Yeah, that's really it for me, figuring out the convenience factor.

Plus carbs are cheap.

The good news is I'm supposed to eat more often, so hey, elevensies!

I mean, you can freeze meat and veggies, sure, but to have random stuff in the pantry that you can cook when you get back from a trip without hitting the store? It's all carb-tastic

Yup. One of the ways I deal with that is to make sure my carbs are better--I only eat brown rice now instead of white--and smaller amounts. I haven't cooked pasta at home in over a month. I use corn tortillas instead of wheat, avoid potatoes, and so forth--complex carbs instead of simple starches.

The other is that I get "toppings" for the carbs that are less carby. So TJ's vacuum-packed Indian foods, which are minimally processed and have a lot of vegetables in them. Or I get a bunch of vegetables and roast them with olive oil & spices, and use them to top some rice or fill a quesadilla.

My go-to fast meal is a corn tortilla with cheese and mushrooms, heated in my cast-iron frying pan. Not the healthiest thing ever, but better than a grilled cheese on white bread or a bowl of mac-n-cheese.

Oh, also, TJ's has washed kale in bags for $1.99, and it keeps really well. I'll probably have that tonight, with a couple of eggs and some bacon.

I make casseroles a lot with the mix of carbs, protein and veggies I like. They freeze wonderfully. And one dish meals are usually easier to cook and always easier to clean up after.

Also if you want to do vegan for any reason, wheat gluten and beans let you get pretty much and protein to carb ratio you are looking for as long as you are not intending to go carb free or ultra-low carb. Depends on if you like wheat gluten of course. If you do want to do low carb and vegan, tofu and wheat gluent combine work well for that - not carb free but pretty damn low carb.

My go-to fast meal is a corn tortilla with cheese and mushrooms

I could almost go vegetarian if mushrooms were a protein.

An example of a casserole, 1.2 pound boneless skinned chicken breast, 3 cans low sodium black beans(rinsed) with mixed Southern greens from trader joes, one mild hot pepper, onions, celery tomatos, garlic, salt, pepper, 1 quarter cup lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, parsley, cilantro if you like, 2 table spoons mild salsa. Slow cooked until done. Very good. If you want it spicer use hotter pepper and hotter salsa. Add a couple of table spoons masa or corn flour during the last hour. Makes about eight servings. Very tasty, reasonable calories, more calories from protein than from carbs. And tons of fiber.

Mushrooms have lots of protein...

eta: Ok, a reasonable amount, at least.

Mushrooms have lots of protein...

They do?! That's awesome, because I love mushroom pizza and mushroom stroganoff.

On Atkins, I ate a fair amount of pepperoni and deli ham for "hand food," which is how I think about stuff that doesn't really have to be prepared (but can be!).