30-MINUTE MEALS ON A BUDGET: Meals That Require Zero Decisions

(When you're too mentally exhausted to think about food)

Decision fatigue is real. These meals are designed to require almost no thinking — simple ingredients, no complicated choices, nothing to figure out. Just make it.

MONDAY: One-Pot Chicken & Rice

One pot. One decision. Dinner.

Ingredients (~$10, serves 4):

• 1.5 lbs chicken thighs — $5
• 1.5 cups rice — $1
• 3 cups chicken broth — $2
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup — $1.50
• Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper — pantry

Method: Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix rice, broth, and soup in a 9x13 baking dish. Nestle chicken on top, season generously. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 60 minutes. Uncover last 10 minutes to brown.

Cost per serving: ~$2.50

You don't have to think. Just follow the steps.

TUESDAY: Tacos (Always Tacos)

The universal "I don't know what to make" answer.

Ingredients (~$12, serves 4):