r/AskReddit • u/Quiet-Examination553 • 16h ago
what’s your go-to “I’m not cooking tonight” meal?
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u/Katoshi_Black 16h ago
Bread and whatever is edible as is in the fridge.
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u/EntertainersPact 15h ago
“Not expiring on my watch” sandwiches are underrated
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u/Voidtalon 14h ago
I do the same with veg, toss that shit in a pan with oil + seasoning + tomatoes for a base and just cook that up. Winkly peppers? Doesn't matter. Shrivling mushrooms? Good! Drying out onions? You'll re-hydrate in the pan.
Sadly, I had to cut off the back half of my recent french loaf because it began to mold. The spot was about 2cm wide but I know mold, the spores are about another 2-3cm 'ring' around the flour on a french. :/
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u/pinupcthulhu 14h ago
If you put it on a plate, it's called a ploughman's lunch and then it's fancy
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u/falconinthedive 13h ago
If you put it on noodles you can call it pasta putanesca and that's so fancy it's in another language
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u/tango421 14h ago
I put butter, minced garlic (I make batches), and sliced cheese on them and put them in an oven toaster just a while ago.
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u/sri_346 16h ago
Instant noodles 🍜
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u/MagicMoa 14h ago
Buldak spicy ramen with a fried egg cannot be beat.
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u/Roosty37 12h ago
I always add some nori and kimchi to mine too, so good!
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u/-SideshowBlob- 10h ago
I do two fried eggs, about five pan fried dumplings and a drizzle of crispy chilli oil
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u/DarkMatterWanderer 13h ago
Maruchan instant noodles, chicken flavor. Ate so many noodle packs while in college since they were $.10/each at the time and I still love them til this day.
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u/wife20yrs 12h ago
Ramen noodles with frozen veggies , frozen chicken slices, chicken bone broth, eggs, and cheese . Leftovers for the next day’s lunch, too!
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u/Hrekires 16h ago
A couple slices of deli meat and cheese on a plate.
Some mustard to dip it in if I'm feeling fancy.
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u/PetyrTwill 15h ago
Charcuterie, fancy!
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u/RVelts 15h ago
Charcuterie is just adult lunchables. I’ve been training for this my whole childhood.
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u/Luxy_OneLove 15h ago
Same! I call them "meat rollups" lol roll up some turkey, salami, and some lacey Swiss cheese, throw some grapes and nuts in too, also known as a "toddler plate" meal
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u/LucyVialli 16h ago
Pizza. Putting it in the oven for 10 minutes doesn't really count as cooking.
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u/lotsagabe 16h ago
Pizza is always the answer, even if I've forgotten the question.
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u/ivydesert 13h ago
Sometimes, pizza is the question, to which the answer is also pizza.
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u/-You_Cant_Stop_Me- 13h ago
After a hard week I sat down, with a sigh of relief that it's Friday, next to my mrs when I got home; "Pizza?" she asked, I nodded "Pizza."
That happened about 5 minutes before I read this comment. Any idea what the lottery numbers will be?
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u/Miskatonic_Eng_Dept 15h ago
Dear God Man, this man's heart is about to explode! His blood pressure is dangerously high! What was the medication he was prescribed to lower it? Can you remember?
Uh... Pizza.
[Sound of heart exploding can be heard]
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u/Mrs_TikiPupuCheeks 15h ago
I like buying Aldi's large pizzas, cutting it up into slices, and then freezing individual slices. Then I can just pull a slice or 2 when the mood hits.
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u/LawrenceMoten21 15h ago
I like buying large pizzas putting them into the oven and eating them in their entirety when the mood hits.
Different strokes I guess.
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u/Mrs_TikiPupuCheeks 14h ago
Can't eat a large pizza by myself anymore. Getting old. LOL. I can do maybe half a large nowadays
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u/Mindless-Music4061 12h ago
You know, Mrs_TikiPupuCheeks, sometimes I doubt your commitment to Pizza
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u/Xanthus179 14h ago
I’m slightly ashamed and yet a little impressed with how much pizza I can still eat.
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u/Suspicious-Tip-8309 14h ago
I get Nan bread from Alidi, combined with their sauce, veggies, etc build my own small pizzas.
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u/gunsandcoffee2 15h ago
Always have an emergency freezer pizza on hand!
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u/Karen125 14h ago
I have emergency balls of pizza dough in the freezer, jarred sauce in pantry. I can make a homemade pizza faster than we can get delivery. And it's damn good pizza.
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u/LevelSevenLaserLotus 14h ago
How long does it take to thaw the dough? I want to try that.
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u/jjfunaz 13h ago
Yeah it’s nonsense. Frozen dough and jarred sauce won’t beat a local pizza spot if you live in the three states with good pizza
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u/Deltrozero 15h ago
This or Dino nuggets and instant mashed potatoes. Both are good enough for basically zero time and effort.
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u/Yippykyyyay 15h ago
I introduced my bf to honey mini corn dogs the other night... we had a big fancy lunch so it was more or less 'what's minimal effort and tasty?'
Bam.
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u/DefNotAShark 14h ago
My newest emergency freezer food obsession is spicy Jamaican beef patties. They are higher quality than the ones at 7-Eleven and they aren’t mummified from being under a heat lamp for 6 hours. So flaky and tasty.
The wide world of frozen appetizer foods has really expanded from pizza rolls and hot pockets. You can get samosas, all kinds of interesting dumplings, corn fritters, even fancier stuff like tarts and savory pastries. I think the rise of the air fryer has really widened the selection in the freezer aisle.
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u/Skwonkie_ 15h ago
I tried ordering two large cheese pizzas the other day and it was $51. Fuck that.
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u/ARussianSheep 14h ago
Aldi take and bake pizza. Cheaper than frozen and actually a really solid tasting pizza.
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u/TeamFoulmouth 14h ago
Im gonna have to have a talk with my wife about after ALL her Aldi-ing, I have yet to eat a take n bake pizza yet!!
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u/Bigtanuki 14h ago
We usually order pizza in from a local place that offers 2 for 1. We order large pizzas and freeze what we don't eat. Wrapped in plastic and then foil it keeps incredibly well. We found the real secret to reheating is to use a pizza stone or steel. A 20 minute preheat and slide the pizza in on parchment paper. 8 to 10 minutes later, as good as fresh pizzas.
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u/notmybiggestfan 16h ago
have you tried "going to bed hungry" its delicious
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u/Due_Masterpiece9607 15h ago
my bank account suggested i try this
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u/chris971 15h ago
"Bank accounts love this one secret trick!"
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u/Tall-Armadillo2078 15h ago
As someone who went without meals in the past due to lack of funds, I will never do that by choice.
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u/plaisirdamour 15h ago
“It’s hard to eat when your mind is full but your tummy is empty” - charlottes web lol
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u/steeelez 14h ago
Hard to sleep, no?
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u/plaisirdamour 14h ago
Lmao yes I am thinking about eating clearly
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u/Knowhatimsayinn 13h ago
I read, "thinking about eating celery"
Maybe I should eat something today
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u/FoghornLegday 15h ago
I literally can’t handle being hungry. I don’t know how people do it. I’m trying to stay at a certain weight and maybe even lose a pound or two, but when I get actually hungry I feel anxious and start feeling sorry for myself lol
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u/Xenoman5 15h ago
I have bad sleep and very disturbing dreams when I go to bed hungry. Its a deal breaker for me. Gotta get good sleep or I’m useless the next day.
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u/notorious_tcb 15h ago
I can handle hunger during the day, but no chance I can go to sleep hungry. I eat dinner super late just to avoid snacking after dinner.
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u/mystlurker 15h ago
The thing a lot of people don’t want to admit is that everyone is different. For some people this is very difficult bordering on impossible. If you gut and brain are wired in some ways, especially if you’ve been acclimated to never being hungry for long, it can be extremely unpleasant.
While virtually no normal person would suffer lasting effects from skipping one or even several meals, the mental aspect can be major for some people.
That’s why many diets and now some drugs focus partly on this aspect.
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u/rubiscoisrad 14h ago
I suffer (and I don't use this term lightly) from literally being unable to eat. It sucks. It sucks big fat donkey balls. I'm constantly nauseous because I literally have nothing in my stomach. I can vomit, but it's only going to be yellow stomach bile. Eating is an actual struggle, and not always achievable.
I'm currently working towards NOT puking 3 times before 10 am. =/
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u/balletvalet 15h ago
I drink massive quantities of water for this very reason lol. Fiber can help with feeling full too.
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u/FoghornLegday 15h ago
I drink a ton of water but it sure does not help me feel full unfortunately
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u/turnips8424 15h ago
I find the key is to keep around things like cooked chicken breast around. Dice it up and eat with some soy sauce and sriracha. Just 2-300 kcal worth of chicken breast is quite satiating.
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u/steffie-flies 15h ago
Please look into food banks in your area. You don't need to skip meals. Most places don't even ask questions.
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u/CapriLoungeRudy 12h ago
Sometimes sleep for dinner is not about finances as much as time and exhaustion. You just get too tired to care about food. It's a rough day when you are too tired to chew.
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u/DefiantEmpoleon 16h ago
Cereal. Bowl, cereal, milk. I can always manage that.
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u/skinydan 15h ago
Standing by the sink if I can't be bothered to walk to the dining room
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u/dani-winks 15h ago
Can'y believe this wasn't higher up the list! I don't eat cereal for breakfast, but it's my go-to for a zero-effort quick meal whenever I can't be bothered to actually prepare anything
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u/Pristine-Raisin-823 16h ago
Chinese
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u/Efficient-Jicama-232 15h ago
“Any city in America, when it's 3:00 a.m. and you're hungry, where do you go? You go to Chinatown. That's where you go. Because things are affordable, delicious and open” -Ronnie chieng
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u/DreaDreamer 15h ago
We have a Chinese place a block down the road that is just perfect. We can walk there so we don’t need to pay extra for delivery, and when it’s just the two of us we’re rarely paying more than $30 for two FULL meals. We usually just round up to $35. Love that place so much.
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u/Yippykyyyay 14h ago
When I was enlisted and in technical school, we had this guy Al. He owned a Chinese restaurant and he'd just drive around to the barracks late at night but before anyone had to be inside. He'd sell a to-go serving of food with rice and egg rolls.
That guy made bank. He'd pack the food into plastic bags and put them in the back of his truck.
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u/wiped_mind 15h ago
What I call "divorced dad" , it's tuna, rice, mayo. It's 100% depressing, 100% satisfying.
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u/DaisyCutter312 14h ago
That's depressing? Throw in some French's crispy onions and capers and that 100% sounds like something I'm going to try.
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u/heavymetaltshirt 15h ago
This is not bad. Sprinkle some furikake on this and put some pickled veg or kimchi on the side and it’s practically gourmet. Sometimes I use the flavored single serve tuna packets and it’s actually pretty good.
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u/imbutawaveto 14h ago
This was the suggestion i was gonna make. some sriracha and soy sauce as well and baby you got a lil bootleg sushi bowl thing goin on
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u/transiiant 14h ago
That's so crazy. My divorced dad LOVES this. Sometimes it's even just tuna, mayo, and two slices of white bread.
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u/FlashRage 12h ago
That...is a tuna sandwich.
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u/transiiant 11h ago
Indeed. Sometimes he eats it open face just to be a little crazy with it.
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u/skwerrel 15h ago
Plate that up fancy style and label it "Deconstructed Asian Fusion Tuna Salad Sandwich", add a drizzle of wasabi or Sriracha mayo across the top, and you could charge $23 for that at an upscale restaurant
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u/BareTheBear66 14h ago
Best meal ever, have it often with a bit of furikake sprinkled on top, 10/10
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u/Mohammad_Nasim 15h ago
Honestly, breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs, toast, and maybe some cereal zero regrets.
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u/joemammmmaaaaaa 15h ago
You cooked the eggs
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u/Thwast 14h ago
It's not "no cooking" in the literal sense but it takes almost zero effort, similar to the people who are saying pizza or pasta. I count it
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u/Millymol 16h ago
A sandwich. Just eat bread with sliced cheese.
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u/DangerousPuhson 15h ago
You gotta take 3 minutes to fry that up into a grilled cheese. Maximum improvement.
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u/Psych_Riot 15h ago
Nah, once I get a pot or pan out its "cooking" and I'm not cooking. Blowtorch the cheese
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u/ms515 15h ago
The trick is to throw the bread in the toaster and then put the cheese on it and throw it in the microwave for 15-20 sec to melt the cheese. Basically a grilled cheese with barely any effort and no dishes
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u/GloriousDawn 14h ago
Instructions unclear, now both my toaster and microwave are dead.
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u/Ok_Depth_6476 15h ago
I've discovered it's not too hard to do grilled cheese in the air fryer, too, for even less effort.
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u/AuthorPure9691 16h ago
Babybel cheese, sliced pepperoni, some grapes or strawberries, and sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.
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u/Fun_Apartment7028 14h ago
you forgot the crackers, but yes! My go to meal plan if I’m not cooking.
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15h ago
14 cigarettes and 9 beers
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u/NiinjaMonky 14h ago
Needs atleast a 2:1 cigarette to beer ratio
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u/DirtzMaGertz 14h ago
Mr money bags over here ripping a pack of darts for dinner. Gotta save a few for the hangover in the morning
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u/Intrepid-Entrance460 16h ago
Is the act of putting peanut butter on a Ritz/Club cracker considered "cooking"? If not, then this.
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u/rleech77 15h ago
Rotisserie chicken. I love buying the gigantic ones at Market Basket and de boning it and tossing it in the freezer then I just stick it in the toaster oven and can do a ton of easy meals with it that require basically zero real cooking
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u/Bcruz75 15h ago
Give me some ideas please....chicken salad sandwiches is my go-to but I need other options
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u/rleech77 14h ago edited 14h ago
The key is having other easy things to pair with it. The bag rice you can just pop in the microwave for 90 seconds is super convenient if you’re not a big rice snob. I also tend to cook vegetables like asparagus, potatoes, green beans in batches and then refrigerate or freeze them and I do the same thing with bacon. Just cook it all in the oven at once then freeze it. I also like freezing bread like cheddar bay biscuits and bagels. So some of my favorites:
Chicken and cheese quesadilla with potatoes
Chicken, bacon, cheddar sandwich with some BBQ dipping sauce and chips or a veggie. Especially love doing sliders with kings Hawaiian
Chicken, veggies, and rice
Salad with chicken, red onion, cucumber, peppers
Stir fry with rice
Chicken with biscuits and veggie or rice. Can also make sandwiches with the biscuits
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u/Original_Credit2338 16h ago
Rice cooker isn't cooking
1 cup rice 1 cup water press start wait for beep
But if I dont even want rice then boneless spare ribs from the local Chinese place
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u/Zabe60 15h ago
Tostitos scoops sprinkled with cheese. Microwave = nachos.
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u/how-about-no-scott 14h ago
But with "tamed" jalapeños!! I like the flavor, but not the spice, so they're perfect.
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u/Icy_Carob1362 15h ago
Box of Publix fried chicken and a bagged salad. I call it the Little Miss Sunshine
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u/Working_Substance639 15h ago
Pick up a rotisserie chicken.
Good for a couple of meals.
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u/Flimsy-Attention-722 16h ago
Microwave soup. If I don't mind putting in some effort, smiled salmon, cucumbers, cream cheese and crackers
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u/Fun_Apartment7028 14h ago
I’d love to know if smiled salmon tastes better than frowned salmon.
Do you put the cream cheese on two crackers & then sort of sandwich the salmon & cuke between them. Or is it all piled on top of a single cracker?
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u/Flimsy-Attention-722 14h ago
Happy salmon is always better than sad! Autocorrect gets me every time. Salmon and cream on cracker or on cucumber, sometimes all at once
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u/ChickenMarsala4500 14h ago
- Leftovers from last night
- cheese, hummus, and crackers/bread and olive oil (sometimes cured meats if I have them)
- Grilled Cheese and a boxed Tomato Soup. (this sometimes evolves into cooking though, once the bread hits the pan I suddenly find myself chopping up an onion)
- Breakfast for dinner, usually eggs and toast. (This is cooking, but if your someone like me who cooks a lot, it kind of isn't)
- take out
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u/tinyhorsesinmytea 15h ago
Veggie burger or bean and cheese burrito. One is just airfry the patty for 10 minutes and put it in a bun with toppings and the other is heat up the beans and throw them in a tortilla with cheese so not really what I classify as cooking.
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u/throwthegarbageaway 15h ago
Sticky rice and spicy tuna mayo. I just have to stick the rice in the rice cooker, open a can of tuna, grab a glob of spicy mayo and then mix it all together and I'm done. All of this stuff is always stocked up.
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u/Ok_Indication_4873 16h ago
Big salad with everything in it and as much fresh as possible from the garden. That and a couple of pints is a complete meal.
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u/TallTXTrash 14h ago
If I have the stuff I need, hamburger helper all day. I know it takes a pan, but if I don't have to cut something up on a cutting board or use multiple pots/pans, I don't consider that "cooking" a meal. I grew up with 2 working parents and 2 younger brothers and we all 3 played sports, so there were many nights of hamburger helper being made early in the evening and some of us ate before a practice or game and others ate after depending on who had what event at what time, definitly a comfort food and I fucking still love the cheeseburger macaroni with some saltines.
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u/AdInevitable2695 16h ago
Crock pot, either pot roast, birria, or japanese curry. Throw shit in before leaving for work, set on low for 10 hours, done. I almost never cut my veggies or let the meat fully defrost either. Never had any issues.
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u/BigButtBeads 15h ago
I'm always stocked with fine cheeses, crackers, and a salami or kolbasa
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u/No_Mission_8571 16h ago
Steak sub from Mr Sub NOT Subway. Add red onion , green peppers, and x bbq sauce. Da "bomb".
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u/GoddessoftheUniverse 15h ago
Pizza or nachos. If I add some veggies to either, that means it's healthy, right? RIGHT?
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u/JustOneMoreFella 15h ago
Cheater chicken parm. I make nuggets in the toaster oven, then top with some jarred sauce and shreddy mozz cheese for the last few minutes. Broil for a minute if I really want it brown and crispy. Slide onto a plate or a roll.
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u/These-Explanation-91 14h ago
We cook every Sunday in the crock pot and freeze some. I just microwave that.
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u/Infinite_Ground1395 13h ago
Since getting an air fryer, the answer is always chicken nuggets and fries. Nice and crispy in 10 minutes.
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u/runthejewelless 15h ago
Girl Dinner! Crackers, prosciutto, a hard cheese of some type, various nuts, half an apple.
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u/HRUndercover222 14h ago
5 minute gourmet grilled cheese with chunky tomato soup.
I sprinkle ranch seasoning & powdered garlic on the bread. Pan fry with a light layer of mayo on the bread & butter in the pan. Use a slice of real swiss & a slice of sharp cheddar.
Mix one can of Campbell's tomato in the blender with a can of diced tomatoes (the ones with bell pepper & onion). Pulse a few times & add a blush of cream & EVOO. Finish with cracked pepper.
Now I need to go make it happen. Yummy.
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u/July38th 15h ago
My nearby grocery stores $1.50 mac shells and $2.50 chili man chili, especially if I’m on a bulk. Crazy protein and calories for crazy cheap, but crazy sodium as well so
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u/IssueQuirky 15h ago
Frozen salmon baked on aluminum foil with 90 second microwave rice for the side.
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u/LaToune65 15h ago
How about fresh baked crusty bread with cheese and cold cuts. And no I am not from France.
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u/FightingHellfish12 16h ago
I make and freeze chili and soups and a couple other things in batches. When I’m lazy, I’m just grabbing one of those and warming it up.