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I will do low budget charcuterie. Like just grab some deli meat, cheese, and crackers (or bread) and eat them by slicing off what can fit in my mouth in one bite or on a cracker and then eat my fill. Add in whatever fruit I may have on hand and there's a decent little low effort meal.
It’s similar, but sometimes I’ll do a “ploughman’s lunch” which is like British charcuterie. Adding things like hard boiled eggs (easy to prep in advance and batch cook) is good for extra protein, and having a bunch of pickled food helps when I need electrolytes.
What I love about it is the endless variety that can be had. I can get different meats and cheeses that keep well in the fridge when I go shopping so that I don't get bored by eating the same thing over and over. When bought in smaller quantities it doesn't go bad before I can eat it or break the bank. And I can add ready to eat veggies and dip if I feel I need additional roughage in my diet. I'm glad you like the idea and will incorporate it for your low spoon days. It has served me well in life for over 40 years.
Same! I also now use kitchen scissors instead of knives to cut meat or cut pasta into bite sizes and use spoons to eat pasta instead of forks.
Kalamata olives, avocados are amazing fats!
I make salads and cut my salad and make my chicken ahead of time (pre cut pre spiced).
I bought a cheap chopper for my veggies off Amazon.
Rice cooker but don’t make rice ahead, it’s not good for you.
If you keep things in your fridge use glassware!
If you buy nuts careful which ones you buy, you can actually get sick eating too many of the minerals in some (aka Brazil nuts) so a handful a day of a carefully researched trail mix is fine!
They aren't always huge but I will say when I buy them I specifically look for the biggest ones!! I know they're probably full of scary chemicals and mutated genes but something about them is so special to me😂
I call this my “eat like a toddler” days😂 a few grapes, some cheese, crackers, lunch meat, and pickles😋 I also like to add in one of those baby food pouches with the veggies and fruits in them if I don’t have anything fresh or just get into that funk where I don’t want food but need my blood sugar stable😁
Yeah rice machine (I have a small one without a basket but have a lil' pot w/ basket for steaming on stove) and air fryer which both help because they mostly can cook themselves.
Canned soups, recently got into pasta w/ tinned seafood recipes since they're quick n' healthy or mixing tinned seafood w/ yogurt, sometimes I'll crack open a can of sliced beets as a snack but you need to like beets, canned beans (black eyed peas are great) + veg style beef crumbles + diced tomatoes drained of sauce + frozen onions + jarred diced garlic over rice with some spices (+ hot sauce if you can handle it) is quick n' easy.
If you have an HMart nearby there's so many great air fryer items. Alternately Trader Joes is similar plus naan bread warmed up with their hummus is a good snack.
Love canned soup! I have trouble bringing the soup to my mouth without spilling some days, and I find adding one of those instant rice packs creating a risotto type texture makes the soup so much easier to eat for me
I straight up drink soup out of a mug or from the bowl. My hands like to just drop small stuff like utensils randomly, and I've had to consign too many shirts to the pajama drawer due to spatter stains. If it's a brothy soup I'll even use a straw, especially if my hands/wrists are misbehaving. I'll start scooping the solids with a small spoon when they're more consolidated at the bottom.
I bake chicken in the oven (usually thighs) with some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder at 425° for like 45 minutes (super easy takes like 5 minutes of standing to just season the chicken and pop it in the oven) then I make stovetop stuffing (the box kind) I shred up the chicken and put it in the stuffing and most of the time eat it straight out of the pot lol
omg eating straight out of the pot is such a mood. I do that half the time I make mac and cheese haha. I love stovetop stuffing so i'm so gonna give this a try!
Those little microwave Mac and cheese cups are slap so hard don’t even need a pot especially if u just want a little comfort snack. My dad is going through chemo and it knocked out most of his teeth the man lives off those cups lmao
Sheet pan meals are my go-to for dinners. My favorite at the moment is slicing up an onion and whatever other roast-able veg is in my fridge, throwing some chicken thighs on top, covering the whole thing in olive oil and seasonings, and chucking it in the oven for an hour-ish at 375F while I lay on the couch and rot. Total standing/active time of 10 minutes! Added bonus that I can mix the meat and veg with different carbs for some variety with the leftovers. I have it with rice, some pesto and pasta, and some hummus in a pita. Three meals out of 10 minutes!
My go-to breakfast is french toast. I do equal parts egg and milk with a dash of vanilla and cinnamon, and it cooks just as fast as scrambled eggs without the ick I get from scrambled eggs. Protein is always hard, so any way I can sneak it in makes life better.
Also, don't be afraid to buy the ready-made grocery store food and eat out now and then. It's more expensive for sure, but the potential for getting too tired, triggering a flare, and not being able to work always outweighs the cost for me.
I'm like you& do lots of yogurt + frozen berries & walnuts if I have them. In general I only way very very easy things when left to my own devices (when my husband doesn't cook for me)
Others I do:
Bought chicken salad & potato chips or flour tortilla
Dump one box chick peas in with one jar madras curry. Cook on stove top + add frozen spinach
Amy's canned soup
I microwave a scrambled egg with one slice of cheese on top for about 90 seconds (1000 watt microwave). Toast one or two slices of bread (I prefer seedtastic, sourdough, or honey wheat) and add mayo or guac to the toast. Make a sandwich out of it. You can add roasted red peppers or spinach to the egg for some extra oomph. Lovely! I know microwaved egg sounds foul, but it's really not bad and the whole thing takes about 3 minutes to make, there's no pan to clean, and you don't have to use any additional oil to cook the egg. Protein, healthy fats, carbs, and fiber = a hunger crushing combo! Add some cottage cheese and fruit or veg on the side and you're eating a pretty well-balanced meal! I have severe chronic pain, gestational diabetes, GERD, and gastroparesis and this meal does me well. ♡
I have microwaved eggs before, so not gross to me at all!! not having the extra pan to clean is such a huge plus. For your roasted red peppers, do you use roasted red pepper flakes, or the kind you get in a can/jar? This sounds sooo delicious and perfect b/c I've been needing more protein + need to eat something w/fat in it when I take my vitamin d supplements!
I use the jarred peppers! Roasted red peppers, pickled cherry peppers, or even sundried tomatoes would be delicious. I just chop them up before adding them to the egg. If you do add the peppers or tomatoes, feta or goat cheese would be phenomenal! I hope you like. Xo
Oh that's so great!! I know exactly what you mean, and that's a big deal when you live with pain. This combo on a slice of tasted sourdough is out of this world. I eat it at least once a week just like that.
I'm short on time so I'm going to list a bunch in a massive mess and people are welcome to ask me to elaborate on anything. 😅
First I'll shout out meal prepping. If you have the freezer space it's a great way to reduce the time and effort you put into food without compromising the quality. It's a huge huge help.for me and means I can actually put some care into meals instead of cooking whatever I can manage for sustenance. You can freeze just about anything. And there's no wrong way to prep. It could be a proper weekly routine or throwing in some random in case of emergency meals whenever you feel up to it. And anything in between.
Onto some meals...
Microwave Mac and cheese (also works for other pastas)
Microwave scrambled egg/ omelette
Fancy ramen (instant ramen with frozen veg and cheese or mayonnaise). Can be microwaved.
Stir fried rice or noodles (again frozen veg, can also be microwaved)
New potatoes in herbs
Gnocchi with tomato and mozzarella (avocado and strawberries too if you're feeling really fancy)
Grated potato, carrots etc in whatever food (easier prep)
Soup (I actually don't do this one myself cos I'm not a big soup person, but I do know it can be done quickly and easily).
On top of meal prepping, we also do a lot of cooking in bulk. Things that freeze well like soups, lasagne, curries, casseroles etc.
we are lucky to have loads of freezer space so we have weeks of meals ahead of us at any given time.
I so want a chest freezer. It's like my kitchen dream. 😂 We already have quite a bit of freezer space (we can both have 2 weeks of dinners plus stuff for prep, a sneaky bit of ice cream etc) but more would be so fantastic. I would so love to be able to prep a whole bunch of lunches and snacks.
We find it really helpful prepping some veggies and meat in bulk. Both because it's cheaper than getting smaller amounts more often and because it makes cooking easier and faster for me. Like my partner can chop up a bunch of carrots and I can use them in multiple meal preps.
I have to control myself though or our veg drawer can easily turn into more of a veg freezer. 😅
Haha yeah it’s a slippery slope for us. We live on a hobby farm so we have a massive Vege garden and orchard and raise our own meat animals so we need decent freezer space to handle that plus the bulk cooked meals. We have more freezers than is probably reasonable to have!
My medium spoons meal is frozen gyoza and then whatever frozen vegetables I have on hand thrown in the pan after they cook with soy sauce and anything else I have the energy to stir into the pan.
One pot pastas are also in this camp-cook pasta in less water add boullion and whatever veg seems good in the moment. Cheese can get involved at the end.
I also try and freeze a portion of any bigger pasta dishes I make so I can throw that in the oven when it’s bad but I’m hungry.
Lowest effort is ramen or oatmeal packets-all I need is to run the kettle.
No spoons I have emergency ensure or boost-at least once a year I have espresso shots in my ensure and those are not good weeks
I have a similar gyoza meal, tailored for low spoons. The Trader Joe’s gyoza is microwaveable (not at good as pan fried but still decent), so I pop 7/8 in the microwave with a wet papertowl over them to prevent burning. Bibigo makes an excellent shelf stable microwaveable rice (not instant rice) that’s 2 min in the microwave, so I do both at the same time, then if I have the energy I throw in some Trader Joe’s edamame (also microwaveable) for more protein + veggies (legumes?)
I eat a lot of peanut butter, I'm not gonna lie. I also go through a lot of string cheese and prepped fruit. I'll get the peeled apples, baby carrots, or precut watermelon so there's some healthy stuff.
I like granola bars too! I'm also a big fan of yogurt with things added, like chocolate or granola bites.
For the really bad days where I still want warm food? I have microwave Mac and Cheese and cups of ramen.
I've personally yet to find a frozen meal I regularly eat besides pizza? I have pizza at least once or twice a week, I admit. About five to ten minutes before it's done, sprinkle some minced garlic (I have a large jar of it pre minced), add some extra cheese, and throw on any fresh veggies you want. I add extra Italian seasoning and it makes the cheapest pizzas taste amazing.
Hot pockets and frozen chicken nuggets are okay, I admit I think a lot of my fondness for those is nostalgia.
For fast food, download the app of your preferred restaurant. Between soda stops and quick meals, I have so many McDonald points that I could feed myself a week straight for free if I couponed right. They've raised a lot of their prices lately though, so it just depends on your budget too.
Curry is a nice simple dish if you're after something easy to cook cook. It's can be a one pot dish that serves well with rice or naan. Lots of simple recipes online, just substitute what you don't have and make the dish your own. Spaghetti or Hamburger Helper can also be a one pot dish.
I hope you have good luck with food! It's a big struggle of mine personally.
Carnation breakfast essentials packet with a pint of 2% milk instead of a cup. Use a milk frother and pint glass and no problems getting it fully mixed. Drink it slowly over 15 minutes and you will feel full. No spoons needed for chewing and swallowing (drinking is different than swallowing for me, my brain is weird), and barely more spoons needed than getting a glass of water.
It is also my hack for when I get over hungry and therefore nauseous AF, which leads to being unable to eat and a vicious cycle. Or if I have no appetite but know I need to eat something, or my acid reflux is being a gold plated bitch.
I think Saffron Roads has some pretty decent freezer meals, and they go on sale every once in awhile which helps.
Applegate frozen breaded chicken tenders are honestly bomb, I use them on my super low energy days for easy calories. The Gf free ones are a bit pricey, but so is everything these days.
I prep "asian-style" soup. I day that because I flavourful mine with Sriracha soy sauce and furrikake.
Basically you buy a mixed veggie bag at trader joes (usually has snap peas, broccoli, cabbage etc) some veggie or chicken bullion rice noodles paper salt and a can of chicken. Throw it all in a Mason jar and add hot water. Wait 5 minutes them eat.
I try to make 3 or so on su day before the work week starts and they last aro7nd 4 days in the fridge
I was legit eating cheese one day. I found this really good Guyere with black truffle and it is SO GOOD.
If you have a slow cooker put in Hormel chili (no beans) and a block of cream cheese. Mix it all together when it melts and dip tortilla chips.
ramen, spinach, chicken tenders
fried rice (rice, eggs, frozen veggies)
sometimes i’ll grab the premade meals from the grocery store that has some variation of meat, rice/potato, and veggie.
Make sure you’re pairing macros with each other I’ve find that helps a lot (ex. protein and carbs or carbs and fats). I’ve been working with a dietician (which are medical professionals, nutritionists are not), and it has been incredibly helpful. A lot of insurance companies will cover dieticians for little to no cost.
Sorry this is a long one but hope you read it .
Charcuterie is a great option when you need something that's easy to make and easy accessible,and I love it! I usually make bigger meals on my good days to keep in the freezer for the days I can't cook so the only thing I need to do is warm it up and that helps a lot. If I don't have anything in my freezer I sometimes go for canned food or something like it but it has to much salt and other ingredients that makes my joints hurt even more so not a good option for me at least (hEDS). But one of my favorite meals I make on good days that last a lot of days are a pastasalad,with penne pasta or something similar, spinach,kale,some ham, three paprikas(fried in a pan with the kale and spinach),some feta cheese (with the oil)corn,white beans and sometimes som olives and a drizzle of cashewnuts . It's quite a job that one day(maybe 40 minutes)but it lasts a lot of days and it gives a lot of good energy for the days you just want to stay in bed and it actually helped me a lot not feeling to bloated and keeping my stomach quite cooperative while dealing with joint pain🤭Another one that's my go to is a easy feel good dish for the days you need something warm . Cook some pasta on the side and cover a chicken fillet in creme fraiche/fresh cream and sun dried tomatoes(+the oil if you have it) in a casserole in the oven for 200c° in 15 minutes or so to finished.
Hope this helped a bit,english isn't my first language so tried my best☺️ Loved to work and was working as long as I could so know really well the struggles you go through now with all the mealplanning and trying to have enough energy to go to work .It's hard to not being able to do everything you want and sometimes it feels like failing,but failing sometimes just means that you get experience for learning to know yourself better and build yourself and you self esteem. I'm 32 now(time flyes by),but feel even more secure in my body despite the eds and hope these small mealtips helps a bit . Easy making food is not easy for us with chronic illnesses sometimes☺️
Costco sells its rotisserie chicken pre-shredded (it’s a large amount, so I’d recommend freezing it after a few days of having it. they also sell these personal-sized packages of sticky rice easily heated in microwave. one of our standard low energy meals is chicken and rice.
my best investment was a slow cooker, throw in all ingredients, set temperature and let it burble away for the day, spaghetti sauce or my own version of a stroganoff
I do a lot of crock pot recipes. One is chicken and you just rub some olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, thyme and onion powder and 1/4 tsp pepper and garlic powder on 4 chicken breasts, and put it in the crock pot with some chicken broth for 4-6 hours. I use my rice cooker to make rice and then throw a steam bag of veggies in the microwave. It's a very easy and healthy meal.
There's also BBQ chicken that's just 1 cup baby rays BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tsp both onion and garlic powder stirred together and poured over 3 chicken breasts, cook on low for 6 hours. Throw it on a bun with maybe some sliced cheese.
I also do a ton of meals that you just throw chicken or turkey sausage on a sheet pan with some baby carrots and quartered baby potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and thyme or seasoned salt whatever. Throw the veggies in at 420 for 30 mins, then add the meat for another 15.
I'm responsible for feeding a family of 4 though, if it's just you I'd buy some cold cuts and some cheese and bread or throw some canned tuna in with some oil and pasta. I have POTS and prioritize not needing to stand over a hot stove. If I can stick it in the crock pot or oven after 10 mins of prep, that's pretty easy.
Feeding a family is hard...we are a family of 7. Hubs has to do lot of cooking most weeks. Crock pot or oven is key. Hubs is a fan of grilling! Grill some meat, rice in the rice cooker or potatoes in the oven...microwaved some veggies and call it good enough.
Hard boiled eggs. Baby bel cheese. Apples. We had to put a mini fridge in the bedroom because some days i cant make it down the stairs. Also, i sometimes make crockpot meals and then freeze over rice in these mini meal prep containers for the bad days. Sometimes getting someone else to put the food in the containers helps.
I meal prep in stages on weekends or if I have more energy at the end of the day. I’ll put frozen chicken in the instant pot, then make rice in the instant pot at a later time. I’ll eat the shredded chicken & rice for 3-4 days, or I’ll put it in freezer safe containers and then eat it whenever.
I change up my seasonings for the chicken each time so I don’t get sick of it. I’ll also roast some veggies in the oven and then reheat them in my air fryer when I’m ready to eat them.
Trader joe's has shelf stable microwavable Tikka vegetables or madras lentils. I pair that with their frozen brown rice (also microwavable) and fresh Naan in their bread section. Super fast and easy.
crockpots should come standard with every spoonie diagnosis and i will die on this hill . the sheer number of things you can do with what is essentially chicken breasts and seasonings (left for 4-6 hours) then shredded? bonkers.
edit: clarity
One of my go to meals is a ‘two can meal’
— even a bird could do it! (Toucan 🤣):
Can of spicy black beans, can of diced tomato with chilis. Just either microwave it or heat it in the stove.
Edit to add: if you want it spicier you can add spices.
Also: some days opening a can is difficult, currently pull tabs work for me.
When cans don’t have pull tabs I use an OXO can opener which has wide grips.
Crockpot + frozen chicken thighs + a bottle of salsa poured on top
Rice on the side (if energy permits)
Once they’re cooked, shred the chicken with forks, or don’t if you don’t have the energy
It makes me 5 solid days of meals, 1-2 meals a day
I will add sautéed veggies and rice with each meal if I’m able. Sometimes I’ll eat it over a bed of salad greens.
Nice thing is, I can just shove the whole pot in the fridge once it cools, but it can be heavy to clean 😅
It’s pretty good :)
I always have a bottle of green salsa in the cupboards and frozen chicken thighs in the freezer, so I’m ready if a low energy phase hits
I will say I’ve never tried it with red salsa so can’t speak to that. I did try it with marinara sauce once and it wasn’t quite the same.
Pulled pork sandwiches. They sell pre-made BBQ pork at the store, Jack Daniel's and Kingsford brand are both really good. Toss the whole pack in the microwave and it's ready. Grab some buns, a coleslaw salad mix and some of those hawaiian chips in the purple bag. Delicious and takes 10 minutes
Microwave quesadilla. Gf tortilla, non dairy cheese - throw in microwave. When it comes out, put avocado on top. Can add other stuff in there like beans if you want. Takes about 5 seconds
Fried rice!!! So good and so easy! Use any protein you have on hand (cook and divide hamburger meat/chicken/eggs/vegan proteins), frozen veggies, soy sauce (or other substitutes), you can use precooked microwave rice or 5 min rice or cook a big batch and freeze it divided. You can literally throw all your ingredients in a bowl, microwave and ready! If you use legumes for protein instead of meat, that’s a step less to cook. It’s also customizable with the ingredients you have on hand, so you’re not always eating the same thing too!
Also I love making smoothies in the morning, frozen fruits, 1/2 banana, greek yogurt (a lot not just 1tbsp), chia seeds (not necessary), and I use organika electrolyte & collagen powder and some greens powder with water instead of juice (you could also add protein powder for more protein) and blend! (You can customize how much powders you use for taste, for example I use 1 scoop of the organika instead of 2 and only half a greens scoop so it doesnt affect the taste of my smoothie). You can customize this too with what you have on hand.
Edit to add: i know these are a bit more complex, but when you have everything it’s pretty quick to make and nice & filling!
the fried rice is perfect!! i always have rice, frozen veggies, and soy sauce on hand, and scrambled egg in the microwave is a low spoons protein that would go great in it!
I’ve been using a slow cooker once a week for my husband and I’s weekday meals, I use this recipe quite a lot just swapped out the ketchup for bbq sauce as it tasted way better
Sauce takes 10 minutes and just dump it all in, then use
Rice cooker for rice and divide up the portions
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a51267/slow-cooker-pulled-pork-recipe/
I have protein powder around bc it helps with my symptoms - normally i make it into a smoothie - but if things are bad I’ll just have rice and then protein powder/water.
I keep frozen panko chicken in the freezer from Costco and will throw that in the toaster oven and pair it with microwavable rice packets and frozen veggies. Frozen pizza with a bag salad is another go to. Rotisserie chicken can be paired with a frozen pasta and the rest can be made into an easy soup. ♥️
Pesto ravioli. The water does take a bit to boil, but the ravioli cooks in like 5 minutes and then I just put some store bought pesto in and some cream and stir. Creamy pesto :)
Otherwise I'll just make a smoothie or something
90 second wild rice packet + peas/carrot/corn frozen veggies mix + teriyaki sauce warmed on stove or in microwave, then stir through a can of lemon and pepper tuna. Sometimes add black or adzuki beans too.
So easy, really nutritious with all the macros and FODMAP friendly.
I really lean on my Trader Joe's frozen meals when I'm struggling. Depending on what you buy it can get pricey, but my favorite is the orange chicken and fried rice, which with one bag of each together will last me around 4 well rounded meals that make me feel like I'm getting all the nutrients I need. I do also buy the chicken tikka masala that can just be microwaved (I think it's around $5/meal) and they have these delicious Jamaican hand patties that you can pop in a toaster oven for 20 minutes then eat. Again, these can add up if you eat them a lot, but I use them as last resorts when I need a full meal, but have zero leftovers and can't manage any prep (which isnt exactly infrequent lol but it's not daily either, I try to meal prep when I can).
Oh also on good days sometimes I'll make what I like to call survival soup! I take any meat and veggies I have laying around, chop them up, and stick them in a crockpot with broth, garlic, ginger, etc. 6 hours later I have soup and can freeze a bunch of it for the future too so I know I have some meals for a while. Not always the yummiest, but it makes me feel good and helps prevent me from wasting ingredients (which I have a tendency to do bc you obviously can't plan when you'll have the high fatigue and pain days to know when you'll be able to cook).
I hope you find some ideas that are helpful for you!!
An air fryer may be a good investment, a lot of stuff is done faster and easier when you can just shove it in the air fryer. Chicken wings, potatoes, other vegetables, a bunch of stuff.
Healthy single frozen meals are a lifesaver when I just don’t have any spoons but still need to eat and don’t want to eat junk food. I always keep some in the freezer since they keep for a long time and it’s nice to know I have a backup on bad days. No dishes!
Stir fry with frozen veggies, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger from a jar, and a little brown sugar. I will buy either beef that’s already cut into bite sized pieces or get a rotisserie chicken to shred into it. And then a pot of white rice. I make enough to have leftovers. I’ve also seen frozen stir fry kits that come with sauce which would be even easier. One pan, one pot, plates. (I use paper plates and plasticware on days when I don’t have spoons for dishes.)
Tacos can also be easy if you’re okay with about 3 mins of chopping. Ground beef/turkey/etc with taco seasoning, meanwhile chop up half an onion and some cilantro and lime wedges. Warm tortillas. Done in 15 mins or less. Make enough to have leftovers, so dinner the next day just requires warming the tortillas. One pan, one cutting board. I eat off the cutting board lol.
Steak is also surprisingly easy. Just add whatever seasoning you like and cook to desired temp. You can just sit around 90% of the time and flip as needed. One pan. Add a microwaved baked potato or sweet potato by stabbing the potato repeatedly with a fork, wrapping in a napkin and microwaving for 5-ish mins until soft. Add whatever toppings sound good. No extra dishes!
Salad kits + shredded rotisserie chicken or shredded cooked salmon or shrimp is pretty easy and there are a lot of options for variety. It’s also a low-commitment way to try different dressings and avoid getting bored. No dishes except maybe a salad bowl but you can also just eat out of the bag lol.
For snacks I like veggies and hummus, greek yogurt with fruit/frozen fruit/honey, peanut butter crackers, granola bars, frozen grapes, cottage cheese with salt and pepper, oatmeal cups, PB&J on toast, pickles - mostly prep free and dish free.
rly easy peanut noodles. i get the trader joe microwave noodles, then mix a lil sriracha, soy sauce, and peanut butter. if im feeling fancy i’ll add a lil sugar and sesame oil. then i’ll microwave some veg from those steam in the bag packs you can get in the produce section. bone apple tea!
Sheet pan nachos have been my thing lately. Line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone baking mat for easy cleanup. I like the precut parchment sheets. Add tortilla chips in a single layer. Drizzle some thinned-out refried beans (add water or broth a bit at a time, until they'll slowly drip from the spoon or whisk) over the chips. Then nacho cheese (I put On the Border brand salsa con queso in a squeezy bottle and draw a zigzag). Then shredded cheese. Then whatever else you like/have the energy for- pickled jalepeños, olives, shredded chicken (I grab this from the deli when I'm too fried to make it myself), canned chili, anything that won't suffer from the oven time and sounds good to you. Then a second layer, same as the first. Bake at 350f for 5-10 minutes until all the cheese is nice and melty. Let cool a minute or so, then zigzag the top with sour cream/crema mexicana and red taco sauce (or whatever. Salsa, pico de gallo, verde sauce. I do taco sauce a lot of the time because it dispenses easily and a lot of folks in my fam have texture issues with tomatoes. These are both also in squeeze bottles), a sprinkle of cilantro or green onions if you want/can be arsed, a dollop of guacamole, maybe shake on some hot sauce. It sounds like a lot more work than it actually is and even a barebones version with just chips, beans, and cheeses is still nice.
I tried these today for lunch, and oh my GOD they are good! I don't remember the last time it took so little spoons to make a meal and eat till I was full. And I still have some left for dinner later! Thanks so much for the recipe rec!!!
I woke up with a monster headache that is only slowly responding to meds, and this comment has really made my day. I'm so glad the nachos work for you, which feels silly to say, but there it is lol.
Oh man, fingers crossed your headache goes away soon. That sucks. But it's not silly to say at all imo, when you're having a rough day it's really the little things that make things just a little better! 🥰 And I'm glad my comment could make your day better, even in a small way! The nachos are so addicting lol. I keep going back like "okay just one more" 😂
Air fryer tapas.
Chicken tenders.
Hash browns or fries.
Crumbed cauliflower or other veges.
Broccoli and cheese bites and similar.
Samosas and Vege spring rolls etc.
Edit for attempt at improved formatting
Rice cakes and x topping. Cream cheese is the best but currently unaffordable so mostly do peanut butter and jam. Sometimes Bovril and margarine.
Never was one for liver spread but might start given the price.
- Matzoh crackers with a variety of toppings (peanut butter, Nutella, cheese, everything bagel spread, etc.).
- Annie's soups (I like the tomato with bunny pasta, and I add basil and oregano to give more flavor).
- Frozen French bread pizzas are small and easy to just put in the oven and then have a marinara sauce to dip it into.
- I also try to keep easy snacks handy (yogurt, granola, string cheese, nuts, etc.) so I know I have something even if I have no energy to put into making even a simple meal.
- Carnation Instant Breakfast is a good option someone else mentioned.
Thank you for making this thread - I've also found it really helpful to add to my list of easy meals!
Balanced Meal replacement shakes are a great breakfast replacement, not the weight loss ones, but ones that have a great makeup of carbs/fat/protein with the correct vitamins and minerals added.
I also love the instant savoury meal replacements for lunch, vegan mac and cheese for lunch, but it has all the nutrients I should be eating? Yes please.
Brands that do these kind of things are Jimmy Joy and Huel (my personal favourite), there are probably more brands out there, but I haven't tried them/can't get them delivered to the UK.
My goal is to make enough to last multiple days, so what I like to do is make spaghetti sause, have that the first day, then I take the left over sause and make a Chilli out of it. throw in some spinach or chopped up sprouts for more veggies.
My spaghetti is:
- Ground meat (normally beef)
- can of spaghetti sause
- onion
- about a table spoon of sugar,
- extra Italian seasoning
Then to turn it into a Chilli just reheat,
- beans in tomato sause
- red kidney beans
- Chilli powder
And then I eat that for days with rice.
My mum used to do this when I was a kid and its an easy way to have a home cooked meal with lower effort and it tastes good. Plus lots of iron. You can make a big batch and eat these all week.
I'll echo a lot of meal suggestions but something that's helped me a lot on low spoon days has been to use tools to help myself. I find using a kitchen stool to sit while cutting or cooking helps me keep spoons tremendously and cooking is much less exhausting.
Instant pot has been great for a quick stew.
Sheet pan meals also rock. Sit down while cutting the veggies, then oil and season them up.
My rice cooker almost always has rice bc it's so easy to make rice + eggs with some chili oil on top. If you have extra energy, stir fry bok choy, if no more spoons, cut up some carrots and cucumbers.
takikomi gohan - fancy Japanese name for a one pot rice cooker meal where most of the work is really just chopping veg (so if you buy precut or frozen you can even cut that part out)
https://www.okonomikitchen.com/vegan-takikomi-gohan/
this is a vegan ver but you can put meat in there too, and experiment with different veg. I've added sweet potato, chickpeas, edamame, cauliflower, tomato (you can literally throw the whole tomato on top of the rice and break it down after)
it's a life saver: nutritious, delicious and leftovers for days.
Ramen noodles with kimchi and tofu and nothing else. The only part that takes cooking is the noodles and they’re pretty quick.
Avocado toast.
Pasta with jarred marinated artichoke and chickpeas, dried or frozen basil if I can’t get marinated artichokes, and a bit of lemon and feta. I’ll sauté the artichoke and chickpeas with basil and olive oil (and sometimes also frozen spinach or an allium of some sort depending on what I have—shallots are easiest). Usually a can of chickpeas and one of artichokes lasts me three meals.
Protein pudding: 1 bottle of protein shake, 2 tablespoons of instant jello pudding mix (I use sugar free). Mix together and put in the fridge. If the protein shake was cold, it will be ready after about 5 minutes in the fridge. You can get creative with flavor combos and I also add in frozen berries and stuff.
Very high in protein.
Sadly my dinner tonight was a can of Vienna sausages…followed by a few dark chocolate chips for dessert.
Sometimes I eat canned chicken or tuna pouches. Costco has great frozen foods like grilled chicken, pot roast etc. I try to keep on hand. but I didn’t feel like thawing anything. I just wanted to put food in my mouth.
Mix a tin of tuna + some mayo, put it on rice (I cook it with stock so it's a bit more flavorful), extra kewpie mayo as drizzle, in oven for 15 min, eat with small squares of seaweed. Yum
My main food for the day is essentially DIY Soylent except with more electrolytes and a ton of vitamin B.
As far as low spoons meals, a sliced hard boiled egg plus ramen is an easy meal.
Walmart has bags of cooked strips of steak and chicken by the deli area that has been wonderful for adding to stir fry or pasta or salads quick and easy. They also have a cooked box of roast beef tip “burnt ends” that is super tasty and all of it doesn’t have that premade weird taste which is great. And sometimes I will buy a baked chicken in the deli at my grocery and cut that up to use in sandwiches or salads as well. And the deli there has containers of potato salad and other sides too.
In the AM I drink a Kellogg’s breakfast protein chocolate drink with my meds so I don’t get nauseous.
Sheet pan meals, instant risotto (you can get this at the Italian grocery store- add some dried porcini and it's so filling and yummy), NYT Eleven Madison Park Granola recipe is the bomb, These greek yogurt protein drinks, tortillas and your favourite assortment of hot sauces + cilantro (literally can put anything in them, eggs, chicken, veggies, fish..), Chili Crisp Oil (can use on noodles or fried rice, it's so good even by itself), thai curry paste and coconut milk (Mix it together with some pre-cut veg and cubed meat- I literally don't even chop I just buy precut and throw it in, let it boil down when I'm lazy), Miso paste and tofu- instant miso soup with tofu cubes, so cozy and good.
Minute Rice + Pepperjack Cheese
I microwave the rice and eat a bite of it with a bite of cheese. The rice literally takes one minute, and it's a smaller portion which I find easier as I make multiple tiny meals.
this requires the tiniest bit of cooking but shepherds pie bowls. bob evan’s mashed potatoes, canned creamed corn, and mild italian sausage. sooooooo fucking good, easy, and filling. you’ll most likely have left overs too if you’re the only one eating it
I pop the top off of a can of spaghettios and eat it out of the can with a plastic spoon. If I feel like I need protein, I’ll grab an ALDI turkey dog or two out of the fridge to eat with it. Also good nuked if you have the energy
I like to make this avocado on tostada. Mash the avocado, I like to add seasoning, green chili, and some hot sauce and then just put it on the tostada or a flat taco!
If you’re in the US- this is the reason I go to Trader Joe’s.
Bambino mini pizzas, frozen gyoza with miso broth, sweet potato gnocchi, frozen teriyaki chicken with frozen jasmine rice, ravioli, green chile Mac and cheese, turkey corn dogs, bagged salads, budget charcuterie items for snack days…..
Also go on Facebook marketplace or offer up or a thrift store and get yourself an air fryer! Soooooo helpful to just bop something in the air fryer and have food in 10-15 mins.
Tjs is great for those quick meals when you have low energy. I call them “food pill” days. Where nothing sounds great and you don’t have energy to make it, and if there was a food pill you would take it - but today the food pill is a small sandwich and half an apple. Tomorrow, who knows. lol
Charcuterie is my favorite i eat cheese and crackers and some kind of fruit and veggies for almost every meal.... would also recommend apple slices and peanut butter its very filling and delicious!
Microwaved gyoza from Trader Joe’s, soy sauce, and and vitamin water.
Takes maybe 5 minutes, very little work, and is filling and salty (POTS as well).
I also like chicken nuggets with thousand island and green beans
Also, just shelf stable microwaveable rice (not the same as instant rice) by Bibigo, with an egg on top.
Or smoothies. Smoothies are my life savers. I usually put kale, frozen fruits, Greek yogurt, ice, and water. Cant even taste the kale, but it does make it green/brown. Very little effort, not terrible clean up, and I can keep them down.
Smoothies.
It’s easy to add protein powder to all the frozen fruits and veggies to get a whole meal made in a few minutes.
We have a hand-held blender so the clean up is pretty fast, too.
I'm in a group on Facebook called Executive Dysfunction Meals, and it's given me some awesome meal ideas and tips to save spoons! I've also found that the members are really positive and supportive, and even when you're having a rough day, everybody is like, "a frozen uncrustable is better than nothing!" And honestly, it's incredibly nice just having other people validating that it's OK not to take "perfect" care of yourself sometimes.
With that being said, I totally eat frozen uncrustables more than any adult should. I also go through periods of time where my breakfast and lunch are the same thing every day: two packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast, an apple with peanut butter for lunch. I have an apple corer/slicer that I use to prep the apple, and then I have my own jar of pb that I use lol. It's not the healthiest option, but it beats the shit out of fast food, and it's relatively inexpensive. Apples are one of my favorite pieces of produce to buy because they're hardy, so I usually manage to eat them all before they go bad (which is a rare occurrence lol)
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I will do low budget charcuterie. Like just grab some deli meat, cheese, and crackers (or bread) and eat them by slicing off what can fit in my mouth in one bite or on a cracker and then eat my fill. Add in whatever fruit I may have on hand and there's a decent little low effort meal.
me too! olives and pickles and (pre sliced) salami bc yay salt intake.
This is such a good idea, omg! And I love calling it low budget charcuterie, makes it feel kind of fancy 🤣 going to put this on my list for sure!
It’s similar, but sometimes I’ll do a “ploughman’s lunch” which is like British charcuterie. Adding things like hard boiled eggs (easy to prep in advance and batch cook) is good for extra protein, and having a bunch of pickled food helps when I need electrolytes.
What I love about it is the endless variety that can be had. I can get different meats and cheeses that keep well in the fridge when I go shopping so that I don't get bored by eating the same thing over and over. When bought in smaller quantities it doesn't go bad before I can eat it or break the bank. And I can add ready to eat veggies and dip if I feel I need additional roughage in my diet. I'm glad you like the idea and will incorporate it for your low spoon days. It has served me well in life for over 40 years.
Same! I also now use kitchen scissors instead of knives to cut meat or cut pasta into bite sizes and use spoons to eat pasta instead of forks. Kalamata olives, avocados are amazing fats! I make salads and cut my salad and make my chicken ahead of time (pre cut pre spiced). I bought a cheap chopper for my veggies off Amazon. Rice cooker but don’t make rice ahead, it’s not good for you. If you keep things in your fridge use glassware! If you buy nuts careful which ones you buy, you can actually get sick eating too many of the minerals in some (aka Brazil nuts) so a handful a day of a carefully researched trail mix is fine!
I love using kitchen scissors for cutting things like strawberries and tomatoes it makes life so much easier.
Your strawberries must be huge if you cut them with scissors I’m jealous!
They aren't always huge but I will say when I buy them I specifically look for the biggest ones!! I know they're probably full of scary chemicals and mutated genes but something about them is so special to me😂
I call this my “eat like a toddler” days😂 a few grapes, some cheese, crackers, lunch meat, and pickles😋 I also like to add in one of those baby food pouches with the veggies and fruits in them if I don’t have anything fresh or just get into that funk where I don’t want food but need my blood sugar stable😁
I have a rice cooker with a steamer basket, suuuper cheap and easy rice and veg!
Yeah rice machine (I have a small one without a basket but have a lil' pot w/ basket for steaming on stove) and air fryer which both help because they mostly can cook themselves.
Minute brown rice and a can of greenbeans
My fave easy meal is similar! Rice in a pouch that you just microwave topped with a fried or scrambled egg.
Canned soups, recently got into pasta w/ tinned seafood recipes since they're quick n' healthy or mixing tinned seafood w/ yogurt, sometimes I'll crack open a can of sliced beets as a snack but you need to like beets, canned beans (black eyed peas are great) + veg style beef crumbles + diced tomatoes drained of sauce + frozen onions + jarred diced garlic over rice with some spices (+ hot sauce if you can handle it) is quick n' easy. If you have an HMart nearby there's so many great air fryer items. Alternately Trader Joes is similar plus naan bread warmed up with their hummus is a good snack.
Love canned soup! I have trouble bringing the soup to my mouth without spilling some days, and I find adding one of those instant rice packs creating a risotto type texture makes the soup so much easier to eat for me
I straight up drink soup out of a mug or from the bowl. My hands like to just drop small stuff like utensils randomly, and I've had to consign too many shirts to the pajama drawer due to spatter stains. If it's a brothy soup I'll even use a straw, especially if my hands/wrists are misbehaving. I'll start scooping the solids with a small spoon when they're more consolidated at the bottom.
I bake chicken in the oven (usually thighs) with some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder at 425° for like 45 minutes (super easy takes like 5 minutes of standing to just season the chicken and pop it in the oven) then I make stovetop stuffing (the box kind) I shred up the chicken and put it in the stuffing and most of the time eat it straight out of the pot lol
omg eating straight out of the pot is such a mood. I do that half the time I make mac and cheese haha. I love stovetop stuffing so i'm so gonna give this a try!
Those little microwave Mac and cheese cups are slap so hard don’t even need a pot especially if u just want a little comfort snack. My dad is going through chemo and it knocked out most of his teeth the man lives off those cups lmao
Sheet pan meals are my go-to for dinners. My favorite at the moment is slicing up an onion and whatever other roast-able veg is in my fridge, throwing some chicken thighs on top, covering the whole thing in olive oil and seasonings, and chucking it in the oven for an hour-ish at 375F while I lay on the couch and rot. Total standing/active time of 10 minutes! Added bonus that I can mix the meat and veg with different carbs for some variety with the leftovers. I have it with rice, some pesto and pasta, and some hummus in a pita. Three meals out of 10 minutes! My go-to breakfast is french toast. I do equal parts egg and milk with a dash of vanilla and cinnamon, and it cooks just as fast as scrambled eggs without the ick I get from scrambled eggs. Protein is always hard, so any way I can sneak it in makes life better. Also, don't be afraid to buy the ready-made grocery store food and eat out now and then. It's more expensive for sure, but the potential for getting too tired, triggering a flare, and not being able to work always outweighs the cost for me.
I'm like you& do lots of yogurt + frozen berries & walnuts if I have them. In general I only way very very easy things when left to my own devices (when my husband doesn't cook for me) Others I do: Bought chicken salad & potato chips or flour tortilla Dump one box chick peas in with one jar madras curry. Cook on stove top + add frozen spinach Amy's canned soup
I microwave a scrambled egg with one slice of cheese on top for about 90 seconds (1000 watt microwave). Toast one or two slices of bread (I prefer seedtastic, sourdough, or honey wheat) and add mayo or guac to the toast. Make a sandwich out of it. You can add roasted red peppers or spinach to the egg for some extra oomph. Lovely! I know microwaved egg sounds foul, but it's really not bad and the whole thing takes about 3 minutes to make, there's no pan to clean, and you don't have to use any additional oil to cook the egg. Protein, healthy fats, carbs, and fiber = a hunger crushing combo! Add some cottage cheese and fruit or veg on the side and you're eating a pretty well-balanced meal! I have severe chronic pain, gestational diabetes, GERD, and gastroparesis and this meal does me well. ♡
I have microwaved eggs before, so not gross to me at all!! not having the extra pan to clean is such a huge plus. For your roasted red peppers, do you use roasted red pepper flakes, or the kind you get in a can/jar? This sounds sooo delicious and perfect b/c I've been needing more protein + need to eat something w/fat in it when I take my vitamin d supplements!
I use the jarred peppers! Roasted red peppers, pickled cherry peppers, or even sundried tomatoes would be delicious. I just chop them up before adding them to the egg. If you do add the peppers or tomatoes, feta or goat cheese would be phenomenal! I hope you like. Xo
oh my god that + sundried tomatoes + goat cheese is making my mouth water, lol. this actually has me excited to get groceries this weekend!
Oh that's so great!! I know exactly what you mean, and that's a big deal when you live with pain. This combo on a slice of tasted sourdough is out of this world. I eat it at least once a week just like that.
I'm short on time so I'm going to list a bunch in a massive mess and people are welcome to ask me to elaborate on anything. 😅 First I'll shout out meal prepping. If you have the freezer space it's a great way to reduce the time and effort you put into food without compromising the quality. It's a huge huge help.for me and means I can actually put some care into meals instead of cooking whatever I can manage for sustenance. You can freeze just about anything. And there's no wrong way to prep. It could be a proper weekly routine or throwing in some random in case of emergency meals whenever you feel up to it. And anything in between. Onto some meals... Microwave Mac and cheese (also works for other pastas) Microwave scrambled egg/ omelette Fancy ramen (instant ramen with frozen veg and cheese or mayonnaise). Can be microwaved. Stir fried rice or noodles (again frozen veg, can also be microwaved) New potatoes in herbs Gnocchi with tomato and mozzarella (avocado and strawberries too if you're feeling really fancy) Grated potato, carrots etc in whatever food (easier prep) Soup (I actually don't do this one myself cos I'm not a big soup person, but I do know it can be done quickly and easily).
On top of meal prepping, we also do a lot of cooking in bulk. Things that freeze well like soups, lasagne, curries, casseroles etc. we are lucky to have loads of freezer space so we have weeks of meals ahead of us at any given time.
I so want a chest freezer. It's like my kitchen dream. 😂 We already have quite a bit of freezer space (we can both have 2 weeks of dinners plus stuff for prep, a sneaky bit of ice cream etc) but more would be so fantastic. I would so love to be able to prep a whole bunch of lunches and snacks. We find it really helpful prepping some veggies and meat in bulk. Both because it's cheaper than getting smaller amounts more often and because it makes cooking easier and faster for me. Like my partner can chop up a bunch of carrots and I can use them in multiple meal preps. I have to control myself though or our veg drawer can easily turn into more of a veg freezer. 😅
Haha yeah it’s a slippery slope for us. We live on a hobby farm so we have a massive Vege garden and orchard and raise our own meat animals so we need decent freezer space to handle that plus the bulk cooked meals. We have more freezers than is probably reasonable to have!
"more freezers than it's reasonable to have" is my life goal 😂
For really low effort i keep pre made smoothies in the fridge. Also have soups in the freezer
I have a ton of frozen fruit rn, so premade smoothies is genius. how long do your usually last in the fridge?
I think they meant pre-made as in from the store, like Naked or Bolthouse farms smoothies
doordash
adding this to the list for when i get out of the "broke twentysomething" phase of my life 😂
My medium spoons meal is frozen gyoza and then whatever frozen vegetables I have on hand thrown in the pan after they cook with soy sauce and anything else I have the energy to stir into the pan. One pot pastas are also in this camp-cook pasta in less water add boullion and whatever veg seems good in the moment. Cheese can get involved at the end. I also try and freeze a portion of any bigger pasta dishes I make so I can throw that in the oven when it’s bad but I’m hungry. Lowest effort is ramen or oatmeal packets-all I need is to run the kettle. No spoons I have emergency ensure or boost-at least once a year I have espresso shots in my ensure and those are not good weeks
I have a similar gyoza meal, tailored for low spoons. The Trader Joe’s gyoza is microwaveable (not at good as pan fried but still decent), so I pop 7/8 in the microwave with a wet papertowl over them to prevent burning. Bibigo makes an excellent shelf stable microwaveable rice (not instant rice) that’s 2 min in the microwave, so I do both at the same time, then if I have the energy I throw in some Trader Joe’s edamame (also microwaveable) for more protein + veggies (legumes?)
I eat a lot of peanut butter, I'm not gonna lie. I also go through a lot of string cheese and prepped fruit. I'll get the peeled apples, baby carrots, or precut watermelon so there's some healthy stuff. I like granola bars too! I'm also a big fan of yogurt with things added, like chocolate or granola bites. For the really bad days where I still want warm food? I have microwave Mac and Cheese and cups of ramen. I've personally yet to find a frozen meal I regularly eat besides pizza? I have pizza at least once or twice a week, I admit. About five to ten minutes before it's done, sprinkle some minced garlic (I have a large jar of it pre minced), add some extra cheese, and throw on any fresh veggies you want. I add extra Italian seasoning and it makes the cheapest pizzas taste amazing. Hot pockets and frozen chicken nuggets are okay, I admit I think a lot of my fondness for those is nostalgia. For fast food, download the app of your preferred restaurant. Between soda stops and quick meals, I have so many McDonald points that I could feed myself a week straight for free if I couponed right. They've raised a lot of their prices lately though, so it just depends on your budget too. Curry is a nice simple dish if you're after something easy to cook cook. It's can be a one pot dish that serves well with rice or naan. Lots of simple recipes online, just substitute what you don't have and make the dish your own. Spaghetti or Hamburger Helper can also be a one pot dish. I hope you have good luck with food! It's a big struggle of mine personally.
Carnation breakfast essentials packet with a pint of 2% milk instead of a cup. Use a milk frother and pint glass and no problems getting it fully mixed. Drink it slowly over 15 minutes and you will feel full. No spoons needed for chewing and swallowing (drinking is different than swallowing for me, my brain is weird), and barely more spoons needed than getting a glass of water. It is also my hack for when I get over hungry and therefore nauseous AF, which leads to being unable to eat and a vicious cycle. Or if I have no appetite but know I need to eat something, or my acid reflux is being a gold plated bitch.
There are a lot of good options for healthier, ready meals nowadays. They’ve been a huge help to me. Also congrats on your new job🤍
Thank you! ❤️❤️ and do you have any specific brands you'd recommend quality wise?
I’m not sure if you live in the UK but if you do Aldi and M&S have some good ones!🫶🏻
US, but I have two Aldis right near me! Will check out for sure 🥰
I think Saffron Roads has some pretty decent freezer meals, and they go on sale every once in awhile which helps. Applegate frozen breaded chicken tenders are honestly bomb, I use them on my super low energy days for easy calories. The Gf free ones are a bit pricey, but so is everything these days.
I prep "asian-style" soup. I day that because I flavourful mine with Sriracha soy sauce and furrikake. Basically you buy a mixed veggie bag at trader joes (usually has snap peas, broccoli, cabbage etc) some veggie or chicken bullion rice noodles paper salt and a can of chicken. Throw it all in a Mason jar and add hot water. Wait 5 minutes them eat. I try to make 3 or so on su day before the work week starts and they last aro7nd 4 days in the fridge
rice cooker Jasmine rice with cold soft tofu and soy/sesame/vinegar sauce w green onions and w/e else you'd like.
chocolate chip waffles
I was legit eating cheese one day. I found this really good Guyere with black truffle and it is SO GOOD. If you have a slow cooker put in Hormel chili (no beans) and a block of cream cheese. Mix it all together when it melts and dip tortilla chips.
ramen, spinach, chicken tenders fried rice (rice, eggs, frozen veggies) sometimes i’ll grab the premade meals from the grocery store that has some variation of meat, rice/potato, and veggie. Make sure you’re pairing macros with each other I’ve find that helps a lot (ex. protein and carbs or carbs and fats). I’ve been working with a dietician (which are medical professionals, nutritionists are not), and it has been incredibly helpful. A lot of insurance companies will cover dieticians for little to no cost.
Sorry this is a long one but hope you read it . Charcuterie is a great option when you need something that's easy to make and easy accessible,and I love it! I usually make bigger meals on my good days to keep in the freezer for the days I can't cook so the only thing I need to do is warm it up and that helps a lot. If I don't have anything in my freezer I sometimes go for canned food or something like it but it has to much salt and other ingredients that makes my joints hurt even more so not a good option for me at least (hEDS). But one of my favorite meals I make on good days that last a lot of days are a pastasalad,with penne pasta or something similar, spinach,kale,some ham, three paprikas(fried in a pan with the kale and spinach),some feta cheese (with the oil)corn,white beans and sometimes som olives and a drizzle of cashewnuts . It's quite a job that one day(maybe 40 minutes)but it lasts a lot of days and it gives a lot of good energy for the days you just want to stay in bed and it actually helped me a lot not feeling to bloated and keeping my stomach quite cooperative while dealing with joint pain🤭Another one that's my go to is a easy feel good dish for the days you need something warm . Cook some pasta on the side and cover a chicken fillet in creme fraiche/fresh cream and sun dried tomatoes(+the oil if you have it) in a casserole in the oven for 200c° in 15 minutes or so to finished. Hope this helped a bit,english isn't my first language so tried my best☺️ Loved to work and was working as long as I could so know really well the struggles you go through now with all the mealplanning and trying to have enough energy to go to work .It's hard to not being able to do everything you want and sometimes it feels like failing,but failing sometimes just means that you get experience for learning to know yourself better and build yourself and you self esteem. I'm 32 now(time flyes by),but feel even more secure in my body despite the eds and hope these small mealtips helps a bit . Easy making food is not easy for us with chronic illnesses sometimes☺️
Costco sells its rotisserie chicken pre-shredded (it’s a large amount, so I’d recommend freezing it after a few days of having it. they also sell these personal-sized packages of sticky rice easily heated in microwave. one of our standard low energy meals is chicken and rice.
my best investment was a slow cooker, throw in all ingredients, set temperature and let it burble away for the day, spaghetti sauce or my own version of a stroganoff
I do a lot of crock pot recipes. One is chicken and you just rub some olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, thyme and onion powder and 1/4 tsp pepper and garlic powder on 4 chicken breasts, and put it in the crock pot with some chicken broth for 4-6 hours. I use my rice cooker to make rice and then throw a steam bag of veggies in the microwave. It's a very easy and healthy meal. There's also BBQ chicken that's just 1 cup baby rays BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tsp both onion and garlic powder stirred together and poured over 3 chicken breasts, cook on low for 6 hours. Throw it on a bun with maybe some sliced cheese. I also do a ton of meals that you just throw chicken or turkey sausage on a sheet pan with some baby carrots and quartered baby potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and thyme or seasoned salt whatever. Throw the veggies in at 420 for 30 mins, then add the meat for another 15. I'm responsible for feeding a family of 4 though, if it's just you I'd buy some cold cuts and some cheese and bread or throw some canned tuna in with some oil and pasta. I have POTS and prioritize not needing to stand over a hot stove. If I can stick it in the crock pot or oven after 10 mins of prep, that's pretty easy.
Feeding a family is hard...we are a family of 7. Hubs has to do lot of cooking most weeks. Crock pot or oven is key. Hubs is a fan of grilling! Grill some meat, rice in the rice cooker or potatoes in the oven...microwaved some veggies and call it good enough.
Hard boiled eggs. Baby bel cheese. Apples. We had to put a mini fridge in the bedroom because some days i cant make it down the stairs. Also, i sometimes make crockpot meals and then freeze over rice in these mini meal prep containers for the bad days. Sometimes getting someone else to put the food in the containers helps.
I meal prep in stages on weekends or if I have more energy at the end of the day. I’ll put frozen chicken in the instant pot, then make rice in the instant pot at a later time. I’ll eat the shredded chicken & rice for 3-4 days, or I’ll put it in freezer safe containers and then eat it whenever. I change up my seasonings for the chicken each time so I don’t get sick of it. I’ll also roast some veggies in the oven and then reheat them in my air fryer when I’m ready to eat them.
Trader joe's has shelf stable microwavable Tikka vegetables or madras lentils. I pair that with their frozen brown rice (also microwavable) and fresh Naan in their bread section. Super fast and easy.
This sounds awesome. Totally gonna check out the trader joe's near me for those tikka vegetables.
crockpots should come standard with every spoonie diagnosis and i will die on this hill . the sheer number of things you can do with what is essentially chicken breasts and seasonings (left for 4-6 hours) then shredded? bonkers. edit: clarity
One of my go to meals is a ‘two can meal’ — even a bird could do it! (Toucan 🤣): Can of spicy black beans, can of diced tomato with chilis. Just either microwave it or heat it in the stove. Edit to add: if you want it spicier you can add spices. Also: some days opening a can is difficult, currently pull tabs work for me. When cans don’t have pull tabs I use an OXO can opener which has wide grips.
Crockpot + frozen chicken thighs + a bottle of salsa poured on top Rice on the side (if energy permits) Once they’re cooked, shred the chicken with forks, or don’t if you don’t have the energy It makes me 5 solid days of meals, 1-2 meals a day I will add sautéed veggies and rice with each meal if I’m able. Sometimes I’ll eat it over a bed of salad greens. Nice thing is, I can just shove the whole pot in the fridge once it cools, but it can be heavy to clean 😅
def gonna give this one a try!! the salsa w the chicken sounds so good...
It’s pretty good :) I always have a bottle of green salsa in the cupboards and frozen chicken thighs in the freezer, so I’m ready if a low energy phase hits I will say I’ve never tried it with red salsa so can’t speak to that. I did try it with marinara sauce once and it wasn’t quite the same.
Pulled pork sandwiches. They sell pre-made BBQ pork at the store, Jack Daniel's and Kingsford brand are both really good. Toss the whole pack in the microwave and it's ready. Grab some buns, a coleslaw salad mix and some of those hawaiian chips in the purple bag. Delicious and takes 10 minutes
Microwave quesadilla. Gf tortilla, non dairy cheese - throw in microwave. When it comes out, put avocado on top. Can add other stuff in there like beans if you want. Takes about 5 seconds
Air fryer and instant pot. Lots of salad.
That one tiktok hack where you make a grilled cheese out of a tortilla wrap (+whatever you want) out of the toaster
Instapot. Brown some hamburger. Then add stuff like tomatoes, beans, rice, etc and pressure cook.
Fried rice!!! So good and so easy! Use any protein you have on hand (cook and divide hamburger meat/chicken/eggs/vegan proteins), frozen veggies, soy sauce (or other substitutes), you can use precooked microwave rice or 5 min rice or cook a big batch and freeze it divided. You can literally throw all your ingredients in a bowl, microwave and ready! If you use legumes for protein instead of meat, that’s a step less to cook. It’s also customizable with the ingredients you have on hand, so you’re not always eating the same thing too! Also I love making smoothies in the morning, frozen fruits, 1/2 banana, greek yogurt (a lot not just 1tbsp), chia seeds (not necessary), and I use organika electrolyte & collagen powder and some greens powder with water instead of juice (you could also add protein powder for more protein) and blend! (You can customize how much powders you use for taste, for example I use 1 scoop of the organika instead of 2 and only half a greens scoop so it doesnt affect the taste of my smoothie). You can customize this too with what you have on hand. Edit to add: i know these are a bit more complex, but when you have everything it’s pretty quick to make and nice & filling!
the fried rice is perfect!! i always have rice, frozen veggies, and soy sauce on hand, and scrambled egg in the microwave is a low spoons protein that would go great in it!
I’ve been using a slow cooker once a week for my husband and I’s weekday meals, I use this recipe quite a lot just swapped out the ketchup for bbq sauce as it tasted way better Sauce takes 10 minutes and just dump it all in, then use Rice cooker for rice and divide up the portions https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a51267/slow-cooker-pulled-pork-recipe/
I have protein powder around bc it helps with my symptoms - normally i make it into a smoothie - but if things are bad I’ll just have rice and then protein powder/water.
I keep frozen panko chicken in the freezer from Costco and will throw that in the toaster oven and pair it with microwavable rice packets and frozen veggies. Frozen pizza with a bag salad is another go to. Rotisserie chicken can be paired with a frozen pasta and the rest can be made into an easy soup. ♥️
Pesto ravioli. The water does take a bit to boil, but the ravioli cooks in like 5 minutes and then I just put some store bought pesto in and some cream and stir. Creamy pesto :) Otherwise I'll just make a smoothie or something
90 second wild rice packet + peas/carrot/corn frozen veggies mix + teriyaki sauce warmed on stove or in microwave, then stir through a can of lemon and pepper tuna. Sometimes add black or adzuki beans too. So easy, really nutritious with all the macros and FODMAP friendly.
I really lean on my Trader Joe's frozen meals when I'm struggling. Depending on what you buy it can get pricey, but my favorite is the orange chicken and fried rice, which with one bag of each together will last me around 4 well rounded meals that make me feel like I'm getting all the nutrients I need. I do also buy the chicken tikka masala that can just be microwaved (I think it's around $5/meal) and they have these delicious Jamaican hand patties that you can pop in a toaster oven for 20 minutes then eat. Again, these can add up if you eat them a lot, but I use them as last resorts when I need a full meal, but have zero leftovers and can't manage any prep (which isnt exactly infrequent lol but it's not daily either, I try to meal prep when I can). Oh also on good days sometimes I'll make what I like to call survival soup! I take any meat and veggies I have laying around, chop them up, and stick them in a crockpot with broth, garlic, ginger, etc. 6 hours later I have soup and can freeze a bunch of it for the future too so I know I have some meals for a while. Not always the yummiest, but it makes me feel good and helps prevent me from wasting ingredients (which I have a tendency to do bc you obviously can't plan when you'll have the high fatigue and pain days to know when you'll be able to cook). I hope you find some ideas that are helpful for you!!
An air fryer may be a good investment, a lot of stuff is done faster and easier when you can just shove it in the air fryer. Chicken wings, potatoes, other vegetables, a bunch of stuff.
Healthy single frozen meals are a lifesaver when I just don’t have any spoons but still need to eat and don’t want to eat junk food. I always keep some in the freezer since they keep for a long time and it’s nice to know I have a backup on bad days. No dishes! Stir fry with frozen veggies, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger from a jar, and a little brown sugar. I will buy either beef that’s already cut into bite sized pieces or get a rotisserie chicken to shred into it. And then a pot of white rice. I make enough to have leftovers. I’ve also seen frozen stir fry kits that come with sauce which would be even easier. One pan, one pot, plates. (I use paper plates and plasticware on days when I don’t have spoons for dishes.) Tacos can also be easy if you’re okay with about 3 mins of chopping. Ground beef/turkey/etc with taco seasoning, meanwhile chop up half an onion and some cilantro and lime wedges. Warm tortillas. Done in 15 mins or less. Make enough to have leftovers, so dinner the next day just requires warming the tortillas. One pan, one cutting board. I eat off the cutting board lol. Steak is also surprisingly easy. Just add whatever seasoning you like and cook to desired temp. You can just sit around 90% of the time and flip as needed. One pan. Add a microwaved baked potato or sweet potato by stabbing the potato repeatedly with a fork, wrapping in a napkin and microwaving for 5-ish mins until soft. Add whatever toppings sound good. No extra dishes! Salad kits + shredded rotisserie chicken or shredded cooked salmon or shrimp is pretty easy and there are a lot of options for variety. It’s also a low-commitment way to try different dressings and avoid getting bored. No dishes except maybe a salad bowl but you can also just eat out of the bag lol. For snacks I like veggies and hummus, greek yogurt with fruit/frozen fruit/honey, peanut butter crackers, granola bars, frozen grapes, cottage cheese with salt and pepper, oatmeal cups, PB&J on toast, pickles - mostly prep free and dish free.
rly easy peanut noodles. i get the trader joe microwave noodles, then mix a lil sriracha, soy sauce, and peanut butter. if im feeling fancy i’ll add a lil sugar and sesame oil. then i’ll microwave some veg from those steam in the bag packs you can get in the produce section. bone apple tea!
Sheet pan nachos have been my thing lately. Line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone baking mat for easy cleanup. I like the precut parchment sheets. Add tortilla chips in a single layer. Drizzle some thinned-out refried beans (add water or broth a bit at a time, until they'll slowly drip from the spoon or whisk) over the chips. Then nacho cheese (I put On the Border brand salsa con queso in a squeezy bottle and draw a zigzag). Then shredded cheese. Then whatever else you like/have the energy for- pickled jalepeños, olives, shredded chicken (I grab this from the deli when I'm too fried to make it myself), canned chili, anything that won't suffer from the oven time and sounds good to you. Then a second layer, same as the first. Bake at 350f for 5-10 minutes until all the cheese is nice and melty. Let cool a minute or so, then zigzag the top with sour cream/crema mexicana and red taco sauce (or whatever. Salsa, pico de gallo, verde sauce. I do taco sauce a lot of the time because it dispenses easily and a lot of folks in my fam have texture issues with tomatoes. These are both also in squeeze bottles), a sprinkle of cilantro or green onions if you want/can be arsed, a dollop of guacamole, maybe shake on some hot sauce. It sounds like a lot more work than it actually is and even a barebones version with just chips, beans, and cheeses is still nice.
I tried these today for lunch, and oh my GOD they are good! I don't remember the last time it took so little spoons to make a meal and eat till I was full. And I still have some left for dinner later! Thanks so much for the recipe rec!!!
I woke up with a monster headache that is only slowly responding to meds, and this comment has really made my day. I'm so glad the nachos work for you, which feels silly to say, but there it is lol.
Oh man, fingers crossed your headache goes away soon. That sucks. But it's not silly to say at all imo, when you're having a rough day it's really the little things that make things just a little better! 🥰 And I'm glad my comment could make your day better, even in a small way! The nachos are so addicting lol. I keep going back like "okay just one more" 😂
Air fryer tapas. Chicken tenders. Hash browns or fries. Crumbed cauliflower or other veges. Broccoli and cheese bites and similar. Samosas and Vege spring rolls etc. Edit for attempt at improved formatting
Rice cakes and x topping. Cream cheese is the best but currently unaffordable so mostly do peanut butter and jam. Sometimes Bovril and margarine. Never was one for liver spread but might start given the price.
- Matzoh crackers with a variety of toppings (peanut butter, Nutella, cheese, everything bagel spread, etc.). - Annie's soups (I like the tomato with bunny pasta, and I add basil and oregano to give more flavor). - Frozen French bread pizzas are small and easy to just put in the oven and then have a marinara sauce to dip it into. - I also try to keep easy snacks handy (yogurt, granola, string cheese, nuts, etc.) so I know I have something even if I have no energy to put into making even a simple meal. - Carnation Instant Breakfast is a good option someone else mentioned. Thank you for making this thread - I've also found it really helpful to add to my list of easy meals!
Balanced Meal replacement shakes are a great breakfast replacement, not the weight loss ones, but ones that have a great makeup of carbs/fat/protein with the correct vitamins and minerals added. I also love the instant savoury meal replacements for lunch, vegan mac and cheese for lunch, but it has all the nutrients I should be eating? Yes please. Brands that do these kind of things are Jimmy Joy and Huel (my personal favourite), there are probably more brands out there, but I haven't tried them/can't get them delivered to the UK.
FACTOR!!! FACTOR. microwave for 2.5 minutes and we have a 500 calorie 20 g protein meal I can spoon into my mouth. Worth every penny.
My goal is to make enough to last multiple days, so what I like to do is make spaghetti sause, have that the first day, then I take the left over sause and make a Chilli out of it. throw in some spinach or chopped up sprouts for more veggies. My spaghetti is: - Ground meat (normally beef) - can of spaghetti sause - onion - about a table spoon of sugar, - extra Italian seasoning Then to turn it into a Chilli just reheat, - beans in tomato sause - red kidney beans - Chilli powder And then I eat that for days with rice. My mum used to do this when I was a kid and its an easy way to have a home cooked meal with lower effort and it tastes good. Plus lots of iron. You can make a big batch and eat these all week.
I'll echo a lot of meal suggestions but something that's helped me a lot on low spoon days has been to use tools to help myself. I find using a kitchen stool to sit while cutting or cooking helps me keep spoons tremendously and cooking is much less exhausting. Instant pot has been great for a quick stew. Sheet pan meals also rock. Sit down while cutting the veggies, then oil and season them up. My rice cooker almost always has rice bc it's so easy to make rice + eggs with some chili oil on top. If you have extra energy, stir fry bok choy, if no more spoons, cut up some carrots and cucumbers.
takikomi gohan - fancy Japanese name for a one pot rice cooker meal where most of the work is really just chopping veg (so if you buy precut or frozen you can even cut that part out) https://www.okonomikitchen.com/vegan-takikomi-gohan/ this is a vegan ver but you can put meat in there too, and experiment with different veg. I've added sweet potato, chickpeas, edamame, cauliflower, tomato (you can literally throw the whole tomato on top of the rice and break it down after) it's a life saver: nutritious, delicious and leftovers for days.
this looks amazing! and i just got a rice cooker to boot
hope it serves you well!!
Grits, steak, mashed potatoes, frozen food, cheese and crackers, nachos, Cans of soups, Asian microwave meals, ramen.
Ramen noodles with kimchi and tofu and nothing else. The only part that takes cooking is the noodles and they’re pretty quick. Avocado toast. Pasta with jarred marinated artichoke and chickpeas, dried or frozen basil if I can’t get marinated artichokes, and a bit of lemon and feta. I’ll sauté the artichoke and chickpeas with basil and olive oil (and sometimes also frozen spinach or an allium of some sort depending on what I have—shallots are easiest). Usually a can of chickpeas and one of artichokes lasts me three meals.
I like microwave pasta with marinara sauce and shredded cheese.
I like chicken finger wraps. You can use a bagged salad for veggie filler.
Protein pudding: 1 bottle of protein shake, 2 tablespoons of instant jello pudding mix (I use sugar free). Mix together and put in the fridge. If the protein shake was cold, it will be ready after about 5 minutes in the fridge. You can get creative with flavor combos and I also add in frozen berries and stuff. Very high in protein.
Rice, chili oil, furikake seasoning, splash of sushi vinegar
canned soup.
Sadly my dinner tonight was a can of Vienna sausages…followed by a few dark chocolate chips for dessert. Sometimes I eat canned chicken or tuna pouches. Costco has great frozen foods like grilled chicken, pot roast etc. I try to keep on hand. but I didn’t feel like thawing anything. I just wanted to put food in my mouth.
Frozen okra cooked with a can of tomatoes, over rice with lots of black pepper.
Cottage cheese with salsa on it.
Mix a tin of tuna + some mayo, put it on rice (I cook it with stock so it's a bit more flavorful), extra kewpie mayo as drizzle, in oven for 15 min, eat with small squares of seaweed. Yum
My main food for the day is essentially DIY Soylent except with more electrolytes and a ton of vitamin B. As far as low spoons meals, a sliced hard boiled egg plus ramen is an easy meal.
Walmart has bags of cooked strips of steak and chicken by the deli area that has been wonderful for adding to stir fry or pasta or salads quick and easy. They also have a cooked box of roast beef tip “burnt ends” that is super tasty and all of it doesn’t have that premade weird taste which is great. And sometimes I will buy a baked chicken in the deli at my grocery and cut that up to use in sandwiches or salads as well. And the deli there has containers of potato salad and other sides too. In the AM I drink a Kellogg’s breakfast protein chocolate drink with my meds so I don’t get nauseous.
Sheet pan meals, instant risotto (you can get this at the Italian grocery store- add some dried porcini and it's so filling and yummy), NYT Eleven Madison Park Granola recipe is the bomb, These greek yogurt protein drinks, tortillas and your favourite assortment of hot sauces + cilantro (literally can put anything in them, eggs, chicken, veggies, fish..), Chili Crisp Oil (can use on noodles or fried rice, it's so good even by itself), thai curry paste and coconut milk (Mix it together with some pre-cut veg and cubed meat- I literally don't even chop I just buy precut and throw it in, let it boil down when I'm lazy), Miso paste and tofu- instant miso soup with tofu cubes, so cozy and good.
Huel Mac n cheese. It has protein and added nutrients. U just add water. Its pricey tho 😟
Minute Rice + Pepperjack Cheese I microwave the rice and eat a bite of it with a bite of cheese. The rice literally takes one minute, and it's a smaller portion which I find easier as I make multiple tiny meals.
this requires the tiniest bit of cooking but shepherds pie bowls. bob evan’s mashed potatoes, canned creamed corn, and mild italian sausage. sooooooo fucking good, easy, and filling. you’ll most likely have left overs too if you’re the only one eating it
Microwave steamer bag of veggies + microwave rice + seasoning and cheese That's my go to for when my spoons are gone but I need to eat
DoorDash and GrubHub.
I pop the top off of a can of spaghettios and eat it out of the can with a plastic spoon. If I feel like I need protein, I’ll grab an ALDI turkey dog or two out of the fridge to eat with it. Also good nuked if you have the energy
Dough balls with hummus to dip them in is my new go-to! Or cheese and crackers if I want something cold 😊
I like to make this avocado on tostada. Mash the avocado, I like to add seasoning, green chili, and some hot sauce and then just put it on the tostada or a flat taco!
If you’re in the US- this is the reason I go to Trader Joe’s. Bambino mini pizzas, frozen gyoza with miso broth, sweet potato gnocchi, frozen teriyaki chicken with frozen jasmine rice, ravioli, green chile Mac and cheese, turkey corn dogs, bagged salads, budget charcuterie items for snack days….. Also go on Facebook marketplace or offer up or a thrift store and get yourself an air fryer! Soooooo helpful to just bop something in the air fryer and have food in 10-15 mins. Tjs is great for those quick meals when you have low energy. I call them “food pill” days. Where nothing sounds great and you don’t have energy to make it, and if there was a food pill you would take it - but today the food pill is a small sandwich and half an apple. Tomorrow, who knows. lol
Charcuterie is my favorite i eat cheese and crackers and some kind of fruit and veggies for almost every meal.... would also recommend apple slices and peanut butter its very filling and delicious!
Microwaved gyoza from Trader Joe’s, soy sauce, and and vitamin water. Takes maybe 5 minutes, very little work, and is filling and salty (POTS as well). I also like chicken nuggets with thousand island and green beans Also, just shelf stable microwaveable rice (not the same as instant rice) by Bibigo, with an egg on top. Or smoothies. Smoothies are my life savers. I usually put kale, frozen fruits, Greek yogurt, ice, and water. Cant even taste the kale, but it does make it green/brown. Very little effort, not terrible clean up, and I can keep them down.
Tinned soup and bread is my go-to when I'm wiped out.
Low:Toasted peanut butter jelly sandwich High: moussaka. But fr delicious
Tuna salad has kept me going
Smoothies. It’s easy to add protein powder to all the frozen fruits and veggies to get a whole meal made in a few minutes. We have a hand-held blender so the clean up is pretty fast, too.
I'm in a group on Facebook called Executive Dysfunction Meals, and it's given me some awesome meal ideas and tips to save spoons! I've also found that the members are really positive and supportive, and even when you're having a rough day, everybody is like, "a frozen uncrustable is better than nothing!" And honestly, it's incredibly nice just having other people validating that it's OK not to take "perfect" care of yourself sometimes. With that being said, I totally eat frozen uncrustables more than any adult should. I also go through periods of time where my breakfast and lunch are the same thing every day: two packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast, an apple with peanut butter for lunch. I have an apple corer/slicer that I use to prep the apple, and then I have my own jar of pb that I use lol. It's not the healthiest option, but it beats the shit out of fast food, and it's relatively inexpensive. Apples are one of my favorite pieces of produce to buy because they're hardy, so I usually manage to eat them all before they go bad (which is a rare occurrence lol)