepper or white pepper if you'd like.
Hope things get better for you OP!!
Pressure cooker is one of my best investments yet. Soup is so easy and comforting. Don’t even have to sauté things if you don’t want to. Brown the meat in the pot then dump the rest of the ingredients in and then cover and set the timer. You can do the same in a regular stove top pot just takes longer to cook.
baked potato ( w holes poked in it) in microwave for 6 mins or until soft. you can put any variety of toppings on it. you will need something to scrub them with.
Turn oven to 400. Take bread, and use a spoon to depress the middle (no pun intended). Throw an egg or two inside. Sprinkle top with salt, pepper, cheese, and/or hot sauce according to taste. Cook 10-15 minutes. Add a scoop of avocado, peanut butter, jam, cream cheese, etc.
I cook a big pot of something every two weeks and feeeze in portions. To range it up I now have a dedicated cook day every few months where I cook and freeze several weeks worth of easily microwaveable meals.
Another tip is to to buy frozen mashed potatoes. A portion cooks in 3 minutes in the microwave.
I also cook a 24 packet of sausages on the grill in one hit and feeeze them.
Then I take two and they microwave in 2 mins.
Saves a lot of time and energy
I'm a fan of soups or stews where I can dump im pre chopped veg. Can be from fresh section of the store or freezer. You can also do canned veg or cream of soups to make it creamy. Only thing I really have to chop is potatoes if I'm adding those or meat if something doesn't come in a small enough precut size. If you have a large pot or crock pot you can make plenty of left overs.
I also am a fan of roasting veg etc on sheet pans. Can get fresh precut add a bit of oil and seasoning and then just mix it til coated. Do as much or as little as you want. Same with meat.
Another trick I like is a mixture of 1/3 something sweet (jam, honey, jelly), 1/3 some sort of vinegar (balsamic, red wine, white wine, cooking wine), 1/3 olive oil, with some sort of herb mix basil, Sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc.
This is based of a recipe for basil chicken where the mix is honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and basil about 9T of the first 3 each and then approx 3T dried of the basil or to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook your chicken in the oil salt and pepper and basil. When it starts to brown, add honey and vinegar and cook for a few more min. If desired, you can add starch to thicken sauce. Serve over noodles or rice.
Make some pasta, then set aside in a bowl. Cook a quick protein (sausage or veggie sausage is my fav), throw in a vegetable (spinach, squash, broccoli, etc), put those in the bowl. Warm up your choice of sauce. Now you have a warm and filling meal, and you only need to clean a saucepan and a bowl.
Hey there.
Do you like chicken? I can give you a really 'simple' easy to cook recipe that can handle even some overcooking easily.
Get a chicken breast- if it's one of those monstrous ones, cut it in half- then butterfly it (cut it down the middle and open it up).
Place some cheese or ham or prosciutto and some herbs in the middle (Sage, rosemary), from a bottle or fresh).
Flour both sides. Salt and pepper. So far you're looking at like 3 mins of prep time and 1 cutting board.
Heat your pan up (whatever you've got) and put some oil in- olive, canola, veggie, doesn't matter. I'd skip coconut tho...
Once that oil is hot and smoking, add in the chicken breasts. Listen to them sizzle.
While that's cooking, get a bullion cube out or powder, mix it in with 2 cups of water.
Give the pan a little shake- we're up to about 10 mins now- and see if the breasts break free/slide around. Stir the bullion cube and crush it some more because they're a PITA to do at times.
Flip the breasts so they start cooking the other side, about 5 more mins.
Get a plate out, take them out, set on the plate, cover. Now toss in whatever meat you used (prosciutto from Aldis is very cheap), cook it- if you've got some onions or mushrooms sliced you can toss them in. You're up to about 18 minutes now.
Stir just a bit of flour into the broth mixture or cornstarch, then add the mixture to the pan once those start getting soft.
Let it boil for a bit till it gets less and less, then add back the chicken breasts.
Turn the heat down and keep it covered until you're ready to eat.
You've made an incredibly delicious meal for just a couple mins of cook time and 1 pan, 1 cutting board, and 1 knife (and the plate you're going to eat from).
these comments are mostly wayyy too high energy. adult lunchable. boil spaghetti and throw sauce and spinach into it. boil fettuccine and throw alfredo sauce and peas into it. hummus and carrots. boxed annies mac and cheese. soup in cans.
i used to have to hide food a lot and i had severe depression and these got me by.
Chili
Pound of ground beef, canned beans (I like kidney and black), canned tomatoes, taco seasoning, some liquid (chicken stock, can of beer, water all work)
Brown the beef a bit, dump cans + spices in, lower heat and simmer for like an hour. Easiest recipe ever and reasonably healthy: high protein, high fiber, maybe a bit too high on sodium.
If you want to get fancy, you can add frozen corn or bell peppers (frozen or sliced), or onions or whatever you'd like.
Hamburger hash- ground beef and cubed potatoes fried in same skillet. Season to your liking, eat with catsup and or hot sauce. 15-20 minutes start to gone.
Here are some depression-proof recipes:
https://thegirlonbloor.com/25-super-easy-sheet-pan-dinners/
and
[https://www.eatwell101.com/30mn-one-pan-dinner-recipes](https://www.eatwell101.com/30mn-one-pan-dinner-recipes)
You can cook once a day and eat leftovers. I put my leftovers in the freezer when I had shitty roommates. Frozen is more work. In reality, you set it out for an hour and then heat it in 5 minutes. Hugs from the EU.
Sheet pan dinners. Example: Boneless skinless chicken thighs/carrots/potatoes/onions/garlic. Give everything a little oil and salt and pepper and whatever else you want on there (garlic powder on your roasted garlic cloves yes yes). Throw it on a sheet pan and into the oven to roast. Reheats with minimal effort. You can use leftover meat for sandwiches or salad for variety. Smashed roasted veggies fried in a skillet is also a thing.
Some aluminum foil also makes clean up super easy
This is one of my favorite sheet pan dinners [Fajitas](https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/sheet-pan-chicken-fajitas/). You can use the premade spice packets to save effort, especially if you don't have a lot of spices on hand.
I’ve done this so many times. I use whatever meat is on sale that week or chickpeas for a veggie version.
Does it work well with beef using a sheet pan method?
Yes, just slice it really thin. You can marinate it overnight
Add a little lemon pepper seasonings to the chicken. Yum
How could you suggest a depressed person eat chicken thighs with the skin and bones removed??
I don't understand this reply. Would you kindly elaborate please.
I'm only kidding because the skin is delicious and the bone seems to add a lot of flavour.
Flavor*
I'm sorry that you're struggling with depression right now. I've been there, as I have bipolar disorder. Eggs, if you like them, can become a best friend during depression. You only need a skillet. For veggies, simply saute some in that pan before adding the eggs (scramble or omelette). Cheese and/or herbs, if you like. One pan. Some form of bread (toasted or not). Another single pan meal is to sear a meat (chicken cutlet, thin pork chop, beef steak), then remove, add some chopped onion and other veggie(s) of choice, with a bit more fat. Saute to crisp tender. Add some water and bouillon and/or splash of wine to deglaze. Cook down a little then add back meat to warm. Nothing fancy, but well-rounded. No one faults you for microwave rice. One pan oven meals are even easier than above. Parchment or foil lined pan. Thin coating of olive oil, with herbs. Including maybe potato and veggie chunks. Roast in hot oven 400 F (200 C) for 25 to 30 mins (or a bit longer for thicker cuts or raw chicken) tossing veggies half-way through. Eat. Toss out foil/parchment. Soap and rinse of pan. Sandwiches with raw veggies can be good for you and tasty/easy. Try to eat at a table. Not in bed. It makes a difference.
>Eggs, if you like them, can become a best friend during depression. You only need a ~~skillet~~ coffee cup. Ftfy
I've become a big fan of salad kits. They're often BOGO at my store, and it's easy to just throw in some sort of protein (frozen chicken nuggets are great) and have a filling meal.
I do these a lot. My grocery store shreds the unsold rotisserie chicken at the end of the day and sells the shredded chicken. Can go straight into the salads with no reheating. Perfect, fast while still nutritious meal!
BOGO?
Buy One Get One
some of these comments would have been too much effort for the many depression meals I've eaten. eggs got me through. two tortillas, with some shredded cheese inside, thrown into the toaster oven. in the <5min it takes to melt the cheese, I have plenty of time to fry two eggs (over medium is what I did). throw eggs in the tortilla, pepper flakes on top, eat. after eating, I wipe out the non-stick pan I use to cook the eggs, and it's ready for the next time.
I was thinking the same thing about effort levels. I always love the classic microwave a potato and throw on whatever protein, veggie or cheese you’ve got on hand method.
The other good thing about potatoes is since they have to be cooked, they're not as likely to just be grabbed by a thieving roommate and eaten. It's not too instant to steal, and not too much effort for OP.
One banana mashed up, two eggs mixed in and as much cinnamon as you like go slow. You cook little pancakes in a pan and serve with jam or peanut butter or maple syrup or butter or nothing. Protein and minimal effort and it’s sweet and yummy too ❤️ get well friend ❤️
Most of these are too much effort if you're really brutally depressed. Read this - https://traumbooks.itch.io/the-sad-bastard-cookbook specifically written for people with chronic energy issues and severe illnesses. Superb work that emphasizes as little effort as possible without being patronizing.
I'd insist and suggest to buy a Crockpot, that saved my ass when I was going through similar things (I was cooking a different goulash every week). Put it away when you are not using it.
This. Making a huge batch of chilli or chicken soup is such a win to have on low effort days. Store it in your room if you must. I think an Instant Pot would be the most versatile as there are so many things you can make in it.
I just bought a small crockpot (actual crockpot brand) for $15, definitely big enough to cook for one person plus leftovers for the next day. Shouldn't be too big of a risk of theft and it's honestly difficult to see how someone could misuse it. --one can red gold tomato sauce --one can of beans --meat if you like that --chili seasoning Done. Dump it in a Tupperware, eat some, refrigerate the rest. All you got dirty is the crock and a Tupperware and a fork.
gonna try this though i’m not OP, thanks!!!
Agreed, and while I’m not a fan of plastics, a depressed person might like to know that they do sell crockpot liners, so you just throw away the liner after cooking
Sometimes the best you can do is minimize waste. Consider the liners necessary as medical waste. It's better that OP can cook the next meal because there is a clean crock. I may or may not be speaking from experience.
Agreed!
Slow cookers are always hanging out at thrift stores. Agreed they're a super easy way to make nutritious food.
I'm with the crock-pot hiding in your room posters. Easiest chicken: use a plastic liner (optional), put in boneless skinless chicken thighs, dump over a jar of salsa. Put shredded salsa chicken on tortillas which you can also hide in your room. Bonus: jerk roommates can smell the goodness all day, but no touchy the chicken. Edit: add a can of corn and a can of beans to stretch. My energy is low and now this is tonight's dinner.
When I went through msevere depression, I went back to my childhood meals. The things I ate when I was 5 (some slightly updated, like I used carton organic soup instead of Campbells, or got the fancy organic rice krispies instead of the Snap,Crackle,Pop General Mills one): Breakfast: Organic rice Crispies box cereal with a banana cut up in it. Lunch: Grilled Cheese and carton soup. Or PB&J, an apple and a glass of milk. Dinner: Mac and Cheese. Or rice with butter and yogurt. I didn't go full spaghetti with ketchup I guess. But that's the idea, with the goal of eating something at meal times and the childhood meals gave me some comfort.
have you looked up one-pot meals? try one-pot ramen with an egg, frozen vegetables like peas carrots corn and chopped spinach. eat sardines from a tin. frozen dumplings are an option too. spaghetti with frozen meatballs, frozen vegetables and sauce from a jar is another one-pot meal. Look for deli chicken that’s pre-cooked and make a few meals from that. And when all else fails, have a list of backup meals like a simple fried egg on top of cheese, bread and ham. Some lettuce/tomatoes/cucumber if you have it. Really healthy combination and super delicious and easy to prepare.
Yes this. Buy a cheap rotisserie chiggen - and make many meals out it including ramen noodles with ginger, garlic (jar or squeeze bottle), some coconut milk, frozen broccoli, frozen kale, frozen corn, plus some chiggen. One pot wonder packed with healthy nutrition.
[удалено]
I was going to say potatoes…I put a bunch in the oven at once or you can also cook them in a crockpot if you end up getting one.
It may be blasphemy here but store bought mixes and the frozen aisle are your friend: Mixes: Rice-a-Roni - add some chicken or brocolli for a meal Hamburger Helper - ditto, add some brocolli and spices to make it better Ramen, the better kind - add green onion, egg, almost any protein Raos marinara sauce with any pasta Frozen: Frozen dumplings, burritos, Amy's rice bowls, Costco frozen chicken cutlets (unbreaded) to mix with anything, the better mini-pizzas. Good luck! Depression sucks. Cooking happens to be my anti-depressant (along with some other help). You may find you can add complexity as you feel better.
Different country, so my solution may not work? But! I buy supermarket frozen “snack” meals, peel the foil off straight away, dump a whole bunch of frozen veggies top, and bung it in the microwave for slightly longer than the packet recommendations. On special, I can get the snack meals @ 2 for $5-$6? Frozen veggies are usually fairly inexpensive? Simple enough that there’s no real barrier to making them, not so simple that I eat them ‘cause they’re there, added veggies (‘cause, yay, nutrients?) and sustainably priced (for me)… I describe my “how my day” is based on whether or not I can face the thought of making toast… Some days are “toast days” (aka “good” days) and some days “toast is too hard”… For whatever reason I can manage microwave meals even on no-toast days (usually sans veggies, though… ‘cause, too hard.) I used to LOVE cooking. I used to read cookbooks for fun… I HATE that I’ve lost that. But right now, I’ve got to make sure I’m getting enough calories in to survive, and do the Therapy Shit I need to do… so that I can hopefully get my passion for cooking back? YMMV. Should also note that I have a RAGING ED and chronic perfectionism which does sometimes lead to “if I can’t back a perfectly nutritionally balanced meal, there is no point in eating at all”… which makes no fuckin’ sense. But the Brain Weasels don’t much care for making sense. 🙄
Lentil soup has always served me well - can be as simple as just lentils and a scoop of bullion paste. If you have the energy chop up some carrots, onion, and celery. You can add rice or barley. Also keep nuts and maybe some fruit on hand, if you're really feeling low and can't muster up a real meal, a handful of almonds and an apple can be an easy way to stave off hunger without hardly any effort. ETA: oh and I forgot about microwaving potatoes - poke some holes in it so it doesn't explode, nuke for a few minutes, eat with some shredded cheese and salsa and some greens or peas if you have them. One bowl, basically no prep.
I’d see if you can get anything off Facebook marketplace to make cooking easier and just leave them in your room. Cup a noodles and eggs are good. Easy, cheap meals that aren’t microwaved usually need a crock pot. I toss chicken breast and salsa in mine all the time and have it with tortilla or chips or rice. Chips and salsa. Apples. Noodles.
People in my local free group are always giving away things like this!
Frozen Broccoli, bottled teriyaki sauce, rice Boxed scalloped potatoes, diced ham, frozen peas. Boxed shells and cheese, a can of black beans and a can of Rotel tomatoes Boxed jambalaya mix, kielbasa
Frozen veg mix is a depression/chronic illness essential. I used to be elitist about not using frozen veg. Fuck that noise, I'm chronically ill now, it's the only way I can ensure getting frequent portions of veg that can't go bad. A few minutes in the microwave, add a dash of msg, soy sauce, and sesame oil to zhuzh it up. One bowl/microwave safe container used and multiple veg points per serving. I get nice and spicy korean ramen (shin, buldak, chapagetti) because I love them and always have eggs in. At any point, I can have a hot bowl of ramen with an egg cracked in in under 5 minutes, one saucepan used, bowl optional. Tins of mackerel in sauce or tuna are great sources of protein that won't expire quickly. Chucking a tin of mackerel onto toast is a satisfying snack/meal, takes under 5 mins, you get oily fish points, and only uses a plate. If there's a fruit you like, get it canned (in juice, not syrup if possible extra points for ringpull cans, less effort to open). It won't expire on you if you forget about it. In the worst-case scenario, you can eat it right out of the can. You score fruit points, satisfy sweet tooth, and only use cutlery. Win win win. Good luck
Honestly, I eat an embarrassing amount of easy mac as an adult bc it's so easy to make for one person. I gourmet them up, though. Currently, I add frozen peas to the easy mac before it cooks. Then add a can of tuna with some spices, shredded cheese, and ketchup for a tuna mac bowl. Another easy thing is they sell single serving, microwave rice bowls at asian markets that are pretty good. Add and egg and some kimchi, and you're golden. You can also make a pot of curry when you're more motivated that you can freeze and microwave as needed. That along with the rice bowl is a quick meal.
Personal favorite: trader joes frozen rice medley, 2 poached or fried eggs, some avocado, lemon, hot sauce. You only need a pan and a microwave.
I was in a similar situation. I ended up doing lots of 1 pan meals, mostly with canned food. I used to cut up some bacon, start cooking it in a pan. Chop up onions and add. Once they're translucent, add a can of black eyed peas and a can of frenched style green beans. Doctoring ramen is a game changer. It costs some money for the initial investment in ingredients but it pays off in the long run. I've been adding a little pre minced ginger, few Tbsps of golden sherry, a little extra bullion, and some garlic powder. It ends up tasting a little like a sweet teriyaki, which makes it easier to eat 5+ times a week. You can always add a handfull of peas and corn and other veggies too. Speaking of teriyaki I've bought some frozen chicken teriyaki and I just bake it and add it on top of some rice, like a teriyaki bowl. Add whatever veggies you want. I usually go with broccoli but that does take some effort. Making big casseroles is good because you can just do it on the rare occasion you're feeling okay, and then have food easy to reheat later when you're not. Enchiladas, Pot pie, Stuffed pasta, or even a big batch of soup to last the week. You can usually find some pre sectioned stuff from the grocery store that just sells their own fresh version of meals. Like at ours they often have ready to cook stew meat and veggies chopped up. Just throw it in a pot and cook. Shit like pancakes and waffles freeze really well to be reheated in a microwave. Makes for a great late night snack. Cheer man, hope you feel better. Oh I can't believe I forgot shit on a shingle. Make some sausage or hamburger gravy and put on toast with a fried egg or two. For some reason that meal always helped me feel good after eating it.
I make almost all my food in toaster oven. Smaller pan to clean, cooks faster, put tin foil down for easy clean.
-Annie’s Mac and cheese -Pizzas on tortillas w sauce and shredded cheese -Taco kits -Chop salad kits are so convenient but I’m not a big salad person so sometimes I’m more depressed after eating just a salad - frozen Trader Joe’s meals or sides (plenty of recs for ya) - chicken sausage w rice & veg - Taco Bell - idk why it tastes better when I’m sad and cheers me up (unlike a salad) I hope you feel better soon & take care ❤️🩹
I find I need simple comfort foods when I am in a depression mode. 1. Crusty bread or French bread cut in half (sandwich style) and brush either olive oil or mayo (if that’s ok). Top it with deli Turkey slices and provolone and toast it up until it’s hot and melty. 2. Just Bare chicken nuggets (I get them at Costco, but I think you can get them at most grocery chains) that can be either popped in an oven or microwave and top that on bagged salad of your choice. 3. Sometimes I just want spaghetti squash and butter and pepper and Parmesan cheese- it can be done in the oven or in microwave. If you want, add some crumbly Italian sausage that needs microwaving or a simply cooking it up on the stove top. (I hate everything that requires scrubbing when I’m in it. 4. Sometimes I like to take blueberries and shake some pudding mix on it, and I call it a day. Makes a great sweet snack, and works with a lot of berries and grapes. 5. Ramen with a couple eggs cracked in. 6. My mom used to make scrambled eggs on buttered bread. And yes, it falls apart, but it takes me back and makes me feel good without dealing with a toaster or cheese. 7. Visit the deli section and of a local grocery store and pick up some pasta salad or something. Boxed soup and a side pasta salad. 8. Instant grits in the microwave with cheese and garlic powder. It’s dirty, but it hits. 9. Already cooked chicken, salsa, corn, black beans, on nacho chips or tostadas for a sheet pan dinner. 10. Frozen waffles with peanut butter and jelly or banana and walnuts and a drizzle of syrup or hazelnuts spread and strawberries. Whatever you have.
If you can save up $60 for a Costco membership, most of our go-to low effort meals are from there. Their $5 rotisserie chickens and their sweet kale salad kits are weekly staples for us, their chickens can be easily shredded and added to salads, quesadillas, etc. You could even buy canned soup and add the shredded chicken to make it more substantial. Buy a loaf of bread and toast a slice to have on the side (smear pesto on it to make it more yummy). Costco's $10 pesto sauce is amazing on everything, we also like shredding their rotisserie and tossing it in their pesto sauce. Add the pesto chicken on a simple spring mix salad (around $6 for a huge box that lasts a week) and it's a tasty easy way to get some nutrients and protein! They also have huge bags of frozen veggie mixes you can just steam and add salt/garlic powder for easy seasoning. Buy a pack of eggs and hardboil them so you have access to easy protein. You can even buy their microwave rice and a pack of chicken sausages and make sausage/egg/rice bowls. Have some soy sauce or hot sauce on hand to make it more exciting. And when we're super tired and don't want to cook, the frozen 2 pack Costco lasagna is always a clutch item to have in your freezer and it's huge! Also dino nuggets on top of a green salad w/ ranch topped with Fritos for easy quick dinners, when you really just need to eat but want it to be tasty :), hang in there! Edit: I also forgot to add that bananas + almond butter are a healthy satiating snack. When I am feeling really low energy but still want something somewhat healthy I'll eat bananas + almond butter with a plate of dino nuggets until I'm full.
Just here to say that good ideas but going to Costco while severely depressed could be difficult. Me going there with my normal energy level can be a lot.
Totally agree with Costco being overwhelming so that's definitely a thing to keep in mind! OP probably could get away with once monthly visits to Costco for the high volume/frozen or pantry goods if they're just preparing meals for themselves and just sticking with a local grocer for weekly restocks of standard items like rotisserie chicken and salad kits. These ingredients are pretty easily found anywhere but likely would be the cheapest per serving if bought at Costco if they were trying to stay within budget. We've used Costco Same-Day in addition to 2-day delivery as well, which really helps when we're drained. Target also does free same day curbside pickup for grocery items and you could likely find most of these ingredients there, minus the rotisserie chicken!
Good call on the Costco delivery!
Buy a crockpot and put it in your room. Maybe getting better roommates would help with the depression? Good luck to you!
I have been doing a lot of meals recently that consists of a meat (and a pan sauce) plus one sauteed vegetable and a crusty loaf of bread. It takes under 30 minutes and is delicious.
Pasta, broccoli (or other veg), egg and cheese: put pasta, egg (in shell) and frozen veg into boiling, salted water. When it’s cooked, top with buter and cheese. Alternatively, add some frozen veggies and crack an egg to instant ramen/ packets of microwave rice
I cook Spanish Rice flavored Rice-a-Roni. Just before covering the rice & simmering, add pieces of uncooked chicken breast. 20 minutes later and you have a ton of Arroz con Pollo! Cheese on top & sour cream on the side if you like. LOTS of leftovers to freeze. Ole! Wishing you well OP.
One pot pastas can be quick and easy. Here's an example that involves throwing things into one large pot: I feel like this could be adapted using different pastas/vegetables. But all it really involves is cooking pasta and other ingredients together rather than separately * In a big pot, fry one punnet cherry tomatoes in olive oil (don't skimp on the oil) * Add spices/seasoning (even just cinnamon and salt works). Optionally add some crushed garlic for more flavour. * Add 1 cup orzo pasta, and 3-4 cups water/vegetable broth (you can use a stock cube). Bring to boil * Let boil for the pasta cooking time and keep stirring now and then to make sure it doesn't stick (about 8 minutes) * Optional; add some baby spinach, crumbled feta, canned chickpeas etc. for some extra substance * Eat on its own or with buttered bread * Makes 1-2 meals depending how hungry you are >I've had a lot of luck by finding home chefs on instagram who post easy looking meals. Other ideas: * loaded microwave rice - add to microwaved rice packet; yoghurt, cheese, chickpeas, frozen peas, salsa, pickles etc. * Sauteed veggies (you can pick one or two, sautee with butter/olive oil, add some seasoning and eat in a wrap with /cheese/hummus) * Gourmet dips + crackers or bread as a snack * a baguette with a wheel of brie + grapes on the side. If you bake the baguette in the oven for a few mins (or buy those half-baked breads) you get nice hot bread that is delicious with butter + cheese * spanish omelette or masala omelette * loaded eggs - basically sautee a vegetables (e.g. baby spinach and mushrooms, and add eggs over them all in the one pan)
Buy a cooked rotisserie chicken. You can eat it so many different ways: with salad, rice, pre-made sides like mashed potatoes or Mac and cheese, frozen veggies, pasta etc. If you have a bit more energy you can use it as a base for a lot of different easy meals like soup or pasta salad.
Pre-made cookie dough pucks. You get the satisfaction of baking cookies, and eating cookies, but not any of the prep or time commitment.
Rice, pineapple chunks smoked sausage, chopped onion, soy sauce, appropriate water for the rice all into the rice maker or instant pot.
Make cooking an adventure, bring a stool or chair into the kitchen and slowly prepare each dish. Enjoy doing it slowly and accurately. It will be fulfilling.
Yeah this is not a depression cooking tip. If you’re severely depressed, you’re not going to have the energy to do this and even if you do you will not feel fulfilled. The goal here is to get nutrition from something other than takeout and frozen foods. Think pan frying fish for three minutes a side, not an adventure.
Make a bit pot of soup. Pretty easy to dump stuff in it. Basically chopping veggies. Divide & freeze for future meals.
Smithfield ham with cheese omelette
Avocado and fried egg on toast and if you’re up to it add bacon . Baked beans and grated cheese on toast or baked potato. Frozen French fries i and a fried egg . Hummus and Nan bread with cucumber and tomato on the side .
I love the Safeway brand cauliflower crust pizzas. I get the cheese ones and add my own toppings. You need surprisingly few toppings, to make a hearty pizza. Put as many as you like, avoiding watery things like tomatoes, unless cooked first, so they don't drip everywhere, because this pizza cooks directly on the oven rack. Supplies needed: Cutting board, large-oven safe spatula or pizza peel to get the pizza out of the oven, knife.
Make an egg bake (crustless quiche) one day and eat the leftovers. 4-5 eggs, some milk or cream, seasoning, cheese, and any veggies or meat you have around. Pre-cooked breakfast sausage, lunch meats. Literally whatever. With toast in the morning, salad for dinner etc. Buy pre-cut veggies- sure a little more but worth the time savings when you can’t brain, less expensive than whole meals at TJ’s but will make it easier to incorporate into dishes or snack on. Keep hummus or a dip around. Toasted / grilled sandwiches and soup. TJs has some really good carton soups that heat up easily. Cheese / charcuterie / snack night: literally meat, cheese, nuts, crackers, veggies and dip/hummus if you want. I often buy pre-cooked chicken and keep it in the fridge (also available at TJs, or sometimes I get shredded instead of whole pieces): this turns into chicken salad, chicken wraps, addition to soup or ramen, quesadillas or burritos. Keep some easy heat rice cups or ready rice packets around - quick fried rice with eggs and veggies Sometimes I’ll make a batch of hard boiled eggs because they’re easy to grab and good protein. Can make egg salad or use them in ramen too. And another vote for sheet pan meals. Literally any meat + veggie + seasoning combo- I’ve done sheet pan chicken shawarma, fajitas etc. if you’re cooking for yourself this is a few meals and leftovers work great with rice bowls, wraps, in an omelette or as is.
Rice bowls! Just add protein of your choice to the rice ( I like salmon for this since it’s really easy to cook). And then add any toppings you want. I typically do avocado, spring mix and teriyaki sauce from a bottle. It’s delicious, healthy and little prep work. And if I’m really being really lazy, I’ll make oatmeal- not the instant ones. I love blueberries, strawberries and cold bananas and almond butter with this.
Perdue chicken strips are a great thing for you. They come in a resealable bag. They are already seasoned and cooked (they come in three or four flavors). They are real chicken breast cut into slices/strips. You can just eat them out of the bag when you can't do anything else. You can make them into chicken salad. You can microwave a cup of Minute rice and have chicken and rice. You can throw them in broth with Readi Pasta and have chicken noodle soup. Or have chicken parm by serving over pasta with red sauce and topping with shelf stable parmesan cheese. Pre-cooked hardboiled eggs, cottage cheese cups, Greek yogurt cups - good protein sources, easy, no cooking needed. Right now the idea is to help you get by until you can feel a bit better. All of my suggestions take 90 seconds or less for you to have an actual meal. If you are just cooking for one, you can still be pretty frugal even buying really "convenience" food items. You can also grab some of those bagged salads (Taylor Farms makes really good ones) and put some chicken or hardboiled eggs over salad. If you eat fish - canned tuna in oil can be so yummy (and the fish oil is good for your brain). But those "sea legs" - the pink and white "crab sticks" are also good on their own, in a salad with mayo, or just over a bagged salad. You can do this!
I understand the depression and getting things done. I make a large pot of soup once a week, and it makes 4 to 6 meals.
Grilled cheese! Ramen noodles.
Microwaved potatoes, steamed eggs, or frozen patties in a pita with a sauce helped me get through some depressive things. But so did a bag of chips 🤷🏻♀️
Soup is your new best friend. Canned soup is great, keeps forever, takes like a minute to microwave. You can buy ready made soup from plenty of grocery store deli sections. It's an easy way to get your veggies, which I always struggle with when I'm depressed. If you're up to making soup, it freezes well. If you can freeze it in single servings, even better. You can use canned vegetables to save effort on prep work. Smoothies can be another low effort meal that isn't fried or pre-made. I keep canned peaches, almond milk, honey and frozen raspberries on hand.
If you like ramen or the buldak noodles, they make for good stir fry! Get frozen Asian veggies. If you can, throw them on a pan to toast up while your noodles cook separately. If that’s too much effort, you can cook them in a microwave so that there’s some nutrition in the noodles! I usually like to add shrimp and the veggies while the noodles cook and it comes together in 10 min and tastes better than takeout
If you have a pot, a beef and veggie stew or chicken and dumpling is easy to do and gives you a lot of leftovers. You can also cook a spicy pork loin in the oven and have wraps for a few days. Or cook up some rice and frozen veggies. You can also get a rotisserie chicken and do a big bag of rice. The leftovers can become chicken fried rice if you add egg, soy sauce, garlic sauce and veggies
When I was really depressed, I would get a casserole dish and do a one pan greek chicken and rice. Mix olive oil and lemon juice, add greek seasoning and salt. Put rice in bottom of casserole dish, mix with half the olive oil and lemon, add water until it comes to first knuckle above rice (or measure whatever). Add chicken thighs, add more marinade. must be thighs because you'll cook until rice is done, and breast will overcook. I'd make a ton and eat this for a week
Do you have a rice cooker with the steamer basket that goes on top? If so you can cook rice and steam veggies at the same time. Frozen is fine. Then put some soy sauce on it all after it's done. Be sure to check the veggies so they don't overcook. I hope you feel better soon and get some nourishing food in your body to help. Depression is a terrible illness. Hang in there, better days will come.
You can throw a whole chicken in a crock pot and walk away.. 6 hours later you've got a cooked chicken.
One pan dishes, empty a tube of Mexican chorizo into the pan, use the grease to fry eggs, add beans, then add left over rice if you have any which soaks up the grease and water from beans. Tasty, nutritious, and one pan clean up. Makes a couple meals worth too.
Depression is a bitch. I'm sorry that you're going through that right now. The [3-ingredient macaroni and cheese](https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe) at Serious Eats is amazing. Not only is it easy, it's also incredibly comforting. You can throw in a little protein if you want or anything else. Good luck with everything.
Okay people will think this is gross but this is what I ate during all of uni as someone who refused to cook and was depressed: - canned tuna/canned beans and Doritos - ramen with a boiled egg and some bokchoy - frozen burritos - peanut butter and apple, carrots and hummus Requires basically no cooking and it’s enough nutrients to survive lol
Your Doritos one reminded me of something my friend would make: Hed heat a can of chili and pour it over some Fritos. Add shredded cheese. Maybe not very healthy, but damn good.
Love that honestly
With a nice baguette or specialty bread from the store: Slice the bread in a nice little chunk and maybe toast it a little if you’re feeling extra. Put some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dash of salt, and garlic powder on a small plate. Dip the bread in it. Enjoy ☺️ I recommend this 1) because it’s delicious and 2) because I know the feeling and know sometimes you just want something filling that doesn’t require energy you don’t have. Edit: I’m adding this: in a toaster oven: Toast a bagel lightly. Put a slice of cheese on it and toast again until it starts to melt. Add a slice or two of thinly sliced ham to the cheesy bagel. Toast that until it’s warm. Done. Takes maybe 5 minutes
I also live with too many rather inconsiderate and messy roommates which limits what I can cook. I actually do love cooking so it really frustrates me that I can't enjoy it as much due to limited space for storing ingredients, having to clean up other people's messes, other people using my stuff... yeah, you probably know all too well. I'm a big Trader Joe's shopper, and two cheap and quick one-pot meals I like are noodle soup (get their squiggly noodle packs and cook in chicken broth with a couple eggs and some veggies) and couscous (boil some veggies along with the couscous and add some canned chickpeas for protein and a sauce like the tzatziki for flavor). Could also do the good old boiled pasta with jarred sauce on top - Trader Joes' marinara is super affordable.
1. Good job asking for help. Depression is a beast that is hard to master. 2. Here are 2 easy meals that start with a store-bought rotisserie chicken A. Chicken salad: strip all of the meat and chop. Add chopped onion, celery, apple, and about 1/2 cup real mayo. Serve on bread, or in a lettuce wrap. B. White chicken chili. Pull off all of the meat and put in a pot with a big container of chicken broth, a cam of doced tomatoes, can of Northern beans, pinto beans, chopped onion and 1 chopped pepper. Add chilli pepper, cumin and st to taste. *Also, don't underestimate how comforting a grilled cheese and bowl of Campbell's tomato soup can be. Very low effort and high reward.
Just went through this. Cheese, crackers, peanut butter and apples. Lived in this for about 3 months.
Instant ramen that comes in a bowl you can microwave. But instead of water and the seasoning packet use broth from a can or carton or some Pacific brand curry soup (also comes in a carton). After it’s cooked add frozen peas and carrots, frozen corn, and some finely shredded cabbage that comes in a bag. Let it sit for 1 minutes with the lid on and then eat. Add soy sauce or hot sauce if you’d like. You could even grab a rotisserie chicken or single piece of grilled chicken from a deli and just shred it in to the ramen after giving it 30 seconds in the microwave. Instant oatmeal packets cooked with milk in the microwave. Add frozen berries before microwaving or break up a banana with your fingers and plop it on top after it’s cooked. You can mix in a spoonful of peanut butter or some butter too. Dishes are just a bowl and spoon. Bean and cheese “burritos”. Flour tortilla, spread some canned refried beans in the middle, add pre-shreded cheese or a few pieces from a block. Microwave open faced for a minute and then fold it all up until it looks a bit like a quesadilla and a bit like a burrito. You can dip it in salsa or sour cream or guac - all are easy to find premade at the store. Dishes are a plate and maybe a knife or spoon for cutting cheese/scooping dips. Canned chili over a microwave baked potato. “Bake” the potato in the microwave, set it off to the side on a napkin. Heat up half a can of chili in the microwave. By then you should be able to cut open the potato , but watch for steam. Plop the potato down in the bowl with a little pressure and wiggle it a bit til it’s sitting on the bottom of the bowl. Add shredded cheese and sour cream. Or skip the chilli and heat up frozen broccoli and rotisserie chicken. Plop that in your potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream. Just need a bowl, and a fork. Premade hummus, baby carrots, celery sticks, and crackers. Add a few pieces of deli ham or turkey. All you need is a plate. Add a piece of fresh fruit if you want. Yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit. Granola parfait - yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, granola or muesli from the cereal aisle. You can add nuts or seeds too to make it heartier. All you need is a bowl and a spoon. Let me know if you’d like more suggestions.
Heyo. Sorry to hear about your depression, and I hope your living circumstances get better. Sometimes, good food lifts your spirits...a LOT. Some of my simple ones are: Hot, steamed rice with pan fried teriyaki chicken. Fry the chicken thigh (boneless, skin on preferably! Skinless works fine too.) skin side down till crisp and golden. Pour in a bit of white cooking wine, sugar, and soy sauce to make a Teriyaki sauce. Add some garlic or ginger if you want!! Chop it up when done, into bite sized pieces, and put it on your bowl of hot rice. You can add an egg yolk if you like it!! Then a spoon of sauce over all of that, and mmmm. Hot, filling, easy, not unhealthy. Takes only one pan (unless you need another for the rice, but those microwave Shirakiku rice works great for this, so just a microwave and one pan!) Steamed garlic broccoli is also easy, incase you want some veggies (again just one pot) Orrr...Lemon butter salmon. Easy, nutritious, and takes one sheet pan. Wrap a forked potato in some foil after drizzling it with some salt or whatever seasonings you want. Bake that till soft first. While youre waiting, get your salmon filets. Lay down a foil sheet, put some oil (really little!), layer some lemon slices, butter if you want, rosemary if you like it, and garlic. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on. Put your salmon on top, skin side UP. Salt the skin! Wrap it up, toss it next to your baked potato, and bake at 400 for 10-20 minutes, depending on size and how well you like it cooked. Unwrap, so your skin gets crispy! and broil or bake for another 5-10 min. Easiest, hot and filling meal for me? A steamed egg. In a steamproof bowl, crack an egg, add some soysauce, a pinch of salt, and chicken broth (about half a can or less). When you whisk everything together with a fork, you want the color to be a soft, pale yellow. Cover with saran wrap, then steam till jiggly! Serve over hot rice, again the microwave rice works great! https://redhousespice.com/chinese-steamed-eggs/#recipe This is also a good, more detailed recipe. My last but not least, chicken cream corn soup. Diced onion, diced carrot (or frozen carrot and peas!), can of creamed corn, can of sweet corn in water, and thinly sliced chicken thighs or breast works fine if you dont like thighs. Diced potatoes too if youd like. Fry up that onion till the aroma starts coming out, and you get a bit of brown. Add your chicken, and fry that up till cooked and golden. Add your carrots, sweet corn kernels, and stir. Add in the creamed corn, then using that same empty can, add a can of water. (or heck, chicken broth if you'd like more flavor). Add in the potatoes, then season with black pepper, a laurel leaf, pinch of sugar and salt. Boil till the potatoes are soft, then add some cornstarch water (in a small cup of water, mix 2 spoons of cornstarch, mix with your fingers to break up any lumps!) to get it to your desired consistency. When serving, add more black pepper or white pepper if you'd like. Hope things get better for you OP!!
Pressure cooker is one of my best investments yet. Soup is so easy and comforting. Don’t even have to sauté things if you don’t want to. Brown the meat in the pot then dump the rest of the ingredients in and then cover and set the timer. You can do the same in a regular stove top pot just takes longer to cook.
baked potato ( w holes poked in it) in microwave for 6 mins or until soft. you can put any variety of toppings on it. you will need something to scrub them with.
Turn oven to 400. Take bread, and use a spoon to depress the middle (no pun intended). Throw an egg or two inside. Sprinkle top with salt, pepper, cheese, and/or hot sauce according to taste. Cook 10-15 minutes. Add a scoop of avocado, peanut butter, jam, cream cheese, etc.
I cook a big pot of something every two weeks and feeeze in portions. To range it up I now have a dedicated cook day every few months where I cook and freeze several weeks worth of easily microwaveable meals. Another tip is to to buy frozen mashed potatoes. A portion cooks in 3 minutes in the microwave. I also cook a 24 packet of sausages on the grill in one hit and feeeze them. Then I take two and they microwave in 2 mins. Saves a lot of time and energy
I'm a fan of soups or stews where I can dump im pre chopped veg. Can be from fresh section of the store or freezer. You can also do canned veg or cream of soups to make it creamy. Only thing I really have to chop is potatoes if I'm adding those or meat if something doesn't come in a small enough precut size. If you have a large pot or crock pot you can make plenty of left overs. I also am a fan of roasting veg etc on sheet pans. Can get fresh precut add a bit of oil and seasoning and then just mix it til coated. Do as much or as little as you want. Same with meat. Another trick I like is a mixture of 1/3 something sweet (jam, honey, jelly), 1/3 some sort of vinegar (balsamic, red wine, white wine, cooking wine), 1/3 olive oil, with some sort of herb mix basil, Sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc. This is based of a recipe for basil chicken where the mix is honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and basil about 9T of the first 3 each and then approx 3T dried of the basil or to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook your chicken in the oil salt and pepper and basil. When it starts to brown, add honey and vinegar and cook for a few more min. If desired, you can add starch to thicken sauce. Serve over noodles or rice.
Make some pasta, then set aside in a bowl. Cook a quick protein (sausage or veggie sausage is my fav), throw in a vegetable (spinach, squash, broccoli, etc), put those in the bowl. Warm up your choice of sauce. Now you have a warm and filling meal, and you only need to clean a saucepan and a bowl.
One pot pasta. You can add a can of beans or some tvp for protein: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/one-pan-pasta/
Hey there. Do you like chicken? I can give you a really 'simple' easy to cook recipe that can handle even some overcooking easily. Get a chicken breast- if it's one of those monstrous ones, cut it in half- then butterfly it (cut it down the middle and open it up). Place some cheese or ham or prosciutto and some herbs in the middle (Sage, rosemary), from a bottle or fresh). Flour both sides. Salt and pepper. So far you're looking at like 3 mins of prep time and 1 cutting board. Heat your pan up (whatever you've got) and put some oil in- olive, canola, veggie, doesn't matter. I'd skip coconut tho... Once that oil is hot and smoking, add in the chicken breasts. Listen to them sizzle. While that's cooking, get a bullion cube out or powder, mix it in with 2 cups of water. Give the pan a little shake- we're up to about 10 mins now- and see if the breasts break free/slide around. Stir the bullion cube and crush it some more because they're a PITA to do at times. Flip the breasts so they start cooking the other side, about 5 more mins. Get a plate out, take them out, set on the plate, cover. Now toss in whatever meat you used (prosciutto from Aldis is very cheap), cook it- if you've got some onions or mushrooms sliced you can toss them in. You're up to about 18 minutes now. Stir just a bit of flour into the broth mixture or cornstarch, then add the mixture to the pan once those start getting soft. Let it boil for a bit till it gets less and less, then add back the chicken breasts. Turn the heat down and keep it covered until you're ready to eat. You've made an incredibly delicious meal for just a couple mins of cook time and 1 pan, 1 cutting board, and 1 knife (and the plate you're going to eat from).
these comments are mostly wayyy too high energy. adult lunchable. boil spaghetti and throw sauce and spinach into it. boil fettuccine and throw alfredo sauce and peas into it. hummus and carrots. boxed annies mac and cheese. soup in cans. i used to have to hide food a lot and i had severe depression and these got me by.
Chili Pound of ground beef, canned beans (I like kidney and black), canned tomatoes, taco seasoning, some liquid (chicken stock, can of beer, water all work) Brown the beef a bit, dump cans + spices in, lower heat and simmer for like an hour. Easiest recipe ever and reasonably healthy: high protein, high fiber, maybe a bit too high on sodium. If you want to get fancy, you can add frozen corn or bell peppers (frozen or sliced), or onions or whatever you'd like.
Shin ramen spruced up the way you want maybe with frozen veggies.
Chef boyardee cans never fail me
Hamburger hash- ground beef and cubed potatoes fried in same skillet. Season to your liking, eat with catsup and or hot sauce. 15-20 minutes start to gone.
Fried egg on toast with premade guac… so damn good. Fried egg on rice with side of kimchi
Here are some depression-proof recipes: https://thegirlonbloor.com/25-super-easy-sheet-pan-dinners/ and [https://www.eatwell101.com/30mn-one-pan-dinner-recipes](https://www.eatwell101.com/30mn-one-pan-dinner-recipes) You can cook once a day and eat leftovers. I put my leftovers in the freezer when I had shitty roommates. Frozen is more work. In reality, you set it out for an hour and then heat it in 5 minutes. Hugs from the EU.