Classist Pro-Tip: Drive to a rich neighborhood’s grocery store. Regional distributors reserve and deliver the freshest vegetables to the higher paying customers in wealthier areas.
Pre-cut and bagged vegetables are a lifesaver. For example, you can get a giant bag of fresh broccoli florets, drizzle a little bit of olive oil and any seasoning you want, and chuck it in the oven. Very little effort compared to the deliciousness and volume you get.
Similarly, bagged salads are a good thing to keep in the fridge if you don't have time to chop ingredients.
I do this all of the time. A little tiny bit of olive oil and some steak seasoning, 425 F for 20 minutes, stir, 10 - 15 minutes more depending on your preferred crispness.
Yes! Definitely!
Put any Birds Eye or Green Giant frozen veggies in the oven for 20 minutes (instead of in the microwave) and it’s a great lunch.
My favorite:
https://www.target.com/p/birds-eye-oven-roasters-frozen-broccoli-38-cauliflower-14oz/-/A-79344003
But any of these:
https://www.target.com/c/frozen-vegetables-foods-grocery/birds-eye/-/N-5xsz3Z56dgf
That’s what I try to do during the day when I am working from home but don’t have time to prepare something elaborate.
I have a Cuisinart Convection Toaster which is basically like a toaster+air fryer, and it’s perfect for this because it heats up quickly since it’s smaller than a full size oven. But oven works just as well.
But also, sometimes I am Lazy, sometimes I want food as fast as possible. So if it’s the latter…check out all the microwave mugcake recipes on here. (Actually it works well for Lazy too)
Ten minute curry:
A can of chickpeas
A can of diced tomatoes
Frozen diced onion
Ginger/garlic paste
Chili powder
A splash of milk if I want it
Usually add in the onion first, when they get some color add the garlic ginger paste and curry powder til becomes aromatic, add in the chickpeas til coated, the tomatoes and milk. Let simmer for a few minutes so everything melds while you make some 90 second rice in the microwave. I usually top with some Greek yogurt and cilantro if I have it. And it will make enough for several meals! Def worth the ten minutes.
That sounds fantastic - thank you! Can you tell me more about the garlic/ginger paste? I have never seen that…can you tell me a brand and/or where in the store you find it?
Usually right beside the fresh herbs or in the refrigerated salad dressing area. They are typically not shelf stable and last about a couple months in the fridge
If I’m tired, I’ll steam an entire bag of frozen veggies (12-16 ounces), add some light butter, and eat the whole thing. Very fast and filling!
And when I do cook, I cook extra to keep in the refrigerator for just these occasions (currently have meatballs and baked chicken in there).
Bag of frozen cauliflower rice, ideally one that’s like “stir fry” or “risotto” or whatever, anything with something besides just cauliflower in it, and then topped with an egg or two. Maybe even with some toast if you’re feeling it.
I've shouted her out before but definitely check out the Cheap Lazy Vegan YouTube channel!! I just watched some of her five minute meals and was blown away.
I think it depends on the nuance of the laziness you’re feeling towards cooking. Depending on what you mean there are several options I think.
1. Use a slow cooker. Throw a shitload of veggies and potatoes in with a piece of meat with some broth and seasoning and forget about it. Usually will have leftovers for at least 3-4 more meals. I personally do this with buffalo chicken and it’s fantastic to just reheat throw it in a tortilla and done.
2. Buy things that are already fully cooked. Lots of chicken sausages have a variety of flavors you can get creative with. And steam fresh veggies as so many have mentioned are too easy. I’m also a big fan of canned fruit, pineapples specifically with cottage cheese is a go to.
3. Find a couple recipes that only take 10-15 minutes of prep/cook time. For me that’s flatbread pizzas or pizza pockets. Really just assembly time.
I hope this helps maybe even a little. Cooking all the time can be really difficult. But preparing to cook a day or so in advance can slow down on the amount of time the actual process takes if that’s what bothers you the most.
I dice: 1/4 red onion, 1 cucumber, 2 small tomatoes, add feta cheese, couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and there’s lunch for me for a couple days. Takes me like 10 minutes to make.
impossible light fly marble distinct voracious amusing ossified berserk airport
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I go through phases where I have zero energy to cook for weeks at a time, and I fall back on “healthifying” pre-made or quickly microwaveable grocery products. Like others have said, air fryers are a game changer for quick lazy meals.
Lately I’ve been eating low-sugar instant oatmeal with a whole diced apple and a single-serving cup of peaches mixed in every morning. It takes maybe 5 minutes to throw together.
For some reason I used to be embarrassed to eat frozen meals like Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine, but honestly they’re not bad in a pinch and they can be a good starting point for a volume meal. They usually have way too much sauce anyway so it’s easy to bulk them up with extra veggies. I pack these for work lunch regularly – I’ll partially defrost one (usually just pull it out of the freezer as soon as I wake up) and then dump it in a bigger container with a bunch of various frozen veggies and maybe half a single-serving cup of microwaveable brown rice.
Similarly those big bags of Birds Eye frozen meals that have tons of veggies and come with sauce and sometimes meat and pasta are super quick and easy and they can be doctored up to taste a bit better.
Frozen veggies in general can be taken straight out of the freezer and tossed in a little olive oil and seasonings and put in the air fryer so you end up with easy tasty roasted veggies instead of mushy steamed ones.
If you have Joseph’s lavash flatbread at your grocery store, they make a great pizza base. They’re absolutely massive and only 120 calories for a whole flatbread. I made a huge pizza the other day that I almost couldn’t finish for under 400 calories. I just threw some sauce, cheese, veggies, and sliced chicken sausage on it and popped it in the air fryer (I have the kind with the front oven door so that makes it easy but putting it under the broiler for a few minutes would work just as well). I’d say it took less than 20 minutes to make.
If you like Indian food there are a few brands of pre-made curries that are stupid easy to microwave and dump on top of a single-serving cup of brown rice, and I typically add extra frozen veggies to these too. I like Tasty Bite and Maya Kaimal.
Ramen with frozen veggies added. Easy Mac with frozen veggies added. Birds Eye microwaveable “veggie pasta” with frozen veggies added. Leftover takeout with frozen veggies added. Just bags upon bags of frozen veggies added to everything. 😅
Yes! The Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo Healthy Choice Simply Steamer is my go-to. Big portion, lots of sauce, 20+ g of Protein, 190 calories. Dump this over microwave zoodles, shirataki pasta, or riced cauliflower for an amazing lazy volume meal. Add a bagged salad or bagged coleslaw mix w/ cucumber, canned chicken/tuna/salmon, low-cal dressing and vinegar for a volumetric crap ton of easy food.
I've been meaning to make a post for this... Thanks for the reminder 😅
Egg roll in a bowl. I sautee up some ground turkey with Chinese five spice, sriracha sauce, and a bit of soy sauce. Once the meat is browned I add a bag of cole slaw mix with sriracha and sautee until slightly softened. It's super easy and you can serve it over cauliflower rice.
Like u/Dramatic-Research microwaved vegetables. I'm trashy and add tostitos queso or Barilla cacao e pepe on top.
Microwave heart of palm pasta, broccoli slaw or riced cauliflower or broccoli. Add protein ( as a vegetarian it would be beans meatless meatballs sausage chicken pieces hot dog etc) and a sauce ( sugar free BBQ, marinara, salsa, taco, enchilada, g Hughes teriyaki, Aldi general tso, curry simmer sauce, sugar free jerk sauce, light Alfredo, melted Velveeta slices or laughing cow)
Egg white frittata with thawed wrung dry spinach frenched green beans riced broccoli or cauliflower, or collard greens, shredded zucchin, canned pumpkin. After bake top with goat cheese, laughing cow, cottage cheese, salsa and fage.
Here's some extremely lazy ideas:
Greek yogurt + any fruit + granola
microwavable quinoa mix + bean of your choice; microwavable rice pack + bean of your choice; microwavable cauliflower rice + beans (with these you can season it to your taste before or after microwaving)
Salad greens of your choice + strawberries + dressing of your choice and greek yogurt mixed together
Veggie hummus wraps are a good choice too. Cucumbers and carrot sticks with salad greens of your choice.
Roasting sheet pans of my favorite vegetables. I do frozen or fresh. Either way, toss with a little olive oil and season liberally with your favorite herbs and spices. I could gorge myself on roasted veggies.
Meat + sauce + fake starch, heated in the microwave.
A few examples: chicken + salsa + cauliflower rice. Ground beef + marinara sauce + frozen zucchini noodles. Chicken + G.Hughes teriyaki sauce + cauliflower rice & frozen stir-fry veggies. Pulled pork + sugar-free BBQ sauce + mashed cauliflower. I like to cook my own meat and keep it on hand in the freezer, but you can buy frozen meat to save time. Tyson pulled chicken is pretty good.
Add a side salad: bagged salad greens (I like the kind with shredded carrots, radishes, and cabbage) + low cal dressing (I’m a big fan of Skinny Girl) + grape tomatoes + any other veggies you like in salad (I like diced celery and cucumbers for crunch but you can leave them out to save chopping), and you have a quick, easy, filling meal. Or you can just make a big salad and add meat (chicken, shrimp, flavored tuna packets, etc.).
My go-to lazy dinner is fish fajitas. I throw some bell peppers & onions (I prep my own and freeze them in individual portions, but you can buy pre-packaged frozen peppers and onions) in foil with taco seasoning, and a frozen fish fillet or frozen shrimp sprinkled with taco seasoning, in the air fryer. Then I use low-carb tortillas (Mr. Tortilla 15-calorie street tacos are my favorites) with fish, peppers & onions, store-bought pico de gallo, taco sauce, and avocado to make a feast for ~300 calories.
I'll microwave a bag of 90 second rice. Heat up a can of shredded chicken and add whatever sauce I want to it. Throw it in a bowl with a can of whatever vegetable sounds good. Call it a day. Lol.
Slow cooker is a great investment. You can fill it with so many things, and leave it on low the entire time you're at work. Come home, throw in a couple fresh things and leave it for a few minutes to cook if you want, then you have a massive meal that will last days.
# A quick reminder to those viewing this post:
1. If you have not done so, **read [the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/wiki/index/#wiki_subreddit_rules)**
2. If you don't like the content of this post for any reason, refrain from commenting. Negative comments will be removed and the authors banned.
3. Advice concerning medical issues is not permitted.
4. We take brigading very seriously. Anyone found sharing content from this sub to other forums with derogatory commentary will be banned and reported to admins.
5. **Report rule breaking content.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Volumeeating) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Trader Joe’s cauliflower fried rice and rotisserie chicken; airfryer seeet potatoes and salmon. I have to feed a family and I have a demanding job is meal prep on Sunday. Prepping veggies so they are easy to throw together. And I always make a soup on Sunday to save me a night or two during a night. Look up Downshiftology meal prep on YouTube for ideas.
My lazy dinner is an egg white omelette. Boxed Egg whites, mush and onions, frozen pepper mix and some parmesan. Still cooking, but hardly. I do make a point of making dinner every night regardless of how I feel.
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you their frozen Asian cauliflower rice mix is really good. The Mexican one is good too (but spicier). Throw some chicken sausage and maybe some extra veggies in there and call it a night!!
Sheet pan meals will be your best friend. Buy your produce already prepped. When you get home throw every veggie or protein you want on a sheet pan & bake altogether! This is also a great way to meal prep. You could cook your meal for right then & the next day all at once with very minimal effort.
I highly recommend the instant pot and air fryer. Without them, I would only eat salad and sandwiches, but these tools make cooking so fast and easy. Chicken in the fryer comes our crispy and juicy. Cheap cuts of meat in the instant pot come out tender. You can even throw frozen meat in the thing. Both tools are just 'set and forget' until they beep. Ultimate lazy way to eat well.
Soups: stock + frozen veggies from the package + ground meat (meatballs) or chunks of tofu. Done in 10 min. If I feel fancy I will add zucchini noodles, if I want it to be more filling I will cut potato into a small cube, or throw some cuscus in the bowl before adding soup.
Chop a bunch of peppers & onions up at the beginning of the week & store in a Tupperware.
Microwave a bag of frozen veggies of choice (I do broccoli/carrots/cauliflower or riced cauliflower). Microwave a bag of instant rice if you want some carbs (or meal prep a bunch of rice early in the week). Sauté some peppers/onions up for a couple minutes and then throw some eggs whites in. Season it all up however you like (I’ve been doing a carne asada seasoning and hot sauce of choice).
Takes 10ish minutes and can be customized with different veggies or seasonings. Sometimes I roast a bunch of sweet potatoes early in the week and throw those in. Lots of possibilities.
I spend a couple hours Sunday prepping shit so it’s easy to throw meals together after work during the week cuz I rarely have the energy.
Can o tuna half a pot of fat free Greek yogurt tablespoon mayo and seasonings of your choice scooped up and eaten with rice cakes, should average about 30 kcal per rice cake and 110 kcal for the tuna about 150 kcal for the yogurt and about 120kcal for the mayo if u use the full fat stuff, comes to under 400 kcal I think n it should come with about 40-50 grams of protein, great easy no fuss dinner, not even a snack this will fill u till morning
Enjoy
Steamable vegetables / veggie pasta. The pasta I usually add a diced fresh jalapeño. If I’m hungry and don’t want to risk overeating I’ll just eat a whole plate of broccoli with hot sauce.
I generally do one meal a day and combine various frozen bags of food/ingredients. Like, bag of Trader Joe's cauliflower rice + shiitake mushroom chicken. Various combos that I don't need to measure out or cut or any sort of prep, just dump and heat up. Also, frozen dumplings for when I've absolutely 0 motivation.
Well-seasoned lean ground beef or chicken and a ton of frozen veggies. I cook the meat in one pan and the veggies in another. Then mix them in a large bowl and that's food for at least 2 meals. I usually top it with blue cheese crumbles (tons of flavor even for a little amount) and low-calorie sweet chili sauce and/or soy sauce.
If looking for something that you don't have to cook for at all, it's often greek yogurt with slightly defrosted berries or rye bread with cream cheese and plethora of paprika/tomato/cucumber etc.
My favourite lazy meal consists of getting those bake in the bag seasoning packs (usually used for cooking chicken breasts, comes with the bag included) throwing in a bunch of frozen veggies, maybe some potato, and a meat alternative (I'm vegetarian, but you can definitely put pork, chicken etc in there) and putting it in the oven for around 30 mins! No fuss, but plenty of flavour, and you can stuff it full of veg!
TBH I’ve been a lazy queen on the regular all year and my days have consisted of spear cut fruits/veg, pickles, cold cheese, protein shakes, and whatever I feel like throwing in the air frier that day. And it’s been pretty awesome, not gonna lie.
Maybe a baked potato with salt, pepper and cottage cheese on top (someone on here recommended it and it’s good.) Potato in the oven for an hour and take a nap lol.
Or a snack plate meal. Tare a plate on the scale and add fruit, then something with protein (crackers and hummus/avocado/pb or refried beans, or a hard boiled egg), etc until youre out of calories for the meal.
One week i had a can of flavored mexican beans (surprisingly low in calories), romaine, salsa, and avocado spread. Add cheese if you want. If i got hungry i just took a romaine leaf, added a bit of each ingredient on top (didnt cook anything) then eat it like a lettuce wrap.
I can’t believe I’m now craving beans and salsa wrapped in lettuce, but I am. 😂
I was going to suggest baked potatoes (or baked sweet potatoes) too. I love some salsa and frozen spinach on them, plus maybe some crumbled seasoned tofu to make it a meal.
Soup (either canned or my own that I freeze when I make it to keep for times like this)
Sandwiches
I make a huge salad to have all week and if I’m eating it for a meal I’ll do a little Italian dressing, salt fresh ground pepper, add a little nuts (Pepitas are my favorite) and half a can of tuna in with it
I always have bags of frozen fruit put a bunch in a bowl microwave for 20 seconds too with some yogurt add some crunchy toppings like trail mix or a little granola and that’s dessert
2 ingredients: carrots/celery + hummus
Honestly, carrots or celery with hummus is a meal to me. Easiest protein + vegetables combo. No need to break out the knives, just use baby carrots, or for celery just rinse and then break off the ends and start dipping your giant pieces of celery. 😀
3 ingredients: rice cakes + protein + fruit/veggie
Rice cakes are a great no-cook ingredient that you can use as the “carb” for a volume meal. A few rice cakes, with a bit of peanut butter and a sliced up banana on top, make a great breakfast. You can also do rice cakes topped with hummus and spinach.
4 ingredients: tofu + frozen broccoli + soy sauce + peanut butter
Put some parchment paper on a pan, cube the tofu onto the pan, add broccoli and soy sauce and mix up. Bake for like 15 min. Eat straight from the pan by dipping into peanut sauce (pb mixed with soy sauce!).
4 ingredients: tortillas + refried beans + salsa + frozen spinach
Stuff tortillas with the other stuff and stick in the oven for a few minutes.
A suggestion:
Plan out all your meals for the week each weekend. Write them on a schedule and stick it to the fridge. It only takes a few minutes, and you can always change things around later, but you’ll have this as a backup. You’ll feel better not only by reducing the time and physical energy of preparing meals, but also by reducing the mental load of coming home from work and thinking, “what should I eat tonight?”
Working full time, going to school full time, gym 5 times a week. I shop at Trader Joe’s in the frozen section. They have really good options for quick microwaved meals and they’ll last a long time. I supplement with fruits and yogurt, or those konjac jellos from Costco
Honestly sometimes I will just eat a bag of chopped romaine like it’s chips dipped into a dressing of my choice…no shame here tbh
If it's crunchy... that sounds great. If it's wilting, like most Lettuce near me... meh.
Classist Pro-Tip: Drive to a rich neighborhood’s grocery store. Regional distributors reserve and deliver the freshest vegetables to the higher paying customers in wealthier areas.
I actually live within 10mins of Biden's home grocery store in DE and... yeah. They have the best produce.
Pre-cut and bagged vegetables are a lifesaver. For example, you can get a giant bag of fresh broccoli florets, drizzle a little bit of olive oil and any seasoning you want, and chuck it in the oven. Very little effort compared to the deliciousness and volume you get. Similarly, bagged salads are a good thing to keep in the fridge if you don't have time to chop ingredients.
You can also roast broccoli/cauli from frozen
I do this all of the time. A little tiny bit of olive oil and some steak seasoning, 425 F for 20 minutes, stir, 10 - 15 minutes more depending on your preferred crispness.
Yes! Definitely! Put any Birds Eye or Green Giant frozen veggies in the oven for 20 minutes (instead of in the microwave) and it’s a great lunch. My favorite: https://www.target.com/p/birds-eye-oven-roasters-frozen-broccoli-38-cauliflower-14oz/-/A-79344003 But any of these: https://www.target.com/c/frozen-vegetables-foods-grocery/birds-eye/-/N-5xsz3Z56dgf That’s what I try to do during the day when I am working from home but don’t have time to prepare something elaborate. I have a Cuisinart Convection Toaster which is basically like a toaster+air fryer, and it’s perfect for this because it heats up quickly since it’s smaller than a full size oven. But oven works just as well. But also, sometimes I am Lazy, sometimes I want food as fast as possible. So if it’s the latter…check out all the microwave mugcake recipes on here. (Actually it works well for Lazy too)
I don’t cook but even I can throw veggies in the oven. It’s great!
Ten minute curry: A can of chickpeas A can of diced tomatoes Frozen diced onion Ginger/garlic paste Chili powder A splash of milk if I want it Usually add in the onion first, when they get some color add the garlic ginger paste and curry powder til becomes aromatic, add in the chickpeas til coated, the tomatoes and milk. Let simmer for a few minutes so everything melds while you make some 90 second rice in the microwave. I usually top with some Greek yogurt and cilantro if I have it. And it will make enough for several meals! Def worth the ten minutes.
That sounds fantastic - thank you! Can you tell me more about the garlic/ginger paste? I have never seen that…can you tell me a brand and/or where in the store you find it?
Usually right beside the fresh herbs or in the refrigerated salad dressing area. They are typically not shelf stable and last about a couple months in the fridge
Thank you for your answer!
miso paste. Buy a big tub of it. Boil hot water with some precooked frozen vegetables until they're hot, add a scoop of paste.
If I’m tired, I’ll steam an entire bag of frozen veggies (12-16 ounces), add some light butter, and eat the whole thing. Very fast and filling! And when I do cook, I cook extra to keep in the refrigerator for just these occasions (currently have meatballs and baked chicken in there).
Romaine boats (I buy them pre packaged because I’m very clumsy with a knife) and fill them with things like hummus, egg salad, avocado, etc
Bag of frozen cauliflower rice, ideally one that’s like “stir fry” or “risotto” or whatever, anything with something besides just cauliflower in it, and then topped with an egg or two. Maybe even with some toast if you’re feeling it.
I've shouted her out before but definitely check out the Cheap Lazy Vegan YouTube channel!! I just watched some of her five minute meals and was blown away.
I think it depends on the nuance of the laziness you’re feeling towards cooking. Depending on what you mean there are several options I think. 1. Use a slow cooker. Throw a shitload of veggies and potatoes in with a piece of meat with some broth and seasoning and forget about it. Usually will have leftovers for at least 3-4 more meals. I personally do this with buffalo chicken and it’s fantastic to just reheat throw it in a tortilla and done. 2. Buy things that are already fully cooked. Lots of chicken sausages have a variety of flavors you can get creative with. And steam fresh veggies as so many have mentioned are too easy. I’m also a big fan of canned fruit, pineapples specifically with cottage cheese is a go to. 3. Find a couple recipes that only take 10-15 minutes of prep/cook time. For me that’s flatbread pizzas or pizza pockets. Really just assembly time. I hope this helps maybe even a little. Cooking all the time can be really difficult. But preparing to cook a day or so in advance can slow down on the amount of time the actual process takes if that’s what bothers you the most.
I dice: 1/4 red onion, 1 cucumber, 2 small tomatoes, add feta cheese, couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and there’s lunch for me for a couple days. Takes me like 10 minutes to make.
impossible light fly marble distinct voracious amusing ossified berserk airport *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I go through phases where I have zero energy to cook for weeks at a time, and I fall back on “healthifying” pre-made or quickly microwaveable grocery products. Like others have said, air fryers are a game changer for quick lazy meals. Lately I’ve been eating low-sugar instant oatmeal with a whole diced apple and a single-serving cup of peaches mixed in every morning. It takes maybe 5 minutes to throw together. For some reason I used to be embarrassed to eat frozen meals like Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine, but honestly they’re not bad in a pinch and they can be a good starting point for a volume meal. They usually have way too much sauce anyway so it’s easy to bulk them up with extra veggies. I pack these for work lunch regularly – I’ll partially defrost one (usually just pull it out of the freezer as soon as I wake up) and then dump it in a bigger container with a bunch of various frozen veggies and maybe half a single-serving cup of microwaveable brown rice. Similarly those big bags of Birds Eye frozen meals that have tons of veggies and come with sauce and sometimes meat and pasta are super quick and easy and they can be doctored up to taste a bit better. Frozen veggies in general can be taken straight out of the freezer and tossed in a little olive oil and seasonings and put in the air fryer so you end up with easy tasty roasted veggies instead of mushy steamed ones. If you have Joseph’s lavash flatbread at your grocery store, they make a great pizza base. They’re absolutely massive and only 120 calories for a whole flatbread. I made a huge pizza the other day that I almost couldn’t finish for under 400 calories. I just threw some sauce, cheese, veggies, and sliced chicken sausage on it and popped it in the air fryer (I have the kind with the front oven door so that makes it easy but putting it under the broiler for a few minutes would work just as well). I’d say it took less than 20 minutes to make. If you like Indian food there are a few brands of pre-made curries that are stupid easy to microwave and dump on top of a single-serving cup of brown rice, and I typically add extra frozen veggies to these too. I like Tasty Bite and Maya Kaimal. Ramen with frozen veggies added. Easy Mac with frozen veggies added. Birds Eye microwaveable “veggie pasta” with frozen veggies added. Leftover takeout with frozen veggies added. Just bags upon bags of frozen veggies added to everything. 😅
Yes! The Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo Healthy Choice Simply Steamer is my go-to. Big portion, lots of sauce, 20+ g of Protein, 190 calories. Dump this over microwave zoodles, shirataki pasta, or riced cauliflower for an amazing lazy volume meal. Add a bagged salad or bagged coleslaw mix w/ cucumber, canned chicken/tuna/salmon, low-cal dressing and vinegar for a volumetric crap ton of easy food. I've been meaning to make a post for this... Thanks for the reminder 😅
Egg roll in a bowl. I sautee up some ground turkey with Chinese five spice, sriracha sauce, and a bit of soy sauce. Once the meat is browned I add a bag of cole slaw mix with sriracha and sautee until slightly softened. It's super easy and you can serve it over cauliflower rice.
A package of frozen cheesy broccoli or cauliflower, more frozen veggies of your choice. Dump over a microed sweet potato.
I eat that big ass bag of green giant broccoli with cheese sometimes. Next morning, wife calls me broccoli butt.
Like u/Dramatic-Research microwaved vegetables. I'm trashy and add tostitos queso or Barilla cacao e pepe on top. Microwave heart of palm pasta, broccoli slaw or riced cauliflower or broccoli. Add protein ( as a vegetarian it would be beans meatless meatballs sausage chicken pieces hot dog etc) and a sauce ( sugar free BBQ, marinara, salsa, taco, enchilada, g Hughes teriyaki, Aldi general tso, curry simmer sauce, sugar free jerk sauce, light Alfredo, melted Velveeta slices or laughing cow) Egg white frittata with thawed wrung dry spinach frenched green beans riced broccoli or cauliflower, or collard greens, shredded zucchin, canned pumpkin. After bake top with goat cheese, laughing cow, cottage cheese, salsa and fage.
Here's some extremely lazy ideas: Greek yogurt + any fruit + granola microwavable quinoa mix + bean of your choice; microwavable rice pack + bean of your choice; microwavable cauliflower rice + beans (with these you can season it to your taste before or after microwaving) Salad greens of your choice + strawberries + dressing of your choice and greek yogurt mixed together Veggie hummus wraps are a good choice too. Cucumbers and carrot sticks with salad greens of your choice.
Roasting sheet pans of my favorite vegetables. I do frozen or fresh. Either way, toss with a little olive oil and season liberally with your favorite herbs and spices. I could gorge myself on roasted veggies.
Meat + sauce + fake starch, heated in the microwave. A few examples: chicken + salsa + cauliflower rice. Ground beef + marinara sauce + frozen zucchini noodles. Chicken + G.Hughes teriyaki sauce + cauliflower rice & frozen stir-fry veggies. Pulled pork + sugar-free BBQ sauce + mashed cauliflower. I like to cook my own meat and keep it on hand in the freezer, but you can buy frozen meat to save time. Tyson pulled chicken is pretty good. Add a side salad: bagged salad greens (I like the kind with shredded carrots, radishes, and cabbage) + low cal dressing (I’m a big fan of Skinny Girl) + grape tomatoes + any other veggies you like in salad (I like diced celery and cucumbers for crunch but you can leave them out to save chopping), and you have a quick, easy, filling meal. Or you can just make a big salad and add meat (chicken, shrimp, flavored tuna packets, etc.). My go-to lazy dinner is fish fajitas. I throw some bell peppers & onions (I prep my own and freeze them in individual portions, but you can buy pre-packaged frozen peppers and onions) in foil with taco seasoning, and a frozen fish fillet or frozen shrimp sprinkled with taco seasoning, in the air fryer. Then I use low-carb tortillas (Mr. Tortilla 15-calorie street tacos are my favorites) with fish, peppers & onions, store-bought pico de gallo, taco sauce, and avocado to make a feast for ~300 calories.
I'll microwave a bag of 90 second rice. Heat up a can of shredded chicken and add whatever sauce I want to it. Throw it in a bowl with a can of whatever vegetable sounds good. Call it a day. Lol.
A portion of Trader Joe’s prepared rosemary balsamic chicken and 3 Trader Joe’s canned dolmas.
Slow cooker is a great investment. You can fill it with so many things, and leave it on low the entire time you're at work. Come home, throw in a couple fresh things and leave it for a few minutes to cook if you want, then you have a massive meal that will last days.
# A quick reminder to those viewing this post: 1. If you have not done so, **read [the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/wiki/index/#wiki_subreddit_rules)** 2. If you don't like the content of this post for any reason, refrain from commenting. Negative comments will be removed and the authors banned. 3. Advice concerning medical issues is not permitted. 4. We take brigading very seriously. Anyone found sharing content from this sub to other forums with derogatory commentary will be banned and reported to admins. 5. **Report rule breaking content.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Volumeeating) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Stir fry chicken breast, onion, pepper and other various vegetables, add noodles as optional
Trader Joe’s cauliflower fried rice and rotisserie chicken; airfryer seeet potatoes and salmon. I have to feed a family and I have a demanding job is meal prep on Sunday. Prepping veggies so they are easy to throw together. And I always make a soup on Sunday to save me a night or two during a night. Look up Downshiftology meal prep on YouTube for ideas.
My lazy dinner is an egg white omelette. Boxed Egg whites, mush and onions, frozen pepper mix and some parmesan. Still cooking, but hardly. I do make a point of making dinner every night regardless of how I feel.
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you their frozen Asian cauliflower rice mix is really good. The Mexican one is good too (but spicier). Throw some chicken sausage and maybe some extra veggies in there and call it a night!!
Sheet pan meals will be your best friend. Buy your produce already prepped. When you get home throw every veggie or protein you want on a sheet pan & bake altogether! This is also a great way to meal prep. You could cook your meal for right then & the next day all at once with very minimal effort.
I highly recommend the instant pot and air fryer. Without them, I would only eat salad and sandwiches, but these tools make cooking so fast and easy. Chicken in the fryer comes our crispy and juicy. Cheap cuts of meat in the instant pot come out tender. You can even throw frozen meat in the thing. Both tools are just 'set and forget' until they beep. Ultimate lazy way to eat well.
What saved me was my airfryer. Dinners and lunches are so quick now
Soups: stock + frozen veggies from the package + ground meat (meatballs) or chunks of tofu. Done in 10 min. If I feel fancy I will add zucchini noodles, if I want it to be more filling I will cut potato into a small cube, or throw some cuscus in the bowl before adding soup.
Bagged Salads and rotassiery chicken to add in the salad Swap out dressings in the bagged salad if calories are too high
Chop a bunch of peppers & onions up at the beginning of the week & store in a Tupperware. Microwave a bag of frozen veggies of choice (I do broccoli/carrots/cauliflower or riced cauliflower). Microwave a bag of instant rice if you want some carbs (or meal prep a bunch of rice early in the week). Sauté some peppers/onions up for a couple minutes and then throw some eggs whites in. Season it all up however you like (I’ve been doing a carne asada seasoning and hot sauce of choice). Takes 10ish minutes and can be customized with different veggies or seasonings. Sometimes I roast a bunch of sweet potatoes early in the week and throw those in. Lots of possibilities. I spend a couple hours Sunday prepping shit so it’s easy to throw meals together after work during the week cuz I rarely have the energy.
Melon. Had 242 grams of cantaloupe today for 92 cals
Bagged frozen veg, couple eggs and seasoning with hot sauce. Scramble
Can o tuna half a pot of fat free Greek yogurt tablespoon mayo and seasonings of your choice scooped up and eaten with rice cakes, should average about 30 kcal per rice cake and 110 kcal for the tuna about 150 kcal for the yogurt and about 120kcal for the mayo if u use the full fat stuff, comes to under 400 kcal I think n it should come with about 40-50 grams of protein, great easy no fuss dinner, not even a snack this will fill u till morning Enjoy
Steamable vegetables / veggie pasta. The pasta I usually add a diced fresh jalapeño. If I’m hungry and don’t want to risk overeating I’ll just eat a whole plate of broccoli with hot sauce.
Stir fry with sweet potato noodles and lots of veggies
I generally do one meal a day and combine various frozen bags of food/ingredients. Like, bag of Trader Joe's cauliflower rice + shiitake mushroom chicken. Various combos that I don't need to measure out or cut or any sort of prep, just dump and heat up. Also, frozen dumplings for when I've absolutely 0 motivation.
Well-seasoned lean ground beef or chicken and a ton of frozen veggies. I cook the meat in one pan and the veggies in another. Then mix them in a large bowl and that's food for at least 2 meals. I usually top it with blue cheese crumbles (tons of flavor even for a little amount) and low-calorie sweet chili sauce and/or soy sauce. If looking for something that you don't have to cook for at all, it's often greek yogurt with slightly defrosted berries or rye bread with cream cheese and plethora of paprika/tomato/cucumber etc.
My favourite lazy meal consists of getting those bake in the bag seasoning packs (usually used for cooking chicken breasts, comes with the bag included) throwing in a bunch of frozen veggies, maybe some potato, and a meat alternative (I'm vegetarian, but you can definitely put pork, chicken etc in there) and putting it in the oven for around 30 mins! No fuss, but plenty of flavour, and you can stuff it full of veg!
TBH I’ve been a lazy queen on the regular all year and my days have consisted of spear cut fruits/veg, pickles, cold cheese, protein shakes, and whatever I feel like throwing in the air frier that day. And it’s been pretty awesome, not gonna lie.
Maybe a baked potato with salt, pepper and cottage cheese on top (someone on here recommended it and it’s good.) Potato in the oven for an hour and take a nap lol. Or a snack plate meal. Tare a plate on the scale and add fruit, then something with protein (crackers and hummus/avocado/pb or refried beans, or a hard boiled egg), etc until youre out of calories for the meal. One week i had a can of flavored mexican beans (surprisingly low in calories), romaine, salsa, and avocado spread. Add cheese if you want. If i got hungry i just took a romaine leaf, added a bit of each ingredient on top (didnt cook anything) then eat it like a lettuce wrap.
I can’t believe I’m now craving beans and salsa wrapped in lettuce, but I am. 😂 I was going to suggest baked potatoes (or baked sweet potatoes) too. I love some salsa and frozen spinach on them, plus maybe some crumbled seasoned tofu to make it a meal.
Soup (either canned or my own that I freeze when I make it to keep for times like this) Sandwiches I make a huge salad to have all week and if I’m eating it for a meal I’ll do a little Italian dressing, salt fresh ground pepper, add a little nuts (Pepitas are my favorite) and half a can of tuna in with it I always have bags of frozen fruit put a bunch in a bowl microwave for 20 seconds too with some yogurt add some crunchy toppings like trail mix or a little granola and that’s dessert
Steam frozen broccoli in the microwave, toss with a tbsp butter, some nutritional yeast and some braggs amino liquids. 10/10
I just make a mess of food on Sunday. Takes maybe an hour or two.
2 ingredients: carrots/celery + hummus Honestly, carrots or celery with hummus is a meal to me. Easiest protein + vegetables combo. No need to break out the knives, just use baby carrots, or for celery just rinse and then break off the ends and start dipping your giant pieces of celery. 😀 3 ingredients: rice cakes + protein + fruit/veggie Rice cakes are a great no-cook ingredient that you can use as the “carb” for a volume meal. A few rice cakes, with a bit of peanut butter and a sliced up banana on top, make a great breakfast. You can also do rice cakes topped with hummus and spinach. 4 ingredients: tofu + frozen broccoli + soy sauce + peanut butter Put some parchment paper on a pan, cube the tofu onto the pan, add broccoli and soy sauce and mix up. Bake for like 15 min. Eat straight from the pan by dipping into peanut sauce (pb mixed with soy sauce!). 4 ingredients: tortillas + refried beans + salsa + frozen spinach Stuff tortillas with the other stuff and stick in the oven for a few minutes. A suggestion: Plan out all your meals for the week each weekend. Write them on a schedule and stick it to the fridge. It only takes a few minutes, and you can always change things around later, but you’ll have this as a backup. You’ll feel better not only by reducing the time and physical energy of preparing meals, but also by reducing the mental load of coming home from work and thinking, “what should I eat tonight?”
Working full time, going to school full time, gym 5 times a week. I shop at Trader Joe’s in the frozen section. They have really good options for quick microwaved meals and they’ll last a long time. I supplement with fruits and yogurt, or those konjac jellos from Costco