That go-to meal

[misterflask]

Moderator - could you wait a while before moving thread to 'recipes'  The point is to get recipes from people who don't have recipes.

What I'm looking for is the meal you fall back on at the end of a long day when you want something satisfying but don't have the energy to do anything elaborate.  Ingredients would ideally be easy to find.  If I can assemble ten of these meals, I'll be set for life.

My go-to meal is:
Can of chili (ideally purchased in last ten miles of riding)
Boil in bag rice
Bag of Cheez-it crackers.
Obviously, I don't need to post directions.

For a temporary riding partner I rode with once it was:
Cous-cous cooked with bouillon
Foil-pak or can of Tuna
Again, obviously no directions required.  I did note later in the ride that there are large swaths of the US where cous-cous can not be found.

So, anyone, anyone...

[John Nelson]

My go-to meal is one Subway foot-long sandwich. Ingredients: one Subway foot-long sandwich.

[geegee]

I call this more like "Gas Station Store Cuisine", when there's no other place to buy food

Ramen and egg; Halfway into cooking instant ramen I break an egg or two into the pot. I like stirring it without breaking the yolk so it gets custardy while the white gets stringy n he broth.

Smoked mussel/oyster mac and cheese: make KD with 6 creamers from the coffee counter and mix in a can of smoked mussels or oysters including the oil. A can of tuna or flaked chicken works, too.

Minute Rice + Cup-A-Soup. Cook the minute rice with 50% more water than required and then dump a packet or two of cup-a-soup. Longer version, regular rice + a can of Campbell Soup

[Pat Lamb]

My go-to meal is one Subway foot-long sandwich. Ingredients: one Subway foot-long sandwich.

There never seems to be a Subway when I need one, though!

My go-to is a lunch with a packet of tuna or chicken, an apple, and some sharp cheddar cheese.  Add in some Oreos of Fig Newtons for dessert, if there are any left!

[DaveB]

There never seems to be a Subway when I need one, though!

You must ride is some very remote areas.  Those things are EVERYWHERE.

[OldDogBC]

The coffee creamers as the milk replacement in the Mac n Cheese? Brilliant!!

[freightbike]

 my go to meal is a can of spaghetti with meatballs, A can of some kind of vegetables, some kind of packaged or canned meat and some instant mashed potato's.

[o2tour]

Slice kielbasa into ½ inch thick pieces or whatever size you like
Brown it in a skillet with oil if you have it.
Add chopped onion and chopped green pepper and saute.
Pour in a can of stewed tomatoes
Simmer covered.
You can add spices if you have them.
Serve it with rice or noodles.

[johnsondasw]

Even after a hard day of touring, I can't choke down cans of chili or spaghetti.  So my go-to meal requires more work--spaghetti made from noodles, a package of beef and a jar of spaghetti sauce.  On tour, I stop at a local grocery and buy these ingredients late in the afternoon and cook at the camp.  Of course, both the noodles and meat have to be cooked, but it really is easy and so much more palatable than the cans.  I always add plenty of cheese to the meal before eating.

[indyfabz]

Saute 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic in a good amount of olive oil. Add two cans of cannellini beans and some of the water from one of the cans. Mix it well and let simmer for a while. Add some fresh rosemary if you can get it. Makes a sort of stew. Serve over cut pasta like farfalle. Salt and pepper to taste:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/15139782538/in/set-72157647841191346

I have made this on a couple of tours over the last two years. Not only is it tasty and inexpensive, the beans are the only extra thing I need to carry since I always carry fresh garlic, olive oil and some emergency pasta. Helpful when you have to carry food for more than 35 miles like I did one day during my last trip.

[indyfabz]

Slice kielbasa into ½ inch thick pieces or whatever size you like
Brown it in a skillet with oil if you have it.
Add chopped onion and chopped green pepper and saute.
Pour in a can of stewed tomatoes
Simmer covered.
You can add spices if you have them.
Serve it with rice or noodles.

A man after my own stomach. I have made numerous variations of that, although I tend to use Roma tomatoes if available and often use asparagus instead of peppers.

Hard to see, but there is red onions, peppers (orange, I think) and chicken sausage in there. One of the rare occasions I have used jarred sauce:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/15140186398/in/set-72157647841191346

That is a homemade Polish sausage similar to Keilbasa from a place in Blairstown, NJ:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/8694902652/in/set-72157633368316419

[o2tour]

Tortilla
Avocado
Roma Tomatoes
Flavored Cream Cheese

[indyfabz]

Another good one from last year. Hot sausage made in Amish country with red onion, garlic and canned spinach after an 86 mile day that required me to carry groceries for the last 17:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2007/9779925995/in/set-72157635548910265

[PeteJack]

There never seems to be a Subway when I need one, though!

You must ride is some very remote areas.  Those things are EVERYWHERE.

Including Cardston Alberta, the largest Mormon community in Canada. It's the only thing open on a Sunday.

[SprocketWeasel]

When I can get to a grocery store, to buy lunch & snacks, I also buy for dinner (this was one of my meals last tour):

Filet Mignon; grilled on an open fire with a cracked pepper crust (the butcher cut thickness, 1 1/2"         
                     as requested, 12oz).  Covered with...
Sauteed Mushrooms & Caramelized Onion in a Wine Sauce:

                     I get 4 butter pads (sealed) at breakfast.  I carry a 3oz. bottle of Olive Oil and meal
                     portion, spices (in a baggy from home).  I bought Wine (dry white) in a 4 pack of 187ml.
                     bottles.

                     For the sauce (single serving):
                     1 TBSP Olive Oil
                     1/2  Medium Onion,sliced
                     4oz. Mushrooms (petite white),halved
                     1/2  cup Dry White Wine
                     4     pads Butter

                     In a skillet, (I use a Jet Boil 9"skillet, with a MSR Reactor stove) heat your oil until it 
                     shimmers.  Add Onion, saute until it begins to brown. 
                     Add mushrooms to the onion, continue to saute , until soft and gives up moisture.  Add
                     Wine and reduce for 3or4 minutes. Off the heat add butter, stir; until                               melted pour your Filet.
Enjoy the remaining wine, with dinner and share with your buddies. They'll think highly of your generosity.

All with a side dish of Zucchini Squash.  Asparagus goes well also.

It all cost under $20 US.  At a Steak house, it is over $50; dinner at camp on tour...Priceless!
                       
To keep things cold, I have a soft sided cooler (six pack size) in my handle bar bag.  A bag of frozen veggies really keeps things cold for 30-40 miles. Having a skillet, opens up another world of cuisine. 
I do take pity on my, long faced, buddies and share samples, as they boiled water to add to their bag of dehydrated...something. 
I fully deserved this meal.  That day, I had 2 flats, pulled out 20 goat head thorns on one tire and replaced the tire on my BOB trailer!

BTW, I do cook for the group when planning allows. Who wants to come with me next time?

Cheers, SprocketWeasel