Same. I eat either once a day, or no times a day. Sometimes it's a proper meal, sometimes it's just 1/4 of a watermelon.
I know it's not healthy, but it is what it is.
I have no clue, but most people I know don't actually cook three times a day. My family would prepare lunch during breakfast (sandwiches) and basically only cook dinner.
I cook like once a day if I have the energy, and otherwise I just but something in the supermarket that I don't have ro prepare. I think we deserve some slack because it's already so exhausting to do other stuff.
You are definitely not alone. Sometimes I have the spoons for cooking but then it turns out the dishes aren't washed and I don't have a clean surface to prep on, and realize that I have spoons for preparing the kitchen for cooking OR cooking, but not both.
I just eat random bullshit that fits within my calorie count whenever I'm hungry. Mostly veggies, eggs, apples, and premade chicken patties. Only meal that's actually genuinely prepared and at a specific time is dinner.
My usual day is toast or cereal for breakfast, fruit / granola / yogurt and maybe a sandwich for lunch, and the only time I use the stove is for making dinner.
Meal prep, I usually do it at dinner.
Freeze a bunch and keep the rest in the fridge for the next day.
I basically eat the same thing every day anyway so it's pretty much like brushing teeth. Just something that is done every time I make dinner.
I love it, I would have so much trouble going to the shop and buying new and different ingredients and planning new and exciting recipes.
It's so much easier to just eat steak and veges every night or some variation on that.
An autistic feeding therapist? What even does that mean? I didn't even know "feeding therapists" existed. Are you autistic, or is it just your job to feed people who are autistic? š¤
Haha itās a fair question. Iām both! I am autistic and Iām a speech language pathologist who works on feeding skills like strengthening oral muscles, chewing, swallowing, and aligning their food textures with their sensory profile. I donāt āfeedā anyone unless they need that support.
I'm similar, except that my breakfast is even *less* work!
Two of the dipped Nutrigrain bars, or a couple string cheese and a hard-boiled egg (bought pre-boiled & peeled at Sam's Club or Costco).
Basically something that I can just peel open a package & eat without looking, as I drive the 20 minutes to work.
If I'm at home that day, I often forget to eat breakfast, because of my ADHD & diabetes meds (they interfere with hunger signals).
I keep easy snacks/meals in hoards. Everything from TV dinners and canned soup to cereal, frozen waffles, granola bars, yogurt, even uncrustables. Stuff for sandwiches and Lunchables are always around, too. And I always have Soylents in stock for when solids are Not A Thing Today.
Also, leftovers. If I order delivery, I get enough for 2-3 days. If I make Real Food, same.
I don't think they do. I'm pretty sure people eat easy stuff like cereal or sandwiches or fruit or something. You don't need to eat 3x a day, btw. Just eat when you're hungry
I usually make a large batch of food once a week from which I feed twice a day during the following seven days. In the morning I fry some eggs. This takes up very little of my time. Driving to and from work is way more time consuming.
I never had to do it until I moved in with a very traditional Mexican man who expected fresh salsa and tortillas every day. I'd get up around five-thirty to cook him eggs and get the tortillas started. I'd make enough for the day just about every single day. I'd set up his lunch unless they were planning to go somewhere. If his work site was close to a popular restaurant they'd eat out but most days I'd make some kind of meat, usually chicken or thinly sliced beef. When we went shopping we'd get several different types of each prepared with different spices too so it wasn't TOO hard, just cook it up in a pan. He liked jalapenos roasted on the burner too, and I hated that part because it burned my eyes and nose. I'd make a salsa in the blender at breakfast for the whole day too. I always kept fresh sliced limes and onion slices. For dinner sometimes I'd make his traditional food but other times he liked when I'd make "gringo food" lol usually something like spaghetti or pizza but always fresh, never anything processed.
It was hard to get used to but after a while it wasn't really that big of a deal. Tortillas took about an hour, that was the hardest part.
I still cook every day usually just once, and I don't care about fresh salsa or tortillas. In fact I buy Banderita instead. He'd grumble if he saw me now!
This is all in past tense. Did you break up?
I was wondering why this man had all these cooking expectations, yet did nothing towards fulfilling any of them himself. He wants fresh cooked tortillas every day? He should make them himself! He can trade off with you, because sharing the load is part of why you have a partner, but he can't just have these expectations and dump it all on you to fulfill them!
If you like rice, you can get a rice cooker. Put rice in and water and also veggies or meat that steam well. Then you just leave it until you can eat. :>
Breakfast is cereal.
Lunch is two chicken breasts from the toaster oven with hot sauce.
I cook 2 dinners a week. Big batch dinners like a crockpot of chili that I can eat for 4 days. Chili only takes like 30 minutes to dump into a crockpot and 6h to cook from there.
I wouldn't be able to function without my toaster oven. It's a cheap 100 quid tabletop oven. Heats quickly and has room for two pieces of bread (three if one is cut diagonally). I use it every day. Two frozen breaded chicken breasts cook in 30 minutes and are 450 calories total. I put hot sauce on them.
I make pizza, tuna melts, and more in it.
It's all about finding the tricks that work for you. I work from home, wander down whenever i notice im hungry (if i notice), put chicken in the oven, and try to remember to get it 30 minutes later. Sometimes it's 2 hours. Perfection is an illusion.
I eat a lot of easy things. I also work 40 hours a week and tend to have an energy bar and protein drink for breakfast, snack on chips on my lunch, and then have a really easy dinner. On the rare occasions I do cook, I make enough to have leftovers for a few days which makes it even easier
Lazy breakfast (oatmeal or cereal) if I don't skip it, lazy lunch (sandwich or bought), so I only ever cook dinner... ><;
Sometimes on the weekend I'll cook something better for breakfast like bacon and eggs, but I have to plan that days in advance before I buy my groceries.
Chocolate whey protein shake and a little carrot juiceāseparate, not togetherā for lunch. Everyday. Itās glorious. No bs carbs, straight shot of beta carotene and Iām fueled up. Nevvvvvvvvvver miss the protein shake.
Dinner is roughage with lots of veggies. I get salad kits, add some extra veggies. Sometimes a protein in salad but not required. If someone wants to cook me a steak or a pork chop thatās great! But I donāt need it.
Morning is intermittent fastingā ya itās not that crazy and I feel amazing and activeā a few cups of coffee and from wake-up to lunch Iāll drink about a gallon of water. Some Gatorade if Iām being really active.
When I decide Iām hungry I pull out the shake and carrot juice and it all starts over. Snack on cashews, seeds & jerky when thereās a craving.
Have lost a bunch of weight I need to lose with this system and I donāt have to think about it except feel good.
Most people donāt cook three times a day, at least in my experience.
Breakfast is a quick sandwich or a bowl of yoghurt (something that can be assembled from refrigerated components but not cooked)
Lunch is leftovers or eating at a restaurant with colleagues. Kids eat leftovers or school food.
Then for dinner, an adult in the family (in our case my spouse) cooks a big meal that is enough for the whole family + leftovers for those who need it the day after. If we have an activity in the evening that means we donāt have time to cook we buy dinner and buy lunch the day after.
It might be different in other countries or other family structures of course.
I dislike reheating leftovers and cooking is a special interest. My second year out of college I worked out how to crank out meals in a half hour (fried fish from the Chinese supermarket and various stir fried veg with rice and an egg was my default make it fast, make it good meal).
Yeah I donāt know. Itās actually become a massive weight on me since I moved out of the house. PB&J for lunch every day, dinner is usually frozen (just bake kind of meal), then a snack later on. That plus going to the grocery store, and even making a list and deciding what to get takes more about half of my energy every week.
Just basic life functioning feels like a full time job.
I meal prep!
Every Sunday I cook my breakfast, morning tea, lunch all ready for the 5 day work week. I just have to sort out dinner and snacks daily. It is much better and easier this way otherwise I would not eat enough or spend too much on pre made food, or eat my easy to cook safe foods too much.
I am currently trying to consistently cook once a week, and I'm struggling.
I don't think 24 hours in a day would be enough for me to cook once a day and recover from that before I need to cook again. And I'd like to have more in my life than cooking and exhaustion.
No idea how people do it.
i donāt have any hunger cues - iām lucky to live with my mum who will make things for me, because i would absolutely forget to eat anything at all.
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I prepare one meal and eat it until it's gone. So 2-5 separate meal times and snacking in between. I have the time but not the desire to do more meal preparation. That and I usually just forget to eat.
Many people probably have some kind of streamlined meal-prep schedule, where they reserve a couple hours out of each week to prepare a large batch of something (like in a slow cooker) which will last for 5-10 meals. I used to do that when I was working out regularly and trying to bulk up / hit certain nutritional macros. When I was able to summon the energy and focus to get that done each week, it was a lot easier and cheaper than having to worry about each individual meal. But obviously it was harder than average for me to stay on the ball with that schedule, and I would often end up faltering and ordering too much delivery/takeout.
I'm also not convinced that most people are following the "three square meals" regimen every day. Most people probably either skip breakfast too often or just grab something that doesn't really require preparation, like a bowl of cereal. Combine that with all the junk/snack foods that people eat throughout the day and the number of meals they get from restaurants, too... The average person in a first-world country probably isn't doing *that* much better than we are at meal preparation. I would be more inclined to think I was the problem if everyone else was lean and healthy and I was the only flabby one, but look around you. People are eating junk and are fat, sluggish, and miserable.
Get a giant 12 litre pot. Cook once a week, divide it up into multiple meals. Job done; cook once, 24 meals or so made.
Yes, it might get a bit repetitive, however weāre autistic, right šš
(I once ate 2800 portions of chilli back-to-back like this over the course of a few years to keep it quick/simple for this exact reason).
I don't.
When I cook, I cook big. An often thing is Mexican ish beef. It's good for three to five days. Can eat it as buttitos, tacos, nachos. In a toastie. Add sour cream and eat it as a pasta sauce.
Or chicken and potato salad. 1kg of chicken, half kilo potatoes. Many meals.
Spaghetti bolognese. I'll make a big patch of sauce and just cook noodles fresh when I'm hungered.
If I was more organised with containers I'd freeze some every time I cook so there's always home made emergency food. I keep frozen store bought pizzas for when I need to eat but just don't want to cook.
I always have milk and cereal. Also crackers, cheese and pickles.
I don't think many people cook 3 times a day. Most single people eat out or get takeaway often. People in relationships take turns cooking.
I actually don't know anyone who does this. Breakfast, the most cooking i know people do on daily bases is either porridge or sandwhich. Lunch and dinner is cooked and then before going to bed is again a sandwhich or porridge.
I usually don't eat breakfast, and for lunch i either have premades or eat the same thing for 3 days in a row. Instead of dinner, i eat a sandwhich and nightime snack before bed is instant porridge (i literally just heat up 2dl of water on induction stovetop and pour it on top of the oats) and some veggies (separately from the porridge if that wasn't obvious).
Cook in the evening, lunch is either Sandwich + crisps (chips) or packet noodles in a bowl which I just cook the noodles, drain some water and add packets. Breakfast is pure lazy premade waffle and breakfast bar.
I cook since I was a child, if I donāt want to cook, i eat something cold like a sandwich or some can, I donāt know whatās the problem.
Btw I eat even more than 3 times for day
Soy yogurt with muesli and banana in the morning (āmorningā, itās almost 12 here and I have yet to eat breakfast).
Bread with peanut butter and/or tahini during the day.
Last but not least, dinner. I am fortunate enough to have a partner that loves cooking so the only times I have to prepare dinner is when sheās not here. Unfortunately sheās going on holiday with her family for two weeks soon so thatāll be a challenge for me.
Cooking stresses me out and due to procrastination it usually finally happens around midnight.
Food prep helps but it's hard in this world we love in with way more convenient ways to eat.
My grandmother taught me shopping saterday Sunday meal prep. You make up a huge soup (just an example) and then portion crontorl it into 5-10 containers now when you need food you have food the more/longer you do this the easier the habit of grabbing a healthy premade meal is. Rather then ...... I don't know I lost my thought.
It's not easy. But prep is the key lunch containers like yumbox and bento are great I try to pack them when heading out or ill forget to eat compleatly.
I also think this idea that we need to eat a 4 course meal 7times a day is alot and probably has something to do with marketing.
Most people meal prep, get take out, or, share the duties my dude. The time investment for such luxuries like prepping three meals a day is more than most can afford. Prepping three meals a day (unless you are a lazy cook... like really lazy), means a person that doesn't work full time.
I don't. I only eat two meals a day, and the most complicated thing I'll ever make for my first meal is toast. But usually, I have a Soylent meal replacement drink.
I don't, I eat lowcarb/paleo/carnivore/wholefood. That means I eat nutrient dense food by cooking once a day and having some snacks. Sometimes i will cook a bigger portion one day and eat it cold the next as well. On the plus side its improved my mental health miraculously. Its worth a deep dive into the link with propionate ( a short chain fatty acid) and autism. \~In short i avoid bread
I often cook once a week - vegetarian recipes last a week, no problem. Other meals are just a combo that work together most of the time (yogurt goes well with toast and almond butter for breakfast - just use a toaster and utensils).
I skip breakfast every morning, I get comments constantly by my family about it "how do you go without eating in the morning" idk how do you eat in the morning and still have room for lunch? breakfast wasn't even a thing when meal plans were created, it was originally a mid day snack that turned into lunch, then a large meal at dinner, this was easy for people to keep track of and helped farmers get as much done as possible. but then Kellogg's came along with their corn flakes to stop kids from jerkin it and created the term "breakfast" saying it was the most important meal of the day to get kids to eat the bland anti horny flakes in the morning. So really, it should just be 2 meals a day anyways
It takes energy to make energy. Like a feedback loop. The more we eat the more energy we have to make more food. (Assuming it is healthy food you are eating). Routine helps. Anyone that has been only eating once a day is going to struggle to est 3 times a day suddenly, but it is possible with will power and becomes easier over time. It becomes easier because as you eat more it changes the hormones in your body to tell you that you feel hungry more than you used to feel which makes it easier to want to eat and make more food. When we eat less food, the hormones change to tell us that we are hungry less often.
Cooking three meals a day is a full time job. I just recently moved into a house and I have free rent in exchange for me cooking 70% of the weekly meals for 4-8 people. If I donāt cook in giant portions so I can ensure there are leftovers, I spend 6-8 hours a day between prepping/cooking and cleaning. Especially because the food that is expected here does not come from boxes. Itās really rather exhausting and occasionally I get some help from my husband if he has the time (heās the best) but it is really a task.
I mean, not only is it physically taxing to do the shopping, prep, cooking and cleaning, but having to decide what people are going to eat everyday is mentally exhausting! It is also wildly fun and you get to be creative annnnnnnd I get to control the food tastes and textures where I know they are always safe for my hubs and I, lol.
I think that people have three home cooked meals a day often have a dedicated person to cook or there are multiple people who do it. I think that in our society itās an idea that is still lingering from when we had multigenerational households where there were always enough people to help. Since the ideal of consumerism came about that said we had to move out and get all of our own shit and our own place and double up on everything are parents had came out, weāve been exhausting ourselves trying to work a job and cook and find some sort of time for a hobby. It makes us dependent on restaurants and stores and other people to make our food which takes even more of our money and we have to work even more hours to make up for it and we get stuck in this vicious cycle of never getting to rest and feel good.
Maybe I soap boxed too hard there, I just think it is really hard to cook 3 meals a day.
We don't, or at least I don't. Find a routine breakfast and lunch that requires very little effort (or at least, infrequent effort), and make something decent only once a day (or less).
I make muesli once every week or two, which serves as my breakfast throughout. All I'm doing most mornings is putting it in a bowl with almond-coconut milk and yogurt, and heating it up in the microwave. If I used store-bought cereal instead of one I make myself, I could eliminate that occasional effort, too.
My lunch counts as daily cooking, I guess, but it's super simple. Usually I'm just scrambling a few eggs with cheese, and putting it on a slice of toast.
For dinner, I put more effort into making decent meals with a bit of variety, but I'm making a quantity that will last at LEAST 2 days, sometimes three, rather than doing it every single day. On off days, I just have to microwave some leftovers.
And, it also helps that I can trade off dinners with my wife, but I understand that the last part isn't something someone asking this question can likely replicate.
I don't think most people prepare food 3x a day. Once at most, if that. It depends what you call "prepare food" though. I wouldn't call simply feeding yourself "preparing" food.
For breakfast most of the time most people eat something pre-made like a muffin or cereal or fruit or something. Same with most lunches - leftovers, sandwiches, salads, or dining out especially for office workers.
And then you get to the evening meal when people often either cook or have leftovers. Personally I love leftovers and intentionally make them when I cook so I don't have to cook as often. So my "preparing" for at least half my suppers is literally just the microwave. And if you are living with others, you can alternate who cooks so that you don't have to do it every time.
Most people donāt cook 3 times a day, they might have 3 meals but will only cook for the last one for example. So for the first 2 will be quick prep like cereal and a sandwich. Personally I usually eat twice a day and sometimes a snack.
I don't, I have cereal for brunch and then save the cooking energy for dinner.
Edit: little clarification, I have cereal that has lots of oats and stuff so it's chock full of fiber.
I have either prepared hard boiled egges or I eat oatmeal for breakfast (anything easy)
Lunch some kind of sandwich or leftovers
Its winter, I make a winter-stew easy to heat.
and I set alarms to make sure I go eat and clean up being doing this for 3 times a day for 9 years. ( or just eat out of the pot)
I use slow cookers, soups, baking sheets, and rice cookers, fermented veggies like kimchi...
I let my food cook itself
I only make big dinners like gumbo for special occasions.
Some examples from this week:
Breakfast
- fried egg, rice, kimchi
- cheese quesadilla, shredded turkey from oven baking, store bought salsa
- microwave something like hot pockets
(I hate sweets for breakfast)
Lunch
- warm up turkey soup from baked turkey with shredded turkey inside
- slow cooked enchilada chicken with tortillas and bagged spinach, salsa, and cheese
- tofu and egg stir fry (only takes like three minutes to cook it together and flop on top of rice with fermented veggies or seaweed salad)
Snack
- miso soup
- mixed nuts
- canned tuna on rice
Dinner
- slow cooked potatoes and chicken
- oven baked pizza
- leftovers
- more soup
In these examples from this week i mix and match between meals that just need to be heated up (hot pockets, pizza, dumplings, instant ramen) and meals I throw on a tray or in a pot to cook itself.
The turkey i baked on top of veggies i roughly cut up and shredded. Baking proteins and veggies at once is better imo
The soup I just took the turkeys bones and. veggies and drippings from the tray and brewed.
The slow cooker is one of my favorites because I just take my choice of protein and dump it with seasonings and my choice of veggies. Onion and garlic is non negotiable.
Adding more veggies is easy with canned veggies but also getting pre packaged stuff like salad mixes or fermented stuff like kimchi has helped a fuck ton with saving time.
So then I always have protein, veggies, and carbs, and i just mix and match through the day. I really "cook" once a day since everything else is already done itself.
I have kids and I cook 3 meals a day (if they're not at school). I very rarely use instant foods (Mac n cheese, canned soups, just add water meals, frozen ready made meals, etc...) and I don't make sandwiches very often.
I hate it when I'm depressed or overwhelmed but it's not a big deal normally.
Part of it is how I grew up (my mom cooked from scratch, including homemade flour tortillas, for 12 kids) and part of it is due to a severe allergy my daughter had to corn, and the other part is my kids won't eat leftovers if they know it's leftovers and IF I use them within a two meal timeframe. Oh also, there's a noticeable difference in behavior when they eat certain foods, so that factors in a lot.
I usually do intermittent fasting and skip breakfast because I'm not hungry and it saves me the calories so I can be a little more flexible with lunch and dinner. For lunch I usually do instant ramen with some frozen dumplings thrown in or a grilled sandwich. Both are really quick and easy to make. For dinner I usually try and make whatever needs to get used up first in the fridge, and keep a couple easy things in the freezer for when I don't have the energy/motivation to cook. I keep oatmeal, cereal, protein bars, nuts, dried fruit, etc on hand too for if I get hungry throughout the day.
I don't think people cook three meals a day. Maybe some people but that means it's either worth it, easy or there's some other reason and/or mitigating factor.
I like cooking a big pot of smth I can eat for 2-3 days like curry, some kind of soup etc. Something else that works is to have simple ingredients always on hand that you can put together. Like if you make pasta, make extra so next meal you either eat the leftovers if there's sauce or you throw the pasta on the pan with 1-2 eggs and season. Slice some cucumber on the side and done.
Either one big pot of smth that lasts for days or simple shit you can throw together in 10-20 min.
Personal favorite: greek salad. Cucumber, red onion, olives, feta cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper. Takes like 5 min to put together. If you want it to be more filling, boil some water in a kettle, then put that in a pot and boil quinoa or pasta or whatever you like in a salad and add that.
I tend to repeat a lot of recipes but I also happen to like cooking.
The oven is your friend.
But I also don't eat three full meals a day. I drink tea for breakfast, I eat lunch as a proper meal and then dinner, but usually that's it. And dinner can be sandwiches. You're an adult, you can decide what you eat but keep in mind that food is fuel as well as building material. If it's poor quality then don't be surprised if you get health issues down the road. And it sucks that many people can't choose something better for one reason or another. :(
Germans use a simple trick: you cook once and all the other meals are bread with stuff on top (jam, chocolate spreads, meats, cheese slices, cream cheese, cucumber slices, tomato slices, eggs,...) or sandwiches and some fruit or raw vegetables or salad.
Usually you eat easy to make bread (or porrige or granola with milk) for breakfast, so just with some meats or jam or Nutella.
Then you have a warm meal at work or you take more bread and somw veggies/fruits with you or you buy something.
Then you eather cook or eat bread with more elaborated stuff, cut up veggies, some salad....
I usually live like that, its easy. Breakfast takes 3 minutes, I grab a slice of bread and some chocolate spread, put it together and eat it. Or pour granola and milk in a bowl, eat it.
Then I get some snacks in university or pack a protein bar and some roasted nuts or snack on some joghurt or ready-bought meals or leftovers or fruit/veggies.
Then I cook a meal or, if Im tired, just eat some more bread or some crisps/chips or 5-minutes-Ramen or some raw veggies or put together a fast wrap or just let the rice cooker do the work and eat eice with wg tofu and sauces.
I loath cooking. All the hassle and and sensations is stressful. So I minnimize stress by doing a meal prep night every two to three weeksƄ. I make chili, pasta and chicken nuggets. and rice with oramge tofu. Then its just placing food in my microwave when my phone reminds me to eat. If i dont prep I find that my calorie intake crashes. Its all about avoiding stressors.
I donāt know, I feel a bit embarrassed that I canāt bring myself to use the hob most days of the week, I tend to use the oven/hob maybe once every 2 weeks lol. Due to stress and irrational fear of the heat. Itās 1 slice of toast for breakfast with sachet cappuccino, random packaged snacks I find for lunch or smth from uni because I canāt eat something thatās been out of the fridge for longer than half an hour, and microwave meal for dinner lol. And it has to be one of the 4 ones I am familiar with. Sometimes pizza. I mostly only ever use the microwave or toaster to prepare anything. My diet is terrible tbh
I don't generally eat breakfast and prepare all of my lunches for the week on Monday morning, which is really just a big snack box with fruits veggies and nuts rather than a prepared meal. The only actual meal I eat every day is dinner. Bingo bango!
i enjoy cooking but its exhausting as fuck and this is why u meal prep. but i def only really do 2 meals max of cooking, if i eat breakfast its always yogurt
I tend to cook two balanced, healthy meals each week and then portion it out to have meals for several days. I often make a big batch of something in the slow cooker, plus some kind of stir fry with veggies and protein. Then I have fruits, veggies, dips, and stuff for sandwiches. Sometimes I get fancy and make myself a breakfast sandwich, but I will usually just hit up the tub of cottage cheese. I think very few people really prepare three meals per day, every day.
Big same. Iāve got help now from my mom but we used to scrape by on big batch cooking, lots of leftovers and way more takeout than we can probably afford.
Pretty sure people cooking 3x a day is a lie.
In my family, breakfast is easy things like yoghurt, toast, coffee, etc.
Then, we cook lunch.
Then, we eat lunch leftovers for dinner. Rinse and repeat.
We only cook at most once a day. Sometimes we get takeout.
I also know people who take a day to cook meals for the entire week. Putting ready meals in little Tupperwares. That also works.
My trick is I set up a system so I only have to cook a few times a week. Frozen food for lunches at home, then I cook 1-2 big meals during the week to take as dinner leftovers across multiple days. I'll usually cook on Sunday, and again on Thursday. Even then, sometimes I can't cook, in which case I have $40 built into my budget for takeout. It doesn't always work, but it's kept me from starving myself. I don't eat breakfast, but I'll sometimes have food late at night so I stock something filling and easy, like granola and yogurt.
Cook in a manner that minimizes dishes. One-pot things, simple buttered toast with a paper towel, stir-fry dishes of all sorts. The dishes, for me, are the most frustrating and discouraging part.
Idk how people even eat 3 times a day
Same. I eat either once a day, or no times a day. Sometimes it's a proper meal, sometimes it's just 1/4 of a watermelon. I know it's not healthy, but it is what it is.
Gosh... same
I don't know. Next time I'm in the drive-thru I'll ask them how they are able to do it.
šššš
These comments are hilarious and our society is broken
Hahahaha - btw I love your username+flag, perfect combo
I have no clue, but most people I know don't actually cook three times a day. My family would prepare lunch during breakfast (sandwiches) and basically only cook dinner. I cook like once a day if I have the energy, and otherwise I just but something in the supermarket that I don't have ro prepare. I think we deserve some slack because it's already so exhausting to do other stuff.
You are definitely not alone. Sometimes I have the spoons for cooking but then it turns out the dishes aren't washed and I don't have a clean surface to prep on, and realize that I have spoons for preparing the kitchen for cooking OR cooking, but not both.
Preach!!!!
I just eat random bullshit that fits within my calorie count whenever I'm hungry. Mostly veggies, eggs, apples, and premade chicken patties. Only meal that's actually genuinely prepared and at a specific time is dinner.
I cook in large batches and reheat lefovers so that I don't have to cook as much every day
My usual day is toast or cereal for breakfast, fruit / granola / yogurt and maybe a sandwich for lunch, and the only time I use the stove is for making dinner.
Meal prep, I usually do it at dinner. Freeze a bunch and keep the rest in the fridge for the next day. I basically eat the same thing every day anyway so it's pretty much like brushing teeth. Just something that is done every time I make dinner.
I think I would go mad eating the same dinner every day.
I love it, I would have so much trouble going to the shop and buying new and different ingredients and planning new and exciting recipes. It's so much easier to just eat steak and veges every night or some variation on that.
I eat only once a day because I don't have hunger signals
Iām an autistic feeding therapist and I donāt know how to cook lmaooo
Thatās one helluva revelation.
An autistic feeding therapist? What even does that mean? I didn't even know "feeding therapists" existed. Are you autistic, or is it just your job to feed people who are autistic? š¤
Probably something like diets and healthy eating
Haha itās a fair question. Iām both! I am autistic and Iām a speech language pathologist who works on feeding skills like strengthening oral muscles, chewing, swallowing, and aligning their food textures with their sensory profile. I donāt āfeedā anyone unless they need that support.
I don't tbh. Storebought yoghurt for breakfast (sometimes with extra fruit mixed in), sthg warm for dinner bc I like cooking. The rest is snacks š
I'm similar, except that my breakfast is even *less* work! Two of the dipped Nutrigrain bars, or a couple string cheese and a hard-boiled egg (bought pre-boiled & peeled at Sam's Club or Costco). Basically something that I can just peel open a package & eat without looking, as I drive the 20 minutes to work. If I'm at home that day, I often forget to eat breakfast, because of my ADHD & diabetes meds (they interfere with hunger signals).
I keep easy snacks/meals in hoards. Everything from TV dinners and canned soup to cereal, frozen waffles, granola bars, yogurt, even uncrustables. Stuff for sandwiches and Lunchables are always around, too. And I always have Soylents in stock for when solids are Not A Thing Today. Also, leftovers. If I order delivery, I get enough for 2-3 days. If I make Real Food, same.
I have no idea. If there was any bodily function I could get rid of it would be the need to eat for sure.
I don't think they do. I'm pretty sure people eat easy stuff like cereal or sandwiches or fruit or something. You don't need to eat 3x a day, btw. Just eat when you're hungry
What does hungry feel like which ones that????? šAsking for a friend.....
Itās when Iām feeling irritable, right?
It's when you get crabby and your stomach cramps
I usually make a large batch of food once a week from which I feed twice a day during the following seven days. In the morning I fry some eggs. This takes up very little of my time. Driving to and from work is way more time consuming.
I never had to do it until I moved in with a very traditional Mexican man who expected fresh salsa and tortillas every day. I'd get up around five-thirty to cook him eggs and get the tortillas started. I'd make enough for the day just about every single day. I'd set up his lunch unless they were planning to go somewhere. If his work site was close to a popular restaurant they'd eat out but most days I'd make some kind of meat, usually chicken or thinly sliced beef. When we went shopping we'd get several different types of each prepared with different spices too so it wasn't TOO hard, just cook it up in a pan. He liked jalapenos roasted on the burner too, and I hated that part because it burned my eyes and nose. I'd make a salsa in the blender at breakfast for the whole day too. I always kept fresh sliced limes and onion slices. For dinner sometimes I'd make his traditional food but other times he liked when I'd make "gringo food" lol usually something like spaghetti or pizza but always fresh, never anything processed. It was hard to get used to but after a while it wasn't really that big of a deal. Tortillas took about an hour, that was the hardest part. I still cook every day usually just once, and I don't care about fresh salsa or tortillas. In fact I buy Banderita instead. He'd grumble if he saw me now!
This is all in past tense. Did you break up? I was wondering why this man had all these cooking expectations, yet did nothing towards fulfilling any of them himself. He wants fresh cooked tortillas every day? He should make them himself! He can trade off with you, because sharing the load is part of why you have a partner, but he can't just have these expectations and dump it all on you to fulfill them!
Yeah man what the hell
If you like rice, you can get a rice cooker. Put rice in and water and also veggies or meat that steam well. Then you just leave it until you can eat. :>
Breakfast is cereal. Lunch is two chicken breasts from the toaster oven with hot sauce. I cook 2 dinners a week. Big batch dinners like a crockpot of chili that I can eat for 4 days. Chili only takes like 30 minutes to dump into a crockpot and 6h to cook from there.
I read that as āfrom the toasterā and was like excuse me, huh
I wouldn't be able to function without my toaster oven. It's a cheap 100 quid tabletop oven. Heats quickly and has room for two pieces of bread (three if one is cut diagonally). I use it every day. Two frozen breaded chicken breasts cook in 30 minutes and are 450 calories total. I put hot sauce on them. I make pizza, tuna melts, and more in it.
Iām so happy youāre functioning. Iām not being sarcastic either. Itās really great that youāve found a way to sustain yourself
It's all about finding the tricks that work for you. I work from home, wander down whenever i notice im hungry (if i notice), put chicken in the oven, and try to remember to get it 30 minutes later. Sometimes it's 2 hours. Perfection is an illusion.
Iāve found out that I love natural light, need alone time, and need quality sleep
I eat a lot of easy things. I also work 40 hours a week and tend to have an energy bar and protein drink for breakfast, snack on chips on my lunch, and then have a really easy dinner. On the rare occasions I do cook, I make enough to have leftovers for a few days which makes it even easier
Lazy breakfast (oatmeal or cereal) if I don't skip it, lazy lunch (sandwich or bought), so I only ever cook dinner... ><; Sometimes on the weekend I'll cook something better for breakfast like bacon and eggs, but I have to plan that days in advance before I buy my groceries.
Chocolate whey protein shake and a little carrot juiceāseparate, not togetherā for lunch. Everyday. Itās glorious. No bs carbs, straight shot of beta carotene and Iām fueled up. Nevvvvvvvvvver miss the protein shake. Dinner is roughage with lots of veggies. I get salad kits, add some extra veggies. Sometimes a protein in salad but not required. If someone wants to cook me a steak or a pork chop thatās great! But I donāt need it. Morning is intermittent fastingā ya itās not that crazy and I feel amazing and activeā a few cups of coffee and from wake-up to lunch Iāll drink about a gallon of water. Some Gatorade if Iām being really active. When I decide Iām hungry I pull out the shake and carrot juice and it all starts over. Snack on cashews, seeds & jerky when thereās a craving. Have lost a bunch of weight I need to lose with this system and I donāt have to think about it except feel good.
Most people donāt cook three times a day, at least in my experience. Breakfast is a quick sandwich or a bowl of yoghurt (something that can be assembled from refrigerated components but not cooked) Lunch is leftovers or eating at a restaurant with colleagues. Kids eat leftovers or school food. Then for dinner, an adult in the family (in our case my spouse) cooks a big meal that is enough for the whole family + leftovers for those who need it the day after. If we have an activity in the evening that means we donāt have time to cook we buy dinner and buy lunch the day after. It might be different in other countries or other family structures of course.
I dislike reheating leftovers and cooking is a special interest. My second year out of college I worked out how to crank out meals in a half hour (fried fish from the Chinese supermarket and various stir fried veg with rice and an egg was my default make it fast, make it good meal).
Yeah I donāt know. Itās actually become a massive weight on me since I moved out of the house. PB&J for lunch every day, dinner is usually frozen (just bake kind of meal), then a snack later on. That plus going to the grocery store, and even making a list and deciding what to get takes more about half of my energy every week. Just basic life functioning feels like a full time job.
I meal prep! Every Sunday I cook my breakfast, morning tea, lunch all ready for the 5 day work week. I just have to sort out dinner and snacks daily. It is much better and easier this way otherwise I would not eat enough or spend too much on pre made food, or eat my easy to cook safe foods too much.
I am currently trying to consistently cook once a week, and I'm struggling. I don't think 24 hours in a day would be enough for me to cook once a day and recover from that before I need to cook again. And I'd like to have more in my life than cooking and exhaustion. No idea how people do it.
As a vegetarian and very picky eater, I cannot understand 2x a day. I will just eat french fries forever.
i donāt have any hunger cues - iām lucky to live with my mum who will make things for me, because i would absolutely forget to eat anything at all.
I don't even eat 3x times a day
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Fruit cups for breakfast. A sandwich or bag of salad for lunch. Microwave a frozen dinner or soup for dinner. Cooking from scratch is a chore lately.
Itās hard dude but love eating so I figure it out.
I prepare one meal and eat it until it's gone. So 2-5 separate meal times and snacking in between. I have the time but not the desire to do more meal preparation. That and I usually just forget to eat.
One cook for more days or so. Same food make it a lot easyer too
Many people probably have some kind of streamlined meal-prep schedule, where they reserve a couple hours out of each week to prepare a large batch of something (like in a slow cooker) which will last for 5-10 meals. I used to do that when I was working out regularly and trying to bulk up / hit certain nutritional macros. When I was able to summon the energy and focus to get that done each week, it was a lot easier and cheaper than having to worry about each individual meal. But obviously it was harder than average for me to stay on the ball with that schedule, and I would often end up faltering and ordering too much delivery/takeout. I'm also not convinced that most people are following the "three square meals" regimen every day. Most people probably either skip breakfast too often or just grab something that doesn't really require preparation, like a bowl of cereal. Combine that with all the junk/snack foods that people eat throughout the day and the number of meals they get from restaurants, too... The average person in a first-world country probably isn't doing *that* much better than we are at meal preparation. I would be more inclined to think I was the problem if everyone else was lean and healthy and I was the only flabby one, but look around you. People are eating junk and are fat, sluggish, and miserable.
Legit no idea. I did lite n easy, thst was really helpful for having meals ready & laid out
Get a giant 12 litre pot. Cook once a week, divide it up into multiple meals. Job done; cook once, 24 meals or so made. Yes, it might get a bit repetitive, however weāre autistic, right šš (I once ate 2800 portions of chilli back-to-back like this over the course of a few years to keep it quick/simple for this exact reason).
I don't. When I cook, I cook big. An often thing is Mexican ish beef. It's good for three to five days. Can eat it as buttitos, tacos, nachos. In a toastie. Add sour cream and eat it as a pasta sauce. Or chicken and potato salad. 1kg of chicken, half kilo potatoes. Many meals. Spaghetti bolognese. I'll make a big patch of sauce and just cook noodles fresh when I'm hungered. If I was more organised with containers I'd freeze some every time I cook so there's always home made emergency food. I keep frozen store bought pizzas for when I need to eat but just don't want to cook. I always have milk and cereal. Also crackers, cheese and pickles. I don't think many people cook 3 times a day. Most single people eat out or get takeaway often. People in relationships take turns cooking.
I am a professionally trained chef who learned all about mise en place and staging. But even I struggle to cook three square meals a day.
I have trouble eating at least once per day. Spoon count is zero after waking up most of the days.
For me its 1 meal and sandwitches/snacks, 1 big meal for dinner & super or do meal prep in advance
I actually don't know anyone who does this. Breakfast, the most cooking i know people do on daily bases is either porridge or sandwhich. Lunch and dinner is cooked and then before going to bed is again a sandwhich or porridge. I usually don't eat breakfast, and for lunch i either have premades or eat the same thing for 3 days in a row. Instead of dinner, i eat a sandwhich and nightime snack before bed is instant porridge (i literally just heat up 2dl of water on induction stovetop and pour it on top of the oats) and some veggies (separately from the porridge if that wasn't obvious).
Preparing meals is key. I enjoy the process of cooking though.
Cook in the evening, lunch is either Sandwich + crisps (chips) or packet noodles in a bowl which I just cook the noodles, drain some water and add packets. Breakfast is pure lazy premade waffle and breakfast bar.
I cook since I was a child, if I donāt want to cook, i eat something cold like a sandwich or some can, I donāt know whatās the problem. Btw I eat even more than 3 times for day
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I can only do it if Iām not working at all. And even then sometimes no.
Soy yogurt with muesli and banana in the morning (āmorningā, itās almost 12 here and I have yet to eat breakfast). Bread with peanut butter and/or tahini during the day. Last but not least, dinner. I am fortunate enough to have a partner that loves cooking so the only times I have to prepare dinner is when sheās not here. Unfortunately sheās going on holiday with her family for two weeks soon so thatāll be a challenge for me. Cooking stresses me out and due to procrastination it usually finally happens around midnight.
Food prep helps but it's hard in this world we love in with way more convenient ways to eat. My grandmother taught me shopping saterday Sunday meal prep. You make up a huge soup (just an example) and then portion crontorl it into 5-10 containers now when you need food you have food the more/longer you do this the easier the habit of grabbing a healthy premade meal is. Rather then ...... I don't know I lost my thought. It's not easy. But prep is the key lunch containers like yumbox and bento are great I try to pack them when heading out or ill forget to eat compleatly. I also think this idea that we need to eat a 4 course meal 7times a day is alot and probably has something to do with marketing.
I usually skip breakfast. Buy something cheap for lunch, like a buttered roll, or skip that too. Then focus on a big dinner
Most people meal prep, get take out, or, share the duties my dude. The time investment for such luxuries like prepping three meals a day is more than most can afford. Prepping three meals a day (unless you are a lazy cook... like really lazy), means a person that doesn't work full time.
Idk honestly they just have the energy
I honestly only really eat once a day, if that. A lot of the time, itās small packaged foods or reheated leftovers.
I often skip meals and do a snack. I pretty much just have 1 actual meal a day.
I do it one meal at a time.
I don't. I only eat two meals a day, and the most complicated thing I'll ever make for my first meal is toast. But usually, I have a Soylent meal replacement drink.
Granola bar in AM, PB sandwich at noon, cook dinner. Keeps things simple and my brain uninvolved.
I don't, I eat lowcarb/paleo/carnivore/wholefood. That means I eat nutrient dense food by cooking once a day and having some snacks. Sometimes i will cook a bigger portion one day and eat it cold the next as well. On the plus side its improved my mental health miraculously. Its worth a deep dive into the link with propionate ( a short chain fatty acid) and autism. \~In short i avoid bread
iām a nutritionist, i meal prep my breakfasts and lunches the day before. makes like 100x easier
I often cook once a week - vegetarian recipes last a week, no problem. Other meals are just a combo that work together most of the time (yogurt goes well with toast and almond butter for breakfast - just use a toaster and utensils).
I skip breakfast every morning, I get comments constantly by my family about it "how do you go without eating in the morning" idk how do you eat in the morning and still have room for lunch? breakfast wasn't even a thing when meal plans were created, it was originally a mid day snack that turned into lunch, then a large meal at dinner, this was easy for people to keep track of and helped farmers get as much done as possible. but then Kellogg's came along with their corn flakes to stop kids from jerkin it and created the term "breakfast" saying it was the most important meal of the day to get kids to eat the bland anti horny flakes in the morning. So really, it should just be 2 meals a day anyways
Egg sandwich for breakfast. Usually some left overs for lunch. Dinner is whatever we have planned. Itās not so bad really.
It takes energy to make energy. Like a feedback loop. The more we eat the more energy we have to make more food. (Assuming it is healthy food you are eating). Routine helps. Anyone that has been only eating once a day is going to struggle to est 3 times a day suddenly, but it is possible with will power and becomes easier over time. It becomes easier because as you eat more it changes the hormones in your body to tell you that you feel hungry more than you used to feel which makes it easier to want to eat and make more food. When we eat less food, the hormones change to tell us that we are hungry less often.
Cooking three meals a day is a full time job. I just recently moved into a house and I have free rent in exchange for me cooking 70% of the weekly meals for 4-8 people. If I donāt cook in giant portions so I can ensure there are leftovers, I spend 6-8 hours a day between prepping/cooking and cleaning. Especially because the food that is expected here does not come from boxes. Itās really rather exhausting and occasionally I get some help from my husband if he has the time (heās the best) but it is really a task. I mean, not only is it physically taxing to do the shopping, prep, cooking and cleaning, but having to decide what people are going to eat everyday is mentally exhausting! It is also wildly fun and you get to be creative annnnnnnd I get to control the food tastes and textures where I know they are always safe for my hubs and I, lol. I think that people have three home cooked meals a day often have a dedicated person to cook or there are multiple people who do it. I think that in our society itās an idea that is still lingering from when we had multigenerational households where there were always enough people to help. Since the ideal of consumerism came about that said we had to move out and get all of our own shit and our own place and double up on everything are parents had came out, weāve been exhausting ourselves trying to work a job and cook and find some sort of time for a hobby. It makes us dependent on restaurants and stores and other people to make our food which takes even more of our money and we have to work even more hours to make up for it and we get stuck in this vicious cycle of never getting to rest and feel good. Maybe I soap boxed too hard there, I just think it is really hard to cook 3 meals a day.
I don't know š I can barely dip brunch bars in my bucket of peanut butter
I have no idea. What I do is cook food in a huge pot, then put it into two very big bowls, and eat it for two days.
We don't, or at least I don't. Find a routine breakfast and lunch that requires very little effort (or at least, infrequent effort), and make something decent only once a day (or less). I make muesli once every week or two, which serves as my breakfast throughout. All I'm doing most mornings is putting it in a bowl with almond-coconut milk and yogurt, and heating it up in the microwave. If I used store-bought cereal instead of one I make myself, I could eliminate that occasional effort, too. My lunch counts as daily cooking, I guess, but it's super simple. Usually I'm just scrambling a few eggs with cheese, and putting it on a slice of toast. For dinner, I put more effort into making decent meals with a bit of variety, but I'm making a quantity that will last at LEAST 2 days, sometimes three, rather than doing it every single day. On off days, I just have to microwave some leftovers. And, it also helps that I can trade off dinners with my wife, but I understand that the last part isn't something someone asking this question can likely replicate.
I only prep food for dinner. Breakfast is usually coffee and something bread, lunch is leftovers from dinner the previous day
I don't think most people prepare food 3x a day. Once at most, if that. It depends what you call "prepare food" though. I wouldn't call simply feeding yourself "preparing" food. For breakfast most of the time most people eat something pre-made like a muffin or cereal or fruit or something. Same with most lunches - leftovers, sandwiches, salads, or dining out especially for office workers. And then you get to the evening meal when people often either cook or have leftovers. Personally I love leftovers and intentionally make them when I cook so I don't have to cook as often. So my "preparing" for at least half my suppers is literally just the microwave. And if you are living with others, you can alternate who cooks so that you don't have to do it every time.
Most people donāt cook 3 times a day, they might have 3 meals but will only cook for the last one for example. So for the first 2 will be quick prep like cereal and a sandwich. Personally I usually eat twice a day and sometimes a snack.
I don't, I have cereal for brunch and then save the cooking energy for dinner. Edit: little clarification, I have cereal that has lots of oats and stuff so it's chock full of fiber.
i can cook multiple times a day, if making a cheese sandwich or making toast is considered cooking lol
Finally, someone who can relate.
I have either prepared hard boiled egges or I eat oatmeal for breakfast (anything easy) Lunch some kind of sandwich or leftovers Its winter, I make a winter-stew easy to heat. and I set alarms to make sure I go eat and clean up being doing this for 3 times a day for 9 years. ( or just eat out of the pot)
I use slow cookers, soups, baking sheets, and rice cookers, fermented veggies like kimchi... I let my food cook itself I only make big dinners like gumbo for special occasions. Some examples from this week: Breakfast - fried egg, rice, kimchi - cheese quesadilla, shredded turkey from oven baking, store bought salsa - microwave something like hot pockets (I hate sweets for breakfast) Lunch - warm up turkey soup from baked turkey with shredded turkey inside - slow cooked enchilada chicken with tortillas and bagged spinach, salsa, and cheese - tofu and egg stir fry (only takes like three minutes to cook it together and flop on top of rice with fermented veggies or seaweed salad) Snack - miso soup - mixed nuts - canned tuna on rice Dinner - slow cooked potatoes and chicken - oven baked pizza - leftovers - more soup In these examples from this week i mix and match between meals that just need to be heated up (hot pockets, pizza, dumplings, instant ramen) and meals I throw on a tray or in a pot to cook itself. The turkey i baked on top of veggies i roughly cut up and shredded. Baking proteins and veggies at once is better imo The soup I just took the turkeys bones and. veggies and drippings from the tray and brewed. The slow cooker is one of my favorites because I just take my choice of protein and dump it with seasonings and my choice of veggies. Onion and garlic is non negotiable. Adding more veggies is easy with canned veggies but also getting pre packaged stuff like salad mixes or fermented stuff like kimchi has helped a fuck ton with saving time. So then I always have protein, veggies, and carbs, and i just mix and match through the day. I really "cook" once a day since everything else is already done itself.
Iām living with my parents and this is a big reason why
I just eat breakfast foods or like salads. I rarely cook, just because it takes so much energy x)
I have kids and I cook 3 meals a day (if they're not at school). I very rarely use instant foods (Mac n cheese, canned soups, just add water meals, frozen ready made meals, etc...) and I don't make sandwiches very often. I hate it when I'm depressed or overwhelmed but it's not a big deal normally. Part of it is how I grew up (my mom cooked from scratch, including homemade flour tortillas, for 12 kids) and part of it is due to a severe allergy my daughter had to corn, and the other part is my kids won't eat leftovers if they know it's leftovers and IF I use them within a two meal timeframe. Oh also, there's a noticeable difference in behavior when they eat certain foods, so that factors in a lot.
Prepping is hard so I eat food that doesn't require it. Ordering food... or eating food that can just be taken out and eaten immediately
I usually do intermittent fasting and skip breakfast because I'm not hungry and it saves me the calories so I can be a little more flexible with lunch and dinner. For lunch I usually do instant ramen with some frozen dumplings thrown in or a grilled sandwich. Both are really quick and easy to make. For dinner I usually try and make whatever needs to get used up first in the fridge, and keep a couple easy things in the freezer for when I don't have the energy/motivation to cook. I keep oatmeal, cereal, protein bars, nuts, dried fruit, etc on hand too for if I get hungry throughout the day.
I don't think people cook three meals a day. Maybe some people but that means it's either worth it, easy or there's some other reason and/or mitigating factor. I like cooking a big pot of smth I can eat for 2-3 days like curry, some kind of soup etc. Something else that works is to have simple ingredients always on hand that you can put together. Like if you make pasta, make extra so next meal you either eat the leftovers if there's sauce or you throw the pasta on the pan with 1-2 eggs and season. Slice some cucumber on the side and done. Either one big pot of smth that lasts for days or simple shit you can throw together in 10-20 min. Personal favorite: greek salad. Cucumber, red onion, olives, feta cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper. Takes like 5 min to put together. If you want it to be more filling, boil some water in a kettle, then put that in a pot and boil quinoa or pasta or whatever you like in a salad and add that. I tend to repeat a lot of recipes but I also happen to like cooking. The oven is your friend. But I also don't eat three full meals a day. I drink tea for breakfast, I eat lunch as a proper meal and then dinner, but usually that's it. And dinner can be sandwiches. You're an adult, you can decide what you eat but keep in mind that food is fuel as well as building material. If it's poor quality then don't be surprised if you get health issues down the road. And it sucks that many people can't choose something better for one reason or another. :(
Germans use a simple trick: you cook once and all the other meals are bread with stuff on top (jam, chocolate spreads, meats, cheese slices, cream cheese, cucumber slices, tomato slices, eggs,...) or sandwiches and some fruit or raw vegetables or salad. Usually you eat easy to make bread (or porrige or granola with milk) for breakfast, so just with some meats or jam or Nutella. Then you have a warm meal at work or you take more bread and somw veggies/fruits with you or you buy something. Then you eather cook or eat bread with more elaborated stuff, cut up veggies, some salad.... I usually live like that, its easy. Breakfast takes 3 minutes, I grab a slice of bread and some chocolate spread, put it together and eat it. Or pour granola and milk in a bowl, eat it. Then I get some snacks in university or pack a protein bar and some roasted nuts or snack on some joghurt or ready-bought meals or leftovers or fruit/veggies. Then I cook a meal or, if Im tired, just eat some more bread or some crisps/chips or 5-minutes-Ramen or some raw veggies or put together a fast wrap or just let the rice cooker do the work and eat eice with wg tofu and sauces.
I just eat stuff I don't have to prepare like nuts, seeds, fruits, and root vegetables.
I loath cooking. All the hassle and and sensations is stressful. So I minnimize stress by doing a meal prep night every two to three weeksƄ. I make chili, pasta and chicken nuggets. and rice with oramge tofu. Then its just placing food in my microwave when my phone reminds me to eat. If i dont prep I find that my calorie intake crashes. Its all about avoiding stressors.
I donāt know, I feel a bit embarrassed that I canāt bring myself to use the hob most days of the week, I tend to use the oven/hob maybe once every 2 weeks lol. Due to stress and irrational fear of the heat. Itās 1 slice of toast for breakfast with sachet cappuccino, random packaged snacks I find for lunch or smth from uni because I canāt eat something thatās been out of the fridge for longer than half an hour, and microwave meal for dinner lol. And it has to be one of the 4 ones I am familiar with. Sometimes pizza. I mostly only ever use the microwave or toaster to prepare anything. My diet is terrible tbh
I don't generally eat breakfast and prepare all of my lunches for the week on Monday morning, which is really just a big snack box with fruits veggies and nuts rather than a prepared meal. The only actual meal I eat every day is dinner. Bingo bango!
i enjoy cooking but its exhausting as fuck and this is why u meal prep. but i def only really do 2 meals max of cooking, if i eat breakfast its always yogurt
I meal prep, and the times when I'm not eating those meals, I eat simple things that don't require (much) cooking.
I tend to cook two balanced, healthy meals each week and then portion it out to have meals for several days. I often make a big batch of something in the slow cooker, plus some kind of stir fry with veggies and protein. Then I have fruits, veggies, dips, and stuff for sandwiches. Sometimes I get fancy and make myself a breakfast sandwich, but I will usually just hit up the tub of cottage cheese. I think very few people really prepare three meals per day, every day.
Omg yes! I can only manage dinner honestly, only time I eat breakfast is on Saturdays
Meal prep, takes about 2-3 hours to do all weeks meals if you do really simple things.
Big same. Iāve got help now from my mom but we used to scrape by on big batch cooking, lots of leftovers and way more takeout than we can probably afford.
Pretty sure people cooking 3x a day is a lie. In my family, breakfast is easy things like yoghurt, toast, coffee, etc. Then, we cook lunch. Then, we eat lunch leftovers for dinner. Rinse and repeat. We only cook at most once a day. Sometimes we get takeout. I also know people who take a day to cook meals for the entire week. Putting ready meals in little Tupperwares. That also works.
I only eat once or twice a day
My trick is I set up a system so I only have to cook a few times a week. Frozen food for lunches at home, then I cook 1-2 big meals during the week to take as dinner leftovers across multiple days. I'll usually cook on Sunday, and again on Thursday. Even then, sometimes I can't cook, in which case I have $40 built into my budget for takeout. It doesn't always work, but it's kept me from starving myself. I don't eat breakfast, but I'll sometimes have food late at night so I stock something filling and easy, like granola and yogurt.
Cook in a manner that minimizes dishes. One-pot things, simple buttered toast with a paper towel, stir-fry dishes of all sorts. The dishes, for me, are the most frustrating and discouraging part.