Emergency Eats
How to feed yourself when you're struggling — and why you should anyway.
As you may or may not have noticed, there was no newsletter last Friday; sorry about that.
Sometimes, my priorities shift at a moment’s notice. Last week I had to meet an important deadline and put the energy that typically goes into this newsletter into that instead. Far less fun, but needs must.
A bad pain flare-up, burnout, an unexpected injury or illness, a challenging period of mental health, executive dysfunction, an overwhelming busy work and/or personal life, or any and all of the above can make feeding ourselves seem like a monumental task.
None of us are immune to life’s troubles, but food is still — and always will be — vital. It can be easy to believe that we can scrape by on iced coffee and the last handful of stale pretzels at the bottom of the bag, but I know from plenty of personal experience that is simply not true.
We all deserve nourishment and care. Food not only provides the fuel we need to get through the day, but also satisfies cravings, connects us to our communities and loved ones, and offers emotional fulfillment. When we forgo food, it is significantly more difficult to find that overall balance again.
This week, I’m sharing what happens when food is shoved down the priority list and what I (try) to do to counter it.
Prep ahead
If you have the time and resources, prepping ahead saves the brain space of deciding what to cook and eat (and everything else that comes along with it) when there is simply no space left to spare in your brain.
Keep an easily accessible personalized roster of make-ahead snack and meal ideas, including prepped ingredients like sauces and pre-chopped produce, as well as full meals you can stick in the slow-cooker or oven when it’s time.
Chili, stews, pasta bakes, roasts, and casseroles are all excellent choices and nearly every recipe website or YouTube will offer dozens of options:
Banchan by Maangchi
For more details about this, check out this forum thread, or this blog post from Korean Food Lifestyle
In my last newsletter, I shared how I sketch out a weekly menu to reduce both decision fatigue and food waste. Here’s a few more ideas from me to you:
My roasted vegetable sauce is perfect for freezing
Meal templates
Having a well-stocked pantry is key to pulling together meals with as little stress as possible, but so is having some simple, standard combinations that you know you like.
For me, this includes:
Pasta, a protein, and roasted vegetables with garlic, lemon, and chili flakes
A roasted protein and potatoes
A protein cooked in jarred curry sauce, and rice or frozen naan
Rice bowls (bibimbap, Sweetgreen-esque grain bowls, etc.)
Stuffed peppers
Shakshuka
Stir fry with rice or noodles
Pasta with ragu
One-pot chicken and rice
These are vague on purpose; all these meal combinations are extremely flexible and can be mixed and matched with whatever I have on hand. The most important part is I don’t have to think about how they are combined.
For more meal ideas, check out Nutrition by Kylie, a registered dietician sharing and realistic nutrition tips.
Cheap & cheerful
Prepping ahead is not always feasible. Time constraints, fridge and freezer space, and simply accounting for the mental load of preparing to prepare can all be considerable roadblocks. Many households across America also struggle with extremely limited budgets and food insecurity.
Two of my favorite resources for accessible meals are Leanne Brown’s cookbook Good and Cheap and Jack Monroe’s recipe blog, Cooking On a Bootstrap.
Good and Cheap is available via a free PDF, and has been translated into Spanish (also free)! It was created when Brown was a food studies master’s student at NYU and was designed specifically for those living off SNAP/food stamp benefits.
Similarly, Monroe has experienced homelessness, single parenthood, and living both at and under the poverty line. Although the blog hasn’t been updated in a while, there are still 10 full years of recipes to explore.
June Xie from Delish has a whole YouTube playlist for cooking on a budget, including living off leftovers and ingredients from a food pantry.
The YouTube channel Struggle Meals also has more than 300 recipes and ideas for cost-saving kitchen inspiration.
Lastly, if you feel like going vintage, check out Great Depression Cooking hosted by the late Clara Cannucciari for both low-cost recipes and a unique first-person historical account.
Almost instant
When your usual food habits are thrown off balance, it can be tough to prioritize nutrition, but keeping fuel under your fire is still important.
An example of a near-instant (15 minutes or less) day of meals can look like this:
Breakfast: Pancake batter from a squeeze bottle with frozen fruit and Greek yogurt on top
Lunch: Jarred sauce over pasta and a pre-made bagged side salad, or boxed mac and cheese with frozen peas and kimchi
Dinner: Trader Joe’s frozen orange chicken, microwave rice, and a frozen vegetable medley
Snacks: Rice cakes with peanut butter or hummus; pickles directly from the jar; Stuff In a Tortilla; deconstructed sandwich/charcuterie board; protein/granola bars
When I can’t manage to pull out a single pot, I certainly will not be turning on my oven. At most, I may have the energy to cook an egg or two. Other acceptable appliances are the microwave and the toaster; the blender is often a stretch.
You may be built different (or have access to a toaster oven or an air fryer), so your individual mileage will likely vary.
However, as per registered dietician Abbey Sharp’s signature Hunger Crushing Combo (HCC), I still try to aim for meals or snacks that hit three major nutritional values: protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
Below is a list of my go-to “instant” foods, categorized based on the HCC compounds for your convenience. When I am in the pits of a depressive episode or dragging myself through deadlines, a haphazard combination of these options is enough to get me through.
And if you need even more ideas, Victor of Internet Shaquille has a great video of what he eats when he has zero energy, an empty fridge, and no recipes.
Protein
Eggs - any format is fine, but scrambled eggs are often the quickest, and if you have a good non-stick pan, there is minimal washing up afterward
I have also microwaved scrambled eggs many times
Grocery store rotisserie chicken, frozen grilled chicken strips or nuggets - toss into salad, pasta, rice, or eat with your hands
Canned fish - a can of tuna mixed with a dollop of Kewpie mayo, scooped onto crackers, bread, toast, or eaten straight
Bone broth - if you’re cooking pasta or rice, add in or replace the water with bone broth (or enriched vegetable broth for fiber)
Cold cuts - ham, turkey, salami, etc. alongside a random assortment of cheese, crackers, and whatever produce is available
Fiber
Pre-cut produce
Most grocery stores will have large prepared fruit or vegetable trays
For vegetables, add your dip(s) of choice for extra satiety, nutrition, texture, and flavor
For fruit, you can also go for handheld options like apples, clementines, bananas, or grapes
Cereal - add milk for a little extra protein
Oatmeal
Applesauce
Popcorn
Healthy fats
Cheese - my favorite is cheddar cubes, but I am also partial to string cheese à la the lunchboxes of my childhood.
If you enjoy cottage cheese, that’s also a good high-protein option!
Avocado - I am not a fan of avocado on its own, but enjoy it in smoothies or a super quick chocolate mousse
High-quality extra-virgin olive oil - not a meal component as such, but adds necessary calories, fat, and flavor when drizzled over pasta, soup, toast, vegetables, sauces, etc.
Triple/double threats
Peanut butter - on crackers, toast, rice cakes, celery sticks, or straight from the jar
Hummus - same as peanut butter!
Smoothies (depending on what you add) - I wrote a whole thing about this here!
Instant noodles (same as smoothies!) - I also wrote another whole thing about this here!
Whole Greek yogurt - stir in some frozen fruit or a spoonful of jam, drizzle over some honey, and sprinkle whatever nuts/seeds/granola you have in the back of the cupboard
Canned soup & canned or frozen vegetables - this did a ton of heavy lifting for me when I was in college
Frozen dumplings - depends on the type of filling you have, but most dumplings include some form of protein and a mix of vegetables
Microwave lentils - very high in protein and fiber, and is often pre-seasoned
Canned beans - add to a can of soup, a bowl of pasta, a tortilla with some cheese, etc.
‘What makes your tummy happy?’
Ever since I was a child, the first thing to go when I experienced emotional dysregulation was my appetite. I would often refuse to eat and my parents would proffer all manner of options to try to get me out of my funk.
When the usual offerings ran out and I still sat stonily at the table, my mom would ask, “What would make your tummy happy?”
It was simple, but very effective, allowing my little brain to zero in on exactly what would help me feel better in that moment. Typically the answer was grilled cheese with a can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, or a fried egg sandwich with plenty of butter.
Oftentimes, our bodies will tell us exactly what we need, whether it’s a particular nutrient or a meal that brings that little bit of comfort. Try asking yourself and just take a moment to listen.
As an adult, this question still helps me when I’m out of sorts. Although a grilled cheese and a can of soup may not solve all my problems anymore, it’s a start.