My problem: chicken drumsticks are very cheap - like five bucks for enough I can divide up and make three meals out of. I marinate them in different hot sauces, then I can wrap them in foil and put them in the oven. For extra dopamine I eat them with blue cheese sauce.
The other cheap options are things like velveeta with canned chicken or fish, or chef Boyardee ravioli.
I don’t like eating meat or dairy for the clear ethical reasons and would like to go vegan. I was vegan for about a year or so, but I also have the kind of ARFID where I will let myself starve if there are not those kinds of “high dopamine” foods available.
I’d like some kind of close, cheap, easy approximation. When I was vegan, I had the financial resources to buy a lot of prepared food that met that quick/stimulating need, but I no longer have those resources to do so.
The closest to making something like that work for me is soy curl + coconut milk + curry seasonings. I don’t have the capacity to eat vegetables most days - this is not healthy, but I also physically cannot force myself to do so.
I know lentils are good and don’t require soaking, but I cannot get them to taste good. Indian restaurants make them perfect, but I can’t do it myself.
Annie’s brand has some vegan mac and cheese options if you need a Velveeta replacement. There’s a good chance major grocery stores would have that. I haven’t been impressed with the flavor personally, but you could probably just add a bit more plant butter and vegan milk to get it more rich and creamy like Velveeta.
Aldi has some vegan options for cheap if there is one near you. The Earth Grown taco filling resembles ground beef a lot in my opinion, so there’s a lot of things you can add it to easily. They also have plenty of pasta options and things like potstickers that you can just stick in a microwave. I’ve been enjoying some of their meatless meatballs with marinara on toasted bread lately. They also have shredded dairy free mozzarella and chedder that can be good melted (otherwise the texture and aftertaste are off-putting for me).
Trader Joe’s also has a lot of frozen vegan meals in my experience, especially Indian stuff. Most of it you just stick in a microwave/air fryer/oven. They also have a “21 Seasoning Salute” which is a variety of spices and I like to add it to all kinds of things.
And there’s stuff like vegan pizzas, chicken tenders, and burgers that you can get through a lot of brands at plenty of grocery stores. I like them, but you do end up paying more for them compared to what they are mimicking.
Keep in mind that a lot of flavor for things can come from sauces and spices that you use with them. Even a small amount of something like vegetable/olive/coconut oil or stir fry/pasta sauce can save something that would otherwise be bland.