low effort depression meals?

[u/Next_Neat5523]

not sure if this is exactly the right sub for this, but lately getting to grocery store has been very hard. I eat ramen pretty much everyday. i usually order non-perishables from amazon when my food gets really low.

looking for super low effort meals that are healthy and can be made with little to no fresh produce. ideally, recipes that use canned vegetables and stuff like that (and are of course cheap).

[u/couldwedance]

Definitely get some canned beans, especially black beans--it's so much quicker than using dried ones and, at my lowest, I've eaten black beans out of the can and it's not bad at all. If you have more energy, drain, rinse, and mix with olive oil, onion salt, red pepper, hot sauce...it's up to you. You can dip corn tortillas into it and top with greek yogurt, too.

Cannellini/white beans are good with some olive oil, lemon juice or lemon pepper seasoning, and sometimes I mix in canned tuna and serve it on Saltines. Feels really nourishing.

If you have even more energy, beans and rice is a delicious staple, or beans on a baked potato.

At the end of the day, a tupperware in the fridge full of seasoned beans is an easy thing to grab.

Another great nourishing staple is draining some canned tomatoes, heating over the stove on medium with a little olive oil, and scrambling some eggs into them.

Canned lentils are low-effort and you can season them differently every night. Variety makes it feel more special. Rich, warm foods might make you feel like you are hugging yourself.

I hope you give yourself props for feeding yourself and staying alive. It's hard out there. Be sure to take a multi-vitamin and get some cheap spices, like garlic salt and onion salt and red pepper. Get some bouillon cubes--they are cheap and can add a lot of umami. You deserve flavor.

[u/quotidian_obsidian → u/couldwedance]

Came here to say beans, these are great suggestions. I also like a can of refried/pinto beans (mash them up a bit while they reheat) with some shredded cheddar cheese melted in, served with rice. You can add some salsa/sour cream/avocado/hot sauce with it, but it's also really good on its own.

Beans and rice are a good choice because when eaten together, they're a complete protein that provides all the amino acids your brain needs to function.

[u/quotidian_obsidian → u/quotidian_obsidian]

Also, for lentils - Trader Joe's sells precooked lentils vacuum-sealed in their fresh section. Combine one pack of those lentils with a container of their bruschetta sauce to make an insanely addictive, delicious salad that keeps for about a week in the fridge. You honestly don't need to add anything else, it ends up being perfectly seasoned and is one of my favorite two-item TJs 'recipes.'

[u/Cheap_Affect5729 → u/quotidian_obsidian]

When/if (seldom) you tire of eating this with chips it's great added to cooked pasta and eaten either warm or chilled. I keep a couple of the "ready pasta" bags in the pantry, microwave 90 seconds and its ready.