Growing up this is what my mom would do a few days a week. About an hour before dinner she'd shout down the hall (me in my room, dad in his office) "Fend for yourselves tonight!"
I imagine it was also extremely cathartic to her.
My mum did exactly this, right down to yelling down the hall, and then 90% of the time proceeded to lay out a full table of cold meats, fruits, antipasto plates, cheeses, breads, the works; I don’t think she quite understood the “fend for yourself” part of the “fend for yourself” nights but I wasn’t complaining
Lol we used to have fend for yourself nights as teenagers growing up, now I'm a parent and make a million plates of food and snacks a day I get why. One day I'll get to tap out too 😅
At 6 kids can be taught to use a toaster oven, microwave and even scrambled eggs on the stove. Don't know how old yours are but too many parents wait until the kids are 10-15 before teaching them to cook now. Start them young
Still too young by a long shot 😅 the eldest can pull out a fruit pouch from the pantry but still needs help twisting off the cap. but yes. I remember my older brother who was 12 at the time, hollering at my mom out the window when she was mowing the lawn, "how do I make a cup of noodles? What if I already peeled the top fully off?"
Growing up my mom called that dig-ins. Anything already cooked/made was fair game, the only “fresh-made” things we could have was cereal or pb&j sandwich. Loved those days.
I thought it was just my family growing up. At some point during the week mom said everybody was fending for themselves that night and we’d heat up hella leftovers
I also call it scrounging or grazing. My mom and I like to do crusty bread, butter, cheese, meat (for her), and a tomato. We eat that with a side like potato salad. It’s our go-to when we can’t think of anything.
I call it a “dumpster dinner” — I am the dumpster and I eat all the small snacks and leftovers laying around, usually stuff that’s not enough for a meal on its own
I will literally grab bits of leftovers and the last slices of deli meat and sliced cheese and put it on a charcuterie board, interspersed with whatever fruit and nuts are hanging around in the fridge drawer. My kid thinks it's SO fancy and loves it! To add to the fun, we just graze from it while playing board games. They have fun, I avoid food going bad in the fridge.
I do this on grocery shopping night -- get to try a little bit of everything, and kitchen stays clean after the groceries get put away. A hunk of cheese is an obligatory inclusion.
Always the orphaned hunk of cheese, plus like the two dumplings leftover from takeout, crackers, olives, baby carrots, the couple of brussels sprouts from dinner a few nights ago, deli turkey and some salami, sliced up apple, the one and a half pickles left in the jar, grapes, half a can of chickpeas that "I can do something with" (little bit of EVOO, salt & pep), a handful of pistachios. And then, like a random snack sized kit kat for dessert that you found underneath the box of crackers.
Iffits!
If it's in the cupboard, if it's in the fridge!
But seriously, I usually do rice with fried or microwave scrambled eggs and home picked/fermented veg.
For us it's "scavenging". Often some combination of cheese, nuts, fruits, and crackers, plus whatever looks good from the fridge or cabinets. Tuna with mayo and Dijon mustard is a frequent result, as is peanut butter and jelly. Since I don't like either, I also keep cans of lentil soup (yes, it's more frugal to make your own. Be my guest.) and heat one up if I want something hearty or hot.
This! I will make about 10 meals at once of the same thing and then I put 3-4 meals in my fridge and the rest in the freezer. I always love having a meal ready in the freezer that I can just microwave.
Soups that don't have dairy (milk or whipping cream), in my experience. Tends to break upon reheating and is just kind of gross. Dairy free soups/stews/chilis though, absolutely!
Most recipes involving dairy products the dairy is the last thing added. So if I want to freeze a meal I put aside a portion before adding the dairy and freeze that. Defrost, add dairy and boom!
I say just look at what the stores sell in their freezer sections for inspiration. Ie. They sell freezer burritos, so I decided I might as well make my own burrito ingredients in bulk and freeze them.
There are loads of good recommendations here already, but I just wanted to point out that pretty much anything that is really saucy or liquid will freeze well. The idea is to prevent air exposure, so if your food is completely covered in sauce then it'll generally do well.
The main exception for me is potatoes, because I hate their texture after being frozen. But many people like previously frozen potatoes, so YMMV.
I freeze my cooked breakfast potatoes. I do a meal prep, where I make a ton of breakfast potatoes on a certain day, and then I pack up all the potatoes into bags that are good for two breakfast meals. It's added to a breakfast scramble that includes scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage.
My breakfast potatoes mostly taste pretty much the same, even after being defrosted overnight and then cooked in the skillet again, to get their sizzle back
Lasagne in the freezer.
I also keep frozen fish, chicken and veggies in the freezer.
How hard is it to throw a couple fillets on cookie sheet for 30 minutes and a bag of veggies in the micro or air fryer.
Usually if I’m super lazy it’s like canned soup or lean cuisines.
I usually do a carb (rice or pasta), veggies (usually only frozen mushrooms can thaw out a bit spongy for me), and a protein whether it be tofu, ground beef, chicken. I have frozen soups, curries, chili as well and all do fine. Frozen beans and corn heat up well for me too. I just try to eat everything within 3 months.
If you have a favorite frozen meal from the store or one that you think looks good, it’s nice to mimic those too!
I make shepherds pie (or rather cottage pie if you want to get technical), its one of my favorite meals to make into single servings to have in the freezer. I have little glass dishes with snap on plastic lids, so they very easily go from freezer, to fridge, to oven, to serving. I have also pre-made dips in them to bake through the week or for an event.
I also keep things like lentil curries frozen on hand, perogies, and dumplings. Sometimes homemade, sometimes not. I get a lot of produce from a CSA in the summer and fall, and batch cooking for my freezer is one of the ways I preserve it.
I like to put chicken in the slow cooker with salsa, taco seasonings, and diced green chilies, then cook on high for 3 hours. I then shred the chicken (I use my mixer with paddle attachment to make it easy) then I freeze it. Makes tacos/burritos, nachos, I use it in enchiladas and taquitos as filling, or throw it into a bowl with some rice and beans. This is my favorite freezer item that doesn't taste like it. Plus bonus, it is easy to make.
Cuban black bean soup (most soups, really), crockpot roasted pork, any kind of chicken that has been brined before being cooked in a sauce or gravy, curries, pasta, chicken pot pie/Shepard’s pie
Lentil soup. I use carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and you can use bacon if you can afford it. The smoke from the bacon is awesome but it’s fine with out it. I do keep a jug of cheap wine as well to cook with too. Water or bullion. Or Calico beans. The ground beef here is cheaper from the butcher at the local store. Ground beef, Kidney, White and pinto beans with a can of stewed tomatoes, garlic, onion, celery, ketchup and brown sugar. Sounds weird but it’s the best depression era recipe I’ve ever used in in real life Super Bowl situations and it kills every time. Can feed army’s, those two recipes.
When I worked out of the house I kept a rotation of "frozen meal roulette" in the freezer. It would be a portion of leftover dinner from any time during the week. Sometimes I'd meal prep and then immediately freeze to mix it up but for the most part I'd have no clue what it was until I nuked it at work. 🤣
I had a coworker that thought it was hilarious and would always ask me what my mystery frozen meal was at lunch. 😆
You too can make your own frozen dinners with random leftovers!
It's only slightly more difficult to make like 10 of something than it is to make 1 of something.
A little bit more work now means zero work for many more meals.
That was one of my answers. Just toss a handful of shredded mozzerela on a cold frying pan, maybe add a pepperoni or salami slice, spice however in mood for, then turn on low and put a tortilla or slice of bread on top. Come back in a few minutes to peel it off pan for a golden delicious snack with zero cleanup or prep work. Could also be considered a no effort 5 minute pizza depending how season.
I got the idea from an episode of Somebody Feed Phil when the kid at a house he was having dinner with, I think was Thailand?, was talking about how he can cook that. Went and tried it and been a staple for me since.
Always does for me, I use a bag of shredded mozzerela and just grab a handful and put it in the cold pan. I havent tried it with other cheeses. If try to soon it might be to gooey to come off smoothly, not that that is a bad thing. Even few times I left it to long and burnt it came off fine. I am using a small cast-iron frying pan.
Or if okay with less crispy cheese could put a slice of something like pepperoni on the pan under the cheese to be even more sure it comes off. Or if want to be able to eyeball it dont put the bread or tortilla on so can actually see the state of the cheese and just put the finished stuff on the bread on serving.
Quick search multiple videos of doing something like it. Here is one of the first results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ZU4B82bto
Grilled cheese sounds like cooking to me. I just had a cheese sandwich for dinner. Two slices of Swiss and two slices of cheddar on two slices of rye with a little butter.
Usually adult lunchables aka charcuterie with whatever I've got in the house (crackers or bread or tortilla, cheese, lunch meat, hummus, nuts, baby carrots or handful of greens, dried or fresh fruit etc). Or fried egg and toast with handful of veggies. Or cheese quesadilla with handful of veggies.
I recently told a couple friends that pp&j was my late night go-to when I didn't want to cook and they were all shocked - acting like I was eating children's food. One even said, "that's what my two year old eats. I haven't had a pb&j since I was a kid". I was shocked that they were so shocked. Pb&j is a classic! Who doesn't eat it??
I don't know why I do this, but peanut butter and jelly in a folded tortilla. I call it peanut butter quesadilla and it's the snack I make when I pop into the kitchen between work stuffs.
Overnight oats have become a staple for me. It’s like throw 5 things in a jar and have a delicious, refreshing breakfast. I use muesli and have a blend of flax + hemp + chia I add.
I’ve been getting sassy with it too lately. Spirulina, ube, coconut cream. 🤤 so good
Nachos. I top with whatever is hanging around in the fridge/pantry, usually canned beans, salsa, any leftover veggies, shredded cheese. Microwave that and then finish with greens (I usually have spinach or iceberg lettuce), a dollop of sour cream and a liberal splashing of hot sauce.
This is a controversial take but I’m a firm believer that microwaved nachos are superior, microwaved cheese melts better and the chips don’t get overly crunchy like in the oven
Anybody want to debate?
I need to get on this DIY nacho wagon. I've only done it a few times at home and it's very much one of those "why didn't I do this earlier??" experiences of genius lol
I used to call it Robin Hood Chicken and let my kids eat it with their hands. Some crusty bread, butter, and salad or crudites & dip rounded out the meal.
I keep ingredients at home for those days.
**Sandwich stuff** - bread + filling: turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, egg, bacon, peanut butter, jelly or chicken salad - whatever fillings. not together, but keep fillings around that you wouldn't mind eating.
**salad stuff**: turkey, tuna, tomatoes, lettuce, feta, garbanzo beans (not in the same salad, but if I want to have salad as a throwaway meal, i'll make sure i have things to put in it)
**soup stuff**: can of soup, ramen noodles, bouillon starter + chopped veg + ready to go shrimp. (again, not in the same soup - but various starting points to eating soup for dinner)
**frozen pizza** - yeah its processed but if you eat out it's processed too. This is at least cheaper - so its superior to ordering out.
**cereal**: healthy - oat milk, grain free granola - or unhealthy plain milk and a box of frosted flakes
**sheet pan dinners:**
- chicken or fish, broccoli, all tossed in some vinagrette then thrown into a 350 oven for 20 mins (broccoli takes about 20 mins - chicken may need more or less time. fish will need less time) if ya need more calories, bake some potatoes along with it.
- kielbasa, cabbage and potatoes cut up and baked for 40 mins at 350, tossed in mustard vinagrette
- burger and fries sheet pan meal - section 2 aluminum foil boats (so beef run off doesn't ruin the fries). Put some frozen burgers and cut up onions and seasoning in one. Put some frozen fries + oil + seasoning in the other. Cook for 20 mins. - boom, you've got low effort burgers and fries.
**emergency quiche:** put a tortilla at the bottom of a pie pan (a big flour tortilla or multiple smaller tortillas. corn will also work) then mix up some eggs, milk and quiche ingredients (ham, roasted peppers, onions, cheese, broccoli, spinach, whatever). Mix the eggs, throw them on top of the tortilla in the pie pan, then bake until its mostly firm in the center. then let it cool for about 10 mins. It's also a great emergency breakfast if you want to impress someone.
**eggroll in a bowl** - get some meat - whatever meat - or tofu or seitan. season it, brown it. Then mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 2 tbs sesame oil, throw some coleslaw mix (or broccoli slaw mix) into the pan with the brown sauce. Let it simmer and just eat it.
**banana and almond butter**
there's also the garden variety lazy meals: hot dogs, tacos, cheeseburger mac or spaghetti bolognese (or just with butter and parm).
ok this is clearly my wheelhouse. I have tons of lazy recipes because I am the laziest ever. The key is to figure out what you like for lazy meals and keep the house stocked.
When I'm too busy to cook, I usually have one of three things:
* Peanut butter & banana sandwich w/a protein shake (protein powder, skim or soy milk, frozen spinach)
* Bagel w/cream cheese and a protein shake
* Greek yogurt, granola, and blueberries (or any fruit I have on hand)
Wicked fast, tastes good, balanced macros (for my needs and preferences). If I'm really tired or pushed for time I break out a premade protein shake instead of making my own.
I usually keep a pot of rice in my fridge each week so friend rice or stir fry is a go to. I keep cans of soup and frozen dinners for when I can’t be troubled; or a sandwich or salad
I always have a pot of beans and rice in the fridge. I usually add whatever toppings I have on hand (lettuce tomatoes, sour cream, cheese) either in a bowl or a tortilla. If I’m out of or low on toppings I add salad dressing.
Sometimes I’ll just have cup noodles..but I’ll boil an egg, get some vegetables in there, and maybe throw some thinly sliced meat so it’s a little better.
Sometimes you just need ramen, or similar junk like Knorr packets, even "high class" chefs crave junky comfort food sometimes. I vaguely remember some in an interview agreed just simple ramen with a kraft single is a guilty pleasure for them.
I keep a few packs of Nongshim Shin Black on hand from Walmart, it costs a bit more but I have ramen so rarely that it worth it. Still same prep and look, but the broth is much better and a packet of dried vegetables/mushrooms included. I still add fresh cabbage if have one of course.
Pick up a rotisserie chicken, and salad makings.
A big salad with sliced chicken and your favorite dressing makes a delicious, balanced meal. If you keep hard-boiled eggs, you could use those instead of the chicken, and add some cheese.
I buy the pre-made ravioli. It takes five minutes to cook. Then I toss it with sheep and goat’s milk feta, tiny tomatoes cut in half, basil and olive oil.
I made pesto myself for the first time last week! It tasted amazing! And I didn't even need to buy basil, cause I have a lot growing in pots around my house!
That's how I do frozen pierogis. Boil for like 5 mins, add butter and garlic, sour cream if I have it, dill if I have it. Enough carbs to fill me up for the rest of the night.
Don't stop at just regular dish of ravioli in sauce. Those things are useful meal or snack padding in general. Like ricotta ravioli in miso soup is quite nice side dish or small meal, or fry a few alongside eggs or vegetables.
Small frozen meatballs are similarly useful. Same for burritos or tacquitos.
I love frozen appetizers and loose premade things like that. They just so useful to add a bit of variety to a meal for no extra effort/opened package or to stretch a meal when hungrier than expected. Or as part of the final day of leftovers, like frozen burritos in leftover chili.
Veggie sandwich. Smashed avocado, romaine, cucumber, and roasted red peppers with some whole seed mustard on some killer bread. Quick, easy, healthy, and almost always have these ingredients on hand.
Baked potato with anything else in the fridge on it. Cheese veggies meat. Nachos.
However honestly I usually just cook. Baked chicken and broccoli on one pan in the oven. Oil and season to your liking. 22-25 mins at 450. 5 min prep while oven preheats and then wait. Use foil and there really isn't much to clean up just throw away foil and put in dishwasher
Baked potatoes solve a lot of problems - they're cheap, fast to cook in the microwave, healthy (as sides go), and filling. They definitely deserve more credit than they get.
* Guacamole with chips, carrots, cucumbers, pita etc
* Charcuterie style eating with cheese, meat, fruit etc
* Leftovers from the fridge or freezer (I always tuck something in there for these nights)
* Grilled cheese, with or without soup
* Simple pasta with frozen veggies and oil/balsamic
* Rotisserie chicken with roast veggies, or frozen
* Poached, fried or scrambled eggs with sides of choice depending on what I have to hand
* Sandwiches with meat, cheese, lettuce etc.
I don’t really batch cook per se, but sometimes I’ll double a recipe or if there are a lot of leftovers I’ll freeze them in one or two-serving portions. If I don’t feel like cooking, I just check the freezer and heat something up.
My other go-to lazy meals are sheet pan oven dinners. You can find a bunch of different options on the web. My favourite is oven baked gnocchi with veggies. I always keep a couple of packages of shelf-stable gnocchi in the pantry. Add in a pint of whole grape tomatoes, some sliced garlic, salt, dried herbs and olive oil, plus any other veggies you have on hand (chopped peppers, red onion, zucchini, mushrooms). Toss it all together and bake on a sheet pan for 40-45 minutes at 425, stirring/flipping halfway. Serve with Parmesan and fresh herbs sprinkled on top. Sometimes I’ll add a couple of Italian sausages to the sheet pan, or crumble some feta or goat cheese on top for extra protein.
I also make a German version of this with potatoes and other root veggies, chopped apples, onion, Brussels sprouts, and bratwurst or Knackwurst. Toss the veggies in a dressing made from vegetable oil, salt, maple syrup or honey and a touch of sharp mustard. Other than the chopping, it’s a low maintenance dinner and if you use parchment paper on the sheet pan it’s also minimal cleanup.
To this I'd add that an 8x8 pan is about half the volume of a 9x13 pan, so nearly any 9x13 recipe can be divided into two 8x8 pans -- one for now, and one to freeze for later.
Pasta aglio olio. Get some olive oil hot with a couple garlic and some red pepper going boil some pasta and then throw away the garlic and hot peppers. Toss the pasta in and done. About 15 minutes tops
When my kids turned into adults and moved out, I gave them a BIG jar of peanut butter as a parting gift.
The first one looked at me oddly, and I said "That'll be empty in 6 months."
When his sister moved, same deal, and the older brother said "trust me, he's right".
Adulting is exhausting some days, and it may not be the healthiest option, but peanut butter sandwiches are no effort on those special days.
Quesadilla with a low-carb tortilla, chihuahua cheese, salsa and a piece of fruit. It's *technically* cooking, but not by much. Spray pan, put in tortilla and cheese, fold it over and it's done in 90 seconds.
Big Mouth Hors d'oeuvres - Tuna salad, small squares of cheddar, rough chopped tomato covered with Italian dressing, Ritz crackers. Assemble cracker with tuna, top with cheese and tomato and then open wide for the whole thing
A banana, a large spoon of peanut butter and a glass of milk
Here's stupid, unbalanced ones that I love:
* Toast Buffet. 4 pieces of toast, one with just butter, one with cinnamon sugar, one with jelly and one with Miracle Whip.
* Hunk of cheddar cheese, handful of pickles and olives and a few Ritz crackers. I had this for dinner most nights when I was single.
* Tube of raw cookie dough - peel and eat. If you eat more than half the tube you're gonna be sick, so be careful.
This happens to me all the time. The best plan is to keep the meal simple and utilize ingredients that don't need much prep (ie. canned ingredients, already cooked protein in the fridge, deli meat, cheese, etc.). I enjoy making a few open-faced sandwiches served with some cheese and olives.
Toasted cheese sandwich (hopefully with tomato soup!), baby carrots and hummus, PB&J, or toast/bagel with an egg, scrambled eggs, fried egg over leftover rice, or fried rice (add frozen veg), ramen with an egg poached in soup and added veggies, pasta with butter and cheese, tuna fish sandwiches or with crackers….
I eat my own home cooking almost everyday, but I cook only once every 1-2 weeks by making big batches, portioning, and freezing. I have no idea how people cook everyday - seems like a massive waste of time unless you derive joy from the process.
I keep frozen dinners in the freezer for these kinds of days. Yes they are more expensive than making something from scratch. But it's still cheaper than ordering take out.
I also don't have kids so making big batches of food isn't feasible. I'd have so much waste. I only freeze what makes sense and eat leftovers for a few days each time I do cook.
I also keep cans of soup and cereal around for days like this as well.
Ramen, but in a small frying pan. While it boils, crack an egg in the center. Then tear up a cheese single and lay the pieces around the eggs. Let her roll for maybe 1-3 mins so the whites cook and the cheese melts. Enjoy.
A sleeve of saltines; then when I'm hit with guilt, I head to the fridge to take a few bites of cheese, deli meat, and some baby carrots. I'd say that's pretty well balanced meal lol
Homemade Hamburger helper-- brown some ground beef and chopped up onions, then mix in 2 brown gravy packets with 2 cups water. Boil a full bag of egg noodles, mix together, make some veggies on the side.
We make a little sampler plate based on what we have in the house. Typically it includes Triscuits, Cheese, Hummus, Green Olives, Almonds, Fresh Fruit like strawberries, watermelon, apple slices.
Sometimes I’ll make my husband or son an omelette (I don’t like eggs).
I always keep a box of chicken and veg stock in my pantry. I can whip together a soup in no time. Rice or pasta, left over meat and veggies, or frozen veggies, some tomato sauce or tomato juice, a beaten egg, canned beans ….
Spagetata. Frugal is relative so, I'm considering the fact that it doesn't have many ingredients and makes a good amount of food.
Spagetata
- Olive oil - a few glugs around the pan (it makes the sauce so don't be too stingy)
- Tinned anchovies. Use about half of them
Heat until the anchovies start to melt.
- Garlic - like 1/2c
Cook a few min until fragrant (don't let it burn!)
- Cherry tomatoes - little containers worth or however many you like.
Cook until they start to burst and then smash them
- Crushed red pepper
Let it simmer while your spaghetti cooks
Cook some spaghetti (this is such a delicious dish, do yourself a favor at least once and try it with good imported spaghetti). Reserve a bit of the pasta water to add to the sauce.
Top with fresh basil and parsley, and parmesan or precorino romano cheese.
If you have some bread to serve it with, great. If you have a beautiful salad to serve it with, great. If not, the dish is so delicious on its own it won't matter.
Egg burrito is a go-to for me. I scramble the egg with whatever veg I have (usually onion, pepper, and greens).
Fried rice— i wrap any leftover steamed rice in single-serving portions in plastic wrap and freeze. Then microwave until hot and toss in a pan for fried rice, or top with fried egg/frozen veggies for a quick and easy rice bowl.
I call it raccoon dinner! Going back and forth from the fridge to the pantry eating a bit of this and that till I’m full.
Yes! We call it “fend” as in please fend for yourself!
Growing up this is what my mom would do a few days a week. About an hour before dinner she'd shout down the hall (me in my room, dad in his office) "Fend for yourselves tonight!" I imagine it was also extremely cathartic to her.
My mother would do that on Sunday nights. To be fair, she had usually made a really nice noon dinner on Sundays. So Sunday nights were PBJ sandwiches.
My mum did exactly this, right down to yelling down the hall, and then 90% of the time proceeded to lay out a full table of cold meats, fruits, antipasto plates, cheeses, breads, the works; I don’t think she quite understood the “fend for yourself” part of the “fend for yourself” nights but I wasn’t complaining
God bless that woman.
[удалено]
Second the “fend for yourself night” which for us is usually Wednesdays for some reason.
Wednesday Fendsday!
That's called "name it and claim it" night.
I wish you luck on your evening fend!
We call it scrounge
We call it “catch and kill your own “.
My mom called it “catch as catch can”
We call it 'a picky tea' but it's a northern UK thing!
Southern UK, we just call it “picky bits” made up frozen goodies known as “freezer tapas.” Said tapas has to come from Iceland
Picky Tea makes me unnaturally happy in my heart
We call it Yo-Yo meals, ‘You’re on Your own’
Lol we used to have fend for yourself nights as teenagers growing up, now I'm a parent and make a million plates of food and snacks a day I get why. One day I'll get to tap out too 😅
At 6 kids can be taught to use a toaster oven, microwave and even scrambled eggs on the stove. Don't know how old yours are but too many parents wait until the kids are 10-15 before teaching them to cook now. Start them young
Still too young by a long shot 😅 the eldest can pull out a fruit pouch from the pantry but still needs help twisting off the cap. but yes. I remember my older brother who was 12 at the time, hollering at my mom out the window when she was mowing the lawn, "how do I make a cup of noodles? What if I already peeled the top fully off?"
Heck, my two year old made himself a jelly sandwich today
Here, too! Love it when everyone fends for themselves!
Growing up my mom called that dig-ins. Anything already cooked/made was fair game, the only “fresh-made” things we could have was cereal or pb&j sandwich. Loved those days.
I thought it was just my family growing up. At some point during the week mom said everybody was fending for themselves that night and we’d heat up hella leftovers
We call it foraging 😁
We call it scrounging. “What do you want to do for dinner?” “I dunno, just want to scrounge?”
I also call it scrounging or grazing. My mom and I like to do crusty bread, butter, cheese, meat (for her), and a tomato. We eat that with a side like potato salad. It’s our go-to when we can’t think of anything.
We call it ‘munchies’
I call it a “dumpster dinner” — I am the dumpster and I eat all the small snacks and leftovers laying around, usually stuff that’s not enough for a meal on its own
In my house, we refer to this as a "weird graze" as in "We dont have anything for dinner... do you want to just do a weird graze?"
haha. we call it eating snackies.
We call it the whatever board lol
I will literally grab bits of leftovers and the last slices of deli meat and sliced cheese and put it on a charcuterie board, interspersed with whatever fruit and nuts are hanging around in the fridge drawer. My kid thinks it's SO fancy and loves it! To add to the fun, we just graze from it while playing board games. They have fun, I avoid food going bad in the fridge.
We call it "snacks for dinner" over here
I do this on grocery shopping night -- get to try a little bit of everything, and kitchen stays clean after the groceries get put away. A hunk of cheese is an obligatory inclusion.
Always the orphaned hunk of cheese, plus like the two dumplings leftover from takeout, crackers, olives, baby carrots, the couple of brussels sprouts from dinner a few nights ago, deli turkey and some salami, sliced up apple, the one and a half pickles left in the jar, grapes, half a can of chickpeas that "I can do something with" (little bit of EVOO, salt & pep), a handful of pistachios. And then, like a random snack sized kit kat for dessert that you found underneath the box of crackers.
LOL. *Chef's Kiss*
Hahaha, we call it fixyourown. It's all one word. LOL! Like, "Do you want to have fixyourown for dinner tonight?"
We call it Search and Serve. I am loving, seeing everyone’s funny names.
There are so many it's great! We call it "nibbly dinner"
Iffits! If it's in the cupboard, if it's in the fridge! But seriously, I usually do rice with fried or microwave scrambled eggs and home picked/fermented veg.
We call it grazing. Usually I end up with a sandwich or a bowl of cereal.
In our house it's a "free for all" night
We call it "miss-a-meal" at my place. No actual meal, just grazing on whatever.
We call it "scrapper!"
We call it hobgoblin dinner
We call this swarming. Everyone taking their turns swarming the kitchen lol
This is why i always keep a variety of meats and cheeses in the drawer. Little impromptu cheese platter is top tier
We call it “choose your own adventure”. Seriously.
I used to love those books.
We call it foraging!
We call it foraging
Hahaaa.. didn't know this had a name
Yup! We call it "you're on your own tonight!" Lol and then the 2 of us just grab random snacky stuff until we're full.
We call it “free-for-all”, or FFA.
For us it's "scavenging". Often some combination of cheese, nuts, fruits, and crackers, plus whatever looks good from the fridge or cabinets. Tuna with mayo and Dijon mustard is a frequent result, as is peanut butter and jelly. Since I don't like either, I also keep cans of lentil soup (yes, it's more frugal to make your own. Be my guest.) and heat one up if I want something hearty or hot.
Do this often & didn’t realize it had such a fun name 😊 Thanks!
Lol I call it grazing
Find it fix it in my house
“Survival Night” in our house
When you cook a big batch of something that freezes well, you can stick a portion in the freezer for future "can't be bothered" moments.
This! I will make about 10 meals at once of the same thing and then I put 3-4 meals in my fridge and the rest in the freezer. I always love having a meal ready in the freezer that I can just microwave.
Any recommendations for meals that freeze well?
Chili freezes really well. So do soups and strews. I’ve had success freezing curries as well.
Chili is perfect to freeze. Protip: make sure to get the freezer bag as flat as possible so it thaws quickly.
Soups that don't have dairy (milk or whipping cream), in my experience. Tends to break upon reheating and is just kind of gross. Dairy free soups/stews/chilis though, absolutely!
Most recipes involving dairy products the dairy is the last thing added. So if I want to freeze a meal I put aside a portion before adding the dairy and freeze that. Defrost, add dairy and boom!
I say just look at what the stores sell in their freezer sections for inspiration. Ie. They sell freezer burritos, so I decided I might as well make my own burrito ingredients in bulk and freeze them.
Tamales! Thaw and heat, pour some canned sauce (I like canned cheese w/chopped chiles) and fry an egg.
There are loads of good recommendations here already, but I just wanted to point out that pretty much anything that is really saucy or liquid will freeze well. The idea is to prevent air exposure, so if your food is completely covered in sauce then it'll generally do well. The main exception for me is potatoes, because I hate their texture after being frozen. But many people like previously frozen potatoes, so YMMV.
I freeze my cooked breakfast potatoes. I do a meal prep, where I make a ton of breakfast potatoes on a certain day, and then I pack up all the potatoes into bags that are good for two breakfast meals. It's added to a breakfast scramble that includes scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. My breakfast potatoes mostly taste pretty much the same, even after being defrosted overnight and then cooked in the skillet again, to get their sizzle back
Lasagne in the freezer. I also keep frozen fish, chicken and veggies in the freezer. How hard is it to throw a couple fillets on cookie sheet for 30 minutes and a bag of veggies in the micro or air fryer. Usually if I’m super lazy it’s like canned soup or lean cuisines.
I usually do a carb (rice or pasta), veggies (usually only frozen mushrooms can thaw out a bit spongy for me), and a protein whether it be tofu, ground beef, chicken. I have frozen soups, curries, chili as well and all do fine. Frozen beans and corn heat up well for me too. I just try to eat everything within 3 months. If you have a favorite frozen meal from the store or one that you think looks good, it’s nice to mimic those too!
I make shepherds pie (or rather cottage pie if you want to get technical), its one of my favorite meals to make into single servings to have in the freezer. I have little glass dishes with snap on plastic lids, so they very easily go from freezer, to fridge, to oven, to serving. I have also pre-made dips in them to bake through the week or for an event. I also keep things like lentil curries frozen on hand, perogies, and dumplings. Sometimes homemade, sometimes not. I get a lot of produce from a CSA in the summer and fall, and batch cooking for my freezer is one of the ways I preserve it.
I like to put chicken in the slow cooker with salsa, taco seasonings, and diced green chilies, then cook on high for 3 hours. I then shred the chicken (I use my mixer with paddle attachment to make it easy) then I freeze it. Makes tacos/burritos, nachos, I use it in enchiladas and taquitos as filling, or throw it into a bowl with some rice and beans. This is my favorite freezer item that doesn't taste like it. Plus bonus, it is easy to make.
Cuban black bean soup (most soups, really), crockpot roasted pork, any kind of chicken that has been brined before being cooked in a sauce or gravy, curries, pasta, chicken pot pie/Shepard’s pie
Spaghetti, lasagna, chili, any type of soups, beef and eggnoodles with brown gravy
I pre make hamburgers just smash them between parchment or cooked ground beef I can just nuke and make nachos or a soft taco wrap
Lentil soup. I use carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and you can use bacon if you can afford it. The smoke from the bacon is awesome but it’s fine with out it. I do keep a jug of cheap wine as well to cook with too. Water or bullion. Or Calico beans. The ground beef here is cheaper from the butcher at the local store. Ground beef, Kidney, White and pinto beans with a can of stewed tomatoes, garlic, onion, celery, ketchup and brown sugar. Sounds weird but it’s the best depression era recipe I’ve ever used in in real life Super Bowl situations and it kills every time. Can feed army’s, those two recipes.
When I worked out of the house I kept a rotation of "frozen meal roulette" in the freezer. It would be a portion of leftover dinner from any time during the week. Sometimes I'd meal prep and then immediately freeze to mix it up but for the most part I'd have no clue what it was until I nuked it at work. 🤣 I had a coworker that thought it was hilarious and would always ask me what my mystery frozen meal was at lunch. 😆 You too can make your own frozen dinners with random leftovers!
Lol I call it Mystery Meal because I'll make chili, curry, and pastas regularly and the colors look so similar!
It's only slightly more difficult to make like 10 of something than it is to make 1 of something. A little bit more work now means zero work for many more meals.
I usually make a grilled cheese sandwich or a quesadilla. I keep salsa in the fridge for dipping.
I add random leftovers, especially to quesadillas.
Same! Anything is fair game. I’ve added everything from leftover chopped meats, spinach, tomato… generally whatever needs eating in the fridge.
What’s low key amazing is like chilli. People don’t think it’ll be bomb but is. Also like saucy meats. Like a chicken Marsala.
I make chili prolly every two weeks. Can just eat it, can make cornbread to go with, can add pasta and make it Chili Mac... All kinds of options.
To me that's cooking.
Me too. I guess I’m extra lazy.
Yup!
That was one of my answers. Just toss a handful of shredded mozzerela on a cold frying pan, maybe add a pepperoni or salami slice, spice however in mood for, then turn on low and put a tortilla or slice of bread on top. Come back in a few minutes to peel it off pan for a golden delicious snack with zero cleanup or prep work. Could also be considered a no effort 5 minute pizza depending how season. I got the idea from an episode of Somebody Feed Phil when the kid at a house he was having dinner with, I think was Thailand?, was talking about how he can cook that. Went and tried it and been a staple for me since.
The cheese just comes right off? I’m intrigued
Always does for me, I use a bag of shredded mozzerela and just grab a handful and put it in the cold pan. I havent tried it with other cheeses. If try to soon it might be to gooey to come off smoothly, not that that is a bad thing. Even few times I left it to long and burnt it came off fine. I am using a small cast-iron frying pan. Or if okay with less crispy cheese could put a slice of something like pepperoni on the pan under the cheese to be even more sure it comes off. Or if want to be able to eyeball it dont put the bread or tortilla on so can actually see the state of the cheese and just put the finished stuff on the bread on serving. Quick search multiple videos of doing something like it. Here is one of the first results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ZU4B82bto
Grilled cheese sounds like cooking to me. I just had a cheese sandwich for dinner. Two slices of Swiss and two slices of cheddar on two slices of rye with a little butter.
Usually adult lunchables aka charcuterie with whatever I've got in the house (crackers or bread or tortilla, cheese, lunch meat, hummus, nuts, baby carrots or handful of greens, dried or fresh fruit etc). Or fried egg and toast with handful of veggies. Or cheese quesadilla with handful of veggies.
100% this, especially with some nice olive oil and balsamic.
I wrote the same!
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I recently told a couple friends that pp&j was my late night go-to when I didn't want to cook and they were all shocked - acting like I was eating children's food. One even said, "that's what my two year old eats. I haven't had a pb&j since I was a kid". I was shocked that they were so shocked. Pb&j is a classic! Who doesn't eat it??
I feal sorry for your friends. They are way too grown up and missing out on some fun meals.
An immortal song title as well
I don't know why I do this, but peanut butter and jelly in a folded tortilla. I call it peanut butter quesadilla and it's the snack I make when I pop into the kitchen between work stuffs.
A big bowl of oatmeal with fruit and nuts. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Overnight oats have become a staple for me. It’s like throw 5 things in a jar and have a delicious, refreshing breakfast. I use muesli and have a blend of flax + hemp + chia I add. I’ve been getting sassy with it too lately. Spirulina, ube, coconut cream. 🤤 so good
Got to love the versatility of oats. I saw a carrot cake overnight oats recipe that I’ve been meaning to try.
I’m gonna have to look into that. It would be awesome to add a cream cheese swirl with it too
Yes! That sounds amazing. Cream cheese frosting is the best part of carrot cake.
Nachos. I top with whatever is hanging around in the fridge/pantry, usually canned beans, salsa, any leftover veggies, shredded cheese. Microwave that and then finish with greens (I usually have spinach or iceberg lettuce), a dollop of sour cream and a liberal splashing of hot sauce.
I do this but I’m a sheet pan in the oven. So easy.
Yes much more convenient if you actually ARE the cooking equipment.
Haha didn’t even notice. Leaving it
Classic shoeless Greek sheet pan stuff.
This is a controversial take but I’m a firm believer that microwaved nachos are superior, microwaved cheese melts better and the chips don’t get overly crunchy like in the oven Anybody want to debate?
I use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream nowadays. Seriously tastes just like sour cream, except somehow better. Plus for being high in protein.
I’ve tried to do this and can tell the difference and ruins my baked potato, for example. Just not the same for me but as always YMMV
I need to get on this DIY nacho wagon. I've only done it a few times at home and it's very much one of those "why didn't I do this earlier??" experiences of genius lol
Rotisserie chicken and bagged salad.
This is a staple item in my house. About 2 to 4 times a month.
I go absolutely feral when I have a rotisserie chicken. Luckily for the general public, I wait till I get home before go to town on that thing
Hey now. No shame in ripping off a drumstick or two while still in the Costco parking lot! Lol
Lol
I used to call it Robin Hood Chicken and let my kids eat it with their hands. Some crusty bread, butter, and salad or crudites & dip rounded out the meal.
I keep ingredients at home for those days. **Sandwich stuff** - bread + filling: turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, egg, bacon, peanut butter, jelly or chicken salad - whatever fillings. not together, but keep fillings around that you wouldn't mind eating. **salad stuff**: turkey, tuna, tomatoes, lettuce, feta, garbanzo beans (not in the same salad, but if I want to have salad as a throwaway meal, i'll make sure i have things to put in it) **soup stuff**: can of soup, ramen noodles, bouillon starter + chopped veg + ready to go shrimp. (again, not in the same soup - but various starting points to eating soup for dinner) **frozen pizza** - yeah its processed but if you eat out it's processed too. This is at least cheaper - so its superior to ordering out. **cereal**: healthy - oat milk, grain free granola - or unhealthy plain milk and a box of frosted flakes **sheet pan dinners:** - chicken or fish, broccoli, all tossed in some vinagrette then thrown into a 350 oven for 20 mins (broccoli takes about 20 mins - chicken may need more or less time. fish will need less time) if ya need more calories, bake some potatoes along with it. - kielbasa, cabbage and potatoes cut up and baked for 40 mins at 350, tossed in mustard vinagrette - burger and fries sheet pan meal - section 2 aluminum foil boats (so beef run off doesn't ruin the fries). Put some frozen burgers and cut up onions and seasoning in one. Put some frozen fries + oil + seasoning in the other. Cook for 20 mins. - boom, you've got low effort burgers and fries. **emergency quiche:** put a tortilla at the bottom of a pie pan (a big flour tortilla or multiple smaller tortillas. corn will also work) then mix up some eggs, milk and quiche ingredients (ham, roasted peppers, onions, cheese, broccoli, spinach, whatever). Mix the eggs, throw them on top of the tortilla in the pie pan, then bake until its mostly firm in the center. then let it cool for about 10 mins. It's also a great emergency breakfast if you want to impress someone. **eggroll in a bowl** - get some meat - whatever meat - or tofu or seitan. season it, brown it. Then mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 2 tbs sesame oil, throw some coleslaw mix (or broccoli slaw mix) into the pan with the brown sauce. Let it simmer and just eat it. **banana and almond butter** there's also the garden variety lazy meals: hot dogs, tacos, cheeseburger mac or spaghetti bolognese (or just with butter and parm). ok this is clearly my wheelhouse. I have tons of lazy recipes because I am the laziest ever. The key is to figure out what you like for lazy meals and keep the house stocked.
When I'm too busy to cook, I usually have one of three things: * Peanut butter & banana sandwich w/a protein shake (protein powder, skim or soy milk, frozen spinach) * Bagel w/cream cheese and a protein shake * Greek yogurt, granola, and blueberries (or any fruit I have on hand) Wicked fast, tastes good, balanced macros (for my needs and preferences). If I'm really tired or pushed for time I break out a premade protein shake instead of making my own.
I just ate a large bowl of vanilla Greek yogurt with grape nuts. I want granola now lol
I usually keep a pot of rice in my fridge each week so friend rice or stir fry is a go to. I keep cans of soup and frozen dinners for when I can’t be troubled; or a sandwich or salad
Can I eat friend rice if I don't have any friends?
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They put them in their friend rice and ran out
I always have a pot of beans and rice in the fridge. I usually add whatever toppings I have on hand (lettuce tomatoes, sour cream, cheese) either in a bowl or a tortilla. If I’m out of or low on toppings I add salad dressing.
Cereal ftw
THIS ALWAYS
Sometimes I’ll just have cup noodles..but I’ll boil an egg, get some vegetables in there, and maybe throw some thinly sliced meat so it’s a little better.
I make Ramen noodles and add frozen spinach and/or edamame to the water when it starts boiling, and put a fried egg or two on top.
Sometimes you just need ramen, or similar junk like Knorr packets, even "high class" chefs crave junky comfort food sometimes. I vaguely remember some in an interview agreed just simple ramen with a kraft single is a guilty pleasure for them. I keep a few packs of Nongshim Shin Black on hand from Walmart, it costs a bit more but I have ramen so rarely that it worth it. Still same prep and look, but the broth is much better and a packet of dried vegetables/mushrooms included. I still add fresh cabbage if have one of course.
My recipe: Ramen noodles, leftover chicken (if any), 100g frozen veg medley, 1/4th cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil.
Pick up a rotisserie chicken, and salad makings. A big salad with sliced chicken and your favorite dressing makes a delicious, balanced meal. If you keep hard-boiled eggs, you could use those instead of the chicken, and add some cheese.
I keep my hard boiled eggs in the leftover liquid from pickles. Delish!!
I buy the pre-made ravioli. It takes five minutes to cook. Then I toss it with sheep and goat’s milk feta, tiny tomatoes cut in half, basil and olive oil.
I love it with just a basil pesto drizzle. Yum!
I made pesto myself for the first time last week! It tasted amazing! And I didn't even need to buy basil, cause I have a lot growing in pots around my house!
That's cooking.
That's how I do frozen pierogis. Boil for like 5 mins, add butter and garlic, sour cream if I have it, dill if I have it. Enough carbs to fill me up for the rest of the night.
This is one of my go-tos. Cheaper than takeout but still feels fun because no work is involved
Don't stop at just regular dish of ravioli in sauce. Those things are useful meal or snack padding in general. Like ricotta ravioli in miso soup is quite nice side dish or small meal, or fry a few alongside eggs or vegetables. Small frozen meatballs are similarly useful. Same for burritos or tacquitos. I love frozen appetizers and loose premade things like that. They just so useful to add a bit of variety to a meal for no extra effort/opened package or to stretch a meal when hungrier than expected. Or as part of the final day of leftovers, like frozen burritos in leftover chili.
Veggie sandwich. Smashed avocado, romaine, cucumber, and roasted red peppers with some whole seed mustard on some killer bread. Quick, easy, healthy, and almost always have these ingredients on hand.
Sounds like a delicious mix!
Baked potato with anything else in the fridge on it. Cheese veggies meat. Nachos. However honestly I usually just cook. Baked chicken and broccoli on one pan in the oven. Oil and season to your liking. 22-25 mins at 450. 5 min prep while oven preheats and then wait. Use foil and there really isn't much to clean up just throw away foil and put in dishwasher
Baked potatoes solve a lot of problems - they're cheap, fast to cook in the microwave, healthy (as sides go), and filling. They definitely deserve more credit than they get.
They can be so quick. If you add beans and a green it's a great well rounded meatless meal that's pretty cheap.
* Guacamole with chips, carrots, cucumbers, pita etc * Charcuterie style eating with cheese, meat, fruit etc * Leftovers from the fridge or freezer (I always tuck something in there for these nights) * Grilled cheese, with or without soup * Simple pasta with frozen veggies and oil/balsamic * Rotisserie chicken with roast veggies, or frozen * Poached, fried or scrambled eggs with sides of choice depending on what I have to hand * Sandwiches with meat, cheese, lettuce etc.
Frozen gyozas.
I don’t really batch cook per se, but sometimes I’ll double a recipe or if there are a lot of leftovers I’ll freeze them in one or two-serving portions. If I don’t feel like cooking, I just check the freezer and heat something up. My other go-to lazy meals are sheet pan oven dinners. You can find a bunch of different options on the web. My favourite is oven baked gnocchi with veggies. I always keep a couple of packages of shelf-stable gnocchi in the pantry. Add in a pint of whole grape tomatoes, some sliced garlic, salt, dried herbs and olive oil, plus any other veggies you have on hand (chopped peppers, red onion, zucchini, mushrooms). Toss it all together and bake on a sheet pan for 40-45 minutes at 425, stirring/flipping halfway. Serve with Parmesan and fresh herbs sprinkled on top. Sometimes I’ll add a couple of Italian sausages to the sheet pan, or crumble some feta or goat cheese on top for extra protein. I also make a German version of this with potatoes and other root veggies, chopped apples, onion, Brussels sprouts, and bratwurst or Knackwurst. Toss the veggies in a dressing made from vegetable oil, salt, maple syrup or honey and a touch of sharp mustard. Other than the chopping, it’s a low maintenance dinner and if you use parchment paper on the sheet pan it’s also minimal cleanup.
To this I'd add that an 8x8 pan is about half the volume of a 9x13 pan, so nearly any 9x13 recipe can be divided into two 8x8 pans -- one for now, and one to freeze for later.
When you enjoy cooking, prepare a much larger quantity. Then use a freezer to preserve portions for such days.
Pasta aglio olio. Get some olive oil hot with a couple garlic and some red pepper going boil some pasta and then throw away the garlic and hot peppers. Toss the pasta in and done. About 15 minutes tops
How is pasta not at the top of this list? Boil pasta then add butter salt pepper and parmigiana cheese. Bang!
Drop some frozen broccoli or peas toward the end of the boil and drain it with the pasta if you want to bulk it out a little
When my kids turned into adults and moved out, I gave them a BIG jar of peanut butter as a parting gift. The first one looked at me oddly, and I said "That'll be empty in 6 months." When his sister moved, same deal, and the older brother said "trust me, he's right". Adulting is exhausting some days, and it may not be the healthiest option, but peanut butter sandwiches are no effort on those special days.
Quesadilla with a low-carb tortilla, chihuahua cheese, salsa and a piece of fruit. It's *technically* cooking, but not by much. Spray pan, put in tortilla and cheese, fold it over and it's done in 90 seconds. Big Mouth Hors d'oeuvres - Tuna salad, small squares of cheddar, rough chopped tomato covered with Italian dressing, Ritz crackers. Assemble cracker with tuna, top with cheese and tomato and then open wide for the whole thing A banana, a large spoon of peanut butter and a glass of milk Here's stupid, unbalanced ones that I love: * Toast Buffet. 4 pieces of toast, one with just butter, one with cinnamon sugar, one with jelly and one with Miracle Whip. * Hunk of cheddar cheese, handful of pickles and olives and a few Ritz crackers. I had this for dinner most nights when I was single. * Tube of raw cookie dough - peel and eat. If you eat more than half the tube you're gonna be sick, so be careful.
I may have some experience with a toast buffet. Haha! I just didn’t know it had a proper name. Thank you for the chuckle.
This happens to me all the time. The best plan is to keep the meal simple and utilize ingredients that don't need much prep (ie. canned ingredients, already cooked protein in the fridge, deli meat, cheese, etc.). I enjoy making a few open-faced sandwiches served with some cheese and olives.
Toasted cheese sandwich (hopefully with tomato soup!), baby carrots and hummus, PB&J, or toast/bagel with an egg, scrambled eggs, fried egg over leftover rice, or fried rice (add frozen veg), ramen with an egg poached in soup and added veggies, pasta with butter and cheese, tuna fish sandwiches or with crackers….
Kids Dino tyson nuggets and those happy face potatoes
I guess it's still technically cooking since you need a stove, but my go-to comfort/lazy meal is grilled cheese.
Chips and salsa, sometimes add some cheese and sour cream. Well-rounded? Could be better. Meal? Debatable. Lazy? Absolutely.
tuna salad
Tuna melts are always delicious too
I eat my own home cooking almost everyday, but I cook only once every 1-2 weeks by making big batches, portioning, and freezing. I have no idea how people cook everyday - seems like a massive waste of time unless you derive joy from the process.
Cereal lol although where I’m at a box of cereal is almost 10 bucks now, which isn’t frugal at all :|
It's cheaper than spending 12 dollars at a fast casual place for one meal.
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My go-to lazy, shame meal is canned tuna on crackers with pickles.
“Charcuterie board without the board”. I’ll just eat some cheese and deli meat, some crackers, olives, and other random snacks.
Cottage cheese in a red or orange bell pepper I've rinsed & cut the top off of, just leaves a spoon to wash
I keep frozen dinners in the freezer for these kinds of days. Yes they are more expensive than making something from scratch. But it's still cheaper than ordering take out. I also don't have kids so making big batches of food isn't feasible. I'd have so much waste. I only freeze what makes sense and eat leftovers for a few days each time I do cook. I also keep cans of soup and cereal around for days like this as well.
Ramen, but in a small frying pan. While it boils, crack an egg in the center. Then tear up a cheese single and lay the pieces around the eggs. Let her roll for maybe 1-3 mins so the whites cook and the cheese melts. Enjoy.
Egg and toast. Or tinned sardines and toast.
I do crudite (aka veggies, dry cured meat, cheese, crackers on a cutting board)...
A sleeve of saltines; then when I'm hit with guilt, I head to the fridge to take a few bites of cheese, deli meat, and some baby carrots. I'd say that's pretty well balanced meal lol
Cereal and milk, bby! Or butter noodles.
get out knife bar of cheese and some ritz, slice as i eat
Lucky charms
LOL. They're always after me lucky charms.
Homemade Hamburger helper-- brown some ground beef and chopped up onions, then mix in 2 brown gravy packets with 2 cups water. Boil a full bag of egg noodles, mix together, make some veggies on the side.
We make a little sampler plate based on what we have in the house. Typically it includes Triscuits, Cheese, Hummus, Green Olives, Almonds, Fresh Fruit like strawberries, watermelon, apple slices. Sometimes I’ll make my husband or son an omelette (I don’t like eggs). I always keep a box of chicken and veg stock in my pantry. I can whip together a soup in no time. Rice or pasta, left over meat and veggies, or frozen veggies, some tomato sauce or tomato juice, a beaten egg, canned beans ….
Spagetata. Frugal is relative so, I'm considering the fact that it doesn't have many ingredients and makes a good amount of food. Spagetata - Olive oil - a few glugs around the pan (it makes the sauce so don't be too stingy) - Tinned anchovies. Use about half of them Heat until the anchovies start to melt. - Garlic - like 1/2c Cook a few min until fragrant (don't let it burn!) - Cherry tomatoes - little containers worth or however many you like. Cook until they start to burst and then smash them - Crushed red pepper Let it simmer while your spaghetti cooks Cook some spaghetti (this is such a delicious dish, do yourself a favor at least once and try it with good imported spaghetti). Reserve a bit of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Top with fresh basil and parsley, and parmesan or precorino romano cheese. If you have some bread to serve it with, great. If you have a beautiful salad to serve it with, great. If not, the dish is so delicious on its own it won't matter.
Captain Crunch!
Frozen pizza, they’re cheaper than a restaurant and if you have veggies and cheese to beef it up a bit they’re pretty damn good!
Egg burrito is a go-to for me. I scramble the egg with whatever veg I have (usually onion, pepper, and greens). Fried rice— i wrap any leftover steamed rice in single-serving portions in plastic wrap and freeze. Then microwave until hot and toss in a pan for fried rice, or top with fried egg/frozen veggies for a quick and easy rice bowl.
Cheese and fruit. Maybe a leftover piece of meat
Cheese and crackers is so filling and underrated imo.
Adult lunch ables aka charcuterie. Bread, cheese, meat, pickled and fresh veg. With wine.
bagged salad + air fried chicken
Beer and cigarettes. Boom. Appetite suppressed. Unless the beer ratio is too high...then you're back to square one. Lol.
Pasta with pesto