The amount of CPU time compiling code is usually negligible compared to CPU time at runtime. Your comparison only really works if you are comparing against something like Rust, where less bugs are introduced due to certain guarantees by the language.
Regarding "language constructs" it really depends on what you mean. For example using numpy in python is kind of cheating because numpy is implemented in C. However using something like the algorithm libraries in Rust woulf be considered fair game since they are likely written in Rust itself.
Stews are one of the easiest things to bring to the workplace. Their quality doesn't degrade when eaten as leftovers, and they reheat very well in the microwave. What makes you think this would be a hassle?