At some point in a man’s life, he has to stop eating Taco Bell (which can have disastrous results) and start eating healthy.
That point in my life is approaching very quickly.
I’m sick of eating out. I’m sick of spending a bunch of money on food. I’m sick of my girlfriend yelling at me for not eating vegetables.
I am ready to eat healthy and save money.
Eating Out is Getting Expensive
One of the nice things about keeping a budget is the fact that I can track my spending in individual categories. Here is my average monthly spending on food, split into groceries and eating out, over the last three years:
As you can see, I’m buying less groceries every year and I’m spending more on eating out. This is an expensive and unhealthy trend and I’m ready to stop it. The problem is I have no idea where to start!
How is a Culinary-Challenged Man Supposed to Cook?
I’m committed to cooking, but my problem is my inability to find good man recipes.
That’s right. Man Recipes! For example, I tried find a simple, healthy pasta dish, and I found this recipe filed under the “Quick and Healthy – Superfast Pasta” section. Should be simple, right?
Except for the fact that I’m a man. I don’t have flat leaf parsley leaves or white wine vinegar or a food processor. I’ve never even heard of a freaking manzanilla olive!
This might be “Superfast” if I were in Emeril’s kitchen, but this stupid recipe requires a special trip to the store for all the ingredients. Plus I have to double the prep time because I have a cooking learning disability.
Two hours later, the pasta would be done cooking. I’d take one bite and it would probably taste like vomit because I surely messed something up, and I end up driving thru at Wendy’s for some spicy chicken nuggets.
I Need Healthy Man Recipes!
I need healthy man recipes. That means:
- 30 minutes or less, start to finish
- Includes meat
- Is at least somewhat healthy, preferably with some veggies (but not enough that I can actually taste them)
- Doesn’t require special cookware or uncommon ingredients
Is that too much to ask?
Readers: Do you know of a website with a bunch of recipes that fit this description? If not, do you have a recipe that fits this description that you can send to me?
Help a brotha’ out in the comments below!
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
Kevin, I love to cook, but I too was trying to overcome this hurdle at one point.
Check out these sites:
http://www.esquire.com/features/guy-food/
http://cooking-for-men.com/
Really, just google: easy man recipes
And be prepared to hit a bulk store to pick up some spices. Spices own. I don’t have parsley leaves either (though I have expanded our vinegar collection). A lot of these things don’t spoil for a long time.
silly wordpress … killing the 2nd link!
http://cooking-for-men.com/
I have a quick and easy recipe for you. Under 30 min:
Ingredients:
French Dressing
Onion Soup Mix
Canned Green Beans
Bacon (optional)
Chicken breasts (thin)
Uncle Bens Original Rice
1. Put chicken in baking dish – pour onion soup mix on top, pour french dressing on top of that to cover all chicken – bake at 350 until chicken is cooked (30 min)
2. Fry bacon (if you like bacon in your green beans)
3. Put green beans in pot on low – stir in bacon 5 min before chicken is done
4. Make rice according to box
You can substitute green beans for any veggie. The best most healthy option is to buy the bulk veggies and stick them in a bowl with some salt and spices and a little water, cover with plastic wrap and cook in microwave for 3-5 min. Quick easy steamed veggies, very healthy.
Oh… one other thing.
Buy a crockpot. They are the greatest inventions ever. You can make everything the night before, throw it in the pot, then turn it on the next day, and you have a cooked meal by the time you get home. If you do, get one with an automatic timer – this way after you reach your cooking time, it automatically switches to “warm”, and doesn’t dry out or burn anything.
An example of a quick easy crockpot recipe:
Chicken, dry Italian dressing mix, cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, egg noodles, mixed bulk veggies
1. Mix chicken, dressing mix, cream cheese, soup in crock pot – put on low for 7 hours.
2. Make noodles
3. Steam veggies
You have a balanced meal that took you, literally, 10 min.
I totally agree with the crockpot recommendation. Best invention ever (well, okay, electricity was probably the best invention ever, and our sewage system is also up there … but you get the idea).
I throw chicken, potatoes, and whatever veggies are lying around into a crockpot. Salt, some spices, something broth-like. Press “on” and go to work. When you come home, dinner’s ready.
Agreed. Get a crockpot and it will quickly stake claim at the top of your BFF list. You can make everything from soup to a whole chicken to lasagna in a crockpot.
Funny that you don’t want to notice the veggies. (you’re asking for miracles!) Seriously fresh veggies and ranch dip are your best bet.
If you like asian food. I like http://justbento.com/. Many recipies are simple and the writer tries to find use ingredients that can easily be found outside of Japan. (We’re not talking stuff like sushi. But basic meat and rice dishes.)
Can’t go wrong with Grilled Chicken (buy chicken when it is on sale and freeze it in individual plastic baggies filled with marinade of your choice, I like Italian Dressing).
For side dishes make some Quinoa Pasta (Quinoa is very high in protein!), which you can buy from most stores if they have a health food section.
Grill some mushrooms or asparagus or peppers. You could also make peas or broccoli.
Dice the chicken and toss it in the pasta with some sauce of your choice or leave it plain. Easy meal that is pretty healthy.
A few of my simple recipes:
Stir Fry: 1 bag frozen broccoli, 1 cup rice, 12 oz chicken. Grill chicken, boil broccoli, cook rice in rice cooker. Combine, add choice of sauce (sweet+sour, teriyaki, BBQ). Makes 4 servings.
Simple Pasta: 8 oz choice of pasta, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 lb ground beef/turkey. Brown meat in pan, boil pasta, drain and add tomatoes with spices (oregano, basil, parsley), drain pasta and combine. Makes 4 servings.
Crockpot Chili: 1 lb ground beef/turkey, 1 pepper, 1 onion, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can black beans/kidney beans, 1 cup cheese. Chop pepper and onion, add all except cheese to crockpot. Cook on high for 3 hours OR low for 8 hours. Add cheese to taste. Makes 3-4 servings.
I find that stir-frys are great. You can make then with either fresh or frozen vegetables (they sell frozen stir-fry vegetables in a single bag). You can simply cook your meat first, then add the veggies to the pan and cook those a bit longer. Add a sauce like soy sauce or teriyaki at the end. Add rice on the side. This will take maybe 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes to cook, at most.
Here’s a sample recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-stir-fry-recipe2/index.html
You don’t need all these ingredients, and it’s basically as simple as cutting stuff up and throwing it in a pan.
Look into OAMC (food.com has a section for it) and get a crock pot.
I know you want “man” food and the title would imply otherwise but check out Iowagirleats.com. She does a meal a day on the cheap typically for herself & husband. Throw it on the RSS reader & see if you don’t get a few good ideas a month.
One recipe my boyfriend LOVES for me too cook for him is my BBQ chicken casarole. It makes enough for dinner, lunch and you can freeze the other half for future meals. It takes about 30 min from start to finish (if that).
3-4 chicken breasts -boiled (you can even buy a bag of frozen breasts and just buy a cheap bottle of marinade and marinate the others for a quick meal later on)
1 can corn
1 bottle of BBQ sauce (i use the sweet and spicy but use whatever your favorite BBQ sauce is)
1 onion (optional)
1 box of whole wheat Penne pasta
Basically all you do is boil the chicken and in a seperate pot boil the pasta. Once done cut up the chicken into small pieces (that is the longest part) and mix in a big bowl with the BBQ sauce, corn, and onion. Once the pasta is done mix in the pasta and through it into a casarole dish (they are like $5 at walmart for one and you will get SO MUCH use out of making dishes like this). Top with some shredded cheese if you have it and bake in the oven for about 20 min at 350 degrees F. Thats it! The whole meal costs about $6-8 dollars (depending on the grocery store) but it makes enough servings for 12 people (or if you eat like my boyfriend its atleast 7 meals).
I follow a low-carb diet, which in the short run is more expensive than the SAD, but should be a great savings over my lifetime. Mostly by avoiding the diseases caused by “healthy whole grains,” such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
My approach is to cook most of my meals on the weekend (actually, my wife usually does that, but in the rare occasion that she is on a trip, I do it). That usually involves putting lots of meat, veggies, and some sort of sauce in one or more of our slow-cookers on Saturday night, and partitioning it out into lunch containers and storing them in the refrigerator. Then on workdays, I throw together a salad and pack it along with a prepared meat portion and a blue-ice pack in my insulated lunch bag.
About twice a week, I take out a grass-fed steak and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, leave it out on the counter for a couple of hours after I get home from work, and grill it on my propane grill in the back yard. The grilling part takes about 4 minutes max, so prior to the grilling, I warm up some veggies, or put together a salad. Other than the unattended thawing time, total time from start to sitting at the kitchen table eating is less than 10 minutes.
I make up salad dressing about once a week. I take vinegar, olive oil, and a bunch of spices from the spice rack and mix it up in a cruet. I make about a week’s worth at a time.
Breakfast most mornings is a protein shake, but occasionally I’ll take the time to prepare bacon (or some other meat) and eggs with a sprinkling of cheese. Takes about 4 minutes for the former, 10 for the latter.
If I’m in a REALLY big hurry, I’ll eat a can of sardines or tuna. I keep a stash of them in my desk at work. One of the best parts of low-carb is that I don’t even remember what it’s like to be really hungry, so if I really need to, I can just skip a meal.
Love howard’s breakdown. Thanks 🙂
A quick and nearly authentic Italian meat sauce (AKA “ragu”):
1. On medium-low heat, cook 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin for about 10 minutes in a deep 12-14″ skillet, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon as you go
until most of the red color is gone.
2. Pour off the meat into a colander set over a bowl, to catch the fat.
3. While the meat is cooking, chop about 2 tablespoons each onion, celery, and
carrot, plus 1-2 cloves finely chopped garlic. No, do not use onion or garlic
powder.
4. Using the same pan on low heat, cook the vegetables in 1 tablespoon each
oliver oil and butter for about 5 minutes until they soften somewhat.
5. Return the drained meat, add salt and pepper, and turn the heat to high. Add
one cup dry white wine or dry vermouth. Boil down 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
6. Add 1/2 cup milk and continue as above. If you’re up to it (c’mon, Kevin, you
can do it), add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
7. Add most of a 32 oz. can of Italian pureed tomatoes. (You can save the rest,
transferred to a covered plastic dish, to add moisture when reheating. I freeze
small quantities in an ice-cube tray and store in a baggie.) Add a bay leaf if you
have. When the sauce boils, turn heat to very low and let it all simmer about 1/2
hour. Taste at the end and add salt if needed.
8. Transfer small quantities to plastic dishes so it cools quickly, then cover and refrigerate.
8. Sauce reheats/freezes well and you will have enough for 6+ meals with pasta.
Reheat over low heat or in a low microwave, and you can add a little water or tomato if it seems dry. And please splurge for a real Parmigiano Reggiano that
you grate fresh over it (Boars’ Head will do).
Check out this site: http://manofthehouse.com/food
I can’t testify to the difficulty of the recipes, but it sure looks promising.
And I agree with the post above: get a crock pot. Best. Kitchen. Appliance. Ever. Throw in ingredients for a huge pot of chili in the am – eat huge pot of chili in the evening. Bada-bing!
But I have to disagree with some of the proposed ingredients: canned veggies basically destroys most of the nutrients, cream of anything soup as a base is jam-packed with sodium and other gross processed things, and many salad dressings are high in sugar and salt.
Make your own marinades and spice rubs for meat. Try something like this: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/the-best-steak-marinade/detail.aspx
Beef Stroganoff
If you make this in quantity, you can do it in advance through step 9 and reheat over low heat. It’s good with rice, noodles, or French fries. For one serving:
1. Slice an onion: peel it, slice it in half, and cut each half into slices.
2. Chop fine 1 clove of garlic. Smash the garlic with your knife, discard the tough end, and chop the rest as small as possible. Discard any green part.
3. Slice about 1/2 pound flank steak across the grain (essential!!!) into slices about the same size as a large French fry. This is easiest if you partially freeze the meat beforehand.
4. Buy fresh mushrooms already cleaned and sliced. Just be sure to use them all within a few days as they’re very perishable. Slice in half any that appear too large.
5. You will also need: butter, dried thyme, beef stock (low-sodium best), sour cream (full-fat), tomato paste, and a little dry sherry or cognac is nice but optional. Since you never need a whole can of tomato paste and it always goes bad, I take small quantities, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze.
6. To cook: melt 1-2 tablespoons butter over low heat and add onions and garlic. Cook until they soften somewhat.
7. Add the meat and stir to separate if needed. Cook until just done (you can raise the heat a little).
8. Add about 1 cup of mushrooms, and cook until they just soften.
9. Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 cup stock, bring to a boil. Add a pinch of thyme and salt + pepper to taste. You can oversalt slightly as you’ll be adding the sour cream.
10. Turn heat down and add sour cream, maybe 1/4 cup. Stir and heat thoroughly but do not boil at this point. Stir in a tablespoon or so of sherry or cognac at the very end.
Here is what i have been doing and it has been working very well for me. I recently started cooking myself and so I am was\am in a similar predicament to you. To start keep it simple with things like mac and cheese and hot dogs. Then once that becomes incredibly easy for you (only like one or two times) step it up. An easy way to step it up is to buy a large package of pork shoulders or chicken and cook them only by putting them on the frying pan and only put seasoning salt and pepper on them. They are delicious and even i can do it. Then just keep making a bit more complicated as you go. I have recently started venturing into the produce section at the grocery store. I can do this because i have now mastered the other food groups.
Max of 10 minutes to get an easy cheap dinner on the table any night of the week:
On the weekend or at the beginning of the week:
1. Buy canned beans, salsa, tortillas, dry pasta, veggies (onions, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli – whatever you like that is on sale cheap)
2. Cook a big pot of brown rice, chop a bunch of veggies. Put everything in containers in the fridge.
Now, any night of the week: quickly pan-fry/sautee a few of the veggies. Toss with rice or pasta, or put them with the beans & salsa in a tortilla. Feel free to get creative, adding cheese, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, etc.
Leftover beans go in the fridge for another night.
(vegetarian style is cheaper, but you can add any meat into the above: chicken, pork, whatever you feel comfortable cooking ahead of time. leave meat chopped in a tupperware and toss in pan with veggies)
One more if any of the above from me sounded too complicated (and honestly, I don’t think they were). But this is really simple, one of my all-purpose fall-back dinners when I’m just too lazy to cook.
You will need: A chicken cut up in parts. Some spices (dried thyme, paprika, ground cumin). One Idaho potato per person. A package of fresh broccoli florets. (Yes, I know Republicans from Texas are exempt from the nutritional requirements to eat fresh vegetables, but humor me, let your latent liberal side shine through.)
You will also need a roasting pan with a rack for the chicken. The rack keeps the meat from getting soggy as it cooks. Put the piece(s) of chicken you want in the pan on the rack. Season with salt, pepper, and the spices. Preheat your oven for 10 minutes at 350 and roast the chicken – about 1 hour for dark meat, 50 minutes for light. The skin should be crisp and delicious.
Nuke your potato 3-4 minutes on high, then turn and nuke another 3-4 until it’s soft.
Place a portion of the broccoli in a baggie. Add a little butter and sprinkle with salt. Nuke in the baggie 3 minutes on medium. Broccoli should be bright green.
That’s it!
Not the /most/ healthy option out there, but certainly easy and tasty and at least not HORRIFIC for you:
Sloppy Jose’s (“mexican” sloppy joe’s)
1 pound hamburger
1 cup shredded cheese (try different kinds to find your fav combo 🙂
1 cup salsa (again, pick your fav)
Hamburger buns
Brown hamburger. Drain grease/fat. Add salsa and cheese and heat through. Put on a bun and enjoy!
For an increased “health quotient” with not too much taste impact, you could put some spinach leaves (as many or few as you like) on the bun just before you load up the hamburger. I promise the sloppy jose mix hides the greens well.
Go to the library and look up Men’s fitness and those type of magazines. I always see simple recipes that look pretty easy to make.
Beef Stroganoff above is pretty easy. If you don’t have something, just substitute with something else. Keep cooking and you’ll learn what works.
Stir fry chicken, beef or shrimp. It is easy and quick.
Here’s an easy one i like.
Spaghetti Carbonara
8 Servings
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 slices bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels.
3. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper.
Seeing that my stroganoff got a good review, I will add one more. This one doesn’t have meat, but since it’s Italian it’s good enough. If you want more protein, make a burger to eat afterwards. (This is really how Italians eat: first a primo, often a pasta; then a secondo, often a meat or fish course. You would never eat a pasta as your entire dinner, so portions for each course are smaller than here.)
But I digress. Spaghetti with garlic and oil is very easy, quick, and cheap, but you shouldn’t skimp on the oil or cheese. (You won’t need much of either for any serving.)
Preparation: for each serving, chop finely 4-5 garlic cloves. Wash well a small handful of parsley (it often has sand) and chop finely. (Parsley note: you can use curly or flat-leaf. Any grocery will have both. Supposedly flat-leaf has more flavor, but I like the curly too.) Grate about 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano. The classic recipe doesn’t use cheese, but I like it. If you use it, please don’t skimp on the cheese. Boars’ Head is very expensive, but it’s adequate. The real Italian stuff costs even more but is hard to find.
While you’re boiling your pasta, cook the garlic on low heat for just a few minutes in a few tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. (High heat burns garlic and makes it bitter.) Add salt and pepper. Drain the pasta when it’s done and coat with the garlic-oil. Mix in the parsley and top with the cheese. That’s it.
Upside-down quesodillas:
Tortilla + cheese face down in hot ungreased skillet. Cheese is done when it stops sticking to the pan. Flip it over to toast the tortilla. Throw on whatever vegetables are in the fridge. Cooked spinach is ideal. Optional: add chunked meat.
Total elapsed time < 5mins
Well, if you really want to save money, loosen up on the meat mandate. Salads go with everything!
We eat rice and beans a lot, which is fast and easy. Cook up a bunch of brown rice and freeze the extras. Heat some canned pinto and kidney beans, add some canned tomato sauce, garlic salt, and cumin. Top (or mix) the rice with beans, cheese, sour cream, avocado, Fritos, etc.
Canned chicken from Costco/Sam’s is my hero. I can make chicken tacos in under 20 minutes.
Also buy your ground beef in bulk. Cook, portion, and freeze. The freezer is your friend!
I made the transition from eating out 90% of the time to cooking 90% of the time over the last 5 years or so. It took awhile. But we save A TON and you learn as you go. Here’s my advice to get started:
1. If you don’t know basics (I don’t know your skill level) watch a cooking show a lot before you even start. One of the home cooks, not one of the pros. You’ll pick up lots of tips and have an idea of what to expect going into your meal prep. I watched Rachel Ray (I know, I know) for like 2 years before I picked up a piece of chicken, and my first 30 minute meal took me almost 2 hours, but she repeats things over and over and once I figured out her “formulas”, I could cook almost anything.
2. It will cost you to build up your pantry. Your first few meals will be 25 bucks each to prepare, but once you have your stock of spices, vinegars, etc (nothing too fancy) it will get progressively cheaper.
3. I agree with another poster: CROCK POT. Pork shoulder with some onions and apples and vinegar=yummy awesomeness when you get home from work. You don’t even need recipes. Just throw good stuff in there and let it go to work. It’s magical. Even better–leftovers! Always use the longest setting possible. It’s better that way.
4. Have the right pans. It’s frustrating when your food doesn’t fit the pan because you’re improvising. That being said, you only need a few.
5. Ease into it. Eating out is a habit. You probably shouldn’t go cold turkey or you’ll get frustrated and quit cooking. Patrick had it right in an earlier post.
Good luck! I am a BIG BIG advocate of cooking at home. It saves so much money. And it gets fun, too!
These are 2 easy chicken recipes that my husband used to cook all the time:
Salad dressing chicken
Ingredients
1-2 chicken breasts, cut up
1 bottle caesar salad dressing (lite or regular)
Directions
Put chicken and salad dressing in a pan. Cook until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Eat with rice.
Chicken and rice
Ingredients
1-2 chicken breasts
2 cups rice
1 can cream of chicken soup (condensed)
Butter, salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Boil chicken until throughly cooked. Chop or grate.
While chicken is boiling, cook rice.
When rice and chicken are cooked, combine in pot, add can of soup, butter, salt and pepper.
Good luck on your cooking endeavor!
Holy crap guys! Thank you so much for all of these recipes and tips. I was hoping I’d get a few responses, but never imagined I’d get all this great input! You guys are awesome!
I’m gonna do my best to try every one of these recipes over the next few months. Thanks!
I use allrecipes.com. It’s not “man-oriented,” but it works for us. My wife and I make two big meals for each week and then we eat leftovers for the rest of the week. Nothing easier than that! Good luck with your new cookware.
Cheap, easy, and delicious. This is one of my favorite recipes:
http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink10679.html
You can find your own recipes using the ingredient search at www.allrecipes.com. You can search based on the items you have as well as the things you don’t have (exclude recipes that call for any type of vinegar, for instance). I find almost all my recipes that way since it ensures I won’t have to make a special trip to the store.
You should definitely look into the Paleo lifestyle if you want to eat healthy. It’s not so much a diet as a basic guideline of what to eat based on what we were evolved to eat – meats, fish, lots of veggies, fruit, nuts, berries, but no grains or processed crap.
This should be right up your alley: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/10/11/how-to-eat-healthy-without-breaking-the-bank/
I think I’ll give you a nice soup, too. This is a sort-of Indian mulligatawny, but probably really isn’t. Exact quantities/proportions don’t matter, but for 2-3 servings you’ll need:
1-2 boneless, skinless thighs per serving, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 cans or boxes of chicken stock or broth
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1/2-1 can unsweetened coconut milk
Optional: 1/4 cup heavy cream
Spices: turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin
A lemon
Butter, flour, salt, pepper
Some cooked white rice
1. Melt 1 Tb. butter on low heat, then add 1 Tb. flour and cook a minute or two.
2. Stir in spices, about 1 teaspoon each, and cook a minute or two.
3. Stir in broth, slowly at first to avoid lumping.
4. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low.
5. Add chicken and let poach (that is, cook slowly in liquid) for about 10 minutes or until done.
6. Add chickpeas with their liquid, coconut milk, and cream. Bring just to a boil. If it’s too thick for your liking, add broth or water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve over a little cooked white rice, squeezing lemon over the soup as you eat.
8. Leftovers can be reheated over low heat until thoroughly hot.
Thanks for making this post, I’ve been wondering similar things lately!
(Must invest in crock pot now…)
I think that your readers have great recipes and tips for you (CROCKPOT. Seriously.), but I had another tip to make the transition from eater-outer to eater-inner.
If you make stirfries every day, you’re going to hate chopping and cooking after a week. I recommend finding a middle ground and buying some healthy pre-made meals to stick in the freezer (or fridge, if they are fresh).
I love cooking and do it at least twice/day, but sometimes I get home from work and there is no way I’m chopping broccoli or waiting an hour for the meat to cook. In those situations, if I don’t have food on hand that can be in my stomach within ten minutes, I’m going to go blow a wad of cash on restaurant food.
Also– and this goes along with “buy some pre-made stuff”— always make lots of extras so that you have the leftovers. It’ll usually take you the same amount of energy to make the meal… Why not make it two or three meals?