Avoiding Kitchen Burnout: Getting Healthy Meals on the Table Without Cooking
Use These Methods to Avoid Turning to Fast Food When You're Sick of the Kitchen
If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know I’m a meal prep girlie. There’s just something about knowing my meal is going to taste phenomenal, I know all the ingredients used, and did I mention it tastes phenomenal? But—there’s always a “but,” right? But I’d be lying if I didn’t say there weren’t some days where I just didn’t feel like setting foot in my kitchen. I mean, the thought alone of peeling and chopping vegetables would be exhausting for me—I had to figure something out, and fast!
Initially, I fell into the trap of fast food, and I mean the no-so-healthy menu items. It was just quicker for everything going on with me at the time. However, when things slowed down, I was able to really sit down and come up with a plan of easy go-tos on those days when I didn’t feel like cooking. If it helped me, it can help you too. Here’s what I did and currently do.
Stock Up On Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
I can say I used to be one of those who wasn’t necessarily against frozen veggies, but I certainly preferred fresh fruits and vegetables. I pretty much just got tired of wasting food. I’d buy fresh zucchini and squash or green beans, throw them in my crisper, and when I was finally ready to cook them, they were mush—what a waste. After a few months of that, I said, “No more.”
From that point on, I stocked up on frozen fruits and vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I still would buy fresh produce, but I wouldn’t buy it in bulk like I used to. And the funny thing I didn’t realize is that frozen produce is just as nutritious as fresh produce because they’re frozen at their peak of freshness, plus, they’re already prepped and cut! Just throw the bag in the microwave or simmer on the stove, and voila! You’ve got veggies in a matter of minutes!
Stock Up on Easy-to-Prepare Proteins
No time to marinate? Forgot to pull the chicken breasts out the freezer to defrost this morning? These were all scenarios that made me seek a 10-piece nugget meal at McDonalds (and I don’t want to hear anything bad about McDonalds—I like them!) But they’re definitely not the healthiest meal alternative.
Through time constraints and meal preparation errors, I slowly discovered the beauty of rotisserie chickens from the deli, canned beans, and store-bought hard-boiled eggs. Now, I knew these products existed, but I was so caught up in preparing chicken myself, boiling eggs for salad myself, and overall, doing everything myself, that I forgot that the convenience of these grocery store items were specifically put on shelves for the very convenience I needed. I had to get it out of my head that buying these pre-prepared items was “cheating,” because they’re not.
Keep a Few Frozen Meals in Your Freezer
I will say, with certain frozen meals, the calories are pretty low and the grams of protein are high, but it’s the high sodium you have to be mindful of, so use your own discretion in that area, especially if you are managing high blood pressure. All I’m saying is to not count them out of your meals. Frozen meals are perfect for those evenings you don’t feel like cooking, and they make excellent grab-and-go meals when you don’t have time to pack a lunch or go somewhere on your lunch break. Some of them are actually pretty tasty. I tend to lean more toward the pasta meals.
Build Your Salads From a Bag
Again, I chose to make life harder for myself because I had to chop the lettuce and other veggies I wanted, myself. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with premade salad kits or the toppings that come with them! I would prepare a salad kit and top it with meat I pulled off a rotisserie chicken I bought; I’ll pull a few pieces of frozen strawberries out the bag and let them thaw out to put on top of my salad; and I’d take a can of chickpeas and rinse them off to add to my salad as well. These homemade salads have been so flavorful, and even better than some restaurants I’ve been to!
My Take
I want to let it be known that I still love cooking and prepping my meals; I even still like doing it the “hard” way with chopping all my fruits and veggies. However, I no longer limit myself to only prepping me meals that way. Now, I incorporate convenience too. I may prep a couple of home-cooked meals for the week, but you better believe I’ll be having a frozen lasagna for lunch one day and a bagged salad for dinner a couple of nights.
The main thing to remember is that being on a weight loss journey is hard as it is. There’s no need to complicate things or overwhelm yourself with trying to create perfect home-cooked meals every day. There are several pre-prepared foods that are not only convenient but perfectly healthy as well.
More Health News
Healthy Eating Simplified: Why Meal Prepping Is a Game Changer. Learn More
When Giving Up Is Not an Option: Frustrations of Weight Loss and How to Handle Them. Learn More
Red Flags You’re Losing Weight Too Fast. Learn More