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a bottle of cinnamon-sugar from the eighties that i sprinkle on bananas.

Various kinds of bouillon mix, vegetarian or fish, some of it loaded with MSG. (I don't have enough room in my freezer for stock to make risotto.)

I'm also guilty of using dehydrated onions and pre-chopped garlic.
I also sometimes use the lemon and lime juice in the plastic fruit-shaped containers in the produce section.

Sometimes, I actually make boxed macaroni & cheese.

I sometimes buy garlic/ginger paste at my local Bangladeshi shop. A lot of the Indian bloggers that I read use it, and I'm constantly running out of garlic and ginger, so it's nice to have a back-up. Plus, I do sometimes use stock powder or sometimes condensed stock. It's difficult to find fresh stock in Britain, and I don't always have time or inclination to make my own.

Occasionally, I use/cook with mayonnaise, pre-shredded cheeses, and marshmallows. Not together.

Frozen veggies, boxed mac & cheese, pre-shreaded parm (no, not kraft, I won't go that low) and bulk size extra virgin olive oil from costco.

Hey, don't knock the Trader Joe's garlic powder! It's really, really good for garlic powder.

I sometimes eat ramen without cooking it. It's crunchy.

Brown Minute Rice because regular brown rice takes too damn long to cook and I'm lazy and impatient.

Are frozen veggies a bad thing??

Cavender's greek seasoning when I cook salmon. It is full of MSG but sooo good.

What? No Hamburger Helpers out there willing to come out of the closet?

I agree with DaveFaris. That said, I'm still ashamed to admit I sometimes use Velveeta. One of my most favorite shameful treats is hominy'n'cheese (similar to mac'n'cheese), made of course with Velveeta.

And I don't see anything wrong with good-quality frozen vegetables (especially those that are hard to come by fresh) or store-bought stock in cartons (as long as it isn't Swanson's... bleck). I do, however, draw the line at Hamburger Helper!!!

Roland's garlic chili sauce. It has ridiculous amounts of sodium, but I use it to make Chinese Restaurant broccoli. Great guilty pleasure.

I am not currently ashamed of any of the cheats that I use, because I am just starting out. I am trying to ween myself off of storebought, boxed, canned, powdered, and frozen everything. In fact, I just planted my first herb garden and I am very excited.

p.s Aunt Jone...I don't think frozen veggies are a bad thing. I live in Michigan and it is hard to get fresh veggies all of the time. Plus I have read that frozen veggies are healthier than the shipped in ones because they are frozen at the peak of their freshness.

I buy a box of those premade Jimmy Dean Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuits every week, and I eat one for breakfast every day. I also use instant grits, frozen yeast rolls, and boxed mac and cheese.

Newfoodie, availability of local fresh veggies here in Michigan can certainly be a crapshoot, particularly in winter. To me, frozen veggies never taste as good as their fresh counterparts. I'd rather buy fresh Washington asparagus than the frozen stuff if Michigan asparagus, or even Ontario-grown, isn't available. Unfortunately, that "frozen at their peak of freshness" line is nothing more that a marketing slogan when it comes to real flavor.

Make sure to check out the Michigan Foodways site when you get a chance. There's some great info there regarding locally-grown foods.

I always feel rather ashamed when I order out...And there's a bag of potstickers in my freezer that are rather high in sodium and fat and are not in any way organic, but I love them so.

there is no shame in my kitchen!

In a pinch...jarred roasted red peppers, pesto, roasted tomatoes...all Trader Joe's. That place saves my a$$!

Kraft Mac & cheese here, too! Except I add a dash of paprika, a grind of black pepper and a pinch of red curry to it! That w/ sauted, garlicky cube steaks is my hub's favorite meal.