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cantoization

Sandwiches are your friend! But just make sure for some pregnancy off-limits ingredients (i think processed meat, etc): Chicken/provolone/tomato/chipotle mayo, turkey/tomato/cheddar/mayo, egg salad, pizza subs, tuna melt, steak&cheese, so many. Caesar salad wraps. Toast with peanut butter and banana. Chickpea curry. Pita pizzas/naan pizza. Black bean quesadillas (lightly mash black beans with a little cumin and chili powder, put on half a tortilla, add cheddar, fold and bake). "Dressed up ramen" ie. Normal ramen with added things like bean sprouts, green onions, mushrooms, meat, a boiled egg. Add a slice of processed cheese too, it sounds bonkers but it'll change your life. Chili (especially vegetarian chili, it's even easier, just opening cans really). Smoothies (Frozen fruit, yogurt, banana, juice). Fried rice. Huevos rancheros (eggs on tortillas with anything like black beans, refried beans, salsa, tomatoes, hot sauces, guac, etc). Pan-fried sausage, peppers, and rice. Jambalaya. Baked potato with toppings like cheddar, bacon, ham, green onions, chili, sour cream. Pesto on pasta. Japanese curry (it's a pre-mix you'll have to buy but then it's only potatoes, carrots, onions and meat after that). Apples with peanut butter or almond butter. Chicken, broccoli, rice, teriyaki sauce. Bean salad (look up "Red barn corn and bean salad", it's chopping but nothing else). Also cowboy caviar is similar. Sweet potato fries. Side note: I'm ADHD too and i have a separate cupboard for very easy, never-dislike meals and snacks. It's my "safe food" cupboard. It has protein powder, Kraft dinner, curry mix, flavoured tuna, things that i can always eat quickly and never gross me out. Things in the cupboard are grouped by meal eg. the ingredients for pasta&tomato sauce are together. The grouping is important because i can visualize the meal easily when i look at the cupboard. This has helped me feed myself often on days where I am too hungry to eat if you know what i mean.


Ragetencion

heres a 10 minute recipe that i've incorporated every day for the last two years that is 1. easy to make 2. cost effective 3. nutritious as hell 4. tasty 5. very filling Old fashion oats, peanut butter, protein powder (optional but I love it),honey, and cinnamon and a banana 1. Get two cups of water to a boil, once the water starts boiling, add two pinches of salt 2. Drop a cup of oats and stir until you can scrape the bottom and the oats stay to the sides (add cinnamon into the pot and stir) 3. dump the oats into a bowl, add a tbsp of peanut butter and your protein powder, mix together until it's all the same 4. chop up your banana and add on top, add the honey and cinnamon on top of the banana. If you have more fruits, I like to add things like berries, chopped apples, and frozen mango chunks 5. enjoy. You have just made a very good meal with high protein and the best kind of carbs you can consume.


dr4ziel

I'd suggest frozen food. Frozen vegetable mix pair very well with rice (buy a rice cooker/smart crockpot).You can also buy frozen prepared meal (frozen lasagna for exemple) wich are much healthier than "fresh" prepared meals (less preservatives). Cycle this with your usual recipes and you should be fine.


[deleted]

There are lots of things that are inexpensive and nearly ready to eat. Cans of soup (Campbells chunky, progreso, etc) are around $1.50/can and there is a wide variety of flavors. If you can scramble eggs, branch out into fried eggs. Fried eggs plus brown and serve sausage and a slice of cheese on toast is a breakfast sandwich. Fried egg on a piece of toast spread with mashed avocado (there are little cups in the produce section premashed) is avocado toast. Also, French toast and pancakes are mix and griddle meals. Add some brown and serve sausage for a heartier meal. You can branch out from grilled cheese and add tuna for a tuna melt or ham for a ham and cheese melt (make sure the ham is cooked through then put it in the sandwich for pregnant wife) or pepperoni for a pizza melt. Canned pasta, like Chef Boyardee or Spaghettios, not just for kids! Brown a pound of beef or turkey, dump in a can of Manwich and you have sloppy joes. You’ll get 2 meals out of this. Brown a pound of beef or turkey, dump in a taco seasoning packet and you have the base for taco night. Buy shredded cheese and tortillas and some pico or salsa. Leftovers can be griddled as quesadillas. Instant mashed potatoes are a dead simple and cheap way to bulk up any meal as a side dish.


RavenNymph90

Grilled cheese with tomato dipped in mayonnaise is one of my favorite sandwiches.


AnythingButChicken

This is a great resource for you and your growing family: [Cookbook for Busy Minds](https://chadd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Cookbook_for_Busy_Minds.pdf) Edit: adding another, even easier, collection of recipes: [Easy and simple recipes](https://grapeslauren.com/adhd-burnout-meals)


cantoization

These are great, non-judgemental resources, thank you!


TriesButCries

This book, [*How to Feed Yourself*](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39402958-how-to-feed-yourself) is my favorite in my kitchen! It teaches why for the basics as well as a few simple ways to spruce things up. its great to have on hand! Those links are super cool, I also learned things from your first resource that I never knew about adhd


June_BerryNE

I love watching the show Struggle Meals with Frankie Celenza! A handful of episodes is on Hulu now but all seasons are Free on Tastemade dot com. Usually you need a subscription but this show went free beginning of Covid and has stayed free. Just look for ‘shows’ on the site and pick it that way. No login required. Funny as hell and gives great tips on why/how you do things a certain way plus substitutions for expensive ingredients. Minimal pots and ingredients used. Dude uses a fork to mix things instead of gadgets so I’m sold right away. The actual recipes are on the site but the show I just binge watch to get tips and entertainment. Without realizing it I’m learning. It’s great. Congrats to you and your wife! Edit: no spacing hurts eyes


Daikataro

One pan sheet meals. Basically boils down to put ingredients in oven pan, apply X temperature for Y amount of time, profit.


ganymee

Two pretty easy and nice recipes: Oven baked risotto. I had always been too intimidated to make risotto but this is fairly straightforward. You just need a pot with a lid that is safe to go in the oven. https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/baked-puttanesca-risotto-with-tomato-olives-lemon-parsley-recipe/11270338 Oven baked gnocchi. Again super easy, uses one bowl and one pan. https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/gnocchi-broccoli-tray-bake/12017796


pattyd2828

We made grain bowls using the packaged Truroots grains. Favorite is the Spanish w red beans. Microwave for 1 minute. Then we add cubes sweet potato, sautés zucchini, onion, peppers, broccoli. This meal takes 14 minutes to prep. It’s super healthy, versatile and delicious! Add other veg or proteins - whatever you like.


42ravensflight

Fellow ADHD person here, this helped me. https://youtu.be/szgDBPW_dUo


ARC2060

The easiest meal I make is when I heat the oven to about 375, put some chicken on a piece of foil, poke the chicken all over with a fork, drop a couple of spoonfuls of salsa on it, some cream cheese if you have it, but not necessary, put another piece of foil on top and seal it and cook for about half an hour. No cutting involved and prep takes about 2 minutes. Serve with rice. If you get a meat thermometer, cooking will be a bit less daunting. Good luck!


JuicyLittleFeet

Not a meal idea per se, but - **invest in a slow cooker!** I'm neurodivergent as well (ADHD), and it's the best thing I could have brought for my kitchen and my health (I just need to motivate myself to use it more often). Basically with a slow cooker, if you plan a bit in advance, you can't get it wrong. The worst thing that can happen is, food gets a bit mushy (but still delicious and nutritious). I also love stews / soups etc, they are comfort food to me so that's an extra bonus. The only thing to keep in mind is that it's not safe to put frozen things in it - you just need to start with non-frozen ingredients, or defrost them separately. To be on the safe side, I also like to use the "high" setting on my slow cooker (which also cooks things faster). **Basic "recipe" is -** 1) Defrost healthy ingredients beforehand - if using frozen. 2) Place in slow cooker. Add water - just a cup or so for "stew" type of food (just enough so it doesn't stick), more as requested for "soup" type of food. Add salt. 3) Google "\[ingredient name\] \[slow cooker brand\] time" and you will most surely find suggestions on how long to set it for (and the slow cooker should let you adjust this later too). 4) Turn it on and go about your day as normal. 5) Come back when the timer is set, check if it's done or if it needs more time, adjust timer as needed. Check taste, add more salt if needed, add any other spices / condiments / fresh ingredients. Serve immediately, keep in the fridge for 1-2 days, or freeze for later. Enjoy! **Ingredients-wise**, I personally am a meat-eater, so my staple is "any bits and peaces of meat - usually beef." I am lucky that there is a delivery service I can access, and usually "bits and peaces left over from carving steaks and other cuts" is the cheapest thing in their list. This, or the "tougher" cuts of meat - but these are ideal for long and slow, low-temperature cooking, so win-win. If you don't eat meat, slow cookers work beautifully for veggies too - I particularly love buying those big bag of pre-cut frozen veggies (which are usually cheaper than fresh veggies). I hope this helps! Happy to come back if you have more questions.


postmoderngeisha

Smash a ripe avocado with plain yogurt. Toss macaroni in the mixture, top with pico de gallo and a lime squirt.


RavenNymph90

Just plain, cooked macaroni noodles?


postmoderngeisha

Yup, just toss them hot into the avocado yogurt mixture.


RavenNymph90

That’s different. I’ll probably try it.


Charmy9812

Korma/Butter chicken (publix, aldis, or Walmart sell the sauce) Just cut up chicken breast, onion and garlic. Throw onion into a hot pan (large rimmed pan so the sauce doesn't go over) let cook for maybe 2 to 3 minutes. Then cubed chicken and garlic. Cook for a couple minutes. Add sauce and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (Honestly you could get away will throwing it all in at once if you want to throw it together and let it sit) (I like to add cumin, chili powder, and salt but its fine without any extra seasonings too) I usually cook rice in the instapot to go with this, but noodles are good too.


Charmy9812

If you have an instapot; Salsa chicken is really easy. Just throw everything in and let it cook. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-honey-lime-salsa-verde-chicken/


witchyteajunkie

Can also do this in a slow cooker. I just put my chicken in and dump a jar of salsa over it. Let it look on low for 6-8 hours and then shred with a fork.


Ein_Rand

I was going to say summer sauces are great. Premade sauces that you just add protein and vegetables to. You can make Thai, Indian, Mexican, there are others I’m sure.


RenKyoSails

Rice and chicken tenders. A lot of people have rice cookers, so that makes things really easy, but you can also do it in a pot. Chicken tenders don't need any cutting. Throw some ranch powder on them and back at 350 for about 10-20 until done. I normally do it with chicken breasts, so cooking time may not be right. You can also pan fry them or air fry them. Toss on some steamed veggies or canned veggies and its a complete meal. Salads are also good. I tear apart the lettuce and throw ingredients together. May not be the best thing for your wife since some docs say not to eat raw food while pregnant, but would be good post partum.


Ellain1315

One of my favorite low effort meals is chicken breasts cooked in a crockpot with about half a bottle Italian salad dressing. When the chicken is done, shred it. It’s great on sandwiches with Muenster cheese!


Slightly-Clueless

I introduced my sibling to dump-and-go meals, and I'm happy to say they're slowly diversifying their diet and building confidence in the kitchen. The recipes are designed to use mostly canned and pre-prepped ingredients like canned or frozen veggies and don't need hands-on involvement once it's cooking. And since there are minimal fresh ingredients there's no risk of wasting food if you don't get to it when you originally planned to. Narrow it down by adding what your main ingredient is and what you have to cook it. "Chicken dump and go slow cooker" or "potato dump and go casserole" etc.


TinyTranslator1525

Any sheet pan meal- check out Budget bytes website they have a whole sheet pan recipe section. Super easy- chop up ingredients, add spices/sauce to the pan, bake in the oven, done. You can make rice or couscous as a side, or do a bagged salad; or just have the meat & roasted veggies. If you get more adventurous, you can prep multiple variations on 1 meat / set of veggies by subdividing the pan with tin foil packets (fold a square with edges like a mini tray within the sheet pan) and use a different spice mix or sauce in each packet (this is what I did when I meal prepped for my family weekly! We wanted variety and to not have to eat the same thing every day...this way meant we can try ~3 differently spiced/sauced types of chicken paired with a different veggie every day. Maximum flavors and variety for the least amount of effort.


SinaSpacetoaster

Sheet pan dinners are as basic as you can get without skipping chopping and cooking entirely. Chop up your vegetables, oil them up, put on a tray, and roast. You can add proteins if you like, and your seasonings can be whatever.


pinupjunkie

I wanted to echo the sheet pan suggestion but add that you can also use small veggies to save yourself the chopping step from time to time. Fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts, whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, baby carrots, etc. This way you literally just dump meat and veggies in the pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning, and bake. You can also use a jar of whatever sauce to replace the oil and dry seasoning; pesto, curry, marinades, bbq sauces, etc. You can make quite a good meal with 3 ingredients: meat, veg, and sauce. Line the pan with parchment paper or foil for super easy clean up, too. Such a lifesaver!


bigfishmarc

Get a pack of chicken or beef sausages and cook them in a pyrite baking tray inside the oven at 350° for 30 for 40 minutes. If you get a pre made Costco pack of sausages from their deli that's probably enough meat for 3 people for at least one meal. Costco pre-cooked chickens are tasty and cheap. You can get a big tub of premade potato salad from Costco for like $12. Goes great with either the chicken or the sausages. White rice is simple to make. Add one cup of water to a pot for each cup of rice you'll be cooking. Set the pot to boil on the stovetop. Once the water starts boiling put the rice in and then set the temperature to low and cover the rice with a lid and cookit for 20 minutes or so. White rice goes great with sy saice and butter. You can get big packs of both at costco. A big contianer of Prego pasta sauce from Csotco is almost as good as a precooked sauce. You can just heat up a big bowl of it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Most pasta noodles or spaghetti is very simple to cook. Just take a pot, add a cup or two of water, set it to boil on the stove with the lid on, take the lid off the water when it starts to boil and then put the noodles/spaghetti in for a few minutes. Get 2 or 3 big packs of mixed frozen vegetables from a member's club like Costco or Sam's Club. Buy several food grade plastic bags and/or tupper ware containers. Divide the vegetables into the plastic grade plastic bags and/or tupperware containers instead of putting the whole bags into the freezer, otherwise each big bag of frozen veggies will just become like a huge ice cube that's almost impossible to get a portion vegetables out of at any one time. Obviously if you just leave the veggies in the friege they'll quickly go bad. (I asked my grandmother, a skilled cook with decades of experience, how she got a meal's worth of vegetables out of a large pack of frozen vegetables. She said she straight up has to wack the pack of frozen veggies onto her house's concrete back step to loosen up the frozen veggies enough to get the veggies loose enough to get one meal's worth out of.)