The Ultimate ADHD Food Hack ☀️🥑🌿 (never miss a meal again)
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- Опубликовано: 3 июл 2024
- I am so excited to share this 3 tier food system with you because it truly and genuinely saved my life when I was not in a good place.
Taking away the guilt, the decision paralysis and the 'starting from scratch' mentality changed my life! Which fo these tips would help you?
🥝🍀🌻
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00:00 Introduction
01:00 Why am I not eating?
01:40 What is Tier 1
03:30 Tier 1 Food Examples
04:40 What is Tier 2?
05:30 Tier 2 Food Examples
06:30 What is Tier 3?
08:10 Tier 3 Food Examples
09:20 What you need to do NOW! 
Развлечения
Tell me some of the foods you would put in your menu for each tier!! Maybe we make a neurodivergent cook book this way? Haha
Absolutely definitely bookmarking this video because I am coming back for everybody's suggestions.
I love some pesto pasta with a lil butter in it. I’d say it’s tier 2. If you’re feeling extra prepared get the fresh garlic bread from the grocery store and carb out!
Some days I would only have tears for dinner but now I'll have tiers for every meal!
Between tier 2 and tier 3, miso noodle soup - just some boiling water from the kettle, a nest of instant cook noodles, a miso sachet, and whatever quick cook veg I have (spinach, sugar snap peas, or spring onions). Then I put them all in a bowl, wait 5 mins, and it's done :)
Black bean tacos for tier 2! Literally just black beans and shredded cheese in a tortilla folded in half. Takes 5 minutes to fry up in a pan. I usually also make a avocado sauce (avocado, jalapeno, lime, cilantro, and spices in a blender), but I almost always have those ingredients on hand. You could also do pre-made salsa/guacamole as an option with less work.
I recently came to videos of ADHD nutritionist and she said: if you can't prepare a meal you can still eat the parts. You can eat ham and bread and maybe some cucumber without making a sandwich. Straight from the package. Amazing my mind blows up.
LOVE THIS ADVICE!
That’s great!
I've been finding I do a lot of deconstructed meals.
I love eating deconstructed salads/sandwiches.
Finding no solace here but account of your unhealthy diary. 😢 1. Have lots of fruits and ready to go veg. 2. Clean veg celerysticks carrots etc or if u can afford it buy them cleaned and stash in fridge.They are good to chew on, no need to grate etc. Actually chewing on large chunks is very satisfying for hungry brain and stomach ;-)
I hope to get a freezer soon . I find some day to meal prep, if cooking rice i do 6 or 10 portions and green lentils too. With some fresh cilantro or ready made ( curry?)( italian?) sauce it is a good meal. If there's a mixed frozen veg bag or my carrot added, my dietician is okay. If u like oats, just throw
portions in 6 mason jars with water or milk and top with frozen mixed fruit or seeds and if u need add cinnamon and almondpaste or sweetener like agavesirup, honey. Keep in fridge and eat cold or heated up , good for 1 weeks breakfast without à thought. You can also make a dozen of hard boiled eggs beforehand.
If u have friend or ready to help family ask them to bulk cook with them or even for you. I try to watch this utube channel and cut up loads of végétales, gor example onions and then sauté them in advance. So proud when for days onward I then open the fridge and can add them to my scrambled breakfast or top spaghetti with or add to curry.
I used to have the 15 minute meal recipes that I tripled ingredients of to be able to immediately set aside portions foor d😊ays to come.
A very freeing thing ( but harder to switch my mind to) was when someone said " I always eat the next day what I have cooked for supper the night before and for as many meals that it lasts. I heard that like having only 2 outfits allows you not to get into the choosong paralysis anxiété or loss of energy, for foid it is the same. I have a fodmaplist and have at least 2 to 3 days a week my calming rice with green lentils. AU adhd ers know gut solace can come with that meal.
I always have a picnicbag ready with knife soon for cup and some banane and or fig nuts or packed crackers, ricewaffle, chocolate, tinned sardines or veg souppowder ramen so I can make a meal whilst travelling with the flask of boiled hot water I take with me. Or just buy shg and eat it right away before forgetting. When I buy groceries I always put bottles of juice and crackers , apples straight away in my car. It allows to never run out of options when away from home.
Usually I boil water before goï.g to sleep and fill up 3 great (= keeping hot for 12 hours at least) thermos, 1 with sleep herbal tea, 1 morning drink, 1 whatever or just plain. By putting 2 of them beside the bed I at least know hydration is assured. Tx for the great tips, honey and commenters, U got this.
Disclaimer: mostly vegan, but I mentionned some mainstream foiods so everybody would feel it's doable.
Bon appétit.
As someone with physical disabilities who thinks tier two is definitely tier one, I have to recommend tier four. A lot of the time I can't even get myself to the kitchen, and for anyone who is the same I would really recommend keeping non-perishable food in your most occupied room. For me it's my bedroom, and I have a whole shelf of food in there so that I can just reach over for it.
I would suggest crackers, dried fruit, cereal bars, really anything that can be kept on a shelf where the biggest step between you and eating it is the packaging. If you can afford it a mini-fridge is also an incredible asset, as you can keep fresher stuff in there and it also really expands your no cook protein options.
Most of this stuff will last forever so you really don't have to be on top of the shopping if you stock up when you have the energy. It also doesn't really require utensils or plates, which is a lifesaver for me, I can't imagine not having the energy to eat but being able to do the washing up.
Underrated comment
Thank you! This is helpful too! I have chronic pain and ADHD.
That's a really good suggestion. Re being too tired to cook/clean up, if I'm too tired to cook because I just haven't eaten in so long, often after I eat I'll feel better and get some energy back. Crazy how humans need to eat and feel better when we do lol!! I wish cooking wasn't so hard!
I have CP and it causes chronic pain. Sure I can walk to the kitchen, but I don't feel like it. I do keep alot of snacks by my bed in that instance, but still get sucked into the decision fatigue because of that and don't eat. It's so frustrating 😭
I do this too!! I have a self care cart and it has a bin for snacks. My fav snack is 🫣😅 salted cashews with sour gummy bears. Like together. I don’t know why something about the salt and the crunch and the chew at the same time always gets me in a good mood 😂
I’m autistic and I do 3 tiers with EVERYTHING. To do lists, skincare, food, even leisure activities for when I’m in burnout. Works like a charm!
Same!
I honestly should be doing this. Since peer-reviewed diagnosis I've been in crazy burnout.
This is so smart… i want to know more. Whats an example of ur tiers for a leisure activity?
@@xxSimpleCxx excellent question! So for red light meltdown days I've got watching comfort movies, tablet games while listening to music, watching RUclips videos, etc. Yellow light days I might read or do some crafts. Green light days are the ones with more spoons so I'll pick things that take multiple steps to accomplish or something that takes a lot of brain power. Like going for a hike, journaling, practicing learning a new skill like a language or an instrument. Things that would send me into shutdown if I didn't get them right on the first try are reserved for green light days. Does that help?? :)
@@serenainavanthat's....... So helpful and the examples are awesome. Do you mind going further? Like with skincare, ti lists(!!), and other things? I think i kinda do this with skin care, but still feel bad if I don't do the whole 9 yards, so I don't think I'm doing it right lol l
They say this to moms a lot, and I think about it a lot: FED is best. You need to be fed. It’s great if you have energy to make amazingly balanced meals all the time, but if you’re just eating ramen, just know you are feeding yourself and that’s better than not ❤
Thank you so much for this!
I tell myself this all the time! Eating SOMETHING is better than eating nothing
My tier 2 food is usually a version of charcuterie: dried fruits (craisins, raisins, mango), crackers, cheese, jam, maybe grapes, canned fruit like mandarins, pickled onion/beets/gerkins, nuts. You might need to cut things and assemble things, but it's mostly long lasting groceries with maybe some fresh fruit you meant to eat before it goes bad.
Where’s the food in ramen??
just want to be fed
with garlic bred
So many times I would forget to eat until I started to feel dizzy, but what helped was putting my dog on a 3 meal schedule. He'll come get me when it's time for lunch, which is enough motivation to stop what I'm doing to feed him and a good reminder to feed myself. It's easier to take care of him than remembering to take care of myself 🫣
I always try to have snacks in my house and on me when I’m out so that I can have at least a little to tide me over until I get home or have something ordered to eat. I do theatre and sometimes I’ll forget to eat before rehearsals start. I don’t have time to go out and get something, so always having something I know I like to eat has saved me more than a few times. I also try to make sure they’re filling so that I can last until I can get a real meal in! Having pets definitely helps though!! I recently got cats and they help me remember to eat so much!!
Dogs are how i have survived.
This is exactly what I’ve been doing since I got my puppy in November. It’s made such a difference. I’ve only skipped meals a few times over the last few months and I feel so different because of it.
Awww dogs are so helpful
Lol me but with my parther because I like to cook it’s just hard to convince my self to do it for myself
Also for tier 3, I use “strategic takeaway” to help. I know that by Wednesday each week I will not be able to cook a meal to get through the rest of the work week. So I plan to get takeout on Wednesday night that will also include lunches for Thursday and Friday. By planning ahead I choose options that fit in my budget, and I make sure I have the money set aside for it. So it’s a no guilt option that anticipates my low energy days.
We've try new places for takeout everyone now and then, and have discovered a couple that are as cheap as or cheaper than us making it (they don't skimp on meat and veg either). Switched our favourite Chinese place for another. Order several options, and pack in Ikea lunch containers to freeze. That way we still get variety even though there is only two of us.
That’s brilliant. I’m going to start doing that for days I go into the office
What types of takeout do you suggest for this that are suitable?
@@Whemsical my go-to’s are things that are inexpensive, tasty and large portions. I have a local sandwich shop that makes pretty good salads, so I get a big salad and a long sub for about $25 and that lasts for one dinner and two lunches. I also am a big fan of Thai food; I get either two curries or one curry and one pad Thai for $30 total and that’s two dinners and two lunches. I even have a pizza place that’s a little pricey, but their lunch special paninis are delicious, come with a salad, and makes 2 lunches for $20.
The important thing to me is to look at it as a bulk purchase and buy it all at once. If I go meal by meal I’m more tempted to buy appetizers, add on drinks and desserts. Plus a tip each time, delivery fees if I’m particularly low energy, all that adds up. When everything goes right I’ve planned ahead, ordered once, and picked up in person on my way home from work Wednesdays.
I do similar. My favorite is indian food. I'll make a basic dall, a paneer dish, etc (which freeze well, and I will use mixes as needed), rice, and have yogurt on hand. Then I will order a few dishes that take longer to make but I like having.
And here I’m realizing that for years I’ve been learning to cook specifically in ways that turn tier 1 foods into tier 2 and 3 foods.
When the inspirations strikes I take like 8 hours going down a rabbit hole learning or perfecting a new dish. This used to fuck me up but now I make it in batches of 24. 6 meals get containerized into tier 3 meals for the week. Literally just making my own microwave meals. The other 18 get partially done. I do all the hard parts in a monstrously massive batch (I just made two gallons of salsa from scratch I kid you not). Then when I have tier 2 energy to meal prep, I just do stuff like boil some pasta and chuck in a frozen hunk of sauce before putting in Tupperwares to become tier 3.
I’ve also started freezing sauces in ice cube trays. For tier 2 days I can just chuck tofu or seitan in the air fryer and microwave a single serving cube.
ADHD is a bitch but I seem to be able to average a random day of culinary hyperfocus about once a month. So four weeks of freezer food work I guess. And when it’s longer than that? Trader Joe’s squiggly noodles will always be there for me
souper cubes for meal prep ftw
i freeze my mom's bomb basmati rice pulau in 2 cup souper cubes. Frozen rice bricks go into a ziploc freezer bag. Simply nuke a brick 'o rice and it tastes fresh and doesnt get hard the way rice does after being refrigerated.
Yea that's what I've been doing with soup and salad lately. Two weeks worth of soup, a week's worth of salad, that's the majority of my main meals for the week. Breakfast is nothing, banana, yogurt, leftover, cereal, the rare bagel and cream cheese when it's in the house (though its kinda filling for the morning so I don't tend to go for it). Sometimes I'll get egos and butter for something quick. I need to get better at doing a whole food prep or trying out different soup recipes. But overall that whole "food prep sunday" idea is pretty useful for us. Just don't expect it to always be on the same day of the week or reliable every time. It's just a good technique in parallel to the three tier system.
I do the same thing! It's so nice to have good food i know i can make reliably without dedicating my entire life to it
I don't make as much though, i don't have freezer space so i have to eat it all within a few days
The Sad Bastard Cookbook by Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen is free to download and full of tier 2.5-3 food, including variations on most recipes for different preparation based on availability, ways to make them vegan, ways to bump them up to tier 2 ("God tier") if you have the energy, etc.
From my own experience, I highly recommend getting an air fryer if you're able. Many of those tier 3 microwaveable foods and almost everything that goes in an oven come out way more tasty in an air fryer. Hint: you don't actually have to preheat the air fryer, just add 2ish more minutes to the cook time.
I have that and it saves my life constantly.
I downloaded that’s a few months ago. A lot of it is stuff I already do but it does offer some alternative options that I hadn’t thought of
Air fryers are truly a Godsend
😊 thank you
Great tip!
I discovered that no matter how low energy or nauseous I get, I can always eat potatoes, and that task initiation is the hardest part for me. So I keep some frozen hash browns in the freezer. Heat them in a skillet with oil. While waiting for them to brown, I'm in the kitchen anyway, and that gets me to chop some onion, add some ham/shrimp/cooked chicken, green vegetable, cheese. I don't try to figure out first whether I feel like cooking or whether I have the energy to cook - I just lower the bar by saying potatoes, and the rest just follows because it's a habit. Sometimes what gets me into the kitchen is the thought, I could have some milk, then when I'm drinking it, I remind myself that it's not a meal, but it has settled my stomach enough that I'm not nauseous and can think enough to start potatoes. I also have friends that I call on the phone - that little bit of social engagement gets the gears in my brain engaged, and we've trained each other to ask questions like "what are you having for protein?" A specific question like that cuts through the noise in my brain when I'm looking inside my fridge and just feeling overwhelmed. Another option is to microwave frozen peas, add butter or oil and ham, optional pistachios or cashews. An avocado and a handful of romaine lettuce (no need for dressing), maybe a handful of nuts, dried berries.
You can freeze mashed potato if you put enough butter or cream in it. Then it's just a quick zap in the microwave. There's plenty of recipes if you Google it. Super yummy and you can add whatever you want to make it a complete meal.
What a kind way to care for yourself!!!!
Frozen peas still frozen are really nice as a snack. Really sweet too
I found an airfryer to be great for me, I just have to quickly chop some potatos ( like 2 mins) then add a bit of seasoning then chuck in the airfryer and walk off.., come back when it beeps:)
Tier 3: A can of chickpeas. Drain them, add a little salt/pepper/garlic powder (if ya want). Give’s protein, can be in pantry forever, & it’s a fun poppable food to eat (like it’s popcorn).
Tier 2: Rice (can be minute rice), made with chicken or veggie bouillon’s cubes added to water, butter, spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic, paprika for heat). Warm and cozy rice dish, can add shredded rotisserie chicken or any veggie for added nutrition.
Tier 2: White/Jasmine Rice (minute or leftover rice works), milk, sugar, raisins, butter. Heat until warm. Great for breakfast, it’s like a cozy rice pudding soup almost.
Those all sound delicious! Especially the last one. Thanks for the ideas!!
Upgrade that chickpeas by topping with salsa verde. One summer I lived on chickpeas w old bay and salsa verde.
chickpeas and rice, my beloved. truly the base of so many simple meals. Poor Mans Pantry Staples Chana Masala has saved me so many times lol
Your first tier 2? Make couscous. Far East is a brand that comes with flavor packets and lots of varieties. I would mix with the amount of water they recommend and then add a bag of frozen veggies. Usually cooked in about the same time.
The pre cooked chicken cuts in the lunch meat section are a life saver to spruce up some of these meals
Tier 4: Snacks with protein! Bonus points if they don't require clean dishes. CLIF bars, cheese sticks and premade smoothies are go-to items for me.
They work well for breakfasts, when I need to leave but realize I haven't eaten much, or if I'm hungry and want to buy myself extra time while I figure out a larger meal.
100%!!
Avocado toast is underrated for this. It gives a surprising amount of energy and satiety
Those squeezable apple sauces are great, and so are to-go packs of tuna w/crackers, Nutella, or peanut butter!
glass of orange juice helps serve that role of buying time for me. Not high protein, but the rush of sugars can sometimes help for a minute to jolt my brain back into action.
Snacks yes! Protein would be good, but when I reach a low enough level I just crave sugar and nothing else appeals to me. So as a compromise I often carry a Snickers bar (or a cheaper store brand peanut chocolate bar), or any kind of chocolate with nuts. Yogurt coated muesli bars. Chocolate coated oat bisquits. Or salted peanuts if I'm not that deep in the pit yet but even tier 3 meals are too much to handle. Certainly not healthy, but easy to always have around, and they are things I can always eat without getting more nauseous. (Chocolate in general I can always eat, but it won't really help with nausea if there's no added fiber and/or protein.)
My go-to Tier 3 meal (though I never thought of it that way but that's genius) is a can of soup, usually like a chunky soup with chicken and veggies, and I make sure I buy kinds with at least 15 g of protein to keep me full. Dump in a bowl, microwave, done. Works great when I cannot even imagine cooking.
I love soup and even salad. Salad you have to eat quicker. But the point is I can use one of my tier one days to prep for my tier three days buy making both ahead of time in a big batch.
for an extra boost can just add tvp before microwave it &/or stir nutritional yeast into it after 😉
Saaame! Chicken noodle is my favorite
I finally got over my aversion to instant rice. On bad days, I can make a large can stretch 2 meals with rice microwaved with the soup
True! Forgot about this one
I like the idea of having a binder of some kind to flip through. I find that i forgot what even is a food option, but when i stick the ingredients in a "recipes by ingredients" website, browsing the recipe options tends to motivate me to actually seek out something in my kitchen. I think a binder tailored to my shopping habits and tiered is a great tool.
seriously I forget what humans eat whenever I think about what to eat
I have a list of possibilities taped on the inside of the door of a kitchen cabinet
I was recently stuck in the cycle of not having food in the house and perpetually ordering expensive takeaways, and In the process, wringing my bank account dry.
I have found a system that works for me recently, but it may not work for everyone.
I actually love cooking, but I just don't always have the energy or am often unprepared and have no motivation to go to the shops.
How I changed it was to a. I started ordering my food shopping online, it's slightly more expensive than going to the store, but in the long run I save money because it means I always have lots of food available.
B. On a day when I have energy for cooking, I imagine that I'm hosting a party for 30 people and I cook as many dishes as I can, usually things like, lasage, Mac n cheese, soups, stews ECT...
I put most of the food in the freezer, that way I can eat it over time and always have nice meals ready when I'm hungry
I do realize however that if you don't enjoy cooking, this probably won't work for you x
This is exactly what I do. When I am ordering online, I can also look up receipes, write them down and plan my meals. Its so hard to be consistent, so tying meal planning with ordering online has been the best thing I've done. I think this is a form of Habit Stacking.
Nothing is 100% and I do keep a stock of frozen things for when I just can't cook. But planning that stuff out ahead of time has allowed me to eat AND to be grateful to myself (thanks past me!).
If you're not a bean person, try different beans! They are all VERY different! My partner's daily thing is a smoothie of frozen fruit, spinach, flax seeds, almond milk. It has transformed their health and digestion to finally eat whole foods. For protein try a powder or -stay with me- silken tofu. It's pudding textured and great for sweet things that you want to be better for you!!
❤
The smoothie is a big one for me too! I use soy milk since it has like 8g of protein per serving so it gives me a little more protein than if I just didn't eat at all. Silken tofu is a great tip too!!
True. I had never really loved chili, because I hate the red kidney beans people usually use. I ended up making up my own chili recipe, which uses black beans and garbanzo beans. Adzuki beans are another small bean that I find more appealing.
To reduce the number of decisions I have to make, I have assigned a type of food to each weekday, I've found it very helpful! There's still a lot of variety available in each category. Monday - some kind of rice dish. Tuesday - tacos. Wednesday - noodles or soups. Thursday - Sandwich. Friday - pasta. The weekend is free to allow for experimenting with new foods.
that's a good strategy!
Learning in a college nutrition class that *FROZEN VEGGIES often have MORE nutrients than fresh* was game-changing for this non-cook who hates dishes. ; - D The freezer is Tier 3 magic! 🤩 *Healthier Favorites:* Open-faced cheese toast on frozen sliced bread in toaster oven (can add a microwaved cup or bowl of prepared soup for a hearty meal with no pan to wash. : - ) *TASTY veggies:* Microwaved frozen broccoli or other veggies with Italian dressing (delicious!) or butter, salt, & pepper or cheese sprinkles.
*(Mostly) non-perishable gourmet salad with ZERO chopping!:*
(Great for potlucks, date nights, or a luxurious dinner for one : - )
- frozen blue cheese crumbles (can pre-portion & freeze a brick or tub of crumbles to keep on hand)
- dried cranberries
- toasted sliced almonds
- bagged pre-washed greens
- Newman's Own balsamic vinaigrette or your favorite
So good! 😀
Alternative with a little chopping (also a crowd-favorite : - ):
- Fuji apples instead of cranberries
- Toasted or candied pecan pieces instead of almonds
----
*Non-perishable lower-sugar smoothie:*
(easy to adapt to special diets/allergies yet still delicious!)
spoonful of frozen juice concentrate instead of juice to taste
frozen fruit
frozen kale or spinach
unsweetened protein powder
water
I periodically disassemble and clean the blender's pitcher, but for quick washing, I just rinse and add soap & warm water then blend. : - )
One of my favorite add-ins is frozen chopped broccoli. The smaller pieces means they thaw and heat more quickly so great for adding to ramen, Mac and cheese, rice, even chicken noodle soup. Chopped frozen spinach works too. It makes getting vegetables easier. I always keep a couple bags in the freezer.
Yep, pre-made stir fry mix frozen and straight to pan..is a life saver
My go to quick meal is hot dogs. So simple. Not the healthiest but it's better than nothing.
Sometimes I add a sliced hot dog to a bowl of chili, with buttered bread on the side.
fed is best!
I find Johnsonville cheddar brats are more filling, more expensive... but they fill me up. I'm often full just eating two.
Just microwave the hot dog and a slice of bread for a few secs. Yum!
I put lots of relish on my hot dogs…which is basically a veggie. 😊
literally watching this at 4:30p, haven’t eaten anything, been stuck in a loop trying to get myself to leave the apt for food. it’s tough. sometimes just braving my dirty kitchen to clean a spoon is too much right now. trying to claw my way out of this hole. fav tier 3 foods: uncrustables, frozen mac and cheese from tjs, canned soup (with toast if i have it).
❤❤❤❤
i always keep a supply of disposable silverware & plates/bowls for those times braving a dirty kitchen to clean a spoon is too much as know how hard clawing your way out of holes can be 💚
thanks for taking the time & energy to share your ideas! i often find these sorts of reminders we're not alone & as the classic says "i'm not lazy, stupid or crazy" so helpful
I also have a backup supply of disposable dishware. It's saved me more times than I'd like to count, but it's helped me get over one of my biggest hurdles of eating (dishes not being cleaned or don't wanna clean them). @@r_and_a
Every word you say, I can apply... I understand this so well, even if I'm still not diagnosed ADHD (yet). Currently, I've been avoiding eating, because I need to clean the dishes first and have no motivation at all :
1) to clean
2) to cook means some more cleaning to do after that
Frozen pizza and frozen meals had save me few months ago when I was depressed.
Also I had found another tip that helped when I was in TIERS 3 for weeks :
I told my friend that I was not eating enough and they helped. We had meals together : either, out or I was cooking easy stuff for us (tiers 2 meals) or they cooked for me...
Meeting a friend everyday during my depression, so that I was making sure to eat everyday.
Not being alone and eating everyday at least 1 real meal was priority to feel better. It works after a time, take care of you ! Don't forget to feed yourself
Definitely appreciate the vulnerability and transparency in sharing how you overcome ADHD and food. The other day I was so exhausted from work, it would’ve been easy to get on myself about what I was eating. But the fact in the matter is I needed to eat, and food is food. I appreciate you voicing the things. Our community knows inside because hearing it out loud does wonders. You rule wishing you a good week
One of the things that has helped me so much is the idea of separating the planning from the doing. This is a great application of that idea!
As a vegan I always have a big amount of dried lentills (Red, yellow and black), Basmati rice, Black beans, coconut milk and Cannes cutted tomatos. Also a biiiig variety of dried herbs&spices, curry-paste in the fridge, always fresh garlic, onions and ginger.
A new thing is to buy a big amoint of fresh herbs, wash, cut them and freeze them, because so often I bought them but the idea of washing and cutting was soooo "I can't" that I had to throw them away later when they were over.
Also a good thing for me as a single is to buy this big packages of frozen greens Luke broccoli, green beans, champignons etc. I don't have to wash and cut them and can get easily just a handfuö of each for a curry. Yeah, I love currys😊 Quick and easy if you have no power: just cut an onion and some garlic, evt some gingen, fry, add curry-paste, frozen vergießen, Cannes Tomaten, salt. That's the "minimum and easy version". You can add coconut-milk, Tofu, lentils, fresh vegetables, a variety of spices, raisins, rosted cashews as topping whatever. It is easily adjustable.
Ah, and I love my microwave rice-cooker. 1cup of basmati, two cups water, 1 ts salt, 13 minutes microwave and perfectly cooked tice for two days
Ah, I forgot, I always cook an amount for two or three days.
A very quick thing would be a can of black beans into a pot where I Fried cutted onion and garlic with curry-paste, a can of cutted tomatos and a can of coconutmilk onto it and cook 5 minutes.
It's ready when the rice comes out of the microwave, really.
And it makes full and happy.
Or: a bake-up ciabatta, that is not frozen. Just cut in half and put some fresh sliced tomatos on one half over some herbal mayo and vegan cheese on the other side, bake for ten minutes, evt. add some sliced onions, salt and fresh pepper, put together, ready.
Or: some vegan sausages (there are those in plastic that can be storaged out of fridge for month) or frozen vegan fish-fingers, or ..., this dried mashed-potatos You mix with some water and plantmilk and put in the microwave and a can of corn. You can fry the corn and the veghie-sausages in a pan for some minutes and the mashed potatos come out of the microwave the same time. That's my quickest.
Or: ready made frozen spinace (its spiced and with onions and garlic) into the microwave, fry some readymade cooled gnoccis and Mix them.with the spinace.
Or: a special ready made cooled potato-salad with this frozen vegan fish-fingers and Remoulade (a mayo with fresh herbs and cucumbers.
These are my all-time low-energy-cooking things.
But of cause there are those times I have NO energy and eat something out of the fridge or chips, chocolates, etc.
My trick is just not to buy those things any more.
Tier 3: Instant smashed potato jars. Batches and measures into mason jars for quick use.
Instant mashed potato flakes, powdered milk (protein and fat to make it last in my system longer), butter powder (Molly McButter, etc), seasonings (sour cream & onion popcorn seasoning, Mrs Dash, black pepper, cayenne, whatever you like, but ground fine cause you’re not really cooking it), nutritional yeast (for the B vitamins, not available to everyone, but has a delicious cheesy flavor), dried chives, and flavorless fiber supplement.
2/3 cup mix into a pint mason jar. Seal, label (cause memory sucks), and put in a drawer at work or pantry/sick food cabinet at home. Add 2/3-1 cup boiling water from microwave, kettle, or coffee machine. Stir, add lid, and let steam/cool for 1 min. It has carbs, protein, fat, and frankly on tier 3 day, I don’t have it in me to chew. Add a little water or more milk, and you got something closer to cream of potato soup.
yo THANK YOU for this. Genius!! I appreciate that you listed everything out too.
this sounds so good for my picky texture ass. i love mashed potatoes and i love your incorporation of milk powder i never would have thought of that!
@@momonomay3011 Glad to help. I added the milk powder because I needed more protein. I have hypoglycemia, and just carbs, spikes, and then bottoms out my blood sugar like crazy. It was an incredibly stressful part of my life and I was pretty much nauseated all of the time. It was basically mashed potatoes, soup, and smoothies. I’ve since started doing it with everything, including pancakes and omelettes, and anything that could use a little enrichment. I’ve also discovered that, in addition to skim milk, whole milk powder, coconut milk powder, oat milk powder, and soy milk powder are all readily available on Amazon. I like some of them better than others. You probably will too, but it’s nice to have options.
*love* nutritional yeast on just about everything! other *protein hacks* we use that might be helpful for ya:
*tvp* : "textured vegetable protein" (especially the smaller "granules" vs bigger "chunks") shelf stable & flavorless so works great in lumpy mashed potatoes & oatmeal
*plain greek yogurt* : nearly flavorless & doesn't go bad too quick but can also blend into just about anything including mashed potatoes & oatmeal
@@r_and_a I enjoy both, especially the yogurt, which I often use in place of sour cream, and recently discovered yuba tofu skin, but the hack above are mostly for things that can be contained dry, and sit in a drawer, or covered for a while until I just need to add hot water. It just doesn’t work out that well so quickly with TVP or Yuba.
I dont have ADHD but a chronic illness which means I sometimes have so much fatigue, pain and/or brain fog and I totally relate to not having the energy to eat or prepare a meal. All the suggestions helped me a lot so here is mine
Water to a boil with a vegetable stock/bouillon cube for flavour.
Add in pasta, at 3-5 minutes left add in frozen veggies.
Drain.
Put a little butter or shredded cheese for fats.
Serve.
Veggies are optional but gives you that 'hey this is a healthy meal' kinda feeling. Can also sub out pasta and bouillon for instant ramen.
My Tier 2 go-to meal is a slice of sourdough toast with mashed avocado and a fried egg 🍳. The sourdough is store bought and pre-sliced, I only get the single serving version of avocado/guacamole (so it doesn’t go brown and it’s preportioned) and the egg is done when the toast is topped with the avo.
My ADHD/depression got me into some deep trouble (financially) so I am forced to cook, takeout became really too expensive (I live in Czech republic), two meals that I bought/got delivered were the same budget I would use up for cooked meals per week, so clearly - not attainable.
I have to pitch to all of you cooking broth in a batch (proper bones + soup pack of veg), soup is my staple and it lasts me about the week, then I pre-make spread for bread, that's my dinner and I often skip breakfast all together - because I am just not hungry till lunch time... Bone broth has massive amount of nutrients, it keeps you satiated for a loooong time and you can freeze it if you need to.
Sometimes just cutting the bread was too much of a task, I am also big on fruit, I have a basket of apples and bananas ready to go, for the days when there's a risk of me not eating at all. Usually I cook only once/twice a week, meals that I do love, so they last...
My biggest hurdle is going to the shop, since is quite easy for me to get overwhelmed and buy a bunch of stuff I don't need. I have my groceries delivered about twice a month and go to the shop only on my lunch break (so I am time constricted and usually pick the smaller shops to just zoom through them - already knowing what I need).
Also I stocked my freezer with meals that can be cooked in the oven (pizza, kroketas & chicken nuggets - then I also have a sweet version - Slovakian "šúlance" dough like ovals filled with poppy seeds, u just chuck them in boiling water and when they float up - boom you got yourself a meal).
I also recommend checking out easy recipes... make what you loved as a kid, don't forget to have fun with your meals (texture, taste)
I’m Romanian and in a similar situation and bone broths are an awesome option. You just need to buy a larger pot and just make a big batch. I also tend to bot drink enough water so I usually don’t make them super dense with ingredients and they have a bunch if water in them so I can eat a big bowl and it keeps me hydrated. You can also store it precooked in the freezer or after you make it. You can also play around with different ways to flavor it, there’s more traditional ways to do it and more off the wall i like this ingredient so i will add it (hot sauce and ginger for instance) which is sort of a go to when i feel a cold might set in.
i like frozen gyoza in the airfryer or eggs on toast when im too tired to decide. i find that when im nearing tier 3 or already in it, things that are easy and nourishing help me nudge my way upwards a little. things like congee in the rice cooker or just frozen udon with frozen veggies and eggs. something soft and hot and soupy helps me so much
I second the kick upwards! Sometimes when I'm tier 3 or not eating for a while I just make myself go to the lil grocery store that's really close to my place, and I usually don't shop there because it's a bit expensive (lots of local/bio/veg stuff) but then I just tell myself I need to eat and I buy myself whatever it feels like I want to eat. Usually it feels healthy and a bit like a splurge and it motivates me into taking a bit better care of myself right after!
gyozas and soup have saved my life way too many times
For me, a lot of my motivation is also tied to my motivation to clean. I don’t have a dishwasher and I don’t have a car so i have to transport by hand all my groceries home and then I have to clean all my dishes by hand.
So for me, tier two has to be minimal cleanup, so one pot and one set of dishes at the most!
Tier 3 is a maybe a bowl and a spoon or it’s in the sink for later.
So I would definitely keep that in mind when planning your system or trying to get more out of higher motivation days
This is amazing. Love the idea of splitting my meals into tiers, focussing on tier 2 as the main one, but making allowances for those t1 and t3 days.
I keep a lot of tinned food because I never know where I’m gonna be at. Tinned fish, beans, veggies, fruit, soup… tinned peaches can be a t3 snack, while tinned tomatoes can go into a t1 pasta when that day shows up!
I keep dried fruit, seeds and nuts in the cupboard for snacks too, and if they get a little too old I’ll put them out for birds. But when I remember, I’ll chuck them in yogurts, or on salads, in soups…. Or maybe just eat a handful of almonds while working.
When I was little, my mum would bring me home from school for lunch and we’d share a variety of cheese and crackers before she took me back to school for the afternoon. Decades later, I always keep a pack of plain crackers in the cupboard, and a block of mature cheddar in the fridge (it keeps so well!) as it’s a lovely comfort and so, so easy 🥰
I have started to make big batches of food to last me the whole week so they technically become tier one foods.
Pasta Sauce:
I cook meat + Onions + veggies (I like mushrooms) in a pan and then I combine it with 2 cans of tomato sauce or regular red pasta sauce and it stays good for about a week
Taco meat:
I cook onions, garlic and peppers in one pan and then combine it with meat and taco seasoning and then I have tacos ready for the week
Yes! Batch cooking really is a lifesaver. I love doing it where you prep the components rather than full meals too so you can mix and match. Also means less hassle because you’re just cooking things in basic ways. The air fryer also makes things a breeze. Ready diced root veggies and some marinated chicken breasts. Stick them in the air fryer, challenge myself to have a 15 minute shower/shave/etc and then I feel refreshed in myself and have a meal ready to go all at the same time
i got these dehydrated vegetables in bulk so i can add them to a noodle. i literally just portion out stock powder, oil, and vege into containers and then all I gotta do on a tier 3 day is add water and wait.
I get these frozen microwaveable vegetable packs from the supermarket, so i can just add those to any base I can be bothered making, whether it be rice or noodle or pasta. Vegan meat options are good too because they have a longer shelf life.
I have a permanent stash of rice cakes for peanut butter "sandwiches" that saves me having mouldy bread.
One tip that I learned and started implementing is to use those tier 1 days to make more food than necessary and freeze it (I mean, the same meal, just more quantity). That required 1) find meals that can be frozen and 2) have more quantity of every ingredient. It takes almost the same time and effort (maybe 5 more minutes of chopping vegetables?) and I ended up having meals for both my present self and my future depressed self. Freezing and defrosting a nutritious and satisfying home-made meal feels like a hug from and to myself ❤
I have a huge list of tier 3 foods, and have categorized them as such. I call it my "raw food diet" even though it's not all raw lol. Just things I don't have to "cook".
Since I got an air fryer and egg cooker, things have been so much better because the gadget does the work for me so I can make small batches of anything out of the freezer with minimal cleaning and effort.
My biggest issue is when I lose my taste for certain foods as well as gradually changing my diet with the seasons since the weather affects my food preferences. Just a work in progress over here.
Also here are some of my 3-tier foods: yogurt, avocado, veggies (washed but uncut), granola bar, carrot sticks and dip, nuts, dried fruit, pickles, olives, instant soup in a cup, cheese, canned sardines with bread, boiled eggs, crackers.
I also freeze my fruit smoothies into popsicle moulds and when I'm feeling like a "treat" I have a serving of fruit in popsicle form. I have 12 of them so once every few weeks, I wash them all and start again (I keep all pieces in the freezer until they're ready to wash so that the sticky cups and moulds are contained and also don't attract flies)
As a parent, there's even more guilt associated with not wanting to cook because you have no energy or don't feel like it. And decision paralysis was one of the biggest hurdles for me. One of the best things I ever did was to set up a 3 ring binder full of recipe cards in sheet protectors. Big, pretty, easy to follow (with pictures!) recipe cards. (Yes, I got a lot of them from doing various meal-kit services over the years.) When it's time to grocery shop, I have everyone in my family go through and pick out one meal they want to eat that week. When it's time to do something for dinner, I took at the meal prep and cook time on the cards, remember how much effort it takes to do a particular meal, and then pick one that matches my level of energy that night. Or, I have one of my kids cook their meal! Who knows when we'll eat any given meal that week. It's totally based on how I'm feeling day to day. But I know they'll be recipes that are relatively easy and my family will eat them.
For tier 3 I have cup noodles and different meals that you just have to add water too. I keep them in my bedroom, I also have an electric kettle on a small table that I can refill in the bathroom so I don’t have to go downstairs to my kitchen. Removing the step of having to go to my kitchen to eat has really helped me
*CHOMPING instead of chopping EASIEST salad:* 😁🥕🥗😄
1. Pour bagged pre-washed greens onto plate or bowl
2. Chomp baby carrots into bite-size pieces with your teeth and allow them to fall from mouth onto plate
3. Enjoy the shocked/admiring looks of anyone nearby ; - D
4. Pour on your favorite dressing
5. Enjoy your good nutrition with rebel flare & fewer dishes!
Optional:
Add garbanzo beans from a can or other ready-to-eat protein 💪
As a mom (all of my children are now grown...I wasn't officially diagnosed with ADHD until I was 57, though I had long suspected it), an important skill is to make a double batch of favorite meals so that there are always easy and affordable meals in the freezer.
Well. Not always.
And easy meal that could fall in tier two or three would be hot dogs cooked in the air fryer with applesauce and chips. Not the healthiest, but easy af to make and everybody in the family would eat it.
While I never had an official tier system, this is basically the philosophy I had towards feeding my family over the years. I spent a lot of time trying to find the "perfect meal plan" that was easy to cook and shop for, so that the hard decisions were already made, but it was really hard to consistently follow that plan. So respecting that I needed a variety of meals that reflected my functionality at any given time was an important part of repairing my self respect.
I haven‘t watched the full video yet but I wanna share my experience of not eating enough.
I had a binge eating disorder for all of my teen years so I was basically never NOT eating enough. I binged on chocolate most of the time, so my body was full of sugar and calories at all times.
After I gave up on dieting, my binge attacks stopped. When I learned I had ADHD and started drinking coffee regularly, I stopped eating chocolate on a regular basis and started losing weight. Then I started ADHD meds and wow, did they kill my appetite and hunger completely. 😅
For the first time since I was a child, I experienced what it felt like to completely forget about food.
I had experienced the “no energy to eat“ issue before but never as often as when I first started ADHD meds.
The irony is that my meds give me so much energy but if I‘m not careful I also end up starving myself.
There was a period last summer in which I was eating so little food I almost fainted several times, I had insane chronic fatigue, I felt physically weak, and I was in a lot of pain.
I genuinely thought I had some severe disease and I might be dying. Until I realized that, no, this is just what malnutrition feels like. 😬
Now I make sure to eat more and despite still missing meals too often, it doesn‘t happen excessively anymore. But man, that was a really crazy phase of my life. 0/10, wouldn’t recommend.
Delivering groceries has also helped me keep my costs and impulse purchases down. This budgeting video mentioned pick up and delivery makes you look at what you bought and how much it’ll cost.
Tier 2:
Scrambled eggs and toast, grab a piece of fruit or smoothie if you want.
Tuna on toast or with pita chips. Add veggies if energy allows.
Cottage cheese with canned pineapple on top with half a bagel.
Fish sticks and tartar sauce on bread for an easy fish sandwich.
Grilled cheese and canned tomato soup.
Scrambled egg burrito (eggs, cheese, salsa if you have it - wrap in a tortilla that you've warmed in the microwave)
These are things i make for my daughter for lunch quite often. We both have adhd.
It's so fucking good to watch a video about this. I struggle so much with cooking motivation.
Tier 3: Grapes and tuna salad on crackers, protein shake with frozen fruit and frozen spinach, bagel w/cream cheese, pb&j, avocado toast, or microwaveable meal (leftover or store-bought).
Tier 2: Ramen w/veg and egg, tortilla pizza (put a bunch of stuff on a tortilla and bake it), or fancy salad.
Tier 1: Hot pot w/gyozas, bahn mi, curry rice dish, or a pasta dish.
I typically aim to do a tier 3 meal for breakfast, tier 2 for lunch, and tier 1 for dinner (since my partner drives dinner preparations!)
Tier 3: A baked potato (I often make a bunch of baked potatoes at a time and put them in the fridge to eat throughout the week). Taking one, cutting it open and adding butter and seasonings, maybe some cheese, is one of my go-to zero-energy meals.
Tier 3: Pre-prepped adult "lunchable" i have a snack box in the fridge that I keep filled with my favorite finger snacks, things like carrots and ranch, grapes, my favorite cheese cut into slices or cubes, pepperonis, pretzels, etc.
Tier 3: A couple of cheese quesadillas. Takes less than 5 minutes to make 2 on a hot pan. I did that earlier today actually.
Tier 2: Pulling from my pre-made baked potatoes, i'll cut one up and fry it up in a pan with a tiny bit of oil and seasonings and then top with cheese. it's so good! and one of my favorite quick meals. sometimes i can muster the energy to do this if i have tier 3 energy since it takes around 10 minutes and has very few steps involved. if i have more energy i'll prepare some meat or fry some onions with it.
Tier 2: Pasta with a jar of sauce. Typically alfredo sauce. Sometimes if i have the energy I'll elevate it by melting some butter in the microwave with garlic and seasonings and mix it into the drained pasta before I mix in the sauce. My daughter even loves it when I do this. It's so simple to do and adds a bit more flavor.
Tier 1: Cooked meat (chicken, ground beef, etc.) with veggies and white rice made in the instapot. I do freeze chicken in marinades to cut prep time which helps a lot even on good energy days. When I do this, I'll typically make enough to last a couple of days so that this Tier 1 meal can be a Tier 3 meal over the next couple of days.
My daughter likes when I add peas to the alfredo - just toss a handful or two into the pasta water during the last 30 seconds of cooking. Super easy way to add some veg.
@@elonas9487 thats a good idea. I might give that a try next time. I sometimes add broccoli to it. And shredded chicken if I have the energy for it or have a rotisserie chicken
Not sure if you like these, but something I add to my baked potatoes are things like that pre-cooked pulled pork that come in packages you can microwave. I will open up a baked potato and put a scoop of the meat in there with some butter and top with green onions or cheese if I feel fancy. But one of those packages can make me like 3 potatoes usually and I love those for a week where I just can't be bothered to cook.
@@iveelain oooh yess I have done that before! It's soo good that way. I also like to do that with tater tots or fries, not as healthy but oh soo good. Thank you for sharing and reminding me of that option!
@@noxicat7449 mmmm now I wanna do this with tater tots haha
Burritos and quesadillas are great tier 2 foods. You could cook chicken ahead of time and cut it up and stick it in the freezer or the fridge. Or if that's too much, you could do canned beans and cheese and hot sauce and call it a day
I have ADHD and fibromyalgia so I have bonus chronic fatigue and pain making this worse. I live mostly in tier 3 with my roommate making dinner every night. My tier 2 actually looks like Hayley's tier 3. Let me list my current go-tos; hopefully I can come up with an actual menu eventually :)
3. Corn dogs. Cheese sticks. Protein bars. Cracker sandwiches. Pre-packaged shakes. Hot pockets/empanadas/burritos. Individual portion packs of dip/guac with chips, crackers, whatever vegetables might be around. (Baby carrots and radish chips last FOREVER.) Fruit/applesauce cups. Fruit leather. Snack packs of chicken salad and crackers. Cold canned green beans with ranch dressing. (My ideal is grazing my way though several of these options.)
2. 90-second microwave rice pouch poured over a can of mushrooms (the extra step to open the can of mushrooms makes this hover between tiers 3 and 2). Bagel with cream cheese. Leftovers. An oven-baked frozen veggie pizza with some frozen chicken chunks arranged on top (this is my only way to get chicken, vegetables, and white sauce on a thick-crust prepared pizza - tomato sauce often sets off my GERD and/or IBS). Fried eggs and toast. Fried eggs and a grilled cheese sandwich: I make this tier 2 by making both in the toaster oven. Grilled cheese and pumpkin bisque: the former in the toaster oven, the latter in the microwave.
1. Most of the time my favorite sandwich (2 condiments, 2 kinds of lunch meat, cheese, pickles, fresh veg if available) is straight up tier 1. It's WORK when you have fibro. I'm still working on what else I can reliably make.
I always have a green cold pressed veggie and fruit juice in the fridge. If I can't get my veggies any other way, I can at least drink a glass of juice.
This was so helpful! I have a whireboard on my fridge with all the meals listed out and couldnt understand why it wasnt working for me. Turns out the decision fatigue was still there and i needed to break it up into tiers!!! 🙌🏽
This may have been mentioned already but if you cook extra at tier 1 and freeze you can have this at tier 3. Also, if ordering groceries online, save and reuse the exact same list every time. This cuts out decision freeze and you can throw in a few 'in the moment' new (tier 2) foods to keep food boredom at bay. I have to feed a young family and one of my biggest barriers to eating is not being able to stand the sight of kid food, especially after I've had to cook it..
Wow, thank you. I love your tier-systems… you had something similar in your morning routine video.. I‘m not diagnosed with ADHD (yet) but I had burnout and Trauma-stuff came up, so I‘m actually trying to get my life together, create healthy options for myself before coming back to „real life“ (like working and university again).. and I struggled a lot, it‘s better now, but you never know when a bad day/bad week/ bad month come… so „doing stuff to prepare for my worst days“, having super easy options for routines/food/activities is soooo good. I thought about something similar before but never did it, didnt how actually, so I did nothing, but your videos are super huge help and a big inspiration. Thank you so much 🙏🤍
Thank you so much for posting this video. Hearing about your journey and reading the comments has made me realise that I'm not alone. I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism 2 months ago but I thought I was the only one who struggled with food. I literally had a meltdown today caused by my decision paralysis around what to eat and lack of motivation to cook and cried on the phone to my mum, who ended up offering to cook dinner and drive it over to me. I'm 25 and moved out of home 6 years ago, but this happens pretty regularly. For the past six years I've felt like such a failure for not having the motivation to cook like everybody around me. It's so reassuring to know that this is normal, and that I might be able to figure out a system that works for me. I'm going to try to create my own three tier menu!
Best video ever! You nailed it with the energy tiers. And even though I would say to myself that it's better to eat something than nothing I would still feel so ashamed about having little snacks or a sandwich as a meal. And as a result of that I buy all the "right" stuff that would then just sit in the fridge until it was trying to run away by itself... just because I never had the energy/motivation to cook the meal it was intended for. Having you say the same thing somehow actually made me also Feel that it's ok to live on snacks when you can't manage anything else. I'm not alone ❤
Wow that's just what I've been thinking about to create 😮 your tier list is perfect 🎉
I'd go like this:
1. A pan of potatoes with veggies and a vegan meat alternative, self made pizza, soups, salad with all sorts of beans and peas + meat alternative
2. Lentil/edamame noodles with spinach, veggies and vegan meat alternative (frozen veggies and spinach); salad (presliced and washed veggies) with meat alternative.
3. Protein bars (ONE LOVE!!!), frozen pizza, sandwiches, protein shakes, any high processed garbage 🗑️ A can of cheek peas/ beans/ corn/ mushrooms/ peas/ canned food
O. M. G.
I have been so burnt out that the last month ALL our family of 4 has eaten, has been drive-through, take-out, delivery, or eating at other peoples’ houses. And when you mentioned the guilt, my stomach sank because I’ve been trying SOO hard not to let myself get too depressed from the guilt.
I am TOTALLY going to sit down with my family this weekend to set this up, even though I know we will probably only do tier 1 for awhile.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! 🙏 🎉
I made a "hierarchy of food needs", it includes foods i always are willing to eat, to sometimes but are good for me. i created a pinterest board of all my favorite recipes and sorted them into 4 sections all based on the my cycle (ya know like menstruation) based on this book i have on nutrition for your cycle. i put down a little bit of money up front by buying food prep containers and single serving jars and a secondhand instant pot. I have a budget per week (I go to the grocery store once a week because my partner likes to, that part is easy to just tag along) I make "family sized meals" and split them up. If i make soup i just put all of it in single serve jars and freeze all but the ones for the next week. I prep 2 "full" meals and leave 1 to just be easy prep, like i'll prep lunch and dinner, but bake a loaf of bread and just have that and eggs for breakfast and it's so easy for me i don't mind the "prep". Sometimes I rely on stuff i've prepped and froze. the more i do it, the easier it gets. my blood sugar is stable. i don't have decision fatigue, i stick to what i like but also have a nice variety. ironically this fixed my sleep schedule too because i don't stay up too late because i forgot to eat all day and finally eat a whole meal at midnight and then have to pace around until i digest. I also use a "meal prep" sheet that i laminated and use erasable marker so i know what i'm eating for every meals plus snacks. i eat more healthy foods now, i have less headaches, i'm less cranky, i feel way better, and i feel like i can show up for my partner and work and hobbies better when i'm not underfed and over caffinated. i love my colorful prep containers and having the freedom to not think about what i'm eating but having the safety of knowing i'll be fed, so even when i don't want to prep that pushes me to do so. also the meals i pick are pretty easy so it's not too bad anyway. also the parameters i set for myself gives me less decision fatigue which is huge for me. also i started making grained bread as a hobby so that helps too. i used to not be able to function and now i feel so much better - if you're in that place just give it a try. do your best, it's so worth it and i'm so grateful for this change, this is a great video!! it inspired me so much. love to all
I have been meal planning weekly according to how busy my day is. The tiers make so much sense.
When I make a tier 1 meal, I make a double batch to freeze. It works since I plan the week ahead and write “thaw ___” on my calendar for day before. When my kids hate dinner, I freeze the leftovers in small portions for me to take to work.
I tend towards tier 3 a lot. Not so much out of depression, but the kitchen just kind of makes me 😮💨. I have such a tendency to go all out when I didn't intend to that kitchen burnout is kind of constant.
Tier 3 for me is a bottle of soylent. That tends to be breakfast and lunch. I also have frozen breakfast sammies: pop in toaster oven. Boxed Mac. skyr (high protein Icelandic-style yogurt) and granola. Rice cooker steel cut oats with whatever is handy on top.
Tier 2 is a lentil stew i adapted from idk where and makes at least a week of servings and freezes like a champ. It's got mostly shelf stable ingredients and the stuff that needs chopping can be done in a food processor. I make a big jar of the spice mix so I just scoop and dump. Recipe in this thread.
Tier 1 is currently rice pilaf with almonds and raisins (made in rice cooker; i snubbed them for a long time, but OMG they're great) and chicken with spinach from Madhur Jaffrey's "at home with madhur jaffrey" cookbook (i checked out the e book from my library and took screenshots of the recipes). Takes a lot of browning, but not too much chopping (just rough chop of the spinach; food processor the rest) but then just close the lid and cook. It's so good. You don't even *need* to have fresh stuff, everything is either shelf stable or freezable.
Recipe for "lentil stuff" (seriously, that's what my husband and I call it). Can be adapted to vegan or vegetarian super easily.
1 onion, a pile of garlic (buy it peeled, keep it frozen, thank me later); dice those; in Dutch oven or big pot you have a lid for, sautee with 2tbl butter; add spices to taste (salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, thyme, roasted red pepper powder); 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes; 2 28oz cans of water (use the tomato can); 512g red lentils, rinsed if you remember (i buy them in 25lbs from nuts, keep in an airtight food grade 5 gallon bucket); 4tsp better than bullion (i use roasted chicken); give it a stir and bring it back up to burbling (not boiling). Reduce heat to low, cover and set a timer for 45 minutes. Brown and crumble 1lb of hot Italian sausage (or your fave protein sub) and set aside. Measure out 1 cup of a dry red wine (i use Erath Pinot; drinkable, but not expensive), and I keep the excess in a mason jar in the fridge for next time). When timer goes off, dump in protein and wine, give it a stir, cover and simmer another 15 minutes.
Eat straight up or under a mountain of shredded parm with some yummy bread. Can also dump in spinach or kale if you want. Can also add cooked spaghetti, since the stew tastes a big like a spaghetti sauce.
512 g of lentils is something like 2 cups, but I prefer to tare a bowl on a kitchen scale and dump until weight. Fewer dishes, too.
Ingredients list for "lentil stuff":
1 lg white onion
6 garlic cloves (i tend towards more)
2 tbl butter or other sautee fat
1.5tbl spice mix (see below)
1 28oz can diced or crushed tomatoes, i prefer muir Glen
56oz water
4tsp better than bullion "roasted chicken" or alternative
512g red lentils, rinsed
1lb hot Italian sausage or sub
1c dry red wine (Pinot, cab sauv, merlot)
Optional:
Parmesan
Yummy bread
Cooked spaghetti
Another easy tier 2 is frozen ravioli and some jarred sauce that you like. Super fast and easy. Add a salad if you've got extra energy.
When I just can’t cook I’ll just do breakfast for lunch/dinner: usually a combination of yogurt or protein powder, oats or a banana, peanut butter, and other fruits/toppings. I’ll do a smoothie, a yogurt bowl, or oatmeal with these ingredients and call it a day. If it’s dire, just the yogurt and some cereal, maybe some fruit
i do intentional leftovers, it's technically kind of meal prepping except it has a different name because meal prepping triggers my perfectionism. Like on a Tier 1 energy day I'll cook veggies and beans and put them in burritos, but then i make enough for more burritos so I can pop them in the fridge and/or freezer for when it's a tier 3 kind of day. Also works with pasta, gnocchi, homemade pizza, soups...
Just be sure to have them portioned out (especially if you live alone) and only have one serving in the fridge. Plop the rest in the freezer. Because if you then forget or don't want it the next days, it's only one thing of tupperware and one serving wasted, the rest is safely in the freezer! (yes i have a lot of cheap tupperware that gets thrown out sometimes)
Tier 2/3, microwave rice! For t2, fry with an egg and frozen veg/ cooked meat if it’s there. Otherwise I’ve had days where I microwave it, dump some canned sweetcorn in and add cheese or ketchup. Yes, probably a food crime 😂. Also, tinned chunky soup, I have a microwave mug with a lid that’s perfect for it.
You can make really quick mixed rice by adding a fried egg to a bowl of rice with some soy sauce and sesame oil. You can also sub the soy sauce for red pepper paste(gochuchang) or some other spicy sauce for a different flavor. I love having this on days I don’t feel like cooking a bigger meal!
My fav Tier 2 meal is greek yogurt, lots of peanut butter, cocoa powder, honey (if using unsweetened yogurt), stir stir stir stir stir, add fruit or cereal if you want! Very high protein + healthy enough + super filling + tastes like dessert :)
I’ve definitely had to learn this the hard way. Imagine trying to lose weight with decision fatigue. I meal prep on the weekend my protein (meat or beans) and have plenty of fruit and frozen veg available.
Tier 2. Ramen with frozen shrimp and frozen mixed veggies with chili garlic hot sauce.
Handful of frozen shrimp from the big bag in the freezer. Handful of mixed veggies. Both go in the water and heat water to a boil. While it’s heating up to boiling, put the spice packet in a bowl with a scoop of the warm water to dissolve it.
When it boils throwing your Ramen, set the timer for three minutes. Throw some chili garlic hot sauce in the bowl while you’re waiting.
When the timer goes off, strain the water and throw the veggies, shrimp, Ramen into the bowl and eat.
You can order a big box of Sapporo Ramen from target and have it delivered .
YES! This is exactly what I’ve been thinking of doing - thank you for verbalizing it!
Genuinely appreciate this video, I'm not diagnosed with ADHD but I keep getting videos on my fyp like this. At the time I started this, it was just to listen to something so I could get out of bed, but this made me realise I have eggs downstairs and made a super quick egg on toast 🙏🏾
frozen tater tots specifically I realized in my own "I just can't food" times that even when I am meh about food I will eat tots- having said that I used a toaster oven that shuts off automatically at time to make them as sometimes I do forget I'm cooking. individual servings of applesauce, oatmeal packages, and a jar of "red sauce" for pasta. a tier up from oatmeal packages for me is old fashioned oats with tofu cream I make some up every other day and can throw in different spices or other add ins when I'm getting flavor bored. Pot stickers (frozen) and chicken nuggets (frozen). I'm still adjusting to this reality as my should brain still prefers the homemade casseroles, chili, and other meals made from scratch- but since I started keeping these foods in my stores I successfully manage food more often. I have to keep in mind I have time blindness and use the habit I developed young of constantly looking at the clock with hard time sets like if it is 2 pm and I haven't eaten lunch stop, go grab something, anything and eat because I can one more thing all day. I also have to keep in mind that some days multiple step things are too much and I will either not prepare the food at all or forget I was making food until I find it in the heating device (did this with a mac and cheese microwave cup not long ago).
Recently my 11 and 13 year olds have been asking me to tell them stories of when they were little, and I remembered a go to lunch that they are now asking me to buy groceries for it - a can of Alphagetti, handful of canned peas, and a handful of cooked ground beef (which I would usually cook a pound on the weekend). 5 cans Alphagetti, 1 can of peas, and 1 pound of hamburger lasted us as lunches for whole the week! Obviously would need a lot MORE of it now with 2 kids in puberty, but it’s so super easy!!
Whenever I have motivation, I make lactoferment long beans, carrots, beets, ivy gaurd, native fruits, oil preserved veggies and fruits or salted limepeels. And make sure I have stuff like cheese slices, peanutbutter, tahini, some kind of seeds and nuts, oats, eggs, milk, curd and some condiments. Most of the time those are enough to whip up a low effort meal.
I used to keep cereals, but its such a pain to find one without added sugar, so I decided to just keep oats instead.
I have also started to get some fried legume snacks at my table, because I need to gain 3-4 kilos and low effort meals alone won't nourish me enough. Plus it helps like a sim when I need to focus
Probably 3/4 of the time I'm in kind of tier 3, except it's just that everything is boring and I do not have the energy or motivation to cook anything that takes more than 15 minutes of dealing with. A lot of that comes with chronic fatigue but other than the healthy frozen dinners and burritos, I also always have some kind of meal bar (probar oatmeal chocolate chip is my go to) as well as just snacks I can grab because as you said, eating is better than not eating. Edited to add that your videos like this that show your different tiers of what your days can look like made me realize just how BAD my chronic fatigue/illness is and instead of letting myself feel bad about my normal being your lowest type of days, I just make note of what I want my average energy day to look like so that I can work towards that as I figure out health stuff.
I found this channel and this is the second video of this channel that I'm watching and suddenly, I feel so belonged and seen! It can be isolating when the world functions in a completely different way than you! Thank you for your videos! I am gonna do 3 tiers for everything now! You just busted my internalized "All or nothing" myth.
My go to tier 2 style food is pizza chicken. it can be made to taste with almost anything youve got at home. It takes 5 minutes of prep time tops, Just take a chicken breast, thin of fillet it. cover with a thin layer of tomato sause, cheese, and toppings of your choice (i tend to put on mixed greens, pineapple, and some small pieces of ham- i chop veggies into smaller bits too) and broil at 425 for 20 minutes. Easy and incredibally healthy
I love frozen burritos! And sometimes when I make them I throw other ingredients on top because at that point it feels like a reward for making myself food 😊
Today was a Tier 3 for me. Brekkie: toast, 1 w/applesauce and 1 with butter and nutritional yeast. Lunch: canned soup. Dinner: instant mashed potatoes (just add boiling water - my electric tea kettle is the best kitchen tool I ever bought)
I'm hoping I can get out of this chasm this weekend. I'm running low on T3 foods. 👀
One of my current tier 3 snacks is sliced meat, sliced cheese, and a squeeze of mustard. Roll it up so it’s like a sandwich without the bread. It’s high protein and often gives me the energy to make a tier 2 meal after 20 minutes or so
I’ve been enjoying Costco frozen salmon burger patties. I throw one in the air fryer with frozen veggies and if I have microwaveable brown rice I put that with it too to make a complete satiating meal.
You are the only person I’ve ever heard articulate my exact struggles with food…so often I end up in that place where the cost of trying to make something does not feel worth the benefit of being full. I’ve never felt more heard in my life. Wow.
Thank you for using the premiere format, it is helpful when knowing when your video is scheduled! Love all these ideas!
This is so helpful, thank you!
What I like to do is meal prep, but not in the eating leftover for four days way. When I have a good day and I want to cook alot I make homemade wantans and buns for steaming with a meath and veggie filling. And then I freeze it. On my low days I can put the buns right out of the freezer in my steamer (not on the stove, because to much work) and put the timer on. The wantans are just to be cook in hot water for 10min or steamed as well. What I also like to do precut stuff like onions and freeze them. Its less work when it comes to making the meal.
My favourite trick is that on a good day (tier 1) I always cook double. The second portion goes into the freezer for an easy reheat on days when I don't have the time or motivation to actually cook. My favourite easy tier 2 meal is spaghetti with chopped frankfurters, pesto sauce (from a jar, not home-made) and grated cheese. For tier 3 days I keep things in the fridge like ham, cheese, scotch eggs, hummus, bread, salad, raw veggies. The sort of food you might pack for a picnic. I can just grab as much as I need and throw it onto a plate and eat it with my fingers. For motivation, I watch a lot of cooking videos on RUclips. Those really help.
Thank you very much for talking about this topic! ❤
I feel like most of my usual breakfast & lunch options (especially lunch) tend to exist entirely in tier 3 because those are the meals that I pretty much have to take care of entirely on my own, vs dinner which me and my parents tend to have together. So for dinner, either someone else takes care of the cooking, or when I cook, someone else often already took care of the decision-making and/or grocery shopping. Plus my autism has given me plenty of food aversions that make it just about impossible for me to eat what most people consider "good" breakfasts. I can't stand eggs, no matter how they're cooked, and exactly what kinds of meats I will eat is somewhat narrow, too, because of texture issues. Fish is another thing I pretty much never touch. Another thing that I have a lot of trouble figuring out is exactly how to get into more tier 1 or tier 2 meals if I'm the only one who will eat that specific thing, because the ingredients needed would either need to be able to last forever or only be bought in quantities that I can personally consume in a short period of time because I'm a tad obsessive with not wanting to waste stuff.
I’m trying to keep a routine where I make something that lasts me almost a week for lunch/dinner. I usually have cereal or eggs for breakfast, so the decision fatigue comes in towards the evening. I’ll basically spend the week kind of seeing how I feel and then deciding what I want to eat the next week. Then, I can make a list and buy groceries when I’m already out. I also have a lot of really quick and easy meals that I can eat in between home cooked meals that either take a short time on the stove, or are microwaveable. For snacks, I try to keep my favorite granola bars at home and also some apples and peanut butter. It’s pretty quick to slice up an apple right then or there and even easier to slice a few apples and keep them in the fridge for snacks. Having a specific tier list seems so helpful though!!! I’ll definitely try it out!!!
the way you phrase things is just so helpful
I really needed this. thanks :)
Frozen veggies are amazing, pan fried with some butter and they go with or in any meal! Best part don't need to be fresh
Your videos are so so helpful!! ❤️
Hummus is a good snack for me. I also live smoothies for when i wait to long and need something in my tummy while I cook. Also black beans are a staple in my cupboards😂 my recent hyperfixation has been quesadillas
Some of my recent favorite easy to make foods are quesadillas (just non-dairy cheese and tortillas, maybe some pepper & garlic powder), and toast with non-dairy cream cheese & green onions! Not sure if I'd consider them tier 2 or 3 because I guess they require some cooking/toasting. I have really been working through being okay with those kind of days lately. ❤️
I struggled for a long time because I’m a pretty eco-conscious person. I recycle, I drive an electric car, etc. So I really struggled with guilt around the idea of using convenience foods because of the packaging. Oftentimes I wouldn’t eat because I couldn’t make a big meal from scratch, or I was ordering delivery multiple nights in a row. I was in a very all or nothing mentality. But then I realized that using some convenience foods in plastic packaging was still better for my health and the environment than ordering delivery all the time, and I need to allow myself to be flexible. Simpler meals are an accommodation I can give myself. If it’s microwaved pasta from a plastic pouch and eaten in a paper bowl sometimes, that’s still less waste than takeout packaging, and a car didn’t have to drive it to me, either. And it’s obviously better than not eating. Fed is best.
I am so grateful you made this video, thank you, from the bottom of my heart
hack that works for me, when tier one comes around, make foods you can freeze in large quantities that you can freeze (chilli and homemade microwavable burritos works great) and freeze in single servings. then defrost or cook from frozen when in tier 3. It saves a lot of money and is like a present from your past self.
This was extremely helpful! Thank you
Can of pork-n-beans with bread or instant rice. Ramen with 2 eggs cooked in it. Cut up apple with cheese or peanut butter.
These are my favs. I would only add to the list my easiest Tier 3: tortilla chips from a bag, plop onto plate, cover with shredded cheese (like Mexican mix - in a bag). Nuke ~1 min
This is such a helpful video, thank you!!!!!
I can't thank you enough for putting words to what I was going through 🧡🧡🧡🧡
esse canal é perfeito, salvando minha vidaaaa ❤
Getting a microwavable pasta cooker was a game changer for me. I know it sounds lazy, but it's so much less thought and effort to put in the pasta and water and set a time, than it is to have to stand there and monitor it, not to mention ensuring the sink is clear for the colander. Per the parameters of this video, I'd consider pasta tier 2, but a microwavable pasta cooker turns it into a tier 3. Throw on a refrigerated sauce, cheese, pepperoni, that's practically an actual meal for so little work.
thankyou so much for this video, i've had so hard finding tips for adhd'ers with this issue. this is so so helpful, thankyou!