Indeed, we’re all well aware that we’ve been sitting inside and staring at the same four walls for more than 12 months now. We’re quite conscious of the fact that we haven’t traveled, gone to a gym, worked in an office that wasn’t five feet from our bedrooms, or stood in a crowd of people in a year. There’s no way we haven’t noticed that we haven’t seen our families in a distressingly long time. Oh, and I’m very certain that I haven’t changed out of leggings since last March. Still, the most noticeable ~sign of the times~ for most? The incessant, unrelenting, unavoidable need to shop for, prepare, and cook food for your entire household, day in and day out. We get it—even the most fervent cooks aren’t coddling sourdough starter and painstakingly cranking out from-scratch pasta anymore. To fall back in love with cooking (or at least simplify the process enough so that dinnertime sparks joy once again), start by reading our guide to curing your kitchen burnout. Next, stock up on some of these shortcut foods that will make meal prepping fuss-free. Why? Because half-scratch is still technically homemade, and if buying pre-cut produce quells your anxiety, inspires you to eat more veggies, or gives you more time to finally binge-watch Bridgerton, we’re here for it. While many pre-prepped meal shortcuts are lacking in quality, these options are a store-bought no-brainer (especially in times of stress) and won’t let you or your chef-starved palate down.
