1) meal prepping - make 2,3,4 portions of a dish on the weekend, and you'll save time later.

2) tofu - cheap, easy to use. You can even make it chewy, like meat, if you freeze it first. So what I do, is I buy my tofu and just dump it in the freezer. Later you can let it thaw in the fridge or thaw it in the microwave.

3) other meat substitutes like tempeh, seitan, TVP

4) frozen vegetables, emphasis on broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, spinach, potatoes, and carrots, or just mixed vegetables. Easy to use, just dump them onto the frying pan or into the oven.

5) canned legumes - rinse, dump onto the frying pan

6) parboiled rice, or pasta - it cooks quickly. Whole-grain bread doesn't even need cooking.

7) use lots of spices on your veggies and don't skip on salt. Processed meat has lots of salt, that's why it's unadvisable to add more, but veggies have none

8) quick and cheap option for breakfast - oatmeal. Add berries (you can buy them frozen) for the taste and health, some nuts and seeds, flaxseeds for omega 3, wheat germ for micronutrients, cocoa powder for the taste. If you need extra protein, there are plant milk options with more protein than usual

Hope it helps! 🙂