I'm calling BS on the entire concept of meal prep

I'm a 30 year old guy, who works 40+ hours a week, sometimes more than 50. I have a wife and a 3 year old toddler. My wife works 40+ hours a week as well. We're both working hard, and we're both exhausted most of the time. I'm not exactly on my deathbed, but I've been noticing little health issues sprouting up here and there over the last year. My joints hurt a little more than they used to, my blood pressure is getting higher, I'm gaining weight, and I have minor muscle pain. I know it's because of my diet. <br><br>I want to change my diet, but i'm honestly not willing to spend time in the kitchen on the weekends bulk cooking for the week. I love cooking, but with my schedule, the idea of cooking all day sunday seems like a total drag. I barely have time to spend with my son as it is, and on weekends, that's mostly what I want to do. At the same time though, the idea of cooking every night from scratch after work seems insane. I do not have the time or energy to meal prep AND cook every night from scratch. <br><br>I don't want to starve myself with salads and smoothies. I want to eat healthy, tasteable food. That's not super fast or easy to make. I make healthy food, with lots of veggies, and good protein, but it takes time. I don't have the time on weekdays to do it. I don't want to do it on weekends. <br><br>I also don't want to spend more money on fast food or take out. I feel like this is just throwing money at the problem, and creating new ones in the process. <br><br>I genuinely don't know what to do. We're all told we should meal prep, but for me, that seems infeasible. How do you meal prep for young children? I have a picky 3 year old who has different food preferences than me. Am I supposed to meal prep two sets of food? What about when we are on the go? My son is always at different activities, and our schedule is not predictable. Am I supposed to carry multiple meal prep containers with me everywhere I go? It just seems like a lot of trouble and expense for what may not even be worth it in the end. <br><br>I'm going to keep being the most considerate and realistic parent I can be. But I'm not going to change my entire life for something that may or may not yield tangible benefits.