Backpacker style dehydrated meals are fairly good, packable, easy to prepare on site but can be very expensive for what they are. Some of them are also pretty high in empty calories and sodium.
I decided to start making my own both for cost and to create lower sodium options. Now I just prep up one of the many one pot style meals and dehydrate them myself. You can find all sorts of dehydrator ready meal recipes on YouTube or other such social media but just looking at the meal selection options in the camping isle at your local sporting goods store will give you plenty of ideas. I do use a dehydrator since I already had one but you can do it in your oven as long as it will maintain a low temp. Most ovens will have a a warm setting which holds at like 150~160 which is just about perfect for many meals. I have seen a few ovens that will only hold a low temp of 200 or so and that would likely not work as well. Add in a cheap vacuum sealer to package your meals and you are in business.
So far I have made chili, chili mac, beef stroganoff, chicken fried rice, minestrone soup, homemade versions of ramen and pho, a couple of cuscus or rice based mixes, and several versions of taco/burrito fillings that I then just combined with a tortilla or sandwich wrap once prepped. You can also dehydrate egg scrambles for breakfast meal options.
Other easy and affordable options for breakfast include some pre packaged just add boiling water oatmeal pouches and combine them with some dehydrated fruits. If you like bananas try lightly dusting sliced bananas in cinnamon and sugar before dehydrating. Good flavor and keeps them from gumming up or clumping so bad when rehydrated in your oatmeal.
Other tips for easy prep include buying frozen bags of veggies since it cuts down on your cleaning and chopping time. Just lightly blanch them in boiling water before you add to your meal or dehydrator. If you are cutting your own veggies and fruits up be sure to chop small and keep things evenly sized. Doing that will allow for more efficient and consistent dehydration.
Adding some lemon juice, citric acid, or another acid like apple cider vinegar not only helps with depth of flavor but provides a bit of preservation to your meal.
I make up (3~4 servings) a meal, dehydrate it, and vacuum seal it one evening or afternoon based on my dehydrator capacity then repeat that for a different meal on my next free day. I can do this weeks ahead of a planned trip and have a nice variety packed in my bag when I hit the trail or the road.
I have almost always traveled with at least a couple packs (pouches not cans) of tuna, tuna salad, chicken, or chicken salad along with some crackers or tortilla/wraps for a quick lunch or dinner without cooking or significant prep. I also have oatmeal packs, coffee and tea as staples in my food kit.