Hate Cooking! No cook meals/recipes

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Yeah yeah yeah. I tried it. Don't like it. Don't want to do it. I hate cooking and the last thing I want to do after a full day of work and an evening at the gym is COOK. I've gotten by on big salads for dinner and cottage cheese and fruit for lunch but I seriously need to spice things up.

Anyone have any fun ways to put meals/salads together that are low cal and don't involve much cooking? I'm talking like a creative way to eat tuna, etc. (I get cranky when I have to hard boil eggs).
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  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    Grocery shop on your day off. Chop all your fresh produce up and put it in the fridge in containers. When you're ready to eat it on a workday, grab a few handfuls out of each container and throw it on a baking sheet, and stick it in the oven to roast. Takes a few minutes because you already did the chopping on your day off. You can drizzle olive oil or coconut oil on it if you want or sprinkle it with chili powder or salt or whatever, maybe have it with some salsa (if you want homemade salsa you can make that on your day off too, it will keep in the fridge). The only thing I haven't tried to store pre chopped is potatoes, I just cut up some yellow or russet real fast and toss it on the baking sheet with the rest of the veggies.

    Another option is a crock pot which will do your cooking for you all day while you're at work.
  • cuckoo_jenibeth
    cuckoo_jenibeth Posts: 1,434 Member
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    One of my favorite quick meals is Tyson ready cooked chicken breasts, cheese, guacamole and/or salsa on thin corn tortillas.
    Sometimes I stir fry some frozen veggies with the Tyson ready cooked chicken & nuke some 90 second rice...about 5 minutes total & only 1 skillet. Or just warm the veggies & chicken in microwave & pour over rice.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,621 Member
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    Just the one recipe comes to mind. I do this with leftover chicken, but you could do this with canned chicken. I skip the tortilla chips. A double serving without the tortilla chips is around 350 kcals and makes a satisfying dinner. It's just a mechanical combination of chopped chicken, an avocado and a jar of commercial salsa. Throw in an extra tomato to bulk it up for very few cals.

    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/avocado-chicken-salad-50400000120282/
  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
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    No you don't understand....I'm not going to roast anything. I'm not going to use the oven at all. Maybe once every 3 months. Thanks though.
  • Whiskey2206
    Whiskey2206 Posts: 189 Member
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    How about 1 can tuna, 1 med. onion, 1 apple, 1 cup romaine lettuce, and 1 1/2 tsp antipesto...1 tsp miracle whip (optional) and 2 slices Rudolph's Bavarian bread low sodium. Chop all ingredients and mix. Take half mixture and make a sandwich. Other half can be for within the next couple days. You don't have to cook anything.
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
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    Just buy pre-cooked/boiled meats like chicken at the grocery store , along with lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and tortillas/bread and you can make a chicken wrap or sandwich. Shred the chicken up, put in a blender with some avocado and seasonings, blend it up for an avocado-chicken spread/salad. Tuna and avocado goes well together too. Cutting up stuff, prepping food, and washing is okay for you, right?? That doesn't technically count as cooking imo. lol.

    You can always buy canned beans as well, rinse that under water. Go to Panda Express and buy their pre-cooked rice and then get some shredded cheese, lettuce, chopped tomato, salsa, and you got yourself a burrito. Without being able to boil or steam, it's hard to come up with more ideas. If you can at least boil or steam, there's a lot more options.... especially with simple things like boiled eggs! There's tons of simple easy meals with just using boiled eggs. FYI, 1 tsp curry powder + 1 boiled egg + 1/4 large avocado + salt/pepper, mashed, in a tortilla = heaven on earth!!
  • Whiskey2206
    Whiskey2206 Posts: 189 Member
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    Here's another: 2 Charras Chipotle toastadas, chickpea/garlic hummus (homemade if you can, no cooking just puree) 1 red pepper, 3/4 cup kidney beans, lime juice. Take the 2 Chipotle toastadas, spread the hummus on top, add pepper and kidney beans and top with a little lime juice.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Crock pots are your friend. The most work you'd have to do is chop some stuff up, throw it in with some water/broth and turn it on. Walk away, 4-8 hrs later you have a great meal waiting for you at the end of the day. You can find some great CP recipes online.
  • JustFindingMe
    JustFindingMe Posts: 390 Member
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    I buy salmon and turkey burgers. They are filling, full of protein and taste so great! Pan fry them in a tsp of olive oil, easy!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Have you considered meal prepping on (for example) Sunday for the week? Yeah, it's still cooking and all, but at least you'd be doing it on 1 day.
  • mcaila
    mcaila Posts: 33
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    Lately I've been throwing spinach, goat cheese, fresh cherries (chopped & pitted), and some boiled chicken breast together with some raspberry vinaigrette. Makes for what I think is a sweet & delicious salad and takes all of 10 mins to make.
  • kmsnyg
    kmsnyg Posts: 100 Member
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    Agree about the crockpot.

    I buy flank steak, or chicken breasts or chicken thighs, throw them in the crock pot with some salsa and I get protein for at least four meals.

    Then I steam veggies in the microwave or throw the meat on a bed of greens.
  • MlleKelly
    MlleKelly Posts: 356 Member
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    There are lots of really great "raw" cookbooks out there that are recipes without having to cook at all. It's actually a lifestyle much like veganism or being paleo. Get on amazon.com and search cookbooks for "raw diet" or "raw eating".

    EDIT: OR you can contact me regarding open-and-eat or add two ingredients or less meal options from Tastefully Simple...I'm an independent consultant because I LOVE how easy it is to create simple, delicious meals for myself and my husband.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    I eat a lot of salads, eggs, and hot dogs. I'm also lazy and hate cooking. I made cheeseburgers on the stovetop on Friday and it was too much work (but tasted great).
  • PennyVonDread
    PennyVonDread Posts: 432 Member
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    Maybe raw vegan cook books would benefit you. You can look at meal recipes online. No cooking involved, and if vegan isn't your thing and you need protein, you can find a way to throw in a can of tuna, cooked chicken breast, etc.
  • puremuscle56
    puremuscle56 Posts: 4 Member
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    how about a blender? Or is that too close to the stove? Smoothies are great. Lots of choices. I like Greek yogurt, skim milk, peanut butter. one banana and some protein powder. But there are lots of options. Five minute meal and easy clean up.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
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    Right there with you!!! More than 3 steps or 3 ingredients and its cooking. end of story. I can do my own taxes, fix my lawn mower, build a computer from scratch... but stick me in a kitchen and I become a complete moron. I used to have a "gas station" diet - I only ate what you could buy at a gas station... I have progressed a little... but still no cooking in general.


    Rice cakes anywhere you would use bread. They add no flavor but salt, absorb the flavor of anything you put on them, and make a handy saucer you can eat. All for 35 cal each. Some ideas for using them with mostly just a micro at best:

    1) 2 slices ham plus cheese and BBQ sauce on one and microwave a few seconds. 150 cal. I have eaten 3 of those for dinner :)
    2) Rice cake with chocolate JIF whipped peanut butter - about 100 cals.
    3) Rice cake with fried egg on top (rare, as I hate actually making the egg) and cheese.
    4) Rice cake with tomato sauce, big slice of canadian bacon and slice of provolone cheese (think "pizza").
    5) Flavored rice cakes (chocolate, apple cinnamon etc) with sugar free preserves and whipped cream on top.

    Benefit of rice cakes for people like me? They dont mold forever. I throw out an amazing amount of bread, bagels and english muffins cause I never get through the bag in time. Rice cakes are basically styrofoam and last forever.

    Also cold cereal works for dinner. or lunch. or a snack. Use unsweetened almond milk to cut some cals. Mix milk with protein powder to up your protein.

    I also buy the tyson fully cooked chicken and such where you only have to microwave for a minute. There are also fully cooked hamburgers with cheese already in them in the frozen stuff that you can just micro for a minute too. You know, in case you want "real" food.

    ANd if you can afford it... order a 8oz ribeye steak at some restaurant. Take it home, cut into 3 servings. Dinner for 3 nights. One of those "steamable" bags of veggies you microwave and you almost have a real "homecooked" meal :)
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    I would work on changing my attitude toward cooking. I am also super busy during the week and do not want to come home from work and cook. So I batch cook on the weekends. My boyfriend and I often do it together and get an assembly line going of Ziplock containers with the screw on lids. We listen to music and drink a little wine and dance in the kitchen. By the time we are done, we have his freezer and mine full of all kinds of tasty and easy to prepare single serve meals.

    Then during the week, I just have to steam, grill, or roast veggies, cut up fruit, etc.

    It is very hard to continue through life without home-prepared foods. Too expensive, not always the best nutrition, and not always that tasty.
  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
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    I would work on changing my attitude toward cooking. I am also super busy during the week and do not want to come home from work and cook. So I batch cook on the weekends. My boyfriend and I often do it together and get an assembly line going of Ziplock containers with the screw on lids. We listen to music and drink a little wine and dance in the kitchen. By the time we are done, we have his freezer and mine full of all kinds of tasty and easy to prepare single serve meals.

    Then during the week, I just have to steam, grill, or roast veggies, cut up fruit, etc.

    It is very hard to continue through life without home-prepared foods. Too expensive, not always the best nutrition, and not always that tasty.


    Yeah! that's a nice suggestion but I just don't want to. Just asking for recipes. Batch cooking on a Sunday would be something I could do maybe once a month.