How to Feed Yourself When You Have Better Things to Do
During times of intense stress and shock, eating and (especially) cooking may seem like an outsider, but being in the body means you must eat, even if you are actively protesting, providing basic services during a pandemic, or paralyzed by anxiety and fear.
For many people right now, the goal is simply to get enough food to fuel themselves so they can focus on more important things, so we’ve put together a few of our favorite and optimized ways to do just that for you. But first, a little philosophy.
There is no “right” way to eat
There is, and always has been, a lot of moralizing around food, and while none of this is productive or beneficial even in the best of times, it is even more counterproductive now. If you feel guilty or ashamed about a convenient meal or prepackaged food, take the time to put it out of your head.
If buying a container of pre-cut vegetables means you are cooking a roast that nourishes you, then buy a container of pre-cut vegetables. Canned pasta sauce is just as “valid” as homemade, especially if you’ve worked a grueling shift or paraded and chanted all day and need to shovel something into your mouth before you collapse for hours (and then I get up in the morning to do it all over again). If you’re feeling overwhelmed , your day-to-day survival work may seem even more daunting, and you should absolutely have no shame if you try fast food such as ramen, packaged pasta and cheese, frozen pizza, or frozen dumplings.
I’ll share some of the recipes because it’s my job, but you don’t have to cook at all . Outsourcing has been and always has been an option. Feel free to pay someone else for a sandwich or a whole grilled chicken , and then bring your attention back to any of your most pressing matters.
Eat some eggs
Now is “more than ever” time to lean on eggs – and easy egg preparations – and we have a lot of suggestions on how to do that. Eggs are an obvious choice for breakfast, but you can also eat them for lunch, as a snack, or for a quick protein meal. You’ll find our full list of egg articles here , but there are a few I will scream for because they are extremely easy to whip:
- Bologna Matty Matheson
- Cheating McMuffin in the microwave (if your eggs can explode in the microwave, poke them lightly first).
- Poached egg in miso (the same goes for this in the microwave).
- Eggs baked in a toaster
- Hard-boiled eggs with butter (they are inexplicably good).
- Very light poached eggs that can be placed on anything
- Eggs and rice
- Ramen eggs
- Miso-dried eggs
Plus, never underestimate scrambled, perfect for any protein or vegetable leftovers that you don’t want to waste.
Send noodles (to the belly)
Noodles of all kinds are a good option because they are quick, require almost no cooking skills to prepare (you can just boil the water) and can be adapted for almost any diet (except paleo, I think). While the handcrafted pasta seasoned with gravy that’s stewed for hours is delicious, it’s not the best project for this particular moment in time. Try one of these optimized pasta approaches instead:
- Cold Spicy Peanut Noodles by AA Newton
- Gnocchi in a pan (not really noodles, but still)
- Pasta sauce with a rich vegetable content without cooking
- Creamy corn paste from a can of corn
- Ramen for breakfast
- Instant Ramen Egg Ramen
- Better Than Bouillon Pantry Pasta
Craft pasta and cheese are good too, especially if you add some buttermilk .
Bake chicken
Protein is important, and fried chicken is a very simple and versatile source of protein. There are many different ways to cook this bird, but my favorites are the aggressively simple ones. If you have 24 hours, labne marinated chicken is worth the wait and requires very little activity on your part, but mayonnaise and broth grated chicken will also give you delicious results with very little preparation. Poaching a chicken is another very smart and effective tactic; you’ll end up with a ton of juicy, flavorful meats and a gallon of delicious broth (which you can use for your noodles).
Just eat snacks (and pickles)
A mountain of snacks – a real dinner – I always say that! In fact, I wrote an entire blog about it that you should read if this sounds like something that interests you. Cheese boards, snack boards, bowls of popcorn, chips, and gravy are all easy ways to refuel. and they are hilarious. (“Fun” may seem like a foreign concept now, but it’s still important to find little bits of joy in everyday life.)
Speaking of joys, pickles, olives, and other canned nibs are a quick way to add a little more to a simple meal. Kimchi, pickled sprouts, and seasoned spinach (which you can buy pre-cooked at most Asian grocery stores) can turn a regular bowl of rice into something very flavorful; sprinkle it with an egg or some crunchy tofu and you have a complete meal. Add some pickled tajine onions to your breakfast sandwich and it’s suddenly addictive. Put pickled cherries and a piece of cheese on a cracker and you feel great, if only for a moment. It is vitally important to preserve these pleasant moments for yourself amid grief, worry, and insecurity. The food seems a little silly right now, but what you do is wrong – and you have to eat, my friend. You must eat.
Looking for ways to protect black lives? Check out this list of resources .