I started out like this when I was in a similar situation, but I gradually worked myself up to cooking instead, initially just by improving or combining canned food. In the end, I had it pretty much down to cook once for several days and eat so much better as a result. You need to sacrifice a few of those minutes of free time though, so if you don’t enjoy preparing a meal, that’s a big ask after a stressful day or week.
I started out like this when I was in a similar situation, but I gradually worked myself up to cooking instead, initially just by improving or combining canned food. In the end, I had it pretty much down to cook once for several days and eat so much better as a result. You need to sacrifice a few of those minutes of free time though, so if you don’t enjoy preparing a meal, that’s a big ask after a stressful day or week.
These days I do meal prep on Sundays and prepare around 2-3 weeks of a meal at a time and freeze most of it, thawing them as I need so I have variety.
Mostly curries. Curries are so cheap and easy to do en mass and I can ensure I’m getting a good amount of nutrients and protein.
I make the rice or quinoa every few days so it’s fresh and I always have a hot, cheap, delicious meal ready.
But I also work a 9-5 now. Far less stress.