Happened 2 nights ago, I was dead tired and out of good ideas that were low energy. On this particular day I got a take-and-bake pizza for the first time. Not as good as I expected but the two of us ate. Other days I’ve meal prepped enough to let the microwave guide us to the answer.
What’s your go-to when you need a low or no effort dinner but aren’t looking to spend any kind of restaurant or take out money?
Don’t stay starve lol.
What is your go-to “I’m too tired to cook but I can’t buy take-out” meal or alternative?
byu/2Autistic4DaJoke inFrugal
Posted by 2Autistic4DaJoke
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Omelette (assuming we have eggs).
I freeze extra chili or stew and use them when I need to.
Boxed macaroni and cheese. It’s pretty much the only junk food we keep around. We usually have some kind of leftovers though because I only cook 3x a week and we eat leftovers the rest of the week. But hey, sometimes life happens and we eat boxed macaroni and cheese.
Also coming to say eggs. If you have a rice cooker you can easily make a low effort meal. At our house while the rice is cooking I can make a quick pot of dal and then fry some eggs. Delicious, cheap, low effort, healthy and hearty. Then there’s leftover dal to eat again tomorrow with even less effort.
Scrambled eggs and toast or egg sandwich. Breakfast burrito. Egg salad. Fried rice.
Rotisserie chicken can feed you for several days. Eat it as is with some boxes Mac and cheese and a can of green beans, put it on a salad or in some ramen, shred it for chicken salad, bbq sandwiches, or Mexican dishes like quesadillas or tacos. Dice it up for soup or make pot pie or dumplings with a bag of frozen veggies and ready made gnocchi, canned biscuits, or refrigerated pie crust.
Can of black beans, pot of rice, chop up a few fresh veggies to go on top. You can add yolky egg or rotisserie chicken.
I have a big batch of calzones I keep in the freezer. When I have the energy I make 20 or so various flavours, pepperoni, Hawaiian, pesto chicken. Mic for a minute and pop into the air fryer for 10. The dough is super simple flour water yeast and sugar
We have found using a steam basket has opened a lot more alternatives to us. Frozen soup dumplings or pot stickers and some broccoli.
It varies wildly by sales.
I just found a couple of freezer meals on sale, and bought 3. With the sale, they were $1.75 for 530 calories each. They may not be the healthiest option, but in moments of exhausted desperation that’s a flavorful, quick and easy option.
Other options from my household: PBJs, tuna or egg salad sandwiches/on crackers (we incorporate different herbs and spices, from lemon pepper to curry powder,) or ‘sad nachos’ – grated cheese on tortilla chips, in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, topped with mixed sour cream and salsa.
I make my own freezer meals. Anytime I make some thing that freezes well, I package up a couple of small plastic takeout containers and toss in the freezer immediately at it’s maximum freshness. So think chili, curry, soups, I always have a few single servings that are frozen and ready to microwave.
I also always have a few frozen meals from Trader Joe’s in my freezer. They typically scratch the same itch as takeout for $5 instead of $35.
Jacket potato just prick it, shove in the oven and then with tuna or cheese
I’ve recently started doing wing drumettes in the air fryer. Season them and let them sit in the fridge while you preheat the airfryer. Once they’re done toss them in a bit of buffalo sauce. Raw broccoli and carrots on the side that I prep on Sundays, so I don’t have to cut them up every time I want some. If I’m feeling saucy, I do a small potato in the microwave during all of this.
I wouldn’t call it a struggle meals by any means, but it is quite low effort for the payout and if you are eating an appropriate serving size of wings, it’s not a super pricey meal.
Edit because I can’t spell. (There are probably still errors.)
Cheese quesadilla, because I always have tortillas, cheese and sour cream in the fridge. I also keep a few microwave chicken sandwiches w bun in the freezer, which are surprisingly good for a buck/buck fifty.
I ALWAYS have pasta and a jar of sauce in the house. I have an Instant Pot so that’s not really cooking to me.
Black bean soup. Stock/bouillon cube, salsa, tinned black beans (+water). Bonus for chopped cilantro. Then if you like, serve with sour cream or shredded cheese. Great taco filler the next day too as it thickens overnight
Frozen tortellini and pesto + Parmesan cheese and lots of black pepper.
Reheats in easy minutes
Instant noodles.
I spread a little olive oil on low carb tortillas with salt and pepper on both sides, then add spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, and cheese, and air fry for about 8 minutes for a pizza, longer if you want it more crispy.
Another is just some hamburger meat I cook, throw it in a pre-made salad, and add burger condiments for a hamburger salad.
And another is to cook one of those tubes of ground sausage, take it out and add a pre-made cole-slaw to the grease, then mix it, and its the inside of an egg roll.
If you’re looking super simple, spread some rice in a oven dish, add chicken breast on top, and cover with cream of mushroom or cream of chicken and bake for 45 minutes. Cant get simpler than that
Costco has these uncooked panko chicken tenders that are pretty good and convenient. I always make sure to buy some when they’re on sale.
Bread, cheese and some veggies
>On this particular day I got a take-and-bake pizza for the first time
this, but I already tried them all and found the 2 brands I really like. If you dont find one that you truly like, you can always buy one and some veggies/cheese/deli-meat to put as extra on top
rotisserie chicken and a bag salad
Air fried potato fries with nacho cheese sauce and picked jalapenos.
Potatoes last a while and cutting one to dump in the air fryer for 15 minutes is minimal effort, and it’s still a savory and satisfying meal
PB&J or a tuna sandwich are my easy go-tos. Neither are super filling, but they at least help me hit my calorie count quickly and keep me going for at least a few hours. If I add an apple or two as a snack then that usually helps keep me sated.
Chicken nuggets
Pancakes
We almost always have grilled chicken or pork chops in the fridge, so I’ll put that on top of a salad or in some ramen
Rotisserie chicken and managers special salad kit if I feel like going to the store.
Potatoes o Brien (buy in the frozen section) hash with eggs over easy, is super lazy, I usually eat it out of a cast iron pan and it’s the only dish I generate to clean.
Ultra “I just need cals and can’t be bothered to do anything”… microwaved scrambled eggs lol or a pbj.
Yogurt I make (already made) with fruit and crushed nuts. Girl dinner.
We keep a Rana lasagna in the fridge for this reason.
Boil some spaghetti (no other type of pasta will cut it), slather in butter, a sprinkle of your fave seasoning, grate some cheese and boom!
I forgot to add the squirt of ketchup before the reasoning, but I didn’t want to look like a sociopath. Try it, its amazing – easy on the ketchup though, try not to look like a pleb 🤓
Grabbing things. Hummus, nuts, cheese, avocado, snap peas, bread, cucumber…
Cereal.
Grocery store sushi
All in a rice maker: rice, water, bouillon cube, frozen veggie, meat/tofu (can be frozen), some type of pre-made stir fry sauce (currently have terriyaki). Start rice maker 30ish minutes later complete healthy meal.
Ice cream works for me.
Grilled cheese and a can of soup. DONE.
Omelette, quesadilla, or oatmeal with whatever mix-ins are on hand. If I’ve got the energy to go to the store, frozen pizza + bagged salad.
Pasta with microwaved frozen peas or toast with hummus
rotisserie chicken
egg rolls from aldi
most stouffer’s meals
sometimes, being frugal is buying the prepacked meals instead of going out
Bowl of cereal
We generally always have canned soups (I buy bulk on sale), cereal, eggs, tv dinners, toast, cheese and deli meat (lazy charcuterie), chicken nuggets and ramen.
toast
Spaghetti and tacos are super low effort.
BLTs.
Chicken cesar wraps (bag of salad + rotisserie chicken + wraps)
Plan ahead and throw meatballs or a roast in the crockpot.
Italian beef is another crockpot option.
Look up sheet pan recipes.
I usually always have some cooked chicken in my fridge. So, when I’m feeling really tired, I cook some jasmine rice in my rice cooker and pair it with some reheated chicken and some kind of sauce. If I’m feeling fancy I might add a fresh fruit/veg as a side.
Self made Oatmeal – healthy, cheap and tasty
Grilled cheese sandwiches
I freeze leftover soups and stews for easy meals. I always have a salad kit or a prepared salad mix ready to eat and some frozen chicken tenders I can pop in the oven and serve over my salad.
My go-to is a fried egg sandwich. Crack two eggs in a buttered skillet, slightly scramble them together, cook on one side and flip to cook the other side then slap onto bread. I like it with a little ketchup on it, because that’s how my mom always made it for me when I was a kid, but some people find that odd. 🙂
Something microwaveable: canned soups (and bread for dipping), leftovers of beans, grocery store calzones.
Alternately: I usually have baguette, wine, cheese, pate, fruit, carrots, celery, and dipping sauces on hand. Somehow, a charcuterie/crudite board feels like less work.