“Soylent (Green) is people!!!”
Just sayin’. 
After you go to Cosco, make a large pot of soup and take it for lunch or have it for dinner. You can make enough for the week. There are lots of great vegetarian soup recipes and to save time you can buy vegetarian broth. (It is better to make your own, but that takes more time.) Deborah Madison has a new vegetarian cookbook (My Kitchen) that has lots of great vegetarian dishes, including soup/chowder.
I just made a great spinach and mushroom soup (NY Times recipe) that H and I have had since Saturday. It was easy–spinach, mushrooms, onion, carrott, garlic.
Since salt is not a problem for you save the time and buy good canned soups. For some msg causes headaches- pay attention to ingredients. Frozen foods shouldn’t need as much chemical preservation as nonperishable ones. I personally (am a physician, btw) do not get upset by chemicals in food. Some “natural” foods/herbs/pills are far more dangerous in their chemical content. I also do not see any need for “probiotics” as my diet usually (Irma was an excuse to eat less well) provides what my gut needs.
This OP is looking for easy lunches. She does not want to make a big batch of soup, salads et al. Or even sandwiches. She wants something she can merely heat or open. Making “healthy” foods from scratch requires a lot of effort. Sure, I can make a big pot of soup and freeze portions but the work isn’t worth it when canned goods taste fine. I may add that quality of life with needing medications at a young age (OP used to be an undergrad not too long ago) one isn’t as concerned with what others may be. We live a lot longer than our natural foods ancestors did, long enough to get cancers and heart diseases they weren’t around for.
^^^Depends on what satisfies Romani at lunchtime. Romani, will a can of soup do the trick?
Romani I’m curious what you find yourself buying at lunchtime since you aren’t packing. What kinds of foods satisfy you at lunchtime??? (serious about this because some people can be happy with a carton of yogurt and a banana - others need something “hot” - a meal. Some people like sandwiches, some don’t.
You asked originally about frozen meals - is that because the idea of a meal - what many might call a small or early dinner - does that appeal to you???
Amy’s Indian and Tex-Mex meals are pretty terrific IMHO. I particularly like the mutter paneer meal and the cheese tamale in salsa verde.
Whole Foods and many ethnic markets carry pretty darn good reheatable Indian meals that are imported from India. I wouldn’t prefer them for work lunches, though, because the strong aromas might bug your colleagues. Same reason movie theater-style microwave popcorn doesn’t belong in a shared microwave.
“a big bag of “baby carrots,””
One of my foodie pet peeves. 
Note the “” - the poster knows the origin of that veggie. 
Abasket gets an extra point for asking.
Plus, any stress or pain can affect what works for a meal.
Since you need higher than average salt intake, Panera makes ready to heat soups that have enough in the container for 2 servings. You would just have to find a local grocery store that carries the brand or would be willing to add it. Generally there is lots of salt in soups.
My D likes the Amy’s frozen meals. She likes most of the Mexican meals and also the pesto tortellini. All Amy’s meals are vegetarian. The frozen lasagna is also decent. Costco sometimes has the Amy’s lasagna.
Also at Costco you can get ready to eat salads in two packs. Obviously since they are fresh they have a limited shelf life but they are already in a bowl and even include the fork. Costco also sells single serving hummus. They make a nice lunch if you have cut up vegetables and maybe pita chips. Mini bombell cheeses. I have also seen at our Costco individual shelf ready quinoa cups.
If you have an office you can have a jar of almond or peanut butter and a pack of rice cakes. My other D keeps a small container of chia seeds, goji berries and nuts in her office. She can put them on top of instant oatmeal or yogurt. Individual servings of nuts or trail mix can be found out Costco or Trader Joe’s and can be a snack or put on yogurt. Trader Joe’s also has a lot of salads in lunch serving size. Just check the expiration dates. Hard boiled eggs also are great. If your really not into prep you can buy eggs already boiled. Kind makes some good nut bars that you can keep on hand for when your starved and haven’t brought a lunch. Get the nut ones not the granola type.
I pack H’s lunch/snacks every day–usually the same things: greek yogurt, couple cuties (easy peel mandarins), an apple or other fruits, trail mix. Sometimes he works long shifts with no time to eat, so I also throw in a meal shake (like ensure) just in case. (He’s gluten free so he doesn’t eat PBJ sandwiches like the kids.) Laziest lunch ever. No preparation on either end- -just throw items in a bag, pull out and eat. His coworkers make fun of him for bringing a sack lunch, but it has saved a lot of $ over the years.
Romani, I’m sure your H wouldn’t mind throwing a few things in a bag for you 
Just don’t forget a spoon for the yogurt! Drinkable yogurt or kefir is also easy/no prep.
My kids like TV dinners, but most contain meat.
Microwavable individual pizza? Frozen bean/cheese burritos? Quiche? (Make at home/freeze individual slices in ziploc bags)…
Sorry catching up on everything here.
I asked about frozen meals because they seemed easiest. I usually end up eating pasta or soup (I do love soup when it’s not 100 degrees out!) because the places I can walk to are basically just Noodles & Co or Panera. And a bar but day drinking before I teach is frowned upon…
I also figured I could just refridgerate leftover frozen meals if I can’t eat everything (which ends up randomly happening if my meds make me nauseous). I’m not entirely sure why in my head I was thinking that frozen meals would be easier to pop in the fridge…
You guys gave me a lot of good suggestions. We are going to try costco since it’s only about 2 miles from my house and we can get a refund if we decide it’s not for us.
To probably address a few other things- my arthritis is worst in the mornings so making sandwiches or something in the morning is pretty much out. That’s why I’m really appreciative of these grab-and-go options.
The store bought soups are much better than the old days, sometimes in pouches or cartons instead of cans.
Wish I lived closer to you, romani. The mama bear in me is wanting to come to your house and pack your some lunches every week.
@wis75 I have to disagree with you on canned soup. It sucks. No way is it as flavorful or filling as home made soup. I would bet $$ that in a blind tasting homemade soup would taste better than canned to the vast majority of people.
It diesn’t take tons of time to make a pot of soup–I made a mushroom and spinach soup this week that took me a half hour to put together. It was mushrooms, onions, garlic, and carrot. Recipe called for water rather than veggie broth… Also, it is my impression the OP is concerned about money; she will spend a whole lot less (per serving) by making soup rather than buying cans of it.
If you have never had soup from scratch then you don’t know what you are missing. I find I eat less when I have foods that are flavorful and filling. Usually processed foods (like canned soup) fill you up but a little later you are hungry.
I want that soup, @Bromfield2. That sounds fantastic! Maybe I’d lose some weight if I ate mostly that for awhile. It sounds satisfying too.
I love cooking and would fly out with Dos, lol.
The issue is romani has energy and pain issues, limited tolerance for the prep. Literally. And with good periods and bad, I can see how she can’t plan to just “do it.” The good periods may need to go for her academics and down time.
…unless she can co-opt Mr R and the roomie to learn to cook a few great soups or dishes to feeeze…that sort of grab and go.
Roommate is taking 21 credits this semester and working and Mr R is now working full time and… his work is paying for him to get a CDA so he just started that too.
Roommate will go in on this with me. We’re about a week into classes so we’re both getting used to our new schedules. We’re planning on a bff weekend this weekend so maybe we can add in costco to our “date” day
To Mr R’s credit, before I got sick, he had been doing a lot better about cooking. I told him he had to learn to cook before we had kids since he wants to be a SAHD :). Getting sick really set us back and we got into the habit of getting carry out because he was pulling double duty with everything and I could barely get out of bed.
If I give Mr R a recipe or something, he will make it. He does the grocery shopping and the food prep.
My (also vegetarian) SIL makes a lot of meals in her crock pot that she can freeze for the week. I had her send me a really great mac & cheese recipe that she made the last time I was there and was really, really good.
Also- I accept gift baskets 
ETA: Oh yeah, and for my first year-ish post-undergrad, I lived with a high school friend who is an actual chef. He moved to NY to work. Happy for him, but dang I miss his food!
romani, if you are still on steroids (whether shots or pills), you are at risk of high blood sugars/pre-diabetes; AND if you are trying to lose weight, you will need to look carefully at the carbohydrate content of these pre-made meals.
If you can get someone to purchase you Costco gift cards I think you can shop there without a membership - might be a way to try it out initially. I checked but the Costco Groupon deal is no longer available - too bad!
If you decide to go, let us help you make a grocery list of things to check out while there - obviously you would need to prioritize what you want to buy first but this will give you some things to check out:
These first four items will all be within the same area, within 2-3 aisles:
Soup - one package has 2 quarts (?) - refrigerated aisle
Babybell cheese OR individual fresh mozzerella (3 balls each)balls - refrigerated cheese aisle
Individual hummus or guacamole containers - refrigerated aisle
Asian chicken salad wraps - refrigerated prepared food, usually the back wall of the store near the rotisserie chickens (get one of those for dinner(s)! - $4.99!
Bread area (not bakery, but bread):
Morning Rounds - great w/pb or pb and j spread on them!
I’ll let others add to this list (if we can shop or cook for you, we can lead you through the store!!)
I double up whatever I’m cooking for dinner and package the leftovers for lunch the next day. Cost-saving, time-saving, nutritious (most of the time). When I eat out and have no leftovers, I always have a couple cans of Progresso soup and packages of crackers in my drawer.