If you’re like me, you’ve found yourself two weeks into isolation and already burnt out from cooking every meal at home. How could this happen so fast? I really enjoy cooking, but fast forward several days and all I wanted was to eat out, or at the least, get take out or delivery. We’ve definitely been grabbing to go food from our favorite places to save our sanity and it’s been nice to be able to support local businesses at the same time. That said, we’re only doing that occasionally so I’ve brainstormed some ways to help us get through this challenging time and avoid burnout as much as possible. I hope that this may help you as well and am sending you all my best for staying safe and healthy!
Don’t overthink it. My number one strategy is to keep things simple and as healthy as possible and do your best. Many grocery stores are low on stock so don’t sweat it if you can’t find your favorite organic veggies or fruit. We’re not aiming for perfection here, just trying to get in as much nutrient density as possible, while keeping stress levels manageable. Remember that even a perfect diet can’t compensate for out of control stress.
Prep. Prep on weekends or whatever your day off is so that work days aren’t spent worrying about what to cook. Again, keep is simple. Make an oatmeal bake or egg muffin cups that last throughout the week for breakfasts. Become best friends with your freezer. Make stir fry packs – gallon size freezer bags of chopped veggies with garlic and ginger – that you can whip out and throw in a pan with some protein and a few seasonings. Same idea with smoothie packs – chop fruit into individual portion sizes with a handful of spinach and store in freezer bags. When you need a quick lunch, pull one out, chuck in your blender, add milk and a healthy fat (avocado, nut butter), and you have a healthy, balanced meal. Another strategy is to prep ingredients which you can use to assemble really quick nourish bowls throughout the week. Great for lunches or dinners. Aim for a complex carb, protein, fat, and veggies. Bonus points if you throw a fermented item on top. For example, roasted sweet potato, chicken, avocado, arugula, and sauerkraut. You can also prep a few sides ahead to go along with main dishes, like a hearty kale salad, roasted potatoes, or quinoa, all of which keep well in the fridge for several days.
Stock your pantry. Pasta, jarred tomatoes, canned artichokes and zucchini, sardines, tuna, dried and canned chickpeas, olive oil, vinegars, rice, and flours can all come together as quick pasta dishes and salads. Have a favorite salad dressing on hand that can double as a protein marinade.
Do Dinner Prep at Lunchtime. I keep finding myself too tired at 6pm after the workday has ended to plan and execute dinner. I’ve found that if I take 15 minutes to organize myself and do a little prep work on my lunch break, dinner comes together quicker and with much less dread and stress. For example, throw 4 sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven at noon for an hour and prep your chicken cutlets with egg wash and coconut flakes so they can go straight in the pan for browning after work. Add a side salad and you’ve got a meal.
Save Eggs for Later. Eggs are easily one of the most nutritious and versatile proteins out there. They have about 6 grams of protein each and contain choline, an essential nutrient. Most of us reach for eggs for breakfast, but if you have other options like the smoothie packs, I like saving the eggs for meals later in the day when we’re likely to be tired and just having something warm that cooks up in a matter of a couple of minutes feels like such a relief.
The main ideas here are to keep it simple, lower your expectations, plan a little ahead and take the guess work out, utilize short cuts, and give yourself some grace. These are all strategies that you can utilize outside of isolation too to help manage a hectic lifestyle but still make sure you and your family are eating foods that are balanced and nutritious.
