So I guess this is half frugal and half just wanting a guilty pleasure with as little effort as possible, but I used to eat some box noodles that I had to cut out because the price went way up on them. It’s so ridiculous, used to be like $2 a box before the pandemic, now it is hard to find for less than $5. Anyway the product is taste of thai peanut noodles. I can link to it if needed. But here’s why I liked it.

1. I’m on a limited diet, so no wheat, dairy, and a few other minorish things due to food allergies. This eliminates most box noodles and a lot of good options for portable meal things.

2. good # of calories. 600ish calories in a box. Not too much sodium, less than most box noodles. Not that I need to watch sodium but ya know. The amount most things like canned food and instant noodles have is just downright suffocating.

3. tasty and filling. What can I say? it’s peanut noodles, way better than most box noodles. imo anyway.

4. very portable. I just need water and a microwave and I’m good to go. Presto! I have a cheap meal I can take with me when I’m on a small trip. Also no need to keep it cold or in the freezer.

So what I want is to basically mimic this in a “build it yourself” sort of way. I mean it doesn’t have to be exact, and really I’m also open to other suggestions. And yeah I know I could just cook it on the stove but that is not so easy to just take with me.

Before folks suggest sandwiches: Yeah, but I don’t regularly buy GF bread because it is pricey. So that means I have to specifically go out and buy a loaf just to prepare to take a meal somewhere. Then I have to eat the rest later or it will go bad. Whereas the box noodles… I can buy a dozen of them and they can sit in the cupboard all year long.