Almost always the actual time for "15-minute meal" is 30-40 minutes—sometimes even longer. Not counting stuff like clean-up (any that you can't accomplish via clean-as-you-go, anyway) or shopping or any of that, just the actual time between "I have all the stuff I need for this recipe and am going to make it now" and "OK it is ready to eat".
Fortunately, 15 min start-to-finish recipes exist. And once you have four or five under your belt, it becomes something of a pleasure to extend the 15 mins to 20 (or even 30) and make something better. At least, when you have the time, which for me is on Sunday.
These are the basic staples I use personally. Three meals a day, hand-cooked from scratch. Add to that something pre and post workout consisting of whey protein, fresh fruit, and possibly some maltodextrin or blended frozen berries, that don't need to be cooked, and that's my entire diet.
I never had to take a home ec class and my mom did not teach me to cook. The basics are pretty simple. Apply heat until what you're heating is sufficiently palatable or above a safe temperature for meats that is indicated directly on the thermometer. Working from home is pretty key, though, since I don't have to eat super early in the morning, super late at night, or reheat a soggy lunch in the break room microwave. I guess a more powerful stove helps, as it doesn't take me anywhere near 7 minutes to bring a pot to boiling.
- Buy the best ingredients you can
- Taste and smell as you go
- Don't overcook
Following these three rules will allow for culinary experimentation, while avoiding disaster.
Final bit of advice: enjoy it. It's fun to make something delicious, especially after a hard day full of "emotional labor" and whatnot.
Don't be afraid to fail. The worst what can be is what you would wait for a pizza delivery while you are scrubbing pots.
No snapshots and backups there!
If you can't find 30 mins to make a meal, lowering that to 15 mins isn't going to make a difference. Just get up 30 mins earlier if it comes to that.
If you can't do that, then yeah ... you might be part of the .005% of people who are really in a bind, and physically cannot cook for themselves. My advice does not apply to such cases, and I can only give you my sincerest best-wishes.
This isnt an issue of whether people can physically move.
If you already have diced onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms in the fridge, then it doesn't even take fifteen minutes to make an omelette, a salad, or some sauteed vegetables with sausage.
The only thing that you need is that after bringing groceries home you need to prep the vegetables and put them in the fridge. The good thing is that all that labor is amortized for the rest of the week, and it makes home cooking easier and faster than ordering delivery.
Is that because you're vegan, or because you think it takes a long time?
I'll be having an omelette for dinner this evening and if it takes me more than 10 or so minutes to prepare, I'll be quite surprised.
My diet is basically vegan + meat. (Easiest way to explain it.)
Stir-fry meat and vegetables can be quite tasty and quick to prepare.
Something like mustard greens or gai lan[0] can be shredded by hand in a few moments and/or cut up almost as quickly.
Mushrooms (whole if you're in a rush, or sliced -- that only takes a minute or so), tofu (i prefer firm tofu), are also quite nice for such a dish.
And you can grill your meat/fish/poultry and saute your vegetables too.
Fresh fruit is also quite tasty.
I guess my point is that one can make tasty, healthful food quickly and easily, even if you have dietary restrictions.
In fact, those with dietary restrictions are likely better off cooking than eating prepared/pre-processed foods, as you don't have any insight/control over the kitchen/factory in which those foods are prepared.
Not telling you what to do, just sharing my experiences. I hope you find them useful.
Instant oatmeal I guess? Anything requiring dairy or eggs won’t work.