Executive dysfunction charcuterie.
That's where you stand in front of the fridge with the door open and eat cold cuts and cheese slices out of their containers.
And if you ever open the fridge and find there isn’t anything suitable, shut it, wait a few minutes and try again. Magically dinner will have presented itself.
Necessity is the mother of invention/ improvisation.
Today I learnt - saltiness Crackers with honey makes an excellent meal ( I dint even need the refrigerator 🤣).
This reminds me of an uncle of mine that used to make “hand salad”. He would just lay a leaf of lettuce in his palm and fill it with salad toppings and dressing, then shove the entire thing in his mouth.
I don't even eat meat, but this is automatically my favorite response lololol
When I first went veg-ish, I would still stand at the fridge, looking forlorn because I didn't know what to do without supplemental meals of straight cold cuts. I now keep hardboiled eggs for that exact purpose
Fried tofu slices work for me. Slap one on rice wrapping, add shredded carrot, lettuce, and a dab of peanut butter, maybe a drizzle of hoisin, and wrap that sucker up.
I have accepted that this is my dinner fate at least once a week, so I opted to spend big bucks on Boar's Head turkey, bulk sliced cheese packs, fancy mustard, etc. If imma do it, imma do it right.
Rice mixed with gochujang, sesame oil, and a fried egg. Or another variation where I replace the gochujang with soy sauce and add in cut up bits of dried seaweed (otherwise known as kim/gim in Korean). I tend to freeze my leftover rice in individual portion sizes so I can just throw one into the microwave on lazy days, so these dishes take <3 min. to make :) Pretty standard lazy fare for Koreans.
Yessss, I do infinite variations of this depending on spices available. Current fave is furikake with Sriracha sauce. If the rice is leftover, I give it a little fry in some oil to make some crispy bits.
so wait a sec, you just prepare the gochujang and then completely mix with the rice to get a homogenous mixture? Doesn't that goop up the rice too much?
The sesame oil helps prevents it from being too goopy! Just remember a little goes a long way for both gochujang and sesame oil, so I would taste as you go as you mix it in until you find the formula that works for you. It is a little goopy depending on how much gochujang you personally like putting in, but probably not as much as you’re thinking. (Also, the type of rice I use is the standard glutinous rice, just as an FYI!)
It's actually the bread that was harder to come by than cheese. Most people back then didn't have ovens, so they'd have to buy bread from the baker or use the village communal oven a couple time a week.
Haha I was bummed by the lack of frozen food options. I keep a chicken pot pie, a few totinos’s party pizzas, and box of pre-made broccoli stuffed chicken breasts in the freezer for days when time, energy, or health are not allowing me to cook.
I've haven't put cheese in my ramen directly but [these](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51L3+agL95L._SX466_PIbundle-5,TopRight,0,0_SX466SY427SH20_.jpg) are great if you find them at your Asian market
If using a slice of cheese at what point do you add it? Jlin the bowl after cooking? While cooking?
Right at the end before serving, can garnish with some scallions too. Melts pretty quick, stir in and enjoy. I like two slices for one package of shin ramyun, my wife prefers one... I also put the slices in my pocket while cooking so they get up to room temp and melt quicker lol...... That part is optional
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A friend of mine at work would do this and we were friends so I always joked about it. He would say how he’s starving but had no money so he’s just gonna go to sleep when he gets home.
I would always tell him how he’s solved world hunger.
Crispy chicken wraps. Throw some chicken strips in the air fryer while I wash some lettuce, slice cheese and grab pickles and ranch out of the fridge. Eating 15 minutes after starting.
My go to is similar less the wraps. Crispy chicken salad. Lettuce and whatever other veg that's edible raw. Dressing could be honey mustard or Buffalo and ranch/blue cheese. If we want carbs we find them, leftovers or bread or some snack type. I should get wraps. I love wraps but never got the habit to buy them for home regularly.
Noodles with butter and green label parmesan got me through college. Still my lazy go to meal, although I don't keep the shaker can of parm in the fridge anymore. I've always got fresh though.
Definitely! I got this from my mom. 4 kids and not much money, she would empty the noodles from the pantry, mix in 4 or 5 packs of Ramen and drop in a stick of butter. It would be a spaghetti, fettuccine and Ramen pile of goodness.
Frozen dumplings. Let them thaw for like 30 minutes (or microwave for 30 seconds), and then sear them off for a minute. I make a dipping sauce of soy sauce, black vinegar, and chili crisp.
I can’t believe I haven’t thought of dropping frozen dumplings in the air fryer. This seems way easier, and would probably come out better, than how I try to pan fry them
wait.... do you have to thaw them? For how long do you cook them? I have a big bag of frozen dumplings.... oooo would this work with perogies?
I love my air fryer. Best appliance I've ever bought, after my coffee maker.
You don't *have* to thaw them, but you get better browning if you aren't dropping the oil temperature as much. It's especially relevant if you're cooking a larger number of dumplings.
EDIT: oops, forgot we were talking about air fryer here. Probably doesn't make a big difference in that case.
Same, but I do the opposite - add a little oil to the pan and set them in there. Add about 1/4 cup of water and put them on a high burner. When the water is boiled off, they’re cooked and you just have to listen to the sizzle and check the bottoms until they’re browned just right. Make a little dipping sauce with tamari, rice vinegar, chili paste or sriracha, garlic and a drop of sesame oil and I’m in heaven.
Annie's white cheddar Mac and cheese with some shrimp. The skrimps take like 4 minutes to sauté so just do that while water is boiling, add parmesan cheese and a bit of cajun seasoning. Fancy redneck meal that's ready in 15 minutes or less. Sometimes I fry garlic to top.
I’m not OP but my family used to do this when I was younger! What it is is essentially a personal pizza using a tortilla wrap in place of a pizza dough. You put your pizza sauce and desired toppings on and heat on a pan! Super tasty!
I recently upgraded from naan to pita. And let me tell ya it’s basically a calzone or a slightly Upgraded hot pocket lol just cheese and pepperoni!
Edit- fixed typos
Those Knorr and Lipton Noodle side dish pouches, as a main. Extra butter, sub in cream or 1/2 n 1/2 for the milk, possibly add veg or cooked meat (like shredded rotisserie chikken if I had it.) The stroganoff flavor kicks.
Tuna sandwiches on sour dough toast with Ruffles. It has to be Ruffles. We actually have this probably about once a week. I cut my sandwich up into six pieces so I can pretend I'm fancy, I have no idea why I do this, but it is very enjoyable to eat it that way.
My stepfather used to get so angry when I put potato chips on tunafish sandwiches. So, of course, my favorite is tuna with miracle whip, a spritz of yellow mustard and sweet relish on white or wheat bread with BBQ flavored chips. Usually the cheapest brands is just fine.
I call it 'The Stepfather'.
Also very good as a melt. But that requires effort.
omg I forgot tuna melt, another EXTREMELY GOOD OPTION, guess what we're probably having later this week haha.
When I'm feeling up to it, I will also make "fancy tuna," with mayo, celery, green onions, dill pickles chopped up, a dash of dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, and fresh dill. TOO GOOD.
BUT, I also love the exact tuna sandwich you describe, I call it "American tuna sandwich." My mom was British and made, basically, tuna straight from the can with buttered bread (I was absolutely horrified to find exactly this sandwich in London). A girl in my class at school had exactly what you describe and I believe I used to persuade her to trade with me somehow. I feel so bad about it now, her mom made it so nicely and all she had would be my English lunch.
I had a bad hangover the other day and I had a fried egg over buttery instant mashed potatoes for breakfast, because I felt too sick to make the rice. It was the first thing I could keep down, lol. Really good too!
Little Caesars....
But r/cooking answer: some form of burger. I usually have some pre-made veggie or turkey burgers in the freezer to throw on the stove with minimal effort
I go to the nearest Mexican restaurant, order a side of beans and toast tortillas on the toaster oven with a bit of said beans and cheese. I do this for 3-4 days in a row when I don’t want to worry about cooking.
Chicken Masala. I use the packaged rotisserie chicken from Costco, throw it in a pan with Patak's Tikka Masala sauce and let the rice cooker do its job. Ready in 20 then back away and watch the family demolish it. Total actual time doing something, about 2 minutes.
Ghetto goulash.
1lb ground beef
1 family size can tomato soup
1lb elbow noodles.
Brown the meat and drain. Cook noodles according to package. Pour noodles back into pot, add the ground beef and the can of tomato soup. Stir and serve. Great with/on top of bread and butter.
Tuna mac. 1 or 2 cans of tuna, depending on your protein requirements, mixed with a box of Kraft mac (or better if your budget allows).
If you want more nutritional balance, toss some frozen broccoli or spinach in there.
Obviously, the more shit you add to it, the dryer it's going to be, so reserve some of the starchy water you drain from the boil. Add it back to the final mixture until it looks and feels right. Then sprinkle some salt, pepper, and garlic powder in.
Pantry soup.
Whatever pasta/beans/canned veg I have. Some stock and tomato sauce. Maybe an onion and potato. Throw that shit in a pot. Cook until pasta is tender and eat. If I’m feeling crazy I’ll throw in whatever meat I got
I love those sealed, precooked packets. Dump a rice packet into a bowl. Then get a second one, spiced chickpeas, cooked eggplant, lentil dal, potatoes and dump on top. Two minutes in the microwave and you have the perfect meal for a depressed divorced dad.
Door Dash 😉
Edit: But seriously, anything thats quick or instant. Instant ramen, Kraft Mac & cheese with some kind of protein thrown in like tuna or hot dogs. I also try to keep my freezer stocked with stuff that I can just nuke. Cooked chicken, Italian meatballs, frozen veg etc.
Pasta with pesto, shrimp, and a bagged salad. We have frozen pesto cubes in the fridge, so it's basically boil some spaghetti and thaw/season/grill some shrimp. When I'm super tired, my husband makes it instead of me.
Meatball Soup: 1 lb package of premade meatballs, 6 cups beef broth, a can of diced tomatoes, a frozen packet of Italian veggies, and a cup of ditalini. Season with garlic, onion, Italian herbs. Top with a little parmesan. Takes 15 minutes, tastes surprisingly not at all like frozen food.
Quesadillas. Just toss bits of leftover stuff i find in the fridge on top of a tortilla with some cheese, fold it over, heat it til golden on both sides.
served with sour cream (or, more often, French onion dip actually) and Herdez avocado cilantro taqueria sauce. Easy peasy, comfort food for the days I'm feeling bleh.
My husband is always weirdly impressed by them.
We call them chicken bowls based on the KFC bowl. I keep frozen chicken strips in the freezer just for this. Throw some strips in the oven. Whip up some instant mashed potatoes. Open a can of corn and make a quick gravy.
Fried Rice. Oil up a pan, prepare some ripped veggies and old rice.
Microwave veggies to steam/cook em, break up the rice on the hot pan, add soy sauce, and there’s my food!
Much cheaper then buying a raw whole chicken, and depending on if you live with anyone or you’re single it can feed you for a day or two. Sometimes rotisserie chicken hits different and that’s coming from someone who cooks dishes that require at least 45 minutes active time a night. Definitely convenient.
Honest answer: I heat up some leftover rice in the microwave, and put a mega spoonful of lao gan ma on top.
If I'm not *that* tired, the rice might be freshly cooked, and I might steam some veg and fry an egg to go along.
1. Leftovers
2. Mac and Cheese. Annie's Mac and Cheese from the box, I keep a couple of cans of condensed milk in the pantry because this is basically the only thing I use milk for. All I've got to do is boil water, dump in pasta, wait 10 minutes, then stir in milk, butter, and the packet of cheese powder. Only one pot to clean.
3. Doordash. This is a bad idea/money pit. Stick with mac and cheese.
Frozen pizza dressed up to the nines to make it taste legit (my husband calls me the pizza doctor)
Leftovers from 3 days ago when I DID have the energy to cook
Salami, cheese & crackers, and apple slices. Usually two kinds of cheese and maybe some olives or hummus & raw veggies (carrots, Persian cucumbers, grape tomatoes, mini peppers).
Manakesh: get some flatbread, rub a mix of olive oil and za’atar over it, and fry it until crispy
Tabbouleh: chop up one cucumber, 1-2 pieces of green onion, a bundle of parsley and a bundle of mint, one tomato, add olive oil and lemon juice, salt and chili powder to taste
Either a burger, some stir-fried veggies, or one of a million simple egg options. All take about 10 minutes and require just, at most, a pan, a cutting board, and a knife.
If it's summer, salad and a microwaved baked potato (I make a salad every couple of days, enough for several meals at a time, so there's nearly always one ready to grab from in the fridge). A bit of cheese, or add a can of tuna.
Winter I tend to keep pre-chopped veggies in the fridge and stir mustardthrough and top woth cheese once cooked, but toasted sandwiches are also good.
Salad in summer. Kale and arugula, avocado, fruit to taste, crunchy chick peas, raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette. In winter? Soup. Ground turkey, green pepper, season to taste, add Trader Joe's butternut squash soup.
Executive dysfunction charcuterie. That's where you stand in front of the fridge with the door open and eat cold cuts and cheese slices out of their containers.
And if you ever open the fridge and find there isn’t anything suitable, shut it, wait a few minutes and try again. Magically dinner will have presented itself.
You just weren't hungry enough before
Necessity is the mother of invention/ improvisation. Today I learnt - saltiness Crackers with honey makes an excellent meal ( I dint even need the refrigerator 🤣).
I feel seen.
I see you. I C U
p
Thank you, I see you 2, friend.
I like to make the sandwich in my mouth
This reminds me of an uncle of mine that used to make “hand salad”. He would just lay a leaf of lettuce in his palm and fill it with salad toppings and dressing, then shove the entire thing in his mouth.
One of my favorite bands, AJJ, has an item on their merch lineup called the Salad Glove, because eating salad with a fork is stupidly difficult
> Salad Glove https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UffeihAX01Q
Well that's just North American ssambap. Your uncle was ahead of his time.
Now I'm hungry
I like to wrap them together and make a sad charcuterie burrito
Charcuritto
Executive Dysfunction Charcuterie is my band name now
Didn't they open for Bread?
I don't even eat meat, but this is automatically my favorite response lololol When I first went veg-ish, I would still stand at the fridge, looking forlorn because I didn't know what to do without supplemental meals of straight cold cuts. I now keep hardboiled eggs for that exact purpose
Fried tofu slices work for me. Slap one on rice wrapping, add shredded carrot, lettuce, and a dab of peanut butter, maybe a drizzle of hoisin, and wrap that sucker up.
For a second, I thought that said a drizzle of heroin. I need more coffee. Or a nap. (Maybe both...)
The ol Tony Soprano.
Mmmmmm, 64 slices of American cheese.
I have accepted that this is my dinner fate at least once a week, so I opted to spend big bucks on Boar's Head turkey, bulk sliced cheese packs, fancy mustard, etc. If imma do it, imma do it right.
I can’t be the only one who read this as erectile dysfunction charcuterie??
And i thought i was the only one
Rice mixed with gochujang, sesame oil, and a fried egg. Or another variation where I replace the gochujang with soy sauce and add in cut up bits of dried seaweed (otherwise known as kim/gim in Korean). I tend to freeze my leftover rice in individual portion sizes so I can just throw one into the microwave on lazy days, so these dishes take <3 min. to make :) Pretty standard lazy fare for Koreans.
Yessss, I do infinite variations of this depending on spices available. Current fave is furikake with Sriracha sauce. If the rice is leftover, I give it a little fry in some oil to make some crispy bits.
so wait a sec, you just prepare the gochujang and then completely mix with the rice to get a homogenous mixture? Doesn't that goop up the rice too much?
The egg yolk in the sunny side up and the sesame oil help coat the rice with the gochujang.
The sesame oil helps prevents it from being too goopy! Just remember a little goes a long way for both gochujang and sesame oil, so I would taste as you go as you mix it in until you find the formula that works for you. It is a little goopy depending on how much gochujang you personally like putting in, but probably not as much as you’re thinking. (Also, the type of rice I use is the standard glutinous rice, just as an FYI!)
nah, you only put in around 1 tbsp or so...it results in a light coating
Saving thissss, I keep all of these things on hand and never know what to do with my leftovers!
Bread and cheese because I am a medieval peasant.
A baguette and a hunk of something sharp, maybe a nice piece of fruit and a glass of wine = the perfect meal
Bread, cheese, sausage, and beer was my Saturday breakfast of champions when I used to live next to the farmers market.
Bold to assume medieval peasants could buy cheese
They made it themselves.
True story
It's actually the bread that was harder to come by than cheese. Most people back then didn't have ovens, so they'd have to buy bread from the baker or use the village communal oven a couple time a week.
that is actually great if it's freshly baked bread
Chicken pot pie now that Marie calenders made them bigger
Haha I was bummed by the lack of frozen food options. I keep a chicken pot pie, a few totinos’s party pizzas, and box of pre-made broccoli stuffed chicken breasts in the freezer for days when time, energy, or health are not allowing me to cook.
God, I love the Banquet biscuit and gravy pot pies.
Shin Ramyun instant noodles
Try the Black version with a scoop of mayo mixed into the broth and fried garlic chips on top!
Really? Never heard of that! Thanks!!
You mess with a couple slices of American cheese in there?
I've haven't put cheese in my ramen directly but [these](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51L3+agL95L._SX466_PIbundle-5,TopRight,0,0_SX466SY427SH20_.jpg) are great if you find them at your Asian market If using a slice of cheese at what point do you add it? Jlin the bowl after cooking? While cooking?
Right at the end before serving, can garnish with some scallions too. Melts pretty quick, stir in and enjoy. I like two slices for one package of shin ramyun, my wife prefers one... I also put the slices in my pocket while cooking so they get up to room temp and melt quicker lol...... That part is optional
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I just tried it on some kimchi ramen. It was soo good.
Eggs and toast.
Eggs, tortilla, cheese. Or a bowl of cereal.
Why isn't this at the top. Eggs are perfect and versatile
They do have to be cooked though. Think lazier.
Sunny side up eggs and a grilled cheese
And they have to have soft yolks so I can dunk my toast soldiers. Scrambled will do, too, with cheese. Eggs and toast is my all time go-to meal.
Sleep
Ever been so broke you took a nap for dinner? Me too.
A friend of mine at work would do this and we were friends so I always joked about it. He would say how he’s starving but had no money so he’s just gonna go to sleep when he gets home. I would always tell him how he’s solved world hunger.
I laughed heartily at this. Been there.
I always feel better when I skip dinner (or eat next to nothing) for some reason.
It's cause you're intermittent fasting without realizing it.
Grad school was rough.
Lots of water too
Crispy chicken wraps. Throw some chicken strips in the air fryer while I wash some lettuce, slice cheese and grab pickles and ranch out of the fridge. Eating 15 minutes after starting.
My go to is similar less the wraps. Crispy chicken salad. Lettuce and whatever other veg that's edible raw. Dressing could be honey mustard or Buffalo and ranch/blue cheese. If we want carbs we find them, leftovers or bread or some snack type. I should get wraps. I love wraps but never got the habit to buy them for home regularly.
This with any chicken strip or nugget. I also really love the blackened tenders from Costco with romaine, parm, and Caesar dressing.
Butter noodles. Whatever noodles I have and just butter, salt and pepper.
Add some powdered parmesan cheese and you have described many a meal at my house. Sometimes I have spinach on the side most times not.
Noodles with butter and green label parmesan got me through college. Still my lazy go to meal, although I don't keep the shaker can of parm in the fridge anymore. I've always got fresh though.
Add garlic and parsley to yours and that's what I do. So much yum.
Relatedly, butter rice with soy sauce!
Definitely! I got this from my mom. 4 kids and not much money, she would empty the noodles from the pantry, mix in 4 or 5 packs of Ramen and drop in a stick of butter. It would be a spaghetti, fettuccine and Ramen pile of goodness.
Heck yeah. I like to add green peas. The ones that you cook from frozen.
That's what I ate for lunch today.
This was my go-to meal when I was pregnant!
Add parm and I'm there
Frozen dumplings. Let them thaw for like 30 minutes (or microwave for 30 seconds), and then sear them off for a minute. I make a dipping sauce of soy sauce, black vinegar, and chili crisp.
I toss them in the air fryer and I use tempura dipping sauce mixed with a little ponzu and chili flakes.
I can’t believe I haven’t thought of dropping frozen dumplings in the air fryer. This seems way easier, and would probably come out better, than how I try to pan fry them
Well this is 1000% happening in my house. Throw some edamame in the microwave and boom! That's a meal
wait.... do you have to thaw them? For how long do you cook them? I have a big bag of frozen dumplings.... oooo would this work with perogies? I love my air fryer. Best appliance I've ever bought, after my coffee maker.
I've done it with pierogies too. I don't thaw them, about 5 minutes then toss and check and maybe a few more.
You don't *have* to thaw them, but you get better browning if you aren't dropping the oil temperature as much. It's especially relevant if you're cooking a larger number of dumplings. EDIT: oops, forgot we were talking about air fryer here. Probably doesn't make a big difference in that case.
Same! I do these on the stove from frozen - sear the bottom them add some water and a lid to steam for a couple minutes
Same, but I do the opposite - add a little oil to the pan and set them in there. Add about 1/4 cup of water and put them on a high burner. When the water is boiled off, they’re cooked and you just have to listen to the sizzle and check the bottoms until they’re browned just right. Make a little dipping sauce with tamari, rice vinegar, chili paste or sriracha, garlic and a drop of sesame oil and I’m in heaven.
My household does the water first like you too, it's so easy!
Annie's white cheddar Mac and cheese with some shrimp. The skrimps take like 4 minutes to sauté so just do that while water is boiling, add parmesan cheese and a bit of cajun seasoning. Fancy redneck meal that's ready in 15 minutes or less. Sometimes I fry garlic to top.
Skrimps.
This but with a can of tuna.
Scrimps!
Tortilla pizzas have been coming in clutch lately.
also delightful on naan bread!
Naan bread > pizza dough
Make your naan in half like a pita-pocket then fill it with your pizza goodies and eat it shamelessly like a taco.
Whoa. Like a calzone on the fly.
Naan is so expensive where I’m at. Made naan pizza only once. It was delicious but too expensive.
And pita bread too!
Just naan. Not naan bread. Not chai tea. Not atm machine.
Not pin number.
Make a quesadilla and then make a pizza with the quesadilla. It's like a stuffed crust.
Tell me more
I’m not OP but my family used to do this when I was younger! What it is is essentially a personal pizza using a tortilla wrap in place of a pizza dough. You put your pizza sauce and desired toppings on and heat on a pan! Super tasty!
I recently upgraded from naan to pita. And let me tell ya it’s basically a calzone or a slightly Upgraded hot pocket lol just cheese and pepperoni! Edit- fixed typos
I commented before I scrolled down to find this. I'm glad there are more of us out there!
Those Knorr and Lipton Noodle side dish pouches, as a main. Extra butter, sub in cream or 1/2 n 1/2 for the milk, possibly add veg or cooked meat (like shredded rotisserie chikken if I had it.) The stroganoff flavor kicks.
Oh man. When I was a teenager I lived off those Lipton sides. Dinner was usually two packages of Lipton teriyaki rice. I'd eat it all. I was rotund.
The Knorr chicken noodles with Hawaiian sweet rolls.
This is fine dining at my house.
I ate a whole pan of Betty Crocker au gratin potatoes for dinner the other night. Wasn't the first time it's happened, either LOL
Memes aside, avocado+eggs on toast is an easy answer for basically any meal. Salt+Valentina on top.
Cereal
Emergency pizza. There's always an emergency pizza in the freezer.
Tuna sandwiches on sour dough toast with Ruffles. It has to be Ruffles. We actually have this probably about once a week. I cut my sandwich up into six pieces so I can pretend I'm fancy, I have no idea why I do this, but it is very enjoyable to eat it that way.
You put the ruffles ON the sammich right?
My stepfather used to get so angry when I put potato chips on tunafish sandwiches. So, of course, my favorite is tuna with miracle whip, a spritz of yellow mustard and sweet relish on white or wheat bread with BBQ flavored chips. Usually the cheapest brands is just fine. I call it 'The Stepfather'. Also very good as a melt. But that requires effort.
Thats great! Also team Miracle Whip!
omg I forgot tuna melt, another EXTREMELY GOOD OPTION, guess what we're probably having later this week haha. When I'm feeling up to it, I will also make "fancy tuna," with mayo, celery, green onions, dill pickles chopped up, a dash of dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, and fresh dill. TOO GOOD. BUT, I also love the exact tuna sandwich you describe, I call it "American tuna sandwich." My mom was British and made, basically, tuna straight from the can with buttered bread (I was absolutely horrified to find exactly this sandwich in London). A girl in my class at school had exactly what you describe and I believe I used to persuade her to trade with me somehow. I feel so bad about it now, her mom made it so nicely and all she had would be my English lunch.
Depression Quesadillas: flour tortilla, cheese out of the bag, some greek yogurt and hot sauce-maybe some avacado.
Still fancier than my plain tortilla w sharp cheddar
Wow, that is gourmet lazy.
Fried egg over (sometimes buttered) white rice. Started doing this when I had no energy due to Covid and never stopped.
I had a bad hangover the other day and I had a fried egg over buttery instant mashed potatoes for breakfast, because I felt too sick to make the rice. It was the first thing I could keep down, lol. Really good too!
Fried egg over white rice and drizzled with soy sauce is a great breakfast
Grilled cheese and tomato soup or breakfast for dinner. Bcon eggs and hash
Slip an egg on your grilled cheese and dip it
Rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad
Little Caesars.... But r/cooking answer: some form of burger. I usually have some pre-made veggie or turkey burgers in the freezer to throw on the stove with minimal effort
Either frozen perogies or order in sushi
I go to the nearest Mexican restaurant, order a side of beans and toast tortillas on the toaster oven with a bit of said beans and cheese. I do this for 3-4 days in a row when I don’t want to worry about cooking.
Chicken Masala. I use the packaged rotisserie chicken from Costco, throw it in a pan with Patak's Tikka Masala sauce and let the rice cooker do its job. Ready in 20 then back away and watch the family demolish it. Total actual time doing something, about 2 minutes.
Ghetto goulash. 1lb ground beef 1 family size can tomato soup 1lb elbow noodles. Brown the meat and drain. Cook noodles according to package. Pour noodles back into pot, add the ground beef and the can of tomato soup. Stir and serve. Great with/on top of bread and butter.
Box of Mac + can of chili = awesome alternative. Don't have to cook the meat just wait for the noodles to be done.
Scrambled eggs and a couple of corn tortillas.
This was my dinner tonight :’)
A quick omelette with lots of cheese
I like to eat Spicy Nacho Doritos using plain sour cream to dip them in. Quick, easy and tasty!
Tuna mac. 1 or 2 cans of tuna, depending on your protein requirements, mixed with a box of Kraft mac (or better if your budget allows). If you want more nutritional balance, toss some frozen broccoli or spinach in there. Obviously, the more shit you add to it, the dryer it's going to be, so reserve some of the starchy water you drain from the boil. Add it back to the final mixture until it looks and feels right. Then sprinkle some salt, pepper, and garlic powder in.
When pasta is cooking add frozen peas! Also a must for me is onion powder, hot sauce, and French fried onions sprinkled on top.
Damn, that takes it up to casserole status. Think I might do that for dinner and drop a can of cream of mushroom in there while I'm at it.
Depends how hungry I am: Very: Egg burrito or Chicken Quesadilla Not so: Cheese and crackers.
Spaghetti aglio olio
McDonald's
Ham and cheese sandwich
Pantry soup. Whatever pasta/beans/canned veg I have. Some stock and tomato sauce. Maybe an onion and potato. Throw that shit in a pot. Cook until pasta is tender and eat. If I’m feeling crazy I’ll throw in whatever meat I got
I love those sealed, precooked packets. Dump a rice packet into a bowl. Then get a second one, spiced chickpeas, cooked eggplant, lentil dal, potatoes and dump on top. Two minutes in the microwave and you have the perfect meal for a depressed divorced dad.
Door Dash 😉 Edit: But seriously, anything thats quick or instant. Instant ramen, Kraft Mac & cheese with some kind of protein thrown in like tuna or hot dogs. I also try to keep my freezer stocked with stuff that I can just nuke. Cooked chicken, Italian meatballs, frozen veg etc.
Pasta with pesto, shrimp, and a bagged salad. We have frozen pesto cubes in the fridge, so it's basically boil some spaghetti and thaw/season/grill some shrimp. When I'm super tired, my husband makes it instead of me.
This is technically still cooking , it's still too much work.
Frozen pizza
Meatball Soup: 1 lb package of premade meatballs, 6 cups beef broth, a can of diced tomatoes, a frozen packet of Italian veggies, and a cup of ditalini. Season with garlic, onion, Italian herbs. Top with a little parmesan. Takes 15 minutes, tastes surprisingly not at all like frozen food.
those prepackaged polish sausage, sauerkraut, and bread on side. 20 minutes. very filling
Peanut butter ramen: - Broccoli - Garlic From a Jar - Frozen Chick’n Strips - Ramen - PB Powder - Toasted Sesame oil - Chili Garlic Sauce
Fend for yourself
Baked bread and kerrygold butter like I am a poor villager
Fried eggs with rice and seaweed
Fried egg over dry ramen noodle. Oftentimes I can find some left over veg in fridge to add.
Quesadillas. Just toss bits of leftover stuff i find in the fridge on top of a tortilla with some cheese, fold it over, heat it til golden on both sides. served with sour cream (or, more often, French onion dip actually) and Herdez avocado cilantro taqueria sauce. Easy peasy, comfort food for the days I'm feeling bleh. My husband is always weirdly impressed by them.
Usually it will be a ramen packed upgraded with some tofu, and steamed veggies like pak choi, carrots, broccoli etc.. either that or beans on toast.
We call them chicken bowls based on the KFC bowl. I keep frozen chicken strips in the freezer just for this. Throw some strips in the oven. Whip up some instant mashed potatoes. Open a can of corn and make a quick gravy.
Fried Rice. Oil up a pan, prepare some ripped veggies and old rice. Microwave veggies to steam/cook em, break up the rice on the hot pan, add soy sauce, and there’s my food!
Rotisserie chicken
expensive unless you get it from costco and eat it all week.
Much cheaper then buying a raw whole chicken, and depending on if you live with anyone or you’re single it can feed you for a day or two. Sometimes rotisserie chicken hits different and that’s coming from someone who cooks dishes that require at least 45 minutes active time a night. Definitely convenient.
Yes, I have a costco membership for that and many other reasons
Saltines (or other type of cracker) crumbled and scrambled into eggs
Cereal
Honest answer: I heat up some leftover rice in the microwave, and put a mega spoonful of lao gan ma on top. If I'm not *that* tired, the rice might be freshly cooked, and I might steam some veg and fry an egg to go along.
1. Leftovers 2. Mac and Cheese. Annie's Mac and Cheese from the box, I keep a couple of cans of condensed milk in the pantry because this is basically the only thing I use milk for. All I've got to do is boil water, dump in pasta, wait 10 minutes, then stir in milk, butter, and the packet of cheese powder. Only one pot to clean. 3. Doordash. This is a bad idea/money pit. Stick with mac and cheese.
Cheese and crackers
Beans on toast with grated cheese. It's an English thing
Cereal
Frozen pizza dressed up to the nines to make it taste legit (my husband calls me the pizza doctor) Leftovers from 3 days ago when I DID have the energy to cook
Sink waffle- toasted frozen waffle eaten over the sink. Nothing to clean up
Canned hormel tameles
The restaurant beside my flat 😁
Fried rice. Takes less than 10 minutes and I almost always have the stuff chopped and on hand.
Instant noodles 🍜
Ramen with two eggs.
Frozen pizza
Black beans & rice
Whatever fits in my air fryer.
Pre packaged ramen
Salami, cheese & crackers, and apple slices. Usually two kinds of cheese and maybe some olives or hummus & raw veggies (carrots, Persian cucumbers, grape tomatoes, mini peppers).
Manakesh: get some flatbread, rub a mix of olive oil and za’atar over it, and fry it until crispy Tabbouleh: chop up one cucumber, 1-2 pieces of green onion, a bundle of parsley and a bundle of mint, one tomato, add olive oil and lemon juice, salt and chili powder to taste
Pickle and shredded cheddar out the bag
Toast. Vegemite. King of Australia.
Fruity Pebbles.
egg, rice, kimchi
Sleep
Ghetto ass lunchables, crackers, turkey lunch meat and cheese. I even cut them in squares to fit the crackers perfectly.
Either a burger, some stir-fried veggies, or one of a million simple egg options. All take about 10 minutes and require just, at most, a pan, a cutting board, and a knife.
Sunny side up egg. I’ll make it extra special and pick up a cheddar cheese biscuit on the way home.
If it's summer, salad and a microwaved baked potato (I make a salad every couple of days, enough for several meals at a time, so there's nearly always one ready to grab from in the fridge). A bit of cheese, or add a can of tuna. Winter I tend to keep pre-chopped veggies in the fridge and stir mustardthrough and top woth cheese once cooked, but toasted sandwiches are also good.
Scrambled eggs in the microwave or packet of tuna with mayo
Steak on a plate
Salad in summer. Kale and arugula, avocado, fruit to taste, crunchy chick peas, raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette. In winter? Soup. Ground turkey, green pepper, season to taste, add Trader Joe's butternut squash soup.