pandathorax, welcome to dc, a very friendly and knowledgeable collection of foodie folks. i have read through this 'not big on cooking' thread with interest. bakechef has a few ideas that immediately jumped right off of the page at me! ( i can relate to your quarrel with prep work--it is my hangup too.) bakechef suggests a couple of Huge prep-savers: the salad bar, and cut-up veggies, pre-prepped produce.
prepped produce and salad bar items are more costly than foods you prep yourself. but not if you're single and find yourself regularly throwing out quantities of mushrooms, peppers, celery, etc., because you aren't able to use up these things before they go bad. already chopped and sliced onions, peppers, celery, carrots, tomatoes, minced garlic and shallots, all can be purchased in the produce department, as well as prepped broccoli, cauliflower, soup and stew mixes, various lettuces and other greens mixes. in other departments, you can find potatoes diced, sliced and shredded, boiled eggs peeled, cheeses diced, shredded, and so on and on, throughout the store. cookiing can be a lot more satisfying, even fun sometimes, when you have prepped foods on hand with which to put together a tasty meal.
the convenience of using shortcuts as i've mentioned, in no way detracts from the pride i take in creating dishes and preparing meals. also, a good, healthy appetite for new and different of foods, can help to motivate a reluctant cook into action. good luck....