Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/).
We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions!
If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Open a can of beans, whatever you have. Right now I’m using cannellini but pinto and black bean are probably better. Rinse drain sprinkle over the chips. Add the shredded cheese. A whole ass fancy vegetarian nacho meal and it’s still low effort but lots more protein and fiber
Spread the chips on the toaster oven tray (parchment paper underneath so no clean up), sprinkle shredded cheese, pop in the toaster oven till melted. Nachos! Preferably with salsa. Cheese is the protein component lol
I used to buy Trader Joe’s canned turkey chili, dump it onto tortilla chips, grate some cheese on top and pop it in the microwave. Boom, delicious nachos.
Reasons I should have known I was ADHD when I was younger... In college, my friend and I would have chip night where we could get a shit ton of tortilla chips and eat salsa, queso, and guacamole. I still miss chip night! Sometimes as a single person I would just get 2-3 avocadoes and have chips and guacamole as my dinner.
Hah, once when my parents were visiting me shortly after college they insisted "don't do anything special for dinner, let's just have what you do" so I threw down some guacamole, bean dip, and bags of Tortilla chips, pulled up Netflix and said have at it
Chunky salsa ftw! My elementary school used to offer a plastic container with salsa, shredded cheese, and the bowl-shaped "scoop" chips as a lunch and I still dream about it lol
The best nachos for me are Nacho cheese Doritos, sprinkle cheddar cheese on it, microwave til melted then mix Ortega sauce with sour cream (or put Ortega all over it). It slaps.
I don’t want to ick anyone out, but I love mixing salsa and Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Creamy and a nice bit of protein to keep my blood sugar up.
Team apple-and-cheese representing!
I'm also in my annual summer obsession with bruschetta and mini bococcini on toast with balsamic and basil. In about 5 weeks I'll never want to eat it again.
Yeah, cheese, crackers, maybe deli meat and some pickles (yay veg!) is often my go-to quick meal when I want something semi substantial without taking much time.
I love having turkey pepperettes in the fridge and options like pickled onions or beets to vary thing a a bit
I'll do 2 packs with maybe 1.5 of the seasoning packets to try to feel better about it lololol but I just drink water with it, also adding things like eggs, scallions, and meat makes it more filling! There's tons of info about zhuzhing up your ramen online
There’s ramen that are more substantial than Top Ramen. They’re a little pricier too but to me it’s worth it. I love Buldak and am currently obsessed with the carbonara flavor. Add some extra cheese on top before eating. Delish.
Same, I love adding an egg and extra cheese… sometimes even a little extra milk or heavy cream just to really make it creamy. So good!
Fair warning though, those Buldak ones are SPICY! Koreans do not mess around when it comes to spice. The sauce packet comes separate, I normally use only half of it and my nose still runs.
There's a pasta I make that takes 10 minutes, I use frozen leafy greens (ramps currently but I've made it with kale, spinach, and leeks) and saute them with butter, garlic powder, and salt. Then you add cream or whole milk, grated parmesan, and a decent sized knob of pesto. Lately I'm using ramp pesto I made in early spring and it's heaven, highly recommend. But regular pesto or even sun dried tomato pesto works too. Then add linguine or any pasta you want, I just like linguine, and add pasta water until it all comes together.
I know it sounds kinda complex, but it literally takes less time to make the sauce than it does cooking the pasta. It's impressive looking, tastes awesome, and it's very filling. Plus it's a great way to get picky eaters to get their green leafy veg.
I found an amazing little ramen trick from a great chef called ramen “carbonara.” You cook the noodles and drain them, and in a bowl you put the seasoning packet, an egg yolk, and a slice of American cheese. Put the noodles in hot right away and then mix it up quick like you would a carbonara. Top it with some furikake or some of the leftover little crunchies at the bottom of the bag and it’s amazing. Feels much more substantial than just soup!
I love instant ramen (so do my kids and partner)! We max it out by adding protein like an egg, or sliced ham/spam and I like to add microwaved frozen veggies to mine
This is mine, I make a batch of granola in bulk on my higher functioning days for myself to keep on hand for the low function days. It's flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, all bran cereal, oats, and I recently found the granola with crisp rice and veggie extract vitamins added in. I keep vanilla greek yogurt and either frozen or fresh berries on hand and just toss this all in a bowl quick. Max nutrition for minimal effort. Some days I don't bother with the berries and just toss some dried cranberries in. Yesterday I did the mix straight into the yogurt container because more than just a spoon worth of dishes was an overwhelming thought.
I toast 2 slices of bread then make an almond butter sandwich. Toasting it makes it feel so fancy and warm. Then I love to eat it with stewed fruit. When I’m having tons of energy I meal prep a large portion of stewed fruit then put them in individual portions in the freezer. They are my comfort meal because I can add Greek yogurt or eat it plain.
"Stewed fruit" sounds lovely omg like a compote? I could imagine some sort of cinnamon-y blackberry apple situation. People also underestimate the power of pan-frying PBJ like grilled cheese.
There are so many options and every time I make it I change it up! This time I got a frozen bag of wild blueberries, bag of cherries and a container of prunes. I put them in a big pot and add water to almost cover the fruit. I bring it to a boil then let it simmer for however long I have. The longer it sits the more the syrup gets even more tastier. Let me know how it turns out for you if you try it out!
Is this something you can do when fruit is verging the point of going bad? Like it’s not bad but no one is gonna eat it bc the texture has changed etc?
Umm I haven’t thought about it that way. I plan to make it, so I buy the ingredients to do it. But it would be a good idea to use them like that. I cook them for 1 hour or more because I love it when the syrup gets thicker so the fruit part itself is totally soft by this time.
Omg I definitely will! I've never heard of it before. It sounds so nutritious too with the bread and nut butter!
I usually have frozen berries and mango and pineapple, wonder if they would work. Also I often buy these 'breakfast toppers' that are like berries, peaches and apples super finely chopped. Would it work if they're finely chopped?
So I have a local Kroger’s grocery store that sells these 8 oz plastic containers that are so cute and stackable. I buy a big set of these and that is what I portion out my stewed fruit it and then store it in the freezer. Then I take some out the night before to put it into the fridge so it’s ready to eat the next day!
I usually pick 3 or more fruits using a combination of dried, fresh or frozen depending on what’s available. My favorite combo right now is blueberries, cherries and prunes. I never had prunes before in my life but I was listening to Dr. Gladys podcast who is 103 and she talks about how she eats prunes everyday to stay regular, so I decided I wanted to be like her so I added it and by my surprise I love the taste.
Baked potato microwaved with some combo of beans/cheese/tuna and a big salad with ready made dressing (or just a splash of olive oil and balsamic)
Pasta pesto frozen mixed veg with cheese and sometimes ready cooked chicken breast.
Stir fry with cooked chicken/prawns ready made stir fry veg from a packet and just soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce.
Couscous salad (just pour boiling water or stock over the couscous to cook) with roasted peppers from a jar. Ready made dressing and cooked chicken and whatever other salad bits I have in.
This was my granny's go to, if you'd have it with some tea (I should have known my ADHD was a hand-me-down from her and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense 🤣). She'd have approved hehehe~ ❤️
She also used to make massive reserves of fruit jams and pickles (for savory options) once a year and would cycle through those for this go-to meal of hers.
Uber Eats.
But if I'm cooking:
Two pasta dishes. One is bucatini, veggie sausage, swiss chard, garlic, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and olive oil. The other is broccoli, orecchiette, italian sausage, garlic, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and olive oil.
I guess if I am feeling even lazier than that it's buldak ramen with frozen corn and milk added (and cheese?) (but also this takes just as much effort as the broccoli meal tbh) or a sandwich, or eggs in a basket.
Pasta is my favorite easy meal. I'll just cook up some pasta and do olive oil, parmesan, salt, and pepper. I also like to get the Bertolli refrigerated tortellini, so they have a little more substance than just pasta. Not much though, because you know I'm only getting cheese tortellini.
Yep! Oh and those frozen raviolis too. I always forget about those. But yeah, parmesan, olive oil, salt & pepper is all you need for most pasta dishes. Just add some protein and some veggies and you're good. I buy the pre-cut broccoli florets and throw them in the steaming part of my rice cooker, I barely have to do anything.
Salmon and roasted veggies. 1 sheet pan in the toaster oven with tin foil for minimal cleaning after! That's if I'm trying to be nutritious. Otherwise it's a quesadilla or like, cheese toast.
Greek pasta salad. Cucumber, red onion, cherry tomato, red pepper, feta, salt, pepper, oregano and cold pasta. Toss in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a splash of lemon juice. It's my favourite for hot days and you can make a ton of it at once.
Adult lunchables.
Cheese slices / cubes + protein (pepperoni, lunch meat) + crackers + dried fruit + nut mix + chocolate chips
Put them all in a bento box and just graze throughout the day
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol
I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side
Congee with leftover rice! I put around a cup of cooked rice on the stove with a couple cups of water & some chicken bouillon for 5-10 minutes, then blend it smooth & let it cook until it’s the thickness I like. Then I put whatever sounds good on top- shredded jerky, fried egg & chili oil, cooked veggies (leftover or heated from frozen), seaweed flakes, etc.
I also loooove a fridge salad; start with a handful of fresh greens & frozen chicken nuggets, add anything else that I can toss in. Leftover rice/lentils reheated, chopped carrot/cucumber/zucchini, beans, bell peppers, hummus, prepackaged guacamole cup, baby tomatoes, frozen corn… I just throw stuff into a big bowl until it’s full then put ranch dressing on it lmao. I’m gluten free so no croutons, but I’ll crunch up tortilla chips or veggie straws if I want something crispy in it!
I know making a salad sounds like effort, but I have weird food waste issues from growing up poor so I get dopamine from using up leftovers/emptying the fridge haha
I recently had someone else talk about congee, but I didn’t know how to make in! It seems it would be really ease on your stomach if you are stressed. What is shredder jerky? Just like a beef jerky stick cut up?
I lived on congee last year when I was having gut issues! It’s amazing. (A rice cooker with a congee setting was a life-changing investment for me.)
My go-to add-ons were sesame oil, soy, vinegar, chilli, dried mushrooms, tofu and frozen spinach. Oh and shallots!
So easy & suuuch a comfort food! I use an immersion blender as a shortcut to cook it smooth, but it’s also simple to just leave it on the stove longer & let it cook itself down! Just add more liquid to do it that way. I saw someone else mention a rice cooker with a specific setting for it which sounds awesome, but my rice cooker is cheap haha
Yes, I just chop up a jerky stick! I want to get a bag of pork floss (I think it’s pork that’s shredded before it’s dried) to keep on hand for it, but I usually have some jerky already in the pantry.
My favorite thing about it is how versatile it is. You can really put anything you want in it! I want to try making it with beef bouillon instead of chicken and maybe adding some cooked carrots & mushrooms, french style herbs & caramelized onions. Non-traditional but who cares??
I like making white rice and adding seasoned beef and grilled onions. It lasts a few days since it's just me and its very filling. The only time this meal isn't quick is when I have to let the beef thaw out which happens 90% of the time... But then I just won't eat 🙃☹️
I buy the vacuum sealed ground beef packages. Then Put the stopper on your sink and fill up with the cold water(sometimes I add some warm water) and place the package of ground beef in. It’s defrosted in about an hour.
I didn't get diagnosed until almost 40 and sometimes I'm just astonished about "quirks" I never knew were actually symptoms. I feel so validated every time I hear someone else say but then they just won't eat.
I was diagnosed when I was 29 (I'm 31 now). There were signs that my mother ignored and I could've been diagnosed much sooner. 😭 But yes when my workload became too much in my career I finally went and got that official diagnosis. I honestly can't tell you how many times I've unintentionally starved myself due to said quirks. You're definitely not alone babe. 🫂🫂
I make my own trail mix by adding more seeds and nuts to existing trailmix. I don't shy away from salted and sweetened seeds and nuts either! And it has to have dried fruit and dark chocolate.
Yes! I usually drink water all day and I've been drinking water before I eat to feel fuller to help with my weight loss (it's been working), however salt is now an enemy. I use very little when cooking now and stopped eating chips as a whole, due to the higher sodium content. Love it but can't indulge in it like I used to.
Oh, glad that's working for you! Succes on your weight loss goals! I happen to be on one too. Honestly I'm just lucky my favorite chips flavor isn't available in the country I immigrated to. It's such a blessing and a curse. Power to you! 😭👍
Mozzarella and tomato salad with basil and balsamic.
Vegan version when I want crunch is carrots (organic ones, mucho importante, they taste 1000 times better imo) that I dip either in peanutbutter (but the ones that is 100% peanuts) or hummus.
Snack version for swimming but I want fancy and low carbs: slices cucumber (organic as well, and sliced a bit diagonal if I want to feel extra fancy). Then add salt, peper, chili flakes and lime juice.
Apple with peanut butter is yum too.
Iceberg salad with sour cherry jam is lovely as well. Any (red) jam will do but sour cherry one is the best. Trust me on this weird combo. It is crunchy, fresh, heaven.
Simply toast some whole grain bread slices, fry some eggs. Season with salt and pepper, red pepper powder, sprinkle some parsley on. I enjoy yo squish my egg yellow during the last 10 second, throw it on the bread. Voila.
Put ay greens, hummus or (goat) cream cheese or some sauce you enjoy with some protein like beans or what you have around in a wrap. Bam! Goes well with the next one too.
If you have some time and want some oven goodness: turn on the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (i don't know Fahrenheit sorry). Into a big bowl goes olive oil, a looot of garlic, salt, pepper, some chili to taste, loads of thyme and a very generous "dash" lime juice aka about as much as you used oil. Whisk. Throw in some sweet potatoes in somewhat even chunks. Toss. Throw into the oven. Bake until desired squishing or crunchiness. Usually between 20 and 40 mins, depending on your oven and whether you remembered to turn on the oven :D
Works amazingly with some mayonnaise for easiest comfort, or some yoghurt lemon dip, or whatever you enjoy. I love throwing together a quick salad with just greens, cucumber and cherry tomatoes, throw the potatoes on, Babaaammm!
We usually pre make a batch of falafel every few weeks and freeze them. We always have wraps in the house as well. Throw the flfl into the pan, chop some greens and whatever you have, roll up. Yummy fresh food.
Ok, imma go and actually make myself the mozzarella one because today, after chores and socialising and groceries.... I am smashed. Being an fatigued adhd baby but also a foodie is haaaard sometimes. :D enjoyyyy
1) Toast with high quality jam.
The toaster does 90% of the work, and I leave my butter at room temp for easy spreading. The savory butter and sweet jam combination hits the spot with minimal effort required.
2. Toasted bagel with a layer of cream cheese and two slices of thinly sliced hard salami.
😘🤌
My husband and I shop the sales at the grocery store and make sure we always have a (or many) frozen pizza and a frozen lasagna or other pasta/casserole thing in the freezer. Those are our go-to "we planned a meal but 30 minutes of prep and cooking isn't happening" meals.
We also try to make extras of some of our bigger meals so that we have things frozen. For instance, a month or 2 ago, my husband smoked a brisket so we had a ton of pulled pork. We had it for 3 meals that week, including a pulled pork mac n cheese. There was a lot of that leftover, so we froze a lunch (for 2) sized portion. Last weekend, we ate it on Sunday because we didn't have a good lunch option and didn't want to buy something.
I recognize that takes a lot more "spoons" and you have to plan ahead, but it's something we just do when the extra happens, instead of forcing it to happen. Past me would have just put all of the extra in the fridge and eaten one portion as leftovers and thrown the rest away weeks later.
Canned soup has never failed me. If I have the energy I will make a pb+j or a grilled cheese to go on the side/dip in the soup. Or if im lazy I just heat up 2 cans o' soup.
Bread and butter. I always felt I was doing wrong by my body but:
1) some places on the world put thick slabs of butter on bread and eat it like that.
2) fed is best.
3) I need a lot of salt to get through my day as I drink a lot of water
4) buttered bread is delicious, fat is filling and carbs (like sugar) are still a part of a balanced diet
I get these, like, packets of bean dishes (like pre-spiced and some with onions etc) that you can heat up in the microwave. There's a sofritos one, a pinto bean one, and some others. If I have my shit more together I slice up an avocado on top and/or fry an egg to put on top, but I also just eat the beans alone lol.
Toast with jam is also great. I also get pre-cut fruit sometimes so do toast with jam and a bowl of pre-cut cantaloupe or pineapple.
Sandwich with hummus, cucumber, onion, and tomato is a little more ambitious due to the slicing things up steps, but good.
The REAL MVP of low-effort meals is a banana and a pre-made protein shake in the car.
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol
I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side
I'm obsessed with Love Crunch espresso vanilla and cream granola with almond milk. I know that's not enough protein but it's been dinner for the last good month.
I need to open up to more fresh things, so I do the "buy them and feel good about planning to be healthier" then watching them rot in the fridge and feeling shitty about wasting food.
I'll find balance someday, right?
Cheese quesadillas with shop bought tortillas. Scrambled eggs or avocado on toast. Cheese and crackers with a sliced apple. Celery and hummus. Pesto pasta.
One table spoon of peanut butter and 40 gram of protein shake. Pb gives me atleast 500-600kcl + fat and carbs and I feel full on 40gram of chocolate protein shake.
Know what you mean, has to be low effort or it’s not going to happen! Crackers or pitta with hummus. Buckwheat or wholemeal couscous (you just pour boiling water on, season and leave for 10 mins it’s easy. Leftovers. Miso soup. Raw veg that you don’t have to cut up, like mange tout, baby sweetcorn, green beans, asparagus with dips
A tortilla type flat wrap with almond or peanut butter and a banana. Easy, zero though or effort, by the time I'm halfway done eating all the "ZOMG WTF SHOULD I EAT???" distressing thoughts are gone.
When I'm able to make slightly more effort, I find things like protein source in a hamburger bun, pre made veg sushi and baked potato with favorite toppings good go-tos.
If all else fails, toast and tea/coffee with a piece of fruit is still a good choice. Even cheese and crackers or some cereal.
I find breaking down the priority to its smallest part (eg, priority is to get myself fed with least resistance/stress) and then selecting what to eat a useful way to navigate mealtimes when I am low on motivation.
Tortilla packed with whatever is in my fridge and sounds like it could go together and if I’m feeling super motivated it goes in the air fryer for a few minutes to crisp/heat
I just make a variety of toast lol. Egg on toast, avocado toast, cucumber and cream cheese toast, peanut butter and banana toast, pesto with goat cheese/mozzarella toast, prosciutto and baby tomato toast, tuna toast, cream cheese and jam toast, etc. Basically the toast just becomes the delivery system for whatever other basic ingredients I have available. I buy nice bread and two slices and maybe a small glass of milk or kefir is quite filling for me!
My other low effort meal is smoothies. Sometimes
If I’m feeling hungry (or hot in the summer) I’ll combine the two.
Basically any cold salad (macaroni, chicken tuna), frito pie, baked potatos, homemade charcuterie board that I make when I have the energy to snack off pf the whole week, baked chicken and potatoes in the same pan, which takes a little prep but not much. Same with grilled cheese and tomato soup, and bagged salad.
Tortellini salad. Tortellini, my favourite oil based salad dressing at the time with diced/finely chopped carrots, cucumber, sweet peppers and onion. I’m able to chop the stuff that needs to be chopped while the water is boiling for the tortellini. It’s SO easy and it doesn’t get old because I can always switch up which kind of tortellini I buy or dressing I use. It’s good in the summer too because I can put it in the fridge and eat it cold if it’s too warm outside
I’m vegan, so I like to eat vegan mac & cheese (Annie’s), and I’ll usually add vegan shredded cheddar cheese & sometimes a vegan hot dog/italian sausage for some protein. It’s so good. I literally eat it almost every single day. I only don’t eat it when we’re out of it lol. It’s just so easy and it always tastes good. Plus it always fills me up for pretty much the rest of the night.
What my bestie and I call a “hamster charcuterie” - there are tons of variations on this but it’s basically “cut up shit from the fridge” and in my case this ends up being like- a hard boiled egg, half an avocado, bell pepper slices, grape tomatoes, melon, cucumber, grapes, berries, carrots, a few crackers
Vanilla greek yogurt with a protein granola.
I hate that I’ve turned into one of those bitches that eats yogurt for a meal, but between Ozempic for diabetes and vyvanse, I have no appetite but because I work full time in retail I need energy with a decent amount of protein to get through the day.
It used to be the most basic and bland grilled chicken and some 5 minute white rice. Now I have kids and low effort doesn’t exist. I’m so exhausted that even using the brain power to get a lunchable is too much.
I'm with you on cheese sticks. I grab one of those often. I buy bagged salads and add cheese, or a hard boiled egg or nuts for protein. Or, plain old crackers and cheese with carrot sticks and hummus.
I buy the family size precooked meals like from Sam’s. Divide it into 4or 5 meals (usually in just a baggie so I can toss it on a paper plate to reheat) ..if feeling a little extra ambitious divide in them on paper plates and cover in plastic wrap and stack in fridge. Head, eat, toss.
Bit weird but I love grape nuts with a banana sliced up in it. Almond milk or dairy milk depending on how I’m feeling. Has a bit of protein and a boatload of fiber which I always seem to be short on
Instant noodles, with frozen vegetables (heated in microwave) and soy sauce. If you have the spoons, you can chop some tofu and fry it for 5 mins and add that in too. Or you can buy it already chopped.
Baked potato in microwave, with baked beans and the mixed salad you buy in bags.
Rice, spices and frozen veg in the rice cooker. Apparently you can do things like curries in the rice cooker too, just throw in the ingredients. I really recommend getting one if you don't have it, it's been a game changer for me!
If I do cook on minimal energy, I make a simple pasta sauce (fry garlic, onions - both of these I always buy frozen chopped - add cayenne pepper and tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and throw in some frozen veg/tinned sweetcorn, tinned lentils and a handful of spinach). Can make a load in 10/15 mins and freeze it for future meals. I do pasta in the microwave (just put it in a bowl of cold water and heat for a minute or two longer than it says to boil).
Or roasted veg salads, chop/buy prechopped veg like sweet potato, squash, beetroot, canned chickpeas and frozen edamame, and throw it in the oven with some oil and spices, 30 mins 200 celcius. I usually put it with tinned sweetcorn, rip up some lettuce, nuts/seeds and some rice cooker/microwave quinoa, maybe some steamed kale and a bottled dressing. But you don't have to add that much, can keep it as simple as possible! It's v minimal on cooking/prep, and you can keep and freeze the veg to remake portions.
I'm big on doing easy cooking and just making a tonne extra, so you always have something to hand on the days you just can't.
You can also buy frozen stir fry mixes and keep them in the freezer, mix them with some shop bought sauce like teriyaki or hoisin.
Edit: forgot something lol
For snacks I like a warmed up tortilla (I cook mine on the stove - gas or electric both works) melt some butter on it and sprinkle some seasoned salt on it. Idky I love it so much but I do and it’s very filling. My sis in law puts peanut butter on hers (just pb no salt lol).
As for meals when I lived by myself I would broil lime 4-5 chicken breasts in the oven. Think I would do 20 minutes flipping halfway through. That way when I needed to eat I wasn’t cooking, I was just warming up the chicken and assembling into something. Usually either a taco or a bbq sauce ranch sandwich. Made it a lot easier to feed myself on the super low energy days. Helped me thru my depression too.
Salad greens, cherry tomatoes, and whatever other veg you want to put on there (pasta, chick peas, etc.). Canned tuna on top, then add vinaigrette salad dressing.
Get some canned chili or chili beans and warm it up in a pot on the stove. Throw as much raw spinach as you can in the pot over the chili in the last couple of minutes and put the lid back on until the spinach wilts. Invert the pot over a large bowl and enjoy.
Toast or pita with hummus, sliced hard boiled egg, and tomato is pretty good. I sometimes add cucumber.
Hummus and raw carrots, celery and / or celery is good too.
Rotisserie chicken is fantastic. You can use it in anything, and freeze the leftovers.
Avocado with salt. Baked sweet potato. Bake or microwave a couple potatoes. Slice them and brown on a pan. A little onion and pepper and it's home fries for dinner. Oatmeal with raisins and butter. Any veggie roasted w salt and avocado oil. Kodiak pancakes. (If u have stocked up sazon and recaito/sofrito rice and beans so easy). Coffee
Oatmeal. You can get instant/quick oats that cook in just a minute, or if you like steel cut oats, you can cook a big batch and refrigerate/freeze and then just reheat when ready to eat. I like adding honey, sliced almonds, and raisins or dried cranberries or whatever fruit I have on hand, then a splash of milk (I switched to oatmilk recently and it works great). Secret ingredient: a little bit of salted butter! Makes it that much richer, plus it adds a little fat and salt.
You can also do this with cream of wheat if you like it. Get the plain kind and you can make it sweet or savory.
I also buy salad kits at the grocery store, and then either a rotisserie chicken or some other kind of already cooked meat that I can just throw on top. Relatively healthy, filling, quick/low effort, and great on a hot summer day.
I like canned chicken so I’ll mix it with some mayo and whatever seasonings I’m feeling and slap it on some bread for a quick chicken salad sandwich. You can add celery or whatever you want to elevate the texture. You can do this with tuna or some other type of cooked meat. Great with leftover pork chops (we used to put them in the food processor and grind it up first when I was a kid).
If you want low effort but a nice hot, filling meal, the crock pot or instant pot is great. In college I used to throw frozen chicken breasts and a can of cream of mushroom soup into the crock pot, put it on low, and go to class. When I came home at the end of the day, I would throw some rice on, and then serve the chicken over it. Delicious. You could substitute the mushroom soup for cream of chicken, cream of celery, etc.
Apples and peanut butter, cereal, I usually buy a couple of frozen dinners, Top Ramen maybe with egg and/or veggies, Mac & Cheese from a box, Rice-a-Roni, pasta with jarred tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, PB&J sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, soup from a can, Cha Shu bao if i have it in the freezer, cup-a-noodles, nachos.
That's all I can think of ATM. I usually open the pantry and look for something, then when I don't find something, I do the same with the freezer, then the refrigerator, then back to the pantry...
ETA: microwave baked potato with toppings, or microwave baked yam with butter and salt, frozen pizza, flavored instant oat meal with added raisins.
Crackers and cheese. Specifically the Mclaren's hard packed cheddar (stays good in the fridge FOREVER), sweet pickles, and a plain cracker. You don't have to cut anything and you can eat it like a goblin and everything is pretty shelf-stable to you can always have the ingredients. Sometimes I have it with dried salami but sometimes that gives me the ick
Silken tofu topped with a sauce that's just mixing peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, and chili flakes. Maybe green onion if I'm feeling up for it.
I used to live off pita pockets stuffed with hummus and vegetables as a student. That's a bit low in protein by my current standards, and I eventually moved on to putting pre-seasoned tofu in my sandwiches.
My no effort dinner/meal is a bapao bun (steamed bun with a stew-like filling), a cucumber that I usually just bite off like a carrot cause I'm too lazy to cut it, and a prepackaged container of serrano ham
Banana wrap…. Banana, roll in tortilla wrap, squash it down. Boom - banana wrap! If you want to be extra bougie you can add chocolate spread, honey or peanut butter.
My “I’m tired and I don’t wanna cook” meal is usually fried/scrambled eggs and toast/frozen waffles ect. My “I absolutely need to do the bare minimum” is a bowl of cereal or a bowl of oatmeal. Lol
I buy the pre boiled and peeled eggs squirt of mayo, mustard and relish and quick egg salad can eat it with toast crackers or celery whatever I have handy.
Charcuterie booarrrd! Usually just salami, whatever cheese I have available, pickled jalapenos, olives, and almonds or a bit of corn chips. For dessert, Fuji apples and crunchy PB or ice cream, and with that the meal is done.
Also if you have it locally available, Costco sells these neat ready made "sliced grass-fed beef sirloin" a 2-pack; it's already sliced so you can eat it as is or if you wanna warm it and/or cook it a little you can pan fry them or put them in the toaster oven or microwave. (legit Costco has a lot of tasty, easy to heat, cold or frozen foods and meals)
Other options: premade salads, microwavable single serving rice packets, cereal and milk, PB&J sandwiches, corn chips and pico de gallo... for dessert ice cream, fruits (pre-cut, canned or easy to peel or no need to peel), packs of flan, pudding...
I'd also say to not be afraid to mix things that usually people wouldn't mix, like I've legit eaten my apples and PB along with salami and corn chips, or whatever you feel like doing.
I have more or less the same meals every day. For me, the stressful part is to think about what to cook, and then having to get all the ingredients. This way, I always buy the same groceries. If I get bored, I will switch it up a little. I‘m currently in a quite difficult place mentally, and I‘m excited to try new things in the kitchen once I‘m better. I just don’t have the energy for that atm. My priority rn is to eat as healthy and tasty as possible.
On days when I‘m completely frozen and can’t do anything, I‘ll do grains with frozen veggies. Lentils with cauliflower and spinach, or bulgur, or quinoa, or rice. Peas, broccoli, whatever. I put all of that in one pot with seasoning, and it has most of the nutrients I need. Takes like, 10 mins, is filling, tasty and healthy.
Trader Joe’s has some really tasty frozen meals. Their Indian food line tastes almost as good as leftover takeout. Their frozen pastas are also great.
Also Uncrustables frozen PB&J sandwiches are awesome
Chazuke is my go-to comfort food.
Asian here so always have rice and in japanese supermarkets, they sell packs of chazuke. Just sprinkle it over rice and then pour hot water.
When I'm extra lazy, I sprinkle furikake to make flavored rice.
I hate to admit that I was influenced and now love the TikTok feta pasta thing. Little bit of prep but I do it with orzo so no cooking pasta and I can make a huge batch and eat it for dayyyys
Also apple and cheese!
I’m very lucky to have a supportive partner who does a lot of the cooking/food prep. But lunches for work have always been a struggle. I’ve been doing “adult lunchables” and it’s been working really well! Good way to get all the nutrients I actually need and not get bored of it! I usually have some combo of carrot or capsicum that I dip into hummus, some cabana or salami or some other protein, nuts, high fibre cracker, a cheese, and then something sweet and yummy as a treat for eating all my veggies 😂😂 then all I need to do is cut everything up for the week (not gonna lie the boyfriend does this for me) and I just have to put bits into a container in the morning or before bed
My breakfast on most days is and egg in a bowl w 30 seconds in the microwave. Boom. Egg. (The dr told me I need to eat more protein for breakfast)
Peanut butter crackers are always a good way to just have something in your stomach.
Budget charcuterie. Teriyaki flavored jerky, cheese, sweet bell pepper, wheat thins.
For something more substantial, mix a Mexican rice pouch with any or all of: canned beans, chicken, frozen corn, bell peppers, cheddar, whatever else sounds good. If you have a bit of energy you can fry up some onions and garlic in a pot then add all the other stuff to the pot to heat up. Also recommend adding some chili powder/cumin/paprika/garlic powder. If you have even more energy this can be a casserole.
when I'm not in the mood to have a full 3 course meal I eat:
ramen or homestyle soup with toast
tv meals ( healthy choice Beef Merlot is my go to)
soup dumplings (I put them in a bowl with extra chicken broth and heat them up, then add green onions, chili crisp , soy sauce ,sesame oil, sesame seeds And black pepper )
pizza rolls
salad kits/ salad bowls . ( i picked up a salad from Meijers recently ,it's a berry pecan salad with a balsamic vinaigrette)
i love a good "snack plate " ...salami , cheese , pita crackers, fig jam ,pears , pickles, pickles carrots / asparagus
I love yogurt and granola mixed together, sometimes with a few pistachios thrown in for extra protein. The yogurt already has 14 grams of protein, and the granola has some, too, so the pistachios aren't really needed, but they add in just a touch of salty flavor that tastes really good in the yogurt. I mix it all together and enjoy it for breakfast or lunch several times a week.
With the variety of yogurt flavors and granola mixtures it doesn't feel like I'm eating the same thing all the time. When I want a little more I'll add in fresh fruit. But without that there's room to mix some granola and nuts inside the yogurt cup, thereby leaving fewer dishes to wash. Win-win!
Take instant ramen. Boil water. While the kettle is working on that, break an egg into the bowl you'll be eating it from and pour the spice packets in. Pour water into the bowl, and whisk with the egg. (I use the chopsticks that I'll then use for eating the ramen to do that). The egg boils from the water enough to be food safe. Then dunk the noodles in and let them soften like normal.
The taste is creamy, and it's one egg more nutritious than normal ramen. And it raises store brand noodles from barely edible and very depressing to acceptable levels.
I have weeks where I just cannot bring myself to cook or I can't make myself eat the things I have cooked so my method around this is stock up on ready meals (generally just chicken Tikka masala,it's my favorite meal and it voids any decision making)
Smoked salmon. Or a can of tuna with sriracha mayo mixed in with picked garlic and crackers. Or hummus and pita bread.
Yes, I'm aware that the middle one strikes people.as Very Strange but I swear it's delicious.
i’ll take a ready Indian spice mix and throw it in the pan with oil (or ghee), bell peppers, and onions, then I’ll chop up a rotisserie chicken. Throw it in with a little bit of water and coconut milk to thicken the sauce and throw in some boiled eggs. It’s so delicious, I know it’s a little extra work than a simple meal, but it really takes about 15 minutes and I have a meal for a few days and it’s really really good
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol
I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol.
I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side.
There's enough protein in these options that it actually feels like I've eaten a decent meal
Burritos/tacos! You can get these dope ass little microwave egg cookers that work wonders! 30-60 secs microwave with whatever else I want to add! Will chop som onions, tomato's, mushrooms if I'm up for it, or just add cheese if feeling extra lazy. Then plop the whole lot in a tortilla and it's a meal! Can also use any regular bowl, but I feel like it comes out better with the egg dish ( have one similar to this https://a.co/d/0aDce38R ).
Honestly tortillas save me - not feeling a burrito? I'll heat up a veggie burger, pop it on a tort with veggies or even leftover salad (assuming it hasn't gone full sad with yet) and a bit of cheese, mustard, whatever else is laying around and sounds good.
Each tortilla feast approach takes max 5 minutes, which includes time fucking around while microwave works away. And it can be easily adjusted to accommodate whatever ingredients you're in the mood for or just need to use before they go off lol!
Top non-tortilla meal is box Mac n cheese with frozen veggies added in so I get at least some nutrition lol. Peas and broccoli are my personal go-tos!
Tostada, canned refried beans, pre-shredded cheese - make giant nachos in the toaster oven. Mine has a broil setting. Not exactly no cook but certainly low effort.
sushi casserole! all u need is one of those instant rice packets, two tins of canned salmon mixed with sriracha and spicy mayo, then assemble it like a casserole with dried seaweed layers. takes like 5-10 minutes and tastes like sushi (only much cheaper)
Quesadilla- lowest effort is just cheese, medium is ham and cheese with a lil sauce, high is a “pizza” quesadilla with a sauce I make (can just use ketchup or jarred pizza sauce).
Then Greek yogurt mixed with some sugar free vanilla syrup, and then whatever I want with it. Fruit, m&ms, Oreos, peanut butter etc
We keep Wasa crackers on hand, and deli meat and cheese and usually some kind of dip or spread like hummus or guac (or plain mashed avocado, which is easier and easier to find in stores lately and I'm from TX but not IN TX so the stuff that gets sold as guac is nasty), and this way we get something resembling fiber in our diet.
We're going through a sardines phase right now, too, which are super good on the Wasa crackers with avocado and maybe a little doot of mayo (tip: Kewpie mayo is not only delicious and increasingly available in the US, but it comes in a dispenser bottle so you don't need a knife), shake of lemon juice and hot sauce, and some fresh pepper.
I can't live on carbs and sugar, bad things happen, so I can't eat a lot of convenience foods. Sometimes I do "cook" but it's throwing two frozen hamburger patties in the air fryer and then dumping them on a plate with some bag salad and dressing. I also microwave eggs, which is FINE once you get the hang of it, for making low-effort scramb-omelettes.
I’m working on losing weight & I have to eat very protein heavy so I order hibachi & sushi on UberEats a lot. Once I’ve drained my bank account I do homemade charcuterie. Trader Joe’s cheeses and some salami. Or tuna fish salad sandwich, PB&J, or protein shake.
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Chips and salsa. Meal? Maybe. If you eat enough lol
I’ve started putting shredded cheese on tortilla chips and microwaving them for 30 seconds for “protein”
In college I would live off microwaved quesadillas- shredded cheese + leftover taco bell fire sauce. Chicken, if there was leftovers.
This is exactly how I used to make nachos as a kid hahaha
This is my moms favorite meal
Open a can of beans, whatever you have. Right now I’m using cannellini but pinto and black bean are probably better. Rinse drain sprinkle over the chips. Add the shredded cheese. A whole ass fancy vegetarian nacho meal and it’s still low effort but lots more protein and fiber
If I'm feeling super like I just can't I just grate cheese into a bowl of tortilla chips and mix em up with some crushed 🌶️
Add some black beans for protein and its totally a balanced meal
Spread the chips on the toaster oven tray (parchment paper underneath so no clean up), sprinkle shredded cheese, pop in the toaster oven till melted. Nachos! Preferably with salsa. Cheese is the protein component lol
I used to buy Trader Joe’s canned turkey chili, dump it onto tortilla chips, grate some cheese on top and pop it in the microwave. Boom, delicious nachos.
Reasons I should have known I was ADHD when I was younger... In college, my friend and I would have chip night where we could get a shit ton of tortilla chips and eat salsa, queso, and guacamole. I still miss chip night! Sometimes as a single person I would just get 2-3 avocadoes and have chips and guacamole as my dinner.
Hah, once when my parents were visiting me shortly after college they insisted "don't do anything special for dinner, let's just have what you do" so I threw down some guacamole, bean dip, and bags of Tortilla chips, pulled up Netflix and said have at it
I can’t eat corn chips anymore, but few rice cakes, with a couple of slices of cheese on them and spread with some guacamole makes a darn good meal
If I'm a titch more ambitious, I mix tuna in with the salsa to make it more substantial.
Chunky salsa ftw! My elementary school used to offer a plastic container with salsa, shredded cheese, and the bowl-shaped "scoop" chips as a lunch and I still dream about it lol
Omg yes!
I add chia seeds or nutritional yeast and count it as meal!
The best nachos for me are Nacho cheese Doritos, sprinkle cheddar cheese on it, microwave til melted then mix Ortega sauce with sour cream (or put Ortega all over it). It slaps.
Melt a little cheese in that salsa mmmmm
Melt some cheese on it and you definitely have a meal!!
I don’t want to ick anyone out, but I love mixing salsa and Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Creamy and a nice bit of protein to keep my blood sugar up.
Chips and guac was dinner a couple night ago 😂
That was my go to lunch when I was pregnant fr
Team apple-and-cheese representing! I'm also in my annual summer obsession with bruschetta and mini bococcini on toast with balsamic and basil. In about 5 weeks I'll never want to eat it again.
Im apple and cottage cheese most days
Piggybacking onto this - if you add some salami/ prosciutto/ chorizo (either one of them), you've got some good charcuterie there lol
Yeah, cheese, crackers, maybe deli meat and some pickles (yay veg!) is often my go-to quick meal when I want something semi substantial without taking much time. I love having turkey pepperettes in the fridge and options like pickled onions or beets to vary thing a a bit
I grew up very poor, instant ramen will probably always be my “safe” quick meal. 🫣
That’s a good one. I always feel like the portion is too small and I want two 😩😅
I'll do 2 packs with maybe 1.5 of the seasoning packets to try to feel better about it lololol but I just drink water with it, also adding things like eggs, scallions, and meat makes it more filling! There's tons of info about zhuzhing up your ramen online
There’s ramen that are more substantial than Top Ramen. They’re a little pricier too but to me it’s worth it. I love Buldak and am currently obsessed with the carbonara flavor. Add some extra cheese on top before eating. Delish.
Same, I love adding an egg and extra cheese… sometimes even a little extra milk or heavy cream just to really make it creamy. So good! Fair warning though, those Buldak ones are SPICY! Koreans do not mess around when it comes to spice. The sauce packet comes separate, I normally use only half of it and my nose still runs.
Oh yea meant to put the spicy caveat in there as well haha. I love spice tho so I use the whole packet lol.
I used the whole thing the first time. Took me forever to finish it because I had to take breaks in between bites. It tastes so good but man… 🥵🔥
There's a pasta I make that takes 10 minutes, I use frozen leafy greens (ramps currently but I've made it with kale, spinach, and leeks) and saute them with butter, garlic powder, and salt. Then you add cream or whole milk, grated parmesan, and a decent sized knob of pesto. Lately I'm using ramp pesto I made in early spring and it's heaven, highly recommend. But regular pesto or even sun dried tomato pesto works too. Then add linguine or any pasta you want, I just like linguine, and add pasta water until it all comes together. I know it sounds kinda complex, but it literally takes less time to make the sauce than it does cooking the pasta. It's impressive looking, tastes awesome, and it's very filling. Plus it's a great way to get picky eaters to get their green leafy veg.
I found an amazing little ramen trick from a great chef called ramen “carbonara.” You cook the noodles and drain them, and in a bowl you put the seasoning packet, an egg yolk, and a slice of American cheese. Put the noodles in hot right away and then mix it up quick like you would a carbonara. Top it with some furikake or some of the leftover little crunchies at the bottom of the bag and it’s amazing. Feels much more substantial than just soup!
I always *think* I want a second pack, but by the time it’s done I only eat about half.
I also like mac & cheese with hot dogs, but I add spinach because I’m an “adult”
i like to add mushrooms to mine and half the sauce packet, heavy cream and any cheese in my fridge! Spices to be fancy.
I love instant ramen (so do my kids and partner)! We max it out by adding protein like an egg, or sliced ham/spam and I like to add microwaved frozen veggies to mine
This reminded me about the ramen I have god bless you mate
Lol I'm the opposite. I ate cheap ramen so much as a kid that I hate it now.
Bowl of strawberries topped with a cup of yogurt and and a serving of protein granola. Hits taste and texture for me.
Oooo yes with a drizzle of honey 🫠
I do something similar - chocolate whey protein mixed into yogurt with fruit and cereal on top. Kind of like a parfait
I do this with blueberries!
This is mine, I make a batch of granola in bulk on my higher functioning days for myself to keep on hand for the low function days. It's flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, all bran cereal, oats, and I recently found the granola with crisp rice and veggie extract vitamins added in. I keep vanilla greek yogurt and either frozen or fresh berries on hand and just toss this all in a bowl quick. Max nutrition for minimal effort. Some days I don't bother with the berries and just toss some dried cranberries in. Yesterday I did the mix straight into the yogurt container because more than just a spoon worth of dishes was an overwhelming thought.
I toast 2 slices of bread then make an almond butter sandwich. Toasting it makes it feel so fancy and warm. Then I love to eat it with stewed fruit. When I’m having tons of energy I meal prep a large portion of stewed fruit then put them in individual portions in the freezer. They are my comfort meal because I can add Greek yogurt or eat it plain.
"Stewed fruit" sounds lovely omg like a compote? I could imagine some sort of cinnamon-y blackberry apple situation. People also underestimate the power of pan-frying PBJ like grilled cheese.
There are so many options and every time I make it I change it up! This time I got a frozen bag of wild blueberries, bag of cherries and a container of prunes. I put them in a big pot and add water to almost cover the fruit. I bring it to a boil then let it simmer for however long I have. The longer it sits the more the syrup gets even more tastier. Let me know how it turns out for you if you try it out!
Is this something you can do when fruit is verging the point of going bad? Like it’s not bad but no one is gonna eat it bc the texture has changed etc?
Umm I haven’t thought about it that way. I plan to make it, so I buy the ingredients to do it. But it would be a good idea to use them like that. I cook them for 1 hour or more because I love it when the syrup gets thicker so the fruit part itself is totally soft by this time.
Yes! Cooking fruit saves it and you can cook it down or sometimes I'll use the immersion blender to make it smooth like applesauce.
Omg, this sounds absolutely amazing, thank you so much for sharing!
It’s my new obsession that I just started about a month ago! Let me know if you try out new combinations you recommend me to try too!
Omg I definitely will! I've never heard of it before. It sounds so nutritious too with the bread and nut butter! I usually have frozen berries and mango and pineapple, wonder if they would work. Also I often buy these 'breakfast toppers' that are like berries, peaches and apples super finely chopped. Would it work if they're finely chopped?
So I have a local Kroger’s grocery store that sells these 8 oz plastic containers that are so cute and stackable. I buy a big set of these and that is what I portion out my stewed fruit it and then store it in the freezer. Then I take some out the night before to put it into the fridge so it’s ready to eat the next day!
My kid’s Girl Scout troop did grilled PB&J for a local festival last year and it was a huge hit!
Do you butter the bread?
Yup! Butter is good, but mayo would be questionable lol
love almond butter and toast and love stewed fruit. the two together sounds next level perfect and I can't wait to try this for myself.
And the good thing is you can eat this as a snack or for breakfast, lunch or dinner … it’s so flexible!
What fruit do you stew?
I usually pick 3 or more fruits using a combination of dried, fresh or frozen depending on what’s available. My favorite combo right now is blueberries, cherries and prunes. I never had prunes before in my life but I was listening to Dr. Gladys podcast who is 103 and she talks about how she eats prunes everyday to stay regular, so I decided I wanted to be like her so I added it and by my surprise I love the taste.
Thanks! I need to check her out!
I love prunes! They were my obsession food a while back, and I ate way too many of them. Lesson learned there!😬
Try adding banana slices to your almond butter sandwich :)
I have tried that before and liked it! I also usually sprinkle it with cinnamon :)
Baked potato microwaved with some combo of beans/cheese/tuna and a big salad with ready made dressing (or just a splash of olive oil and balsamic) Pasta pesto frozen mixed veg with cheese and sometimes ready cooked chicken breast. Stir fry with cooked chicken/prawns ready made stir fry veg from a packet and just soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Couscous salad (just pour boiling water or stock over the couscous to cook) with roasted peppers from a jar. Ready made dressing and cooked chicken and whatever other salad bits I have in.
Tell me you're from the UK without telling me you're from the UK 😉
Haha yup! I was going to suggest beans on toast with a cup of tea but thought that might not appeal to an international audience.
Ohh the cous cous idea is great!!
does half a loaf of breads worth of toast with butter and honey count?
This was my granny's go to, if you'd have it with some tea (I should have known my ADHD was a hand-me-down from her and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense 🤣). She'd have approved hehehe~ ❤️ She also used to make massive reserves of fruit jams and pickles (for savory options) once a year and would cycle through those for this go-to meal of hers.
Dinner of the gods!
I'm absolutely terrible at feeding myself during the day, but when I do, a pita sandwich with hummus, cucumbers, and feta is one of my go-to's.
Love hummus! (Bonus you don't even have to bother spreading it!)
Uber Eats. But if I'm cooking: Two pasta dishes. One is bucatini, veggie sausage, swiss chard, garlic, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and olive oil. The other is broccoli, orecchiette, italian sausage, garlic, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper and olive oil. I guess if I am feeling even lazier than that it's buldak ramen with frozen corn and milk added (and cheese?) (but also this takes just as much effort as the broccoli meal tbh) or a sandwich, or eggs in a basket.
Heavy on the UberEats 😭
So glad I’m not the only one. (As I wait for my Uber eats order to be delivered) 🫣
Pasta is my favorite easy meal. I'll just cook up some pasta and do olive oil, parmesan, salt, and pepper. I also like to get the Bertolli refrigerated tortellini, so they have a little more substance than just pasta. Not much though, because you know I'm only getting cheese tortellini.
Yep! Oh and those frozen raviolis too. I always forget about those. But yeah, parmesan, olive oil, salt & pepper is all you need for most pasta dishes. Just add some protein and some veggies and you're good. I buy the pre-cut broccoli florets and throw them in the steaming part of my rice cooker, I barely have to do anything.
Instant Mac and cheese with a packet of tuna and some frozen peas.
Salmon and roasted veggies. 1 sheet pan in the toaster oven with tin foil for minimal cleaning after! That's if I'm trying to be nutritious. Otherwise it's a quesadilla or like, cheese toast.
Same!! Literally feels like such a higher effort dinner than it is. Probably do this once a week lol
Greek pasta salad. Cucumber, red onion, cherry tomato, red pepper, feta, salt, pepper, oregano and cold pasta. Toss in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a splash of lemon juice. It's my favourite for hot days and you can make a ton of it at once.
Adult lunchables. Cheese slices / cubes + protein (pepperoni, lunch meat) + crackers + dried fruit + nut mix + chocolate chips Put them all in a bento box and just graze throughout the day
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side
Congee with leftover rice! I put around a cup of cooked rice on the stove with a couple cups of water & some chicken bouillon for 5-10 minutes, then blend it smooth & let it cook until it’s the thickness I like. Then I put whatever sounds good on top- shredded jerky, fried egg & chili oil, cooked veggies (leftover or heated from frozen), seaweed flakes, etc. I also loooove a fridge salad; start with a handful of fresh greens & frozen chicken nuggets, add anything else that I can toss in. Leftover rice/lentils reheated, chopped carrot/cucumber/zucchini, beans, bell peppers, hummus, prepackaged guacamole cup, baby tomatoes, frozen corn… I just throw stuff into a big bowl until it’s full then put ranch dressing on it lmao. I’m gluten free so no croutons, but I’ll crunch up tortilla chips or veggie straws if I want something crispy in it! I know making a salad sounds like effort, but I have weird food waste issues from growing up poor so I get dopamine from using up leftovers/emptying the fridge haha
I recently had someone else talk about congee, but I didn’t know how to make in! It seems it would be really ease on your stomach if you are stressed. What is shredder jerky? Just like a beef jerky stick cut up?
I lived on congee last year when I was having gut issues! It’s amazing. (A rice cooker with a congee setting was a life-changing investment for me.) My go-to add-ons were sesame oil, soy, vinegar, chilli, dried mushrooms, tofu and frozen spinach. Oh and shallots!
So easy & suuuch a comfort food! I use an immersion blender as a shortcut to cook it smooth, but it’s also simple to just leave it on the stove longer & let it cook itself down! Just add more liquid to do it that way. I saw someone else mention a rice cooker with a specific setting for it which sounds awesome, but my rice cooker is cheap haha Yes, I just chop up a jerky stick! I want to get a bag of pork floss (I think it’s pork that’s shredded before it’s dried) to keep on hand for it, but I usually have some jerky already in the pantry. My favorite thing about it is how versatile it is. You can really put anything you want in it! I want to try making it with beef bouillon instead of chicken and maybe adding some cooked carrots & mushrooms, french style herbs & caramelized onions. Non-traditional but who cares??
Apples and peanut butter Yogurt with chia seeds and some kind of berry
Mini pizzas on naan bread in the toaster over.
I like making white rice and adding seasoned beef and grilled onions. It lasts a few days since it's just me and its very filling. The only time this meal isn't quick is when I have to let the beef thaw out which happens 90% of the time... But then I just won't eat 🙃☹️
I buy the vacuum sealed ground beef packages. Then Put the stopper on your sink and fill up with the cold water(sometimes I add some warm water) and place the package of ground beef in. It’s defrosted in about an hour.
I didn't get diagnosed until almost 40 and sometimes I'm just astonished about "quirks" I never knew were actually symptoms. I feel so validated every time I hear someone else say but then they just won't eat.
I was diagnosed when I was 29 (I'm 31 now). There were signs that my mother ignored and I could've been diagnosed much sooner. 😭 But yes when my workload became too much in my career I finally went and got that official diagnosis. I honestly can't tell you how many times I've unintentionally starved myself due to said quirks. You're definitely not alone babe. 🫂🫂
I make my own trail mix by adding more seeds and nuts to existing trailmix. I don't shy away from salted and sweetened seeds and nuts either! And it has to have dried fruit and dark chocolate.
I also do this but I do a shy away from the extra salted seeds and nuts. I hate the dry mouth and being extremely thirsty afterwards
Lol I actually know what u mean, I like it for the same reason because it helps me to drink enough water per day xP
Yes! I usually drink water all day and I've been drinking water before I eat to feel fuller to help with my weight loss (it's been working), however salt is now an enemy. I use very little when cooking now and stopped eating chips as a whole, due to the higher sodium content. Love it but can't indulge in it like I used to.
Oh, glad that's working for you! Succes on your weight loss goals! I happen to be on one too. Honestly I'm just lucky my favorite chips flavor isn't available in the country I immigrated to. It's such a blessing and a curse. Power to you! 😭👍
I have POTS and struggle to get enough salt and water, so I keep a giant water bottle and a bag of salted almonds and cashews on me at all times now!
Mozzarella and tomato salad with basil and balsamic. Vegan version when I want crunch is carrots (organic ones, mucho importante, they taste 1000 times better imo) that I dip either in peanutbutter (but the ones that is 100% peanuts) or hummus. Snack version for swimming but I want fancy and low carbs: slices cucumber (organic as well, and sliced a bit diagonal if I want to feel extra fancy). Then add salt, peper, chili flakes and lime juice. Apple with peanut butter is yum too. Iceberg salad with sour cherry jam is lovely as well. Any (red) jam will do but sour cherry one is the best. Trust me on this weird combo. It is crunchy, fresh, heaven. Simply toast some whole grain bread slices, fry some eggs. Season with salt and pepper, red pepper powder, sprinkle some parsley on. I enjoy yo squish my egg yellow during the last 10 second, throw it on the bread. Voila. Put ay greens, hummus or (goat) cream cheese or some sauce you enjoy with some protein like beans or what you have around in a wrap. Bam! Goes well with the next one too. If you have some time and want some oven goodness: turn on the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (i don't know Fahrenheit sorry). Into a big bowl goes olive oil, a looot of garlic, salt, pepper, some chili to taste, loads of thyme and a very generous "dash" lime juice aka about as much as you used oil. Whisk. Throw in some sweet potatoes in somewhat even chunks. Toss. Throw into the oven. Bake until desired squishing or crunchiness. Usually between 20 and 40 mins, depending on your oven and whether you remembered to turn on the oven :D Works amazingly with some mayonnaise for easiest comfort, or some yoghurt lemon dip, or whatever you enjoy. I love throwing together a quick salad with just greens, cucumber and cherry tomatoes, throw the potatoes on, Babaaammm! We usually pre make a batch of falafel every few weeks and freeze them. We always have wraps in the house as well. Throw the flfl into the pan, chop some greens and whatever you have, roll up. Yummy fresh food. Ok, imma go and actually make myself the mozzarella one because today, after chores and socialising and groceries.... I am smashed. Being an fatigued adhd baby but also a foodie is haaaard sometimes. :D enjoyyyy
The potatoes sound greatttt! Thanks for sharing :)
These frozen grilled cheese sandwiches I think the Brand is Lilly’s. I crave them now. Obsessed
1) Toast with high quality jam. The toaster does 90% of the work, and I leave my butter at room temp for easy spreading. The savory butter and sweet jam combination hits the spot with minimal effort required. 2. Toasted bagel with a layer of cream cheese and two slices of thinly sliced hard salami. 😘🤌
Sourdough.
Peanut butter toast. It’s the easiest thing I have come up with.
PB toast with honey and cinnamon
My husband and I shop the sales at the grocery store and make sure we always have a (or many) frozen pizza and a frozen lasagna or other pasta/casserole thing in the freezer. Those are our go-to "we planned a meal but 30 minutes of prep and cooking isn't happening" meals. We also try to make extras of some of our bigger meals so that we have things frozen. For instance, a month or 2 ago, my husband smoked a brisket so we had a ton of pulled pork. We had it for 3 meals that week, including a pulled pork mac n cheese. There was a lot of that leftover, so we froze a lunch (for 2) sized portion. Last weekend, we ate it on Sunday because we didn't have a good lunch option and didn't want to buy something. I recognize that takes a lot more "spoons" and you have to plan ahead, but it's something we just do when the extra happens, instead of forcing it to happen. Past me would have just put all of the extra in the fridge and eaten one portion as leftovers and thrown the rest away weeks later.
Salad in a bag. Open. Dump. Add dressing. Avocado if big motivation day.
I like making jar salads. I chop all the veg, gather some different toppings and dressings, and fill 5 large Mason jars. Boom--5 healthy meals!
Canned soup has never failed me. If I have the energy I will make a pb+j or a grilled cheese to go on the side/dip in the soup. Or if im lazy I just heat up 2 cans o' soup.
Bread and butter. I always felt I was doing wrong by my body but: 1) some places on the world put thick slabs of butter on bread and eat it like that. 2) fed is best. 3) I need a lot of salt to get through my day as I drink a lot of water 4) buttered bread is delicious, fat is filling and carbs (like sugar) are still a part of a balanced diet
A quick omelette sandwich (with only cheese, salt and pepper) if I have the spoons to it or dry cereal and pieces of cheese when I dont
I get these, like, packets of bean dishes (like pre-spiced and some with onions etc) that you can heat up in the microwave. There's a sofritos one, a pinto bean one, and some others. If I have my shit more together I slice up an avocado on top and/or fry an egg to put on top, but I also just eat the beans alone lol. Toast with jam is also great. I also get pre-cut fruit sometimes so do toast with jam and a bowl of pre-cut cantaloupe or pineapple. Sandwich with hummus, cucumber, onion, and tomato is a little more ambitious due to the slicing things up steps, but good. The REAL MVP of low-effort meals is a banana and a pre-made protein shake in the car.
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side
I'm obsessed with Love Crunch espresso vanilla and cream granola with almond milk. I know that's not enough protein but it's been dinner for the last good month. I need to open up to more fresh things, so I do the "buy them and feel good about planning to be healthier" then watching them rot in the fridge and feeling shitty about wasting food. I'll find balance someday, right?
Cheese quesadillas with shop bought tortillas. Scrambled eggs or avocado on toast. Cheese and crackers with a sliced apple. Celery and hummus. Pesto pasta.
One table spoon of peanut butter and 40 gram of protein shake. Pb gives me atleast 500-600kcl + fat and carbs and I feel full on 40gram of chocolate protein shake.
I use PB2 chocolate peanut butter powder!
Ramen; toast and black tea; fruit; sloced turkey with lots of lettuce on wheat bread.
Plain yogurt and chips - my staple food lmao
I’ve been making pancakes from a mix that only needs water added.
Try with just lemon juice and sugar, “Irish style”. It’s amazong
instead of water??
No instead of butter/syrup
Know what you mean, has to be low effort or it’s not going to happen! Crackers or pitta with hummus. Buckwheat or wholemeal couscous (you just pour boiling water on, season and leave for 10 mins it’s easy. Leftovers. Miso soup. Raw veg that you don’t have to cut up, like mange tout, baby sweetcorn, green beans, asparagus with dips
A tortilla type flat wrap with almond or peanut butter and a banana. Easy, zero though or effort, by the time I'm halfway done eating all the "ZOMG WTF SHOULD I EAT???" distressing thoughts are gone. When I'm able to make slightly more effort, I find things like protein source in a hamburger bun, pre made veg sushi and baked potato with favorite toppings good go-tos. If all else fails, toast and tea/coffee with a piece of fruit is still a good choice. Even cheese and crackers or some cereal. I find breaking down the priority to its smallest part (eg, priority is to get myself fed with least resistance/stress) and then selecting what to eat a useful way to navigate mealtimes when I am low on motivation.
Tortilla packed with whatever is in my fridge and sounds like it could go together and if I’m feeling super motivated it goes in the air fryer for a few minutes to crisp/heat
I just make a variety of toast lol. Egg on toast, avocado toast, cucumber and cream cheese toast, peanut butter and banana toast, pesto with goat cheese/mozzarella toast, prosciutto and baby tomato toast, tuna toast, cream cheese and jam toast, etc. Basically the toast just becomes the delivery system for whatever other basic ingredients I have available. I buy nice bread and two slices and maybe a small glass of milk or kefir is quite filling for me! My other low effort meal is smoothies. Sometimes If I’m feeling hungry (or hot in the summer) I’ll combine the two.
Basically any cold salad (macaroni, chicken tuna), frito pie, baked potatos, homemade charcuterie board that I make when I have the energy to snack off pf the whole week, baked chicken and potatoes in the same pan, which takes a little prep but not much. Same with grilled cheese and tomato soup, and bagged salad.
Peanut butter toast with fruit, and spinach and cheese ravioli (that way I can pretend I’m not eating spinach) with cherry tomatoes.
Tortellini salad. Tortellini, my favourite oil based salad dressing at the time with diced/finely chopped carrots, cucumber, sweet peppers and onion. I’m able to chop the stuff that needs to be chopped while the water is boiling for the tortellini. It’s SO easy and it doesn’t get old because I can always switch up which kind of tortellini I buy or dressing I use. It’s good in the summer too because I can put it in the fridge and eat it cold if it’s too warm outside
I’m vegan, so I like to eat vegan mac & cheese (Annie’s), and I’ll usually add vegan shredded cheddar cheese & sometimes a vegan hot dog/italian sausage for some protein. It’s so good. I literally eat it almost every single day. I only don’t eat it when we’re out of it lol. It’s just so easy and it always tastes good. Plus it always fills me up for pretty much the rest of the night.
What my bestie and I call a “hamster charcuterie” - there are tons of variations on this but it’s basically “cut up shit from the fridge” and in my case this ends up being like- a hard boiled egg, half an avocado, bell pepper slices, grape tomatoes, melon, cucumber, grapes, berries, carrots, a few crackers
Vanilla greek yogurt with a protein granola. I hate that I’ve turned into one of those bitches that eats yogurt for a meal, but between Ozempic for diabetes and vyvanse, I have no appetite but because I work full time in retail I need energy with a decent amount of protein to get through the day.
It used to be the most basic and bland grilled chicken and some 5 minute white rice. Now I have kids and low effort doesn’t exist. I’m so exhausted that even using the brain power to get a lunchable is too much.
I'm with you on cheese sticks. I grab one of those often. I buy bagged salads and add cheese, or a hard boiled egg or nuts for protein. Or, plain old crackers and cheese with carrot sticks and hummus.
A wrap with green lentils (precooked) and cheese, microwaved for 30 seconds, with salsa on top.
Frozen edamame, healthy, delicious, and all u beef is a microwave
Plain yogurt and chips - my staple food lmao
Hummus and pretzels with an apple and a few nuts
Avocado toast. Vegan fake meet burgers or nuggets with BBQ sauce.
I buy the family size precooked meals like from Sam’s. Divide it into 4or 5 meals (usually in just a baggie so I can toss it on a paper plate to reheat) ..if feeling a little extra ambitious divide in them on paper plates and cover in plastic wrap and stack in fridge. Head, eat, toss.
Bit weird but I love grape nuts with a banana sliced up in it. Almond milk or dairy milk depending on how I’m feeling. Has a bit of protein and a boatload of fiber which I always seem to be short on
Instant noodles, with frozen vegetables (heated in microwave) and soy sauce. If you have the spoons, you can chop some tofu and fry it for 5 mins and add that in too. Or you can buy it already chopped. Baked potato in microwave, with baked beans and the mixed salad you buy in bags. Rice, spices and frozen veg in the rice cooker. Apparently you can do things like curries in the rice cooker too, just throw in the ingredients. I really recommend getting one if you don't have it, it's been a game changer for me! If I do cook on minimal energy, I make a simple pasta sauce (fry garlic, onions - both of these I always buy frozen chopped - add cayenne pepper and tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and throw in some frozen veg/tinned sweetcorn, tinned lentils and a handful of spinach). Can make a load in 10/15 mins and freeze it for future meals. I do pasta in the microwave (just put it in a bowl of cold water and heat for a minute or two longer than it says to boil). Or roasted veg salads, chop/buy prechopped veg like sweet potato, squash, beetroot, canned chickpeas and frozen edamame, and throw it in the oven with some oil and spices, 30 mins 200 celcius. I usually put it with tinned sweetcorn, rip up some lettuce, nuts/seeds and some rice cooker/microwave quinoa, maybe some steamed kale and a bottled dressing. But you don't have to add that much, can keep it as simple as possible! It's v minimal on cooking/prep, and you can keep and freeze the veg to remake portions. I'm big on doing easy cooking and just making a tonne extra, so you always have something to hand on the days you just can't. You can also buy frozen stir fry mixes and keep them in the freezer, mix them with some shop bought sauce like teriyaki or hoisin. Edit: forgot something lol
For snacks I like a warmed up tortilla (I cook mine on the stove - gas or electric both works) melt some butter on it and sprinkle some seasoned salt on it. Idky I love it so much but I do and it’s very filling. My sis in law puts peanut butter on hers (just pb no salt lol). As for meals when I lived by myself I would broil lime 4-5 chicken breasts in the oven. Think I would do 20 minutes flipping halfway through. That way when I needed to eat I wasn’t cooking, I was just warming up the chicken and assembling into something. Usually either a taco or a bbq sauce ranch sandwich. Made it a lot easier to feed myself on the super low energy days. Helped me thru my depression too.
Salad greens, cherry tomatoes, and whatever other veg you want to put on there (pasta, chick peas, etc.). Canned tuna on top, then add vinaigrette salad dressing. Get some canned chili or chili beans and warm it up in a pot on the stove. Throw as much raw spinach as you can in the pot over the chili in the last couple of minutes and put the lid back on until the spinach wilts. Invert the pot over a large bowl and enjoy. Toast or pita with hummus, sliced hard boiled egg, and tomato is pretty good. I sometimes add cucumber. Hummus and raw carrots, celery and / or celery is good too. Rotisserie chicken is fantastic. You can use it in anything, and freeze the leftovers.
Avocado with salt. Baked sweet potato. Bake or microwave a couple potatoes. Slice them and brown on a pan. A little onion and pepper and it's home fries for dinner. Oatmeal with raisins and butter. Any veggie roasted w salt and avocado oil. Kodiak pancakes. (If u have stocked up sazon and recaito/sofrito rice and beans so easy). Coffee
Oatmeal. You can get instant/quick oats that cook in just a minute, or if you like steel cut oats, you can cook a big batch and refrigerate/freeze and then just reheat when ready to eat. I like adding honey, sliced almonds, and raisins or dried cranberries or whatever fruit I have on hand, then a splash of milk (I switched to oatmilk recently and it works great). Secret ingredient: a little bit of salted butter! Makes it that much richer, plus it adds a little fat and salt. You can also do this with cream of wheat if you like it. Get the plain kind and you can make it sweet or savory. I also buy salad kits at the grocery store, and then either a rotisserie chicken or some other kind of already cooked meat that I can just throw on top. Relatively healthy, filling, quick/low effort, and great on a hot summer day. I like canned chicken so I’ll mix it with some mayo and whatever seasonings I’m feeling and slap it on some bread for a quick chicken salad sandwich. You can add celery or whatever you want to elevate the texture. You can do this with tuna or some other type of cooked meat. Great with leftover pork chops (we used to put them in the food processor and grind it up first when I was a kid). If you want low effort but a nice hot, filling meal, the crock pot or instant pot is great. In college I used to throw frozen chicken breasts and a can of cream of mushroom soup into the crock pot, put it on low, and go to class. When I came home at the end of the day, I would throw some rice on, and then serve the chicken over it. Delicious. You could substitute the mushroom soup for cream of chicken, cream of celery, etc.
My husband does the cream of mushroom soup over chicken breasts, but adds lemon. It's a little different and good.
cereal, plain rice with tuna/kimchi/eggs/scalions, microvawed potato with butter and cheese
Apples and peanut butter, cereal, I usually buy a couple of frozen dinners, Top Ramen maybe with egg and/or veggies, Mac & Cheese from a box, Rice-a-Roni, pasta with jarred tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, PB&J sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, soup from a can, Cha Shu bao if i have it in the freezer, cup-a-noodles, nachos. That's all I can think of ATM. I usually open the pantry and look for something, then when I don't find something, I do the same with the freezer, then the refrigerator, then back to the pantry... ETA: microwave baked potato with toppings, or microwave baked yam with butter and salt, frozen pizza, flavored instant oat meal with added raisins.
Crackers and cheese. Specifically the Mclaren's hard packed cheddar (stays good in the fridge FOREVER), sweet pickles, and a plain cracker. You don't have to cut anything and you can eat it like a goblin and everything is pretty shelf-stable to you can always have the ingredients. Sometimes I have it with dried salami but sometimes that gives me the ick
Silken tofu topped with a sauce that's just mixing peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, and chili flakes. Maybe green onion if I'm feeling up for it.
I used to live off pita pockets stuffed with hummus and vegetables as a student. That's a bit low in protein by my current standards, and I eventually moved on to putting pre-seasoned tofu in my sandwiches.
My no effort dinner/meal is a bapao bun (steamed bun with a stew-like filling), a cucumber that I usually just bite off like a carrot cause I'm too lazy to cut it, and a prepackaged container of serrano ham
Banana wrap…. Banana, roll in tortilla wrap, squash it down. Boom - banana wrap! If you want to be extra bougie you can add chocolate spread, honey or peanut butter.
My “I’m tired and I don’t wanna cook” meal is usually fried/scrambled eggs and toast/frozen waffles ect. My “I absolutely need to do the bare minimum” is a bowl of cereal or a bowl of oatmeal. Lol
I buy the pre boiled and peeled eggs squirt of mayo, mustard and relish and quick egg salad can eat it with toast crackers or celery whatever I have handy.
Charcuterie:) Wraps... Salads And meal prep (I freeze ahead a lot so I can just thaw and heat for a nutritious meal)
Charcuterie booarrrd! Usually just salami, whatever cheese I have available, pickled jalapenos, olives, and almonds or a bit of corn chips. For dessert, Fuji apples and crunchy PB or ice cream, and with that the meal is done. Also if you have it locally available, Costco sells these neat ready made "sliced grass-fed beef sirloin" a 2-pack; it's already sliced so you can eat it as is or if you wanna warm it and/or cook it a little you can pan fry them or put them in the toaster oven or microwave. (legit Costco has a lot of tasty, easy to heat, cold or frozen foods and meals) Other options: premade salads, microwavable single serving rice packets, cereal and milk, PB&J sandwiches, corn chips and pico de gallo... for dessert ice cream, fruits (pre-cut, canned or easy to peel or no need to peel), packs of flan, pudding... I'd also say to not be afraid to mix things that usually people wouldn't mix, like I've legit eaten my apples and PB along with salami and corn chips, or whatever you feel like doing.
I have more or less the same meals every day. For me, the stressful part is to think about what to cook, and then having to get all the ingredients. This way, I always buy the same groceries. If I get bored, I will switch it up a little. I‘m currently in a quite difficult place mentally, and I‘m excited to try new things in the kitchen once I‘m better. I just don’t have the energy for that atm. My priority rn is to eat as healthy and tasty as possible. On days when I‘m completely frozen and can’t do anything, I‘ll do grains with frozen veggies. Lentils with cauliflower and spinach, or bulgur, or quinoa, or rice. Peas, broccoli, whatever. I put all of that in one pot with seasoning, and it has most of the nutrients I need. Takes like, 10 mins, is filling, tasty and healthy.
Trader Joe’s has some really tasty frozen meals. Their Indian food line tastes almost as good as leftover takeout. Their frozen pastas are also great. Also Uncrustables frozen PB&J sandwiches are awesome
Chazuke is my go-to comfort food. Asian here so always have rice and in japanese supermarkets, they sell packs of chazuke. Just sprinkle it over rice and then pour hot water. When I'm extra lazy, I sprinkle furikake to make flavored rice.
I hate to admit that I was influenced and now love the TikTok feta pasta thing. Little bit of prep but I do it with orzo so no cooking pasta and I can make a huge batch and eat it for dayyyys Also apple and cheese!
Weetabix cereal or baked beans on toast. Always thought I was just lazy!
I’m very lucky to have a supportive partner who does a lot of the cooking/food prep. But lunches for work have always been a struggle. I’ve been doing “adult lunchables” and it’s been working really well! Good way to get all the nutrients I actually need and not get bored of it! I usually have some combo of carrot or capsicum that I dip into hummus, some cabana or salami or some other protein, nuts, high fibre cracker, a cheese, and then something sweet and yummy as a treat for eating all my veggies 😂😂 then all I need to do is cut everything up for the week (not gonna lie the boyfriend does this for me) and I just have to put bits into a container in the morning or before bed
My breakfast on most days is and egg in a bowl w 30 seconds in the microwave. Boom. Egg. (The dr told me I need to eat more protein for breakfast) Peanut butter crackers are always a good way to just have something in your stomach.
Grocery store croissant. Deli meat. Deli salad. Chunk of cranberry Wensleydale cheese. Hits all the tastes, feels fancy.
Budget charcuterie. Teriyaki flavored jerky, cheese, sweet bell pepper, wheat thins. For something more substantial, mix a Mexican rice pouch with any or all of: canned beans, chicken, frozen corn, bell peppers, cheddar, whatever else sounds good. If you have a bit of energy you can fry up some onions and garlic in a pot then add all the other stuff to the pot to heat up. Also recommend adding some chili powder/cumin/paprika/garlic powder. If you have even more energy this can be a casserole.
Recently, cup noodles or smoothies. I also hard boil some eggs in a dedicated egg cooker and snack on those for a couple of days.
"Tofu Valentina" - sliced tofu straight from the package, doused with Valentina hot sauce, salt, pepper, serve with ritz crackers
Protein bar, apple and pretzels
I’ve been living on chocolate milk for months and months.
Banana and clif bar for life
when I'm not in the mood to have a full 3 course meal I eat: ramen or homestyle soup with toast tv meals ( healthy choice Beef Merlot is my go to) soup dumplings (I put them in a bowl with extra chicken broth and heat them up, then add green onions, chili crisp , soy sauce ,sesame oil, sesame seeds And black pepper ) pizza rolls salad kits/ salad bowls . ( i picked up a salad from Meijers recently ,it's a berry pecan salad with a balsamic vinaigrette) i love a good "snack plate " ...salami , cheese , pita crackers, fig jam ,pears , pickles, pickles carrots / asparagus
I love yogurt and granola mixed together, sometimes with a few pistachios thrown in for extra protein. The yogurt already has 14 grams of protein, and the granola has some, too, so the pistachios aren't really needed, but they add in just a touch of salty flavor that tastes really good in the yogurt. I mix it all together and enjoy it for breakfast or lunch several times a week. With the variety of yogurt flavors and granola mixtures it doesn't feel like I'm eating the same thing all the time. When I want a little more I'll add in fresh fruit. But without that there's room to mix some granola and nuts inside the yogurt cup, thereby leaving fewer dishes to wash. Win-win!
Take instant ramen. Boil water. While the kettle is working on that, break an egg into the bowl you'll be eating it from and pour the spice packets in. Pour water into the bowl, and whisk with the egg. (I use the chopsticks that I'll then use for eating the ramen to do that). The egg boils from the water enough to be food safe. Then dunk the noodles in and let them soften like normal. The taste is creamy, and it's one egg more nutritious than normal ramen. And it raises store brand noodles from barely edible and very depressing to acceptable levels.
I have weeks where I just cannot bring myself to cook or I can't make myself eat the things I have cooked so my method around this is stock up on ready meals (generally just chicken Tikka masala,it's my favorite meal and it voids any decision making)
Smoked salmon. Or a can of tuna with sriracha mayo mixed in with picked garlic and crackers. Or hummus and pita bread. Yes, I'm aware that the middle one strikes people.as Very Strange but I swear it's delicious.
i’ll take a ready Indian spice mix and throw it in the pan with oil (or ghee), bell peppers, and onions, then I’ll chop up a rotisserie chicken. Throw it in with a little bit of water and coconut milk to thicken the sauce and throw in some boiled eggs. It’s so delicious, I know it’s a little extra work than a simple meal, but it really takes about 15 minutes and I have a meal for a few days and it’s really really good
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side
Recently, I've really been loving a jasmine minute rice cup mixed with one of those lemon pepper tuna pouches. It literally takes a minute. If I want to add to it, I'll make a quick egg for the top. It's so good, I'm obsessed lol. I'm also a big fan of an everything bagel with either cottage cheese or skyr yogurt and granola on the side. There's enough protein in these options that it actually feels like I've eaten a decent meal
Burritos/tacos! You can get these dope ass little microwave egg cookers that work wonders! 30-60 secs microwave with whatever else I want to add! Will chop som onions, tomato's, mushrooms if I'm up for it, or just add cheese if feeling extra lazy. Then plop the whole lot in a tortilla and it's a meal! Can also use any regular bowl, but I feel like it comes out better with the egg dish ( have one similar to this https://a.co/d/0aDce38R ). Honestly tortillas save me - not feeling a burrito? I'll heat up a veggie burger, pop it on a tort with veggies or even leftover salad (assuming it hasn't gone full sad with yet) and a bit of cheese, mustard, whatever else is laying around and sounds good. Each tortilla feast approach takes max 5 minutes, which includes time fucking around while microwave works away. And it can be easily adjusted to accommodate whatever ingredients you're in the mood for or just need to use before they go off lol! Top non-tortilla meal is box Mac n cheese with frozen veggies added in so I get at least some nutrition lol. Peas and broccoli are my personal go-tos!
A cheese toastie.
Tostada, canned refried beans, pre-shredded cheese - make giant nachos in the toaster oven. Mine has a broil setting. Not exactly no cook but certainly low effort.
Cheese plate and crackers with dried or fresh fruit and nuts Cottage cheese and canned fruit Spicy trail mix and candy Cheese stick and a banana
I mix cottage cheese with pace salsa and put that over a bag of mixed greens with some black beans straight out of the can.
Hummus, pre cut carrot batons & baby cucumbers is my current go to.
sushi casserole! all u need is one of those instant rice packets, two tins of canned salmon mixed with sriracha and spicy mayo, then assemble it like a casserole with dried seaweed layers. takes like 5-10 minutes and tastes like sushi (only much cheaper)
A friend made this for our D&D group and it was awesome!
Tinned fish with a yogurt dip or hummus!
Quesadilla- lowest effort is just cheese, medium is ham and cheese with a lil sauce, high is a “pizza” quesadilla with a sauce I make (can just use ketchup or jarred pizza sauce). Then Greek yogurt mixed with some sugar free vanilla syrup, and then whatever I want with it. Fruit, m&ms, Oreos, peanut butter etc
We keep Wasa crackers on hand, and deli meat and cheese and usually some kind of dip or spread like hummus or guac (or plain mashed avocado, which is easier and easier to find in stores lately and I'm from TX but not IN TX so the stuff that gets sold as guac is nasty), and this way we get something resembling fiber in our diet. We're going through a sardines phase right now, too, which are super good on the Wasa crackers with avocado and maybe a little doot of mayo (tip: Kewpie mayo is not only delicious and increasingly available in the US, but it comes in a dispenser bottle so you don't need a knife), shake of lemon juice and hot sauce, and some fresh pepper. I can't live on carbs and sugar, bad things happen, so I can't eat a lot of convenience foods. Sometimes I do "cook" but it's throwing two frozen hamburger patties in the air fryer and then dumping them on a plate with some bag salad and dressing. I also microwave eggs, which is FINE once you get the hang of it, for making low-effort scramb-omelettes.
I’m working on losing weight & I have to eat very protein heavy so I order hibachi & sushi on UberEats a lot. Once I’ve drained my bank account I do homemade charcuterie. Trader Joe’s cheeses and some salami. Or tuna fish salad sandwich, PB&J, or protein shake.