Pandemic Cooking 3: low-effort edition

I’ve posted dishes I’ve made that are a bit more elaborate than what I usually eat at home. So here’s a more realistic list!

Air fryer chicken

Pretty easy. Grab some breasts or thighs. Flatten them (or butterfly them). Season well (I use salt and pepper, but also use adobo, mojo, or blackened seasoning as well). Cook them for the necessary amount (usually somewhere in the 12-15 minute mark). Get some sides (maybe some leftover rice, or some assorted vegetables - I like roasted Mexican squash).

Eggs

Literally just that. Maybe with some bacon. Maybe with some black beans and plantains if I'm feeling particularly homesick. Maybe toss in some spinach and make some fake tortillas.

Eggs are the best.

Oat cake

Take some oats, grind them up, mix in some baking powder, egg, a banana, and you have a nice meal for breakfast. Add in some protein powder and/or cocoa for a different flavor. Or add anything else you'd like to, really. It's pretty convenient.

"Complete Meals"

The most recent change to my diet was adding Huel into the mix. For those unfamiliar with it, Huel is in the category of “nutritionally complete meals”, which are essentially shakes that contain a fair amount of vitamins and minerals, along with a decent amount of calories. Stuff like Soylent and Super Body Fuel fall into this category as well.

The biggest use case for me is using Huel on days where I don’t feel like cooking. I tend to have one prepared shake in the fridge at all times, so when the hunger hits, I can just drink that instead of ordering some takeout. It tastes fine (honorable mention: the banana powder is pretty great). I should mention that the flavor may not be for you if you don’t like oats (or are VERY sensitive to bitter/vitamin supplement taste, although it is barely noticeable).

In all honesty, it hasn’t brought my grocery bill down much, but it has significantly saved me on the costs of eating out, both in terms of money, and calories.

I should note that there are also savory meals available, but I find them to be incredibly bland, and require at least some salt and pepper to make them taste like something. The spicy Indian curry flavor isn't bad, however (doesn't feel much like curry, though).

(This isn't an ad, I just haven't cooked anything notable in a while.)