Im fed up having shite dinners

[ssd]

Am mid 50s, working on my feet all day. Im just tired. There was very limited choice and i didnt enjoy what i made.

Oh well.

MN comedy gold, this. All the OP needs to do is a bit of griddling, smashing, slinging, deglazing ... where? On the bus?

Beans on buttery toast, with the toast merely being used as a vehicle to hold as much butter as possible.

When I really can't be arsed, something cold from a can. 'Five-beans' canned in a spicy tomato sauce followed by tinned peaches. If you lick the bowl well enough after the beans it'll do for the peaches.

I missed whether you are the only capable adult in the household. If you're not, then you need to get into batch cooking. If you are, then someone else needs to pitch in - if not with cooking, with other things that take up your energy.

Got the are and not the wrong way round there. I'm not doing capable adult very well, myself 🙄

I make my toddler such lovely food. I'm really proud of what I feed her and all the fruit and veg she gets and what an adventurous eater she is.

I had a mini roll and a coke zero for dinner.

🤦‍♀️

This is a bit different from your desire maybe, but I use MyFitnessPal and try and hit a high protein and fibre goal. I'm not perfect at this by any means but to an extent it 'gamifies' healthy eating and makes achieving it rewarding.

So for instance I will make a healthy treat with 120g lentils, 30g oats, 15 or 30g cocoa powder, skimmed milk and sweeteners.

I'll try and get 30g of fibre as recommended by the NHS, and 1.2g per kg of protein because I do strength training (If you don't then you only really need 0.8g per kg- but protein can be filling.) It's fun to try and hit the targets in the app.

I don't really cook- warming half a tin of lentils and stuff takes 5 mins.

Making scrambled eggs in the morning doesn't take long and I'l have a piece of fruit beforehand while I CBA to cook.

I try and take all my spare money out so I don't buy just eat etc lol.

I know this is a different slant on it though. Arguably shite food, but you get more excited about it.

I would never cook if it were just me! I'm happy with cereal or toast. At most I'd chop some salad and have it take bread/hummus. If I was desperate for hot food I'd get takeout.

Deciding what to eat/cook is tedious and boring, even when you aren't knackered and/or fed up.

80g iceberg lettuce is a lot, bit of a pile to munch in front of the telly etc. Kinda like crisps. One of your 5 a day too of course, and not particularly expensive.

Try Hello Fresh or Gousto, any meal delivery service. A box appears at your front door once a week with all the ingredients you need to cook a few dinners and it's always really good quality stuff. They have options for speedy dinners, calorie controlled meals, all sorts. I'm a total convert.

If you lick the bowl well enough after the beans it'll do for the peaches.

@Cleangreenbean This is a great hack.

I put a finest aldi quiche in the oven and had some chopped up cucumber and cesar salad dressing.

'So for instance I will make a healthy treat with 120g lentils, 30g oats, 15 or 30g cocoa powder, skimmed milk and sweeteners.'

I don't wish to be rude but

@DressingGownofDoom Don't knock it till you've tried it. The secret is slather everything in massive amoounts of Canderel.

I live alone and the only way I do it is batch cook on a weekend. Can have grand plans to spend 20 mins cooking and it doesn't happen!
So I can open the freezer in the morning and get something out to defrost to heat when I get in. Always have cottage pie, chill, pasta bake, beef stew and some form of chicken dish in the freezer. I also grate cheese and hard boil some eggs.
Then frozen jacket potatoes, those snap pots of beans, eggs for omelettes, salad ingredients, nice bread, cooked meats and fresh soup

It's been years since I saw 'so called' being used correctly in a sentence. Usually it's used by people spouting off about 'our so called politicians' or 'so called pandemic' it sets my teeth on edge. Thanks for restoring my faith in humanities ability to use the phrase 'so called' properly 🤣

With you there. Sometimes the prep can be a killer when you're tired. When I've been organised and precooked meals at a weekend and frozen them and then just had to reheat, its made such a difference to my evening. Sometimes I've cooked enough for 2 evenings and the second is great as even its the same meal, it means no real cooking.

Also my friend has an air fryer which was expensive but has cut her cooking tines down loads and the food is lovely.

I hear you OP.

I swear my main goal with holidays is a week off the planning, shopping and cooking. Sun, sea and sand come way down the list!

If you have the energy, take a salad in for lunch sometimes, then have a sandwich or toast for tea.

Tbh I was tired, and in pain, back etc at a few years older than you OP after a full day on my feet so can completely relate.
It would be food versus sleep or rest. Tried not to use home takeaway deliveries (expensive) when couldn't face washing up, or moving. Slept through a few.
Could be worth an Mot at the doctors. Found that my thyroid was underactive, tbh Levothyroxine isn't perfect, still some symptoms, but better than nothing. Didn't have many typical menopause symptoms but some people find HRT useful.
Bloods could also check out anemia.
Assumed that my lack of energy, aches and pains were age/ stress but they continued after resigning. Did then go back to work part time before fully retiring.
Well done for eating something! Ready meals aren't great (relatively expensive, sometimes nutrition) but better than skipping meals/ cost of takeaway.

OP, you are not wrong. I found a company (US), that delivers meals that are basic ingredients pre made with there are 3-4 steps which includes “peel the wrap off of the tray” and you scan a little card and the oven does the rest. It’s been life changing. It literally is someone sending a meal to my house but with real life grocery store ingredients that I don’t have to think about.

Agree with the breakfast cereal idea. Great go to, cheap and added vitamins.
Always buy it when abroad, healthy at the time. No protein but ate a lot of muesli with nuts at the beginning of lock down. Shelves were stripped in supermarket.
Nuts are easy and nutritious. Not vegetarian but scared re protein source.

This is how I eat whenever I am alone. Also how me + kids eat if my husband is away for more than a couple of days. I fkn hate shopping, cooking, cleaning up. But I do love food.