Hey Pandas, What Are Some Easy Recipes When You're Depressed Or Anxious And Have Little Energy? (Closed)

With low energy I don't want to cook. Open up a can of Hormel chili and top with sour cream and grated cheese. Super low energy - a bowl of cereal. Anxious? Cheese, crackers and a martini with jalapeno olives. Seriously just smoke some pot and you'll just about anything

mashed potatoes from a box, Peas from the frezer, sausages. kids love it and its no work

I agree with those that say to make extra and freeze when you are feeling good. I try to do this but have a small freezer and so I sometimes use up my supply before I can get my groove back. In those cases, I grab a family size bag of instant mashed potatoes (in whatever flavor you prefer, my husband loves the loaded baked potato flavor) and a big can of Dinty Moore beef stew. Make/heat according to directions and top the potatoes with the beef stew like gravy. Served with ready made dinner rolls or a crusty loaf from the grocery. It’s my family’s favorite dinner and takes me no time or energy at all. Also a pot of rice or noodles cooked with a bit of chicken bouillon, topped with meatballs from the freezer and brown gravy from a packet. I add a side of bagged salad and some kind of bread and butter and it looks like I really worked.

This came out poorly organized, but I don't many spoons myself.

Creamy chicken flavored ramen. Don't cook it. Just eat the raw, crunchy brick with some of the flavoring sprinkled on top. For protein, I like high-protein, low-carb ultrafiltered milk like Fairlife.

I'm also a big fan of Triscuits or tortilla chips with shredded cheese melted on them in the microwave. With salsa ofc.

Also consider pasta and sauce-- some brands like Ragu and Prego have a couple servings of veggies in them, and whole grain or Protein Plus pasta has good nutrients.

Also consider a can of spaghettios, soup, baked beans, canned vegetables and fruits, straight tuna, etc.

Yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, low-fat string cheese, etc.

Straight cold cuts with nothing else. Just open the tub of ham and eat it.

Beef jerky, Rotisserie chicken, tofu, microwavable chicken nuggets.

Eggs- hard boiled, scrambled, sunny side up on toast, scribbled with a handful of whatever tossed in.

Cereal, oatmeal. If you have trouble getting to the store often, you can buy boxes of shelf stable milk at some supermarkets.

Drinkable meals like Carnation Instant Breakfast (my favorite), Slim fast, Boost, Ensure, Soylent, Huel, etc. Also fruit and veggie drinks like Naked, Oldwalla, and Bolthouse Farms.

Get hummus or your favorite dressing or dip and a bunch of raw fresh veggies.

Fruit.

Tuna salad packets that you can just open and spread onto bread.

In addition to frozen microwave meals, there are shelf stable hot meals like Hormel Compleats and Yakisoba ramen bowls.

Trail mix. Nuts. Dried fruit. Jerky. Apple chips. Low fat potato chips. Corn chips. Beanitos chips.

Popcorn.

A really satisfying meal is a loaf of crusty bread, cheese, and summer sausage. Maybe with some fresh fruit.

Lunchables, Uncrustables frozen sandwiches, and those snacks packs for adults with nuts, dried fruits, cheese etc.

Hot Pockets.

My store has frozen chicken breasts that have been prepared to bake and eat-- they come in a box in different flavors like Chicken Cordon Bleu and spinach and cream stuffed. I forget the brand.

Imitation crab meat, heated in the microwave with a dish of butter.

Pickles.

Takeout could be an option if you have the means.

Go-to #1: Quesadillas--tortilla in dry frying pan, add a handful of shredded cheese, pop another tortilla on top. Medium heat, flip when bottom is toasty, then cook until cheese is melted. If I have them on hand, I add a few leaves of spinach and some leftover rotisserie chicken with the cheese, but it's good either way.
Go-to #2: Chicken salad--shredded leftover rotisserie chicken mixed with mayo or mashed avocado or hummus. Serve on bread, over lettuce, or wrapped in a tortilla, usually with a piece of fruit on the side.
Go-to #3: apple slices dipped in peanut butter. This is what I eat when I'm too exhausted or depressed to make anything more complicated.

Use your instant pot - put in: 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 1 block cream cheese, 1 small can green chilis, some hot sauce and a packet of dry ranch dressing - cover with 1/2 cup water. Cook for 26 minutes and let natural release for 10. Shred chicken and mix everything together- add cheese (lots) to taste and more hot sauce! I like over rice with a side of coleslaw. Not “quick” - but pot does all the work. Left overs are great.

Simple cheese and crackers. Protein and carbs. If you need a vegetable, keep some cleaned radishes (my choice), or celery sticks or carrot sticks.
I always keep at least 5 types of cheese in the fridge. And crackers in the pantry.

It's best to TRY to make make meals when you're okay and save them for when you're not. In a pinch: spaghetti with butter and pepper, raw veggies with cheese, soup, saltines with peanut butter, toasted tomato sandwich. Eggs are healthy and easy when you're feeling that low. If all else fails, Kevin the Manager (#18) has the best idea. No matter what though, remember to stay hydrated.

Cook Rice for 2 days, slice a tomato, or boil some beans. Add a hardboiled egg.

Some ground beef mixed with veggies and rice a roni...I mix it together and roll it in a tortilla, add a little Frank's...so good.

Eggs with cheese. Brown butter in a frying pan on high heat, then turn the heat to low. Beat preferred number of eggs in a bowl, with 1 tablespoon of water per egg, salt and pepper to taste, and pour into pan, add a handful of shredded cheese, and either let it sit for omlette, or move it around for a more scrambled-egg result. Don't overcook.
Serve with toast if you want some carbs.

If you have no food-prep energy, buy sugarsnap peas, or baby carrots, or precut veg that you can grab and eat raw. Eat with houmous and crackers for a reasonably healthy no-prep meal.

A banana and a tub of full-fat yogurt. Or a tin of sliced peaches, topped with yogurt, and a handful of cereal.

Couscous. Look for the sachets with seasoning or dehydrated veggies in, that you can just add boiling water to. Dissolve a stock cube in the water before you add the couscous for more flavour.

At my house nothing perks everyone up quicker than the aroma of butter and onions sauteing. You can slice cabbage and onions and keep stirring on low heat until they are semi-transparent. Or stir in some ground meat or vegan "crumbles" with the sliced onions, once onions are soft, add a couple of small cans of tomato soup and a lot of black pepper. Great on egg noodles or corn chips.
I like to keep crackers in the pantry along with a selection of pre-seasoned tuna packets. Thai Chili is my favorite. They are very inexpensive and zero cooking or clean up is needed.

Easy tuna bake. Make up on sachet of instant cheese sauce and mix with a tin of tuna. Make up some instant mashed potato and spread on top. Optionally sprinkle with cheese. Bake until golden at 180c (350f for the Americans).

Plain yogurt. Peeled and diced cucumbers. Garlic salt to taste. Mix well and add sprigs or chopped mint for a refreshing and easy snack.

Microwave frozen dino nuggies. Serve with ketchup.

Cook 1 cup long grain rice. It's super easy. Measure 2 cups of water or stock in a small'ish sauce pan; bring to a boil. Add 1 cup dry rice and gently stir. Once water is boiling again, place a tight lid on the pot, turn the heat to very low, and set a timer for 20 minutes. Or use a rice cooker - these are great!
While rice is cooking, brown 1 lb lean bulk sausage with a small - medium (depends on how much you like onion). As it's cooking, break the larger peices of sausage into small pieces. Drain the oil. The rice should almost be done.
When rice is cooked, add all together and gently "fluff" together - don't stir hard or the rice will get mushy because it breaks into small pieces.
Add a generous sprinkle of Herbs de Provence, and soy sauce. If you have the energy to add a salad, do so.
This is super yummy and very easy.

In the southern US, many stores sell "Mrs McFearnow's Brunswick Stew." It's a little pricy but about as good as homemade. Add a Grilled Cheese sandwich and you have a wonderful, comfort meals.
For those who aren't familiar with Brunswick Stew, its a traditional US Southern hearty stew made with shredded chicken, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn, and butter beans (baby lima). Traditionally, it's cooked for hours over a fire, and constantly stirred so it doesn't stick. This also makes the veggies fall apart so it gets very thick. Original recipes call for squirrel and pork as well as BBQ sauce, but I don't have any squirrels in my freezer and I prefer it without pork and the BBQ sauce just makes it weird. If you can't find "Mrs McFearnow's Brunswick Stew" in your local store, it can ordered online.

honestly this is more of a comfort food sort of thing for me, and it might be an acquired taste, but it's pretty easy. get some Ritz crackers, and some braunschweiger (a type of meat that's German I think) and then just cut the braunschweiger into the same size circles as the Ritz crackers, and make it a sandwich.

Take some Yukon gold (or any non russet potato), wash it, put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Smash it when ready to eat, top with your favorite toppings. Richer taste than Fully baked potatoes, with a nice crispy skin. Make more than you need, fried with onions and peppers the next day, or cold from the refrigerator with butter/margarine.

I tend to put in very little effort when I eat, so asking for meal help is a choice you may have. But other than that, mac and cheese, noodles, etc