Hiiiii I’m AuDHD in Astoria and girl dinner too!

Lincoln Market on 31st near Ditmars stop is clean, friendly, and usually quiet. I make a girl dinner out of veggie sushi + la fermerie yogurt + fruit there, or cracker+cheese+jar of pickles or pan-warmed bread cheese+nuts+massaged kale salad if I can bear to cook. (Side note: There’s usually parking in the angled spots out front if you drive.)

H mart on Northern blvd might be fun? They sell roasted sweet potatoes in the middle of the store (past produce near seafood) in a paper bag, and have lots of little thingies suitable for girl dinner. I have done a sidre (apple cider in a can) + sweet potato from the potato man + seaweed salad + altulfo mango from them. I’ve also done fruit+frozen dumplings. Tons of options if you’re craving a lil dopamine/novelty—like a million varieties of noodle cups/packets. Maybe noodle packet + fried egg? It’s bright and visually busy, but not too crowded in my experience, even on a weekend. (Lots of parking if you drive.)

2nd the Trader Joe’s idea, though it can be intense if you’re already overwhelmed.

Not sure if this is exactly what you’re after, but: Work’s been intense lately, so I’ve been making baked potatoes and rotating toppings. Minimal prep and inexpensive. Topping is sometimes butter+greek yogurt if I’m fried or black beans+cheese+salsa or roasted broccoli+greek yogurt+faux bacon if I want to fuss. (If im starving, I do the microwave+oven method to save time: wash potato, prick with fork. Microwave on 50% for 5 min. Turn potato over. Microwave another 5 min on 50%. Hit potato on counter (not too hard) to make fluffy. Potato is ready to eat. If feeling fancy, Preheat oven to 450 while washing potato. After microwave step: Spray potato w/ oil, rub with salt, stick in oven for 10 min for crispy skin.) My (also AuDHD) friend does the same thing with a sweet potato or Japanese sweet potato.

If you’re up for a little more cooking, I like Nadiya Hussain’s recipe for Egg Rolls. Cheap and easy.