I’ve recently been fixated on the idea of struggle meals, probably because I’ve been struggling both financially and mentally. I’ll share a couple of mine:

-Egg on hash brown patty: as simple as it sounds, bake a frozen hash brown patty, cook a sunny side up egg and put it on top. I like to season the egg with salt/msg, pepper, and garlic powder, then add a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Bonus points if you have avocado to spread on the hash brown first

-Flaming Hot Cheetos taco: toast a corn tortilla on both sides on a pan, then add sour cream and shredded cheese and flaming hot Cheetos as the “meat”, add any other taco toppings you like/have (shredded cabbage/lettuce, hot sauce, etc)

Would love to hear everyone else’s struggle meals when you just don’t have the means mentally/financially to put much effort into cooking

  • Thorry@feddit.org
    14·
    2 days ago

    I know this is a meme saying this on Lemmy, but my go to is now and always has been beans and toast. It’s cheap, easy to make and when it’s warm it’s almost like a real meal. When I’m struggling, it makes me feel like I actually made dinner, even though it’s just beans from the microwave and toast. I usually have bread in the freezer and cans or jars of beans in tomato sauce in the cupboard, so it’s available when I need it.

    • some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world
      2·
      23 hours ago

      Fellow bean enjoyer here! It’s a hearty meal, especially during winter! And great fiber! Dressing up the beans makes me feel like a gourmand on a struggle day.

      If I’m taking my beans “all the way” (lol) here’s what I do:

      • entire can of beans into the pot on low-medium low heat. Bachelor’s is my favorite.
      • you want the sauce to thicken up a bit and get sort of stodgy for good adherence to the toast, but be sure to stir so the bottom doesn’t burn!
      • add something to give an umami boost and deepen the flavor. If I have Marmite I’ll do a very thin layer on the toast itself. A glug of Worcestershire or a dollop of tomato paste into the beans is always nice. Ketchup will do here in a pinch, if you don’t have those. A savory jam might be nice too, like an onion or fig etc. Get creative!
      • toast 2 slices of bread, apply optional butter and/or marmite, and place together in a V shape in a bowl
      • spoon your cooked beans into the center onto the toast pieces, such that half the toast is covered
      • next, grate Parmesan. I like parmigiano Reggiano, but something else will do if I don’t have that
      • grind lots of black pepper over the top
      • allow to cool, don’t burn yourself :)

      🤌🤌chef’s kiss