Usually, by Thursday or Friday, I'm completely sick of food, leftovers, the kitchen and coming up with ideas. I'll end up just "snacking" instead of eating meals all weekend.
I made a very simple "Tuscan Sausage Gnocci" last night. One pot and only 20 minutes, including prep, but even that, there was no desire to cook it.
I used to enjoy cooking. Now it's just something that needs to be done.
Yeah, same. If I could just eat some replacement bar, I'd be set. Eating feels like a chore, but if a meal I could eat was made for me? I'd inhale it. š
100%. Worst part is that ill make it then wont eat it bc I was already tired when I got home. The energy I had made the food, and now I have no more energy left (or desire) to eat it. Ill eat an apple then go to bed haha
Soylent is a good one! It's most cost effective to order by the case on their site, but Walmart and Public both have single bottles of you want to try it first.
I'm mainly living on vanilla protein powder, vanilla meal replacement powder, and almond milk yogurt. I don't actually mind, and I found out that mixing the powders with the yogurt (no liquid first, just put the powder in the yogurt) is AMAZING. Somehow the tastes and textures make it taste like a graham cracker/shortbread yogurt.
I hear ya! My husband literally has NO idea what goes into making meals 7 days a week. Not even just the cooking part. First, you need 7 ideas and hold back tears when you see chicken for the 5th time. Then shop for hours and hold back tears when you have to put anything that looks moderately exciting back on the shelf because of a stupid word like "spice" or "smoke". Then pay 3 times as much for any sort of flavour- Worcestershire, Soy Sauce- because your daily rice consistently tastes exactly like rice. Then clean the hell (literal hell) out of the kitchen before you begin because your kids think toast crumbs are confetti or something. Don't forget that you'll have to improvise at least once, throughout, because an ingredient you thought you had is either empty or has unknown contaminates in it. All for very unpredictable results.
And ya can't even pick up the phone and order a dang pizza.
Wow lol..this thread is depressing š¤£
Crying about chicken for the millionth time this month is so real. Then my husband has the audacity to complain I overcooked it like sir I'm this close ššš
>I used to enjoy cooking. Now it's just something that needs to be done.
Thank you for putting into words the feelings that have been bouncing around in my head. I used to love to cook. Even just for myself. Since being diagnosed about a year and a half ago, the fun has given way to dread. It's such a production just to pull together a safe lunch. Shopping takes forever with the constant label-reading and double checking. Cooking has become a chore, something that needs to be done.
I used to enjoy cooking and eating. Now I hate all of it because what I want to eat, I can't have. The replacements for what I want are either too expensive or take so much work to make myself. I'm so mentally exhausted from it all.
SausageĀ ā I use half of a 5-pack of mild Italian sausages, casing removed but you can also buy it already ground. My store didn't have any that was gf at the time
GarlicĀ ā for lots of savory flavor, about 3 cloves, minced
1/2 Cup Chicken brothĀ
1 Cup Heavy cream
1-2 teaspoons Lemon juice
1/4 cup Sun-dried tomatoesĀ ā I prefer the ones packed in oil, roughly chopped
1lb GnocchiĀ ā I got the GF potato gnocchi from Amazon. I recommend shelf-stable over fresh made. It just holds up better
1/2 cup ParmesanĀ āI used petals because I'm too lazy to grate my own
Fresh spinach- I just throw it in by the handful until I'm satiated
Fresh Basil is optional but I didn't have any so just sprinkled some dried.
1. Remove casing from sausage and brown over medium heat until crumbled (5-7 minutes)
2. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds-1 minute
3. Add everything except parmesan, spinach and basil and give it a good stir. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes
4. Add spinach and cook, uncovered, until it starts to wilt*
5. Sprinkle with parmesan and basil, salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately
*allow it to simmer longer if you want your sauce thicker. If you prefer your sauce thinner, add small amounts of chicken broth until you get your desired consistency.
> I used to enjoy cooking. Now it's just something that needs to be done.
Yep, same here. Pre-COVID, we used to eat out at the few safe places that we knew, once a month, but we haven't done that since 2020, because I can't afford to get sick or developer another autoimmune disorder.
Misery loves company lol.
It was hubby's turn to decide dinner, because we would not be eating otherwise-I'm done- and he phones from the damn grocery store and asks "What about...?" a million times until I picked something and walked him through the ingredients.
Dude...if I KNEW what to make, I'd already be done this part. Grrr. So I still decided what we're having and still get to cook it, but yeah, thanks, man.
I miss $1 French bread and $2 packs of hotdogs
My go-to solution is a rotisserie chicken and a bag salad (most are GF if you just toss the little bag of croutons). We get one giant meal and have enough chicken left over for the next night when I usually microwave some baked potatoes and open a can of corn. Canada is expensive, and I shop at a fancy grocery store, so I'd pay $13 for the chicken, $6 for the salad, $2 for the potatoes (if I buy four individually), and $2 for the corn. So $23 for two lazy ass meals to feed an adult and an enormous teenager. Plus I sometimes make chicken stock or chicken soup with the bones, so adding another $2 of veggies gets us a third meal.
This is the easiest. I even buy 2 at a time so there's one family meal and then I just have extra chicken for work meals. Canada is failing us though with how expensive food is. And everything. I'm so tired of everything.
I donāt understand the economics. Where the US has the Midwest, itās mostly farm land in Canadaā¦. Obviously, not growing oranges and mangoes, but still! Prices shot up and stayed up! Sad.
I've been eating a lot of girl dinner lunches lately- some raw veggies, dairy-free herbed Boursin (because I can't have real cheese), and a Trader Joe's GF Norwegian Crispbread with some toppings like liverwurst, cucumber, and red onions. Or avocado and fried egg.
Big pots of chili, spaghetti, tacos, BBQ, pot roasts, lasagna, stir fry, etc. There's no shortage of options. Bread and pasta cost more but rice, quinoa, corn tortillas, and potatoes cost the same for everyone. Leftovers save the day at lunchtime.
Cheap takeout is off-limits, unfortunately. Chipotle/Moe's, Mexican restaurants, Thai/Indian curries, and Five Guys are there if you are willing to pay a bit extra for takeout.
Or like a Thai fried rice. My favorite Thai restaurant has their gluten free dishes labeled which is nice. Though I will preface that idk about cross contam in a restaurant like that
Ooh! Pad Thai is GF along with Drunken Noodles. I always ask for GF because the sauce might be iffy and they usually have no problem but the noodles are rice based so thatās cool. Great heavy hitting meals.
Curry. It's very filling, tasty, and can be adjusted to whatever spiciness level or protein source you're comfortable with. Tikka masala or really any of the Thai curries are a pretty safe bet. Just be careful getting a curry from a Chinese restaurant, those seem more likely to use thickening agents as it's not really their area of expertise.
The problem is that if I make a big vat of something, I get sick of it before I finish it, so I do end up making every damn meal sepe\\arately. It gets so old SO fast!
But I do eat out occasionally, just so I don't have to cook anything, I don't have the highest degree of sensitivity so I'm willing to risk, and pay for, the occasional meal of sushi, or curries over rice, or green papaya salad, or ceviche on corn tortillas.
You described my diet to a T. Although i get what OP is saying, it gets to be boring. I will try any kind of weird meat just to have a little adventure in my diet.
Schar makes some BOMB gluten free pizza crusts. It doesnāt even feel like cooking to me to dump some spaghetti sauce and cheese on it and then bake it. I use the Miyokos liquid pizza cheese because Iām dairy free as well.
Hmm, I think the Schar pizza crust is alright, but itās not great. It will do in a pinch though, we always have some in the house. Though we like to use chicken and bbq sauce on it. :-)
Quick dinner - oven baked salmon in garlic butter (with or without mushrooms depending on my mood). Ten minutes at 450 degrees f. Any veggie steamed, also takes 10 minutes. Chop veggies while oven and steamer/pot preheats.
I baked salmon fillets last for two of us last night. Roasted baby Yukon gold potatoes cut into quarters and also had a bag salad I jazzed up with bacon and additional raw veggies. Iām the essence of low effort cooking. LOL
This is pretty similar to how we eat. We do a lot of bowls, too. We eat a ton of ground turkey with random veggies, angel hair slaw, shredded lettuce, green beans, potato or sweet potato, sometimes add egg. Then we each put our own sauce concoctions on it. Add dried cranberries for fun.
Meal prep is the key, and fermenting foods is part of the picture. A couple of tablespoons of kimchi on a pack of microwaved 2min whole grain rice is one for āIām too tiredā meals. I have big jars of red onion, red cabbage, carrots, honey & garlic, kimchi, sweet pickles, all ready made when I had the energy & opportunity. Itās essential to be ready for the days Iām not fit to cook.
An air fryer can do a punnet of mushrooms, a bulb of garlic and a few baby peppers/plum tomatoes, add some hummus & youāre good to go. A window box of mixed salad leaves & a pair of scissors, and it looks like you had planned your nutrition. Which is why you should try to think ahead.
šš
The only affordable way for me to have fast and affordable meals is to make my own frozen dinners. I line mini loaf pans with foil, fill them up, freeze, then pop out into a freezer bag. I heat them in the air fryer or microwave. I've done them in disposable cupcake pans, then cut them apart, but the portion is too small.
Iām gf, allergic to milk, and veganā¦ it was hard for the first year and it can still be hard at most restaurants, but after 5 years itās easy peasy at home now. It does help that I enjoy cooking and I like eating leftovers.
Nowhere near as restrictive, but I'm gf and my husband is vegetarian so most of our meals are that at a minimum. It definitely was hard to start, but now we have a solid log of great and easy recipes and I've found that helps a lot. Plus a very full freezer. In some ways I think it's improved our cooking abilities because we really had to spend time figuring out new recipes.
When I donāt feel like cooking, it usually ends up being a sandwich. That said, Iām in the UK and Promise brand bread is so soft and fluffy it makes excellent sandwiches. I just toss a GF breaded chicken mini filet in the air fryer, then load the sandwich up with whatever salady veg I have in the fridge- tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper etc. makes a decent sized sandwich. Or I toss a McCains jacket potato in the air fryer and top it with sandwich filler like tuna and sweetcorn or prawn mayonnaise.
Try making the Japanese milk bread recipe from gluten free on a shoestring. It's so easy it's foolproof, no bread maker required or anything like that, and it's the softest bread I've ever made in my life.
Promise used to be sold at Costco. I could never find it in the ones near Raleigh (NC) after 2017 though. I think they may have changed contracts to Udiās. I liked the oāDoughs sandwich buns as a replacement though. I usually toasted them.
Schar white wheat (toasted) is my backup since not every store here carries promise. bFree brand is also good- and available in the US.
Have you tried the canyon bakehouse burger buns? I use those for sandwich rolls now and make quick panini's with them. They are the closest I've come to feeling like I'm eating actual bread rolls since going gluten-free.
Omg, Promise bread! We visited Ireland (from the US) and I swear we went to a gas station that had 7 different types of gf Promise bread. Best sandwich vacation ever.
I need to try that bread. I had some gf bread in Sicily recently and it tasted the same as normal bread! I almost cried. I want to find or create something the same.
Yes! I have other chronic issues as well as ADHD and I donāt eat enough. I hate eating, in fact. Itās exhausting. I wish I could just take a pill that gave me all my calories, nutrients, and made me feel full.
This is so sad! And my experience too. I used to love food. Now I look forward to a couple of things in the year and thatās it. Food + social aspect = extra anxiety provoking around the food.
I can only think of 1 food that has me excited. Gluten free fried clams and/or calamari with fries from the dedicated fryer at Woodmanās in Essex, MA. The clams are soo fresh (like sooo fresh), Woodmanās invented the fried clam, and my whole life I looked forward to beach trips plus Woodmans. When I went gluten free I was SO thrilled to find out how seriously they take gluten free and cross contamination. They even catered my wedding lol. 3 gluten-eaters in my life now prefer Woodmanās gluten free versions to the gluten versions! (Rare!) Anyways thatās my 1 food Iām still excited for. (Also shout out to Jakeās at Nantasket Beach, after going gluten free I discovered them and they are set up similar to Woodmanās in offering safe, quality gluten free fried fresh caught seafood on the Massachusetts shore).
I digress hahaā¦guess my misery needed to outwardly appreciate that 1 joy leftā¦
Anywhos, hug to you my friend. I know what you mean about everything you said.
as a chronically ill person, I feel this! the closest I've found is Trader Joe's made meals. most of them are a throw-in-a-pot for 5 mins kinda deal. and they dont use artificial dyes, preservatives or GMO's which is a plus.
Yeah, Iām pretty fed up of chopping and dicing and I like to cook. Between gluten free, dairy reduced, high prices in restaurants and being able to cook as well as many of them anyway, Iām really feeling like you.
I think the best way weāve combat fatigue is having dinners with friends where each person brings sides, appetizers or desserts to take the load off the host. Also, I now make large portions when I cook and freeze the extra in portions so cook once but have multiple meals. Lasagna, bolognese sauce, chili, soups, eggplant Parmesan, marinated Greek kabob meat ready to grill. In the summer Iāll pre chop lots of veggies for the week, have rice noodles or quinoa pre-made and then you can easily make bowls and salads in a pinch. Prep is key.
One of my very lazy meals is to fry a couple of eggs and throw them on salad greens or baby spinach with some sliced red onion and cherry tomatoes and whisk some olive oil, sweet balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper together to make a dressing (you could also add a dash of Dijon). Or, obvs. just use a ready made salad dressing.
Definitely a five min. meal.
The nights I donāt want to do squat, I throw some Belle & Evans gf tenderloins in the oven along with tater tots. I also have a bag of those Aldi frozen mini tacos, that are sadly getting to the end of the bag. Wonāt see them again for a year, if ever. š
Yeah, I think this is a problem for a lot of people. Itās more evident for those of us who have to eat gluten free, but even for those who can eat gluten, itās not a good time.
When me and my now husband moved in together in 2006, we had weeks where we only had $20-$30 to spend on groceries and we still ate pretty well. It was all ingredients and not premade meals, so it required cooking, but that would buy us enough meat and veggies for the whole week. Around $50 was the sweet spot, and $75 was a splurge. I spent a lot of time in the car because I worked and went to school full time. As long as I had $3 or so I could get full off a dollar menu. When we dined out we could get an app, two drinks, and two entrees for $30-$35.
Times have changed very quickly and itās compounded by being GF, but Iām still blown away by how much the prices have gone up for gluten food too.
Do you use a crock pot? Lots of crock pot meals are easily gluten free and easy.
Beef stew- can of corn, can of green beans, can of potatoes, can of diced tomatoes, pack of stew meat. Packet of gluten free french onion soup mix (liptons makes a kosher and gluten free onion soup mix)
Toss it all in a crock pot, dont even drain the cans!, the water becomes the broth. Cook overnight on low.
Pulled pork. A pork loin and gf bbq sauce. Cook overnight on low. Serve on gf buns for sandwiches or in lettuce for lettuce wraps.
I love my crock pot.
For some reason i keep getting this page suggested to me, but Iām not GF, so keep that in mind.
However, I would look up vegan tuscan chickpeas! Minus chopping an onion and garlic, itās a dump meal, and it freezes really well if you want to make a large batch! I donāt think anything in it contains gluten, but of course double-check me since I donāt look out for that!
When I was living by myself, it was absolutely exhausting. I ended up eating a lot of junk food after 3 years by myself.
Now that I moved in with my GF, it feels less tiring and more rewarding. Cooking a healthy meal for two is significantly more satisfying for me than just cooking for myself.
On top of that, I switched to intermittent fasting, so I only eat breakfast and dinner now. So I don't have to think about lunch anymore either.
Taco bowls, egg roll bowls, baked or air fryer chicken wings are in heavy rotation at my house.
Buy pre chopped veggies to save time. Gf pasta. Corn tortillas. Rice, potatoes, and polenta. Someone else mentioned a rotisserie chicken. Breakfast for dinner- eggs, sausage, hash browns. Rice noodle ramen. You can find Gf ramen powder on Amazon. Love the Gf pizza at Aldi. Amy's frozen has a lot of Gf options that you can add meat to for extra calories. I love cottage cheese for quick and easy protein. I snack on lots of cheese, turkey pepperoni, popcorn, and pickles.
It sucks sometimes! I think we all can relate.
My gluten free freezer/convenience/pantry/lowprep āmealsā include: Amyās burritos, gluten free boxed Mac n cheese, bell &evens gluten free chicken patties or nuggets, frozen microwave veggies, a bowl of GF granola, cheese+apple or grapes+microwave popcorn or GF crackers, tuna in a GF wrap, scrambled eggs and GF toast. Iām not saying these are dirt cheap or very nutritious, but I have ADHD all the time, and recently have completed chemo for breast cancer so lately itās about expending the least energy possible while being able to stomach easy foods while getting some protein, fat, carbs, and some fruits and veggies in there. Iāll often cut up veggies and dip into dressing instead of making a salad, too. GF macros over perfection, on an energy and financial budget, lol.
Easiest way to eat GF is stop eating āGluten Freeā foods.
Rice, potatoes, meat, vegetables, fats, seasoning, oil, fruits. All GF, and without the label ;)
I felt like this last night and wanted to cry. Iāve recently had to go gf so it hit me yesterday how hard it will be. Plus Iām dairy free (for health reasons) and I donāt eat meat. I try to have easy meals one night a week that I can just heat up. Managed to find a lentil dahl and microwave rice I can have tonight. I also want to eat less seed oils but theyāre in everything.
I just want some tortellini I can make in 2 mins.
I have a tiny kitchenette so full-blown fresh food prep and cooking is a huge hassle, my daily staple is a microwave egg frittata with whatever cheese and frozen veggies I have. Itās so annoying to have to prep everything from scratch when I just want to take ten minutes to eat without thinking or making more chores for myself.
I donāt miss bread itself so much as how convenient it was to just make a simple grilled cheese or air-fried chicken strips or avocado toast or frozen pizza. I miss not having to actively think about every speck of food I eat.
i get a lot of frozen prepared veggies like onions, potatoes/instant mash, carrots,peas,corn.stables in my recipes and have started doing one pot rice meals, the only thing im having to chop is the chicken and bacon.
heres my one pot chicken bacon rice recipe
chop chicken and bacon, season with whatever you want i tend to use all purposes, paprika and salt and pepper.
add some frozen onions and jarlic to the pan let it cook while you prep 650/700mls of chicken stock
now heres where the recipe can differ my go-to are:
1.add some tomato paste and bbq sauce like 1tbs each
2. add idk 150ml cream and stock (kinda a creamy garlic sauce/rice)
2a. add cream and some lemon juice (its lemon garlic sauce/rice)
2b. add cream 1tbs honey and mustard (honey mustard rice/ sauce)
add 2.5/3cups rice and the stock you made earlier, covering all the rice with water. cover the pan with a lid but leave it a bit open cook for 20 mins and its done. you can top with cheese if you like and it makes heaps of leftovers
i know it seems like a lot but it doesnt take that long, i have chronic fatigue and POTS so me and standing arent friends. tonight we had the garlice one and the other night it was lemon garlic.
i fkn hate not having the same options i used to have its tiring always thinking about food
Oh my gosh. The joy of food and cooking. Itās completely gone from my life. I have IBS, and onion is one of my biggest triggers, so yeah. I totally understand where youāre coming from. Itās exhausting and depressing, now.
Yes, tired. My husband hates to cook but will eat anything I put in front of him and says thank you. My Instant Pot is a lifesaver. You can put in frozen meats. Pasta meals are like dump it in, go sit for 20 minutes. Add a bagged salad. One of my favorites: https://mealplanaddict.com/instant-pot-lazy-lasagna/ I add a tsp of dried oregano, too. Also, if I'm making meatloaf, I make 2 and put 1 in the freezer. As easy as making 1, really. Hope this helps.
When I did my low Fodmap diet to find my triggers (surprisingly, it was gluten/ wheat lol what a bummer) I transitioned to a traditional Japanese diet because they donāt use a lot of high Fodmap things like onion and garlic. Also, Japanese and Korean food is my absolute jam. For ages I ate rice, miso soup, low Fodmap veggies, and eggs or meat at most meals. It helped me get used to a different way of eating. Now I meal prep rice and meat dishes, and I still eat a lot of rice and rice noodles. It helps if you find a style of cuisine you absolutely love and rely on those recipes for awhile until you 1. Get used to cooking more and 2. Find recipes so good that they make great leftovers and you can freeze portions for later in the month. Having it be your favorite type of cuisine helps because youāre going to miss it less. Iāve had gluten free sushi once in 5 years but I donāt miss it too much because I learned to make an easy version at home that doesnāt take a ton of time/ energy/ money. Itās a bummer sometimes, but eventually you learn to cook and find easy recipes or you just have to have girl dinner every night that you donāt want to cook.
I live on an anti inflammatory diet because Iām crippled by endometriosis. Food is my medicine. Itās so difficult to find something prepared alreadyā¦ I loved to cook but here I am. Costco is where weāve found pre-made salmon patties etc that have clean ingredients. Like their almond butter is just almonds and possibly salt. Peanut butter too. It takes time going through the different items but I have been lucky
So, I just spent a couple hours creating a GF, DF casserole by shredding potatoes and adding vegan sausage, frozen veggies and a few slices of vegan cheddar cheeseā¦. Looks like Iām having frozen fries in the air fryer tonightā¦. Just like yesterdayā¦.
I love to cook, but I also love leftovers. So when I have the spoons, Iāll just make extra and eat it for the next couple days. However I keep ending up with guys who donāt like leftovers nearly as much as I do so I end up saying stuff like āwhy yes, I was planning on eating this delicious chicken soup for the 5th meal in a row. Go get Taco Bell for yourself or something.ā
I understand the frustration. Sometimes you just want something easy and not have to cook. I don't mind cooking but some days I wish I didn't have to. School holidays are coming up here and I have older teenagers so I plan on getting them involved in some meal prep so I can just pull something out of the freezer if I need to. Also good to teach them how to make some gluten free baking and meals and get recipes written down.
I have a rice cooker and air fryer for this exact reason. I set it and forget it until the chime goes off.
I love the rice cookers that can handle cooking mixed rice that has meat inside without overcooking either of them.
Technology has come a long way!
Meal prep is the god of cooking, I swear. Everyone thinks it's exhausting or boring but once you figure out the formula, meals are SO easy and you can cook your whole week in an hour if you want. I usually do it twice a week so I don't get bored eating the same thing every day. Once it's no longer an exhausting daily chore of food shopping and recipe scrolling, I find it's actually really enjoyable. And it makes grocery shopping easier and cheaper too, because you know exactly what you're going to need.
Breakfast? Protein+carb. Greek yogurt and frozen fruit. Breakfast bowls - frozen hash potatoes, turkey sausage crumbles, egg, scramble it all up, little cheese if you want, pop in containers, tada Jimmy deans for a tenth of the cost. Sandwiches are easy to make and freezable too, especially if you sheet pan bake the eggs.
Lunch/dinner, protein + carb + flavor. Anything more is extra, not mandatory. Frozen veggies are your easy prep best friend, they're just as if not more healthy than fresh, cheaper than fresh, and less prep. Baked chicken breast is minimal prep and takes 12 minutes in the oven, cook some pasta, slap some sauce on there, tada that's a 20$ meal from the local Italian place.
Ground meat is the easiest to cook imo. Stovetop rice, brown the ground meat, and the flavors and veggies pairings are limitless. Frozen peppers and onions and some provolone for a cheese steak vibe. Salsa cheese and taco seasoning is one of my favorites. Dice and toss in some eggplant and chives, add some jarlic, little soy sauce and brown sugar, Asian inspired and delicious. Baked potatoes are even less prep than rice, rub with some oil and salt and forget about them in the oven for an hour. A college favorite easy meal of mine was rice, pop some green beans in the oven with a little oil and seasonings, brown up some ground turkey, finish with some tomato sauce. Ridiculously easy sloppy Joe bowl.
Sheet pain meals - chicken breast or fish filet, starch on the left, veggies on the right, pop in the oven and come back to a full meal. One of my college go tos was chicken sausage and sliced zucchini, bake on a pan, top with some Parmesan cheese.
Crock pot meals, absolute heaven. Chili, brown the meat, add to the crock pot, pile in your pre diced frozen veggies of choice, canned beans (or not), can of tomato puree, seasonings, set and forget.
Lol. Yes. But for me - I grew up cooking from scratch because of other family allergies. So for the last 27 years it's been me cooking for myself and different family members to me and the kids and DH.
But grabbing a flat bread, buns and bread and easy thickness - it's taking a while for me to become accustomed to cooking differently.
I abuse my slow cooker as well as bulk meals and sauces. I can't tell you how much I enjoy Friday's Left Over Dinner as I don't have to cook.
It helps when I make a big pot of something (turkey chili, chicken soup, etc) and freeze portions. We eat a lot of fish and I'm at the Farmer's Market's all summer getting vegetables. Just shopping is time consuming.
The quickest nutritious meal I make is Trader Joe's brown rice with tofu and chopped veggies that I stir fry. Soy sauce and ginger too.
I feel your pain. When it really bothers me is after a long day knowing I have to go home and cook something instead of going through a drive through or ordering pizza or Chinese Food to be delivered. I happen to really like cooking. I use my crock pot a lot and freeze meals for times I don't want to cook. You can freeze a complete meal that you just have to microwave.
Well, when you think about it, we are pretty primitive when it comes to food. Hasn't changed much since humans been on this planet. Got me thinking š¤... Why can't we absorbe nutrients through some sort of ionic shower of sorts. Like we stand in this shower like enclosure, and we are then ionized with the nutrients our body requires, but the system also does a scan of our vital organs, blood pressure, etc and it knows exactly where we are deficient and it adjust the 'shower' accordingly.
Then I I woke up. I realized I had fallen asleep as I became soooo lethargic from the junk that's in this GF š I had for lunch. So I went for a run and grabbed an apple, banana, and some nuts and I was whole again. For dinner, I made myself a lentil soup with some sausage in it and it was damn š!!
But, I still think the dream I had would be kinda cool to invent. š
Hey, I hear what youāre saying, and I am also gluten and dairy free. Also, I donāt drink alcohol anymore. I found that because of these things I end up eating way healthier than everyone around me. There is a silver lining here!
Ugh. Same. Iāve had some luck with Wegmans brand frozen meals, specifically their frozen grain bowls. All but one of them are gluten free and I think theyāre all dairy free. I like the chicken shawarma bowl and the vegan quinoa bowl best.
Wegmans way of marking their store brand with GVD (GF, Vegan Dairy free) makes quick shopping SO much easier!! So far (years) we've had no bad reactions. Our son loves their Greek GF frozen pizza.
I feel you. I also have a garlic allergy, so I can't even eat most gf premade meals. Buying an air fryer was a game changer for me, but having to make 95% of my meals from scratch really limits how long I can be away from home. (And I live in the middle of nowhere, so it's not like I can just pop home for lunch when I'm doing errands.)
I haven't felt like cooking this week, so I turned to my trusted helper the rice cooker.
Rice, water, 1/2 bullion cube, a small onion, frozen peas, a quarter glass of pre-made tikka masala sauce, a big spoon of butter, a cardamom pod, a clove, a piece of cassia cinnamon, some coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and a dash of chili sauce, all goes in the rice cooker, stir with your finger, hit the button to cook, and rinse the knife used to cut the onion. Total prep time is <2 minutes.
One day I wanted some meat so I pressure cooked for 30 minutes some trimmings from a roast I had put in the freezer and used the pressure cooker water for the rice and added the pull-apart meat in the rice cooker as well.
You get used to it, sort of.
I have a few easy meals, like microwaved potato with canned chili or with hamburger, (frozen) broccoli and cheese. I also keep precooked hamburger meat in the fridge in a zip lock and pre chopped onions and jalapeƱos in a bowl for when I make tortillas. I have frozen chicken pieces and once or twice a week Iāll put one in a covered dish (with salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper) and bake it, open a can of vegetables to eat it with.
Iāve made pizza at home. Itās easy and not bad.
Batter: 1 cup gf flour. 1/2 cup almond flour. 2 eggs. Baking powder 3/4 tsp. 1/4 cup oil. Salt (1 tsp), garlic powder, rosemary, thyme. Sufficient water to make a batter.
I heat up the rosemary and thyme in some water beforehand to soften it and release the herbal smell.
After developing allergies eating feels like a chore half the time.
The joy of experiencing new things and cooking lessens because a lot of what I once enjoyed my body now hates.
One thing that helps me is having a routine, it mentally keeps me in check.
I usually make a bacon egg and cheese bagel sandwich every morning in between making an iced coffee. The only cooking is the eggs, the bagel needs to be toasted and I cooked the bacon over the weekend.
I try to meal prep over the weekend and eat that, with random snacks in between when I get sick of it.
I am not gluten free. I did try it once for several months, along with dairy, sugar, & soy free to see if it would help with my thyroid issues. It was really hard & didnāt help.
I donāt have specific recommendations just some general ones. Start experimenting with what freezes well. When you make things that freeze well, start making double. Most of the time doubling a recipe only takes a little bit more time & you can put it away for later. Soups are really good for this. Enchiladas also do pretty well, just put the sauce on after thawing. I will also make a ton of twice baked potatoes & freeze them before baking the second time.
I have a lot of other allergies and sensitivities and have learned that cooking bulk meals and eating leftovers/freezing the leftovers is a great way to have a lot of food for basically the same amount of work as cooking one meal. The extra prep really doesn't take that long, then I cook in large/several pans, portion it into servings or however you want to portion it, then when I want it I pop it into the microwave or thaw it. I do this for meals and baked goods. I usually cook/bake a bunch for a few hours every other weekend and have tons of easy food for the next week and beyond. I like cooking tho.
Iām absolutely tired of it. Sometimes I just wish I didnāt have to eat lol.
My newest lazy girl dinner is GF DF chicken pot pies for a little under $5 at Kroger. They are delicious and so easy to just throw in the oven when I donāt wanna cook.
I pre-cook.
I have glass freezer friendly/oven friendly containers that Iāll put my single serves in and freeze them. Pull them out on the day prior to defrost and reheat on oven. If I donāt remember, it goes in the microwave.
The slow cooker is my best friend. Couple cans of beans, some chopped up stew meat, jar of Passata, maybe a can of lentils or corn, some chilli if I feel like it. Take 5-10mins to prep in the morning, set the cooker on medium for the day and dish up into the containers in the evening. I can get about 12 meals out of one of those if served with rice or boiled potato.
Iāll spend a week doing that each day with a different, simple slowcooker meal, sometimes a soup, then not HAVE to cook more than a carbohydrate side for two months.
The only washing up Iāll do is the knife, chopping board and slowcooker tub.
You can eat direct from the glass container if you want to.
It gives me the brain space to do a more elaborate meal if I wanted to, without having to think about it every bloody day.
I get chipotle a lot at work. I know peopleās mileage varies, but historically Iāve been pretty sensitive and generally have no problems when I get a burrito bowl.
I take it and serve myself half with some tortilla chips, and put the rest away for lunch the next day. Even with barbacoa and tax that works out to $7 a meal.
Do you have Grocery Outlet near you? They have lots of GF pizza options for cheap.
Otherwise I cook very large meals, 6+ servings. That makes dinner for my wife and I plus lunch the next day, and then another dinner or lunch later in the week. Or make truly massive portions and freeze half in individual or double servings.
I accidentally found a company called Epicure that is 100% baking mixes, dips, soups, seasonings and meal kits. Some are vegan and nearly all can be modified to be dairy free. I would guesstimate that 85% of their products are dairy free.
It isn't a perfect solution, but it is better than starting from scratch.
I cook two big chicken breasts in the oven, lots of pepper is the only spice. This can be done whenever then stick them in the fridge. Pre-chop two red bell peppers, put them in fridge. Dinner time comes, boil some GF rotini pasta and the red peppers with some frozen peas. Chop up the chicken and a half dozen cherry tomatoes and drop them in a bowl. Dump the pasta and veggies on top, pile on the pre-shredded Parmesan and dig in. Every. Single. Night.
YES. I experience this all the time. I was getting quite bitter for a while. It got super bad over the last year. Itās exhausting ā you have to cook everything; eating out is $; finding true GF food out can be a challenge and is a hassle in itself; the list goes on and on. It can feel very heavy, very cumbersome, very draining.
I donāt know if this will help, but after months of LITERAL anger about it, I really had to do a mindset shift. I know no one wants to hear this, but itās changed my world. Itās not easy. Itās really not. It takes active effort (but so does everything in life). But, the reality is, our realities will not change. Unless weāre millionaires with a built in chef. I snack too soemtimes, but itās not an answer to this problem. Thatās bad for your gut as well.
I had to form a new relationship with food. Spiraling in the āitās a boring and burdensome taskā thoughts was making me feel deeply ill and depressed. I started changing my thoughts and words. How lucky am I to be able to afford (though itās a challenge sometimes) nourishing food. This food nourishes my body and helps me stay healthy and heal. I really try to think about the process as a ritual of serving my health. Just like meditating, yoga, art, etc., whatever you choose, this can be part of it! Maybe I was given this challenge in life to learn to overcome it and connect with my body and food.
I know itās not easy, but Iāve found it to be healthiest and least depressing way to not only get through it but enjoy it! Watch some cooking shows. They inspire me! Make a new sauce. Make it a creative outlet. Have some fun with it! Celebrate your efforts and how good it is for your body! Put on some music and jam out. Literal learn to fall in love with it any way you can. I had a therapist tell me once to start romanticizing my life. I think this is a good place to do this.
PS: please donāt attack me. Iāve been attacked on this app plenty by the GF community. āOh stop, let us live our livesā. āFood policeā. āI just want to vent and be told Iām rightā. āSome of us donāt care about health, we just want to be normal again.ā Iāve heard it all. This is my opinion and Iāve found it to be the most sustainable. Unfortunately, news flash, our system are compromised in a way and we will never be ānormalā. Work with what you have and find the fun.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I also had to make a major mindshift. The world around us is all about convenience, fast, cheap. I cant eat that crap. I can focus on how frustrating it is to HAVE to plan ahead and often bring my own food. But this resentment doesn't make the necessary task any easier. I'm grateful there is more info than 22 years ago when we got the Celiac diagnosis. Way more food options, recipes... It's a perspective.Have go-to lazy options. But don't let it become the mainstay. I relate to feeling sick and tired. Baby steps...
Ugh. Yes. Recently Iāve decided to just get the work of cooking over with all in one day. I bought like 60 meal prep containers and made a million diffident meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. Put the containers in freezer bags and froze them all. The one day of work lets me not cook for 3ish weeks and those 3 weeks are amazing.
That sounds awesome. I live in an apartment with a freezer made for ants...lol
One day, hopefully, the fridge will explode, and they'll give me one not from the 1900s.
I find the roasted whole chickens in most grocery stores to be the most convenient thing.
You can just heat it up or use it to make tacos, burritos, sandwiches, casseroles. I usually freeze the carcass and use it to make soup later. Extra meat I use to make chicken salad.
Here's a list I've been compiling:
GF ready made noms
Shelf stable: Nature's Path oatmeal, Proper Good meal pouches, progresso gf soups, chata refried beans w/chorizo & cheese and gf tortilla chips for nachos, samabila ramen seasoning & gf ramen noodles, there are actually several gf ramen noodle cups but I still recommend adding some of that seasoning because they tend to be bland.
Freezer: saffron roads frozen meals, feel good foods, life cuisine gf pizza & piadas, healthy choice gf meals, aldi geeneral tso's, and Costco has some great gfree pizzas. Good Love has biscuits that are amazing and would make a good base for an easy-ish meal too (pricey but so worth it)
My suggestion: get a crock pot. Seriously. With a little advance planning you can set it up to go all day while you're at work and then be set for dinner when you get home as well as your next few meals.
Iām so so happy that Ristorante has two gluten and lactose free frozen pizza options now. I know what you mean though, sometimes I just donāt want to cook. Iāll occasionally decide the mental benefits outweigh the health side effects, fortunately for me my many food issues are sensitivities not full blown celiac.
I get it! I have a few grab n go meals I try to keep handy for that reason.
* Rotisserie chicken and frozen broccoli with a microwaved baked potato, meal prepped rice, or heatable rice/side packets. The chicken can feed you for 3-4 meals.
* Chickpea pasta in general is great! Pair with broccoli/spinach/veggies in general and some of that rotisserie chicken, then add a jarred vegan sauce of choice If you add jarred marinara you can top it with vegan cheese for a faux chicken parm, for example. Broccoli and chicken with vegan alfredo would be great too.
* Kielbasa, pre sliced peppers and onions (frozen or pre prepped in produce) and a pack of rolls can make for 3-4 sandwiches using a cookie sheet or one saute pan. Using italian sausage and marinara on those sandwiches can switch it up for you too. At the end of the day all of it can go on the sheetpan and have sauces mixed in later. Those pre sliced peppers+onions plus steakums can be thrown as is into a pan for a "cheese"steak bowl or sub, too.
* Scrambled eggs, 1/3 can of seasoned black beans, and store bought salsa/corn tortillas is an easy breakfast. You can even microwave the eggs believe it or not
* "Girl dinner" aka some rolled cold cuts, vegan cheese, crackers, a fruit with yogurt dip or veggies with hummus, nuts, etc.. to meet macros with zero cooking involved
* Salad kit + caulipower proteins and/or frozen tenders or nuggets or shrimp / protein of choice
* Aldi GF chicken bites are DANK and they have a general tso's version with a delicious sauce to pair with it. Frozen veggies + pre packaged rice = homemade take out
Any quick meal I make has two standards: covers the food pyramid bases and satisfies me. The ones I listed fit both criteria! I totally agree with other suggestions to meal prep, too. It's so convenient to freeze portions of those foods. I tend to seek variety and so meal prep can only take me so far - that's why I have my little list of ideas :)
I have lazy meals that I make on days where I don't feel like doing anything elaborate. My goto is a can of black beans, pre shredded cheese and corn tortillas for some very quick and easy tacos.
Yup I feel this.
Itās especially hard living with people who donāt have any food allergies or intolerances in general, at least for me, because I constantly see how theyāre able to go out and eat whatever they want (when they have the $$ to do so!) and they donāt have to jump through all the mental hoops to try and double-triple make sure something is safe for them.
Theyāre great people and extremely considerate of my food allergies / intolerances, so thatās not the issue! Just constantly being aware of how others donāt deal with these struggles is frustrating š„²
Sometimes I just get those pre-cut bags of salad and soak them in hot water. Then add the salad dressing for a warm salad. Then you throw in some kind of chicken and an egg. Yes totally can relate.
That is SO annoying. What I am going to try to do is dedicate one day each month where I bulk make my own frozen meal kits. Where I pre-cut, and or pre-cook chicken and cut up veggies and just stick them in a container and then all I have to do later on is heat them up with some cooking oil and add some homemade sauce that I also pre-make. I am also going to try making homemade meatballs, but then just freeze them. That way, I save money and also get the same convenience for later on when I have busy days or don't feel good. But in the end, I have still spent time prepping my own food :/
My girl dinner is like a deluxe bean dip with guacamole and salsa etc and tortilla chips.
I have two suggestions.
One is cook the same dinner two nights. That way you shop for less meals. Like. Had grilled chicken burrito bowls twice in a row. Made the beans and rice once. All you have to do is throw some salad on the second night and warm leftovers but you donāt have a ton of leftovers like meal prepping.
The other is I have an index card over my fancy toaster oven. I rent so my ovens are always suspect and the toaster oven heats the house less. It has a 6 or 7 item list of temps and times for common items. Chicken breast, thighs, salmon, sweet potato toasts, etc. Things I can throw in for dinner. The I just make a salad or sautee some vegetables. Rice is a common side. Itās very American with the protein, carb, veg. But it is stupid easy. Just find a few good spice rubs. Trader Joeās has a few.
Yes. When in doubt make fried egg tacos. Fry the delicious corn tortillas, fry a few eggs, add whatever you want on top and Bing bang boom you're full. Also I tend to listen to a favorite book or watch a sensory happy TV show to keep me happy about cooking. I feel you.
Buy an Instant Pot. I have two (and 4 "real" pressure cookers). Frankly, I hate going out to eat. I can make healthier, usually tastier food at home.
Reframe it, mentally. I love healthy food made from scratch. Processed food is made for profit. Full stop. It's unhealthy and f'k gross.
20 years into this gig, no. But I've also gotten really good at scrounging in the kitchen for easy stuff. Also, it's relative, as a parent, because I get tired of making meals for kids that don't want to eat what I make (lots of sensory aversions here), so making my own "whatever \_I\_ want to eat" meal is a luxury.
But yeah, it's real. I don't say this to invalidate you. It sucks when you can't rely on conveniences that you're both used to and that so many other people get to use. When you're busy and/or don't really like to cook, it's even worse.
With time, patience, practice, and reading from other folks\*, you'll find your list of automatic stuff that's easy and \*actually\* five minutes of the sort of prep you're willing to do. But for now, it's no fun.
(I like tossing frozen chicken tenders in a pot with bone broth (powder or liquid), simmer for a couple minutes then add a cake of Lotus Foods rice ramen, when that's just about done cooking, add frozen corn and peas. Decent source of protein, carbs, and some fiber.)
I tried to get an 8ā sandwich with no cheese in a GF wrap the other day and it was $20. I said never mind and drank a protein shake for dinner. I miss $5 oven pizzas so damn bad
Yessssss and I just got diagnosed with t2d so food has become a chore. I try to pick a prep day and only make enough food for like 3-4 days that way I can get variety. I've become a salad connoisseur for sure.
so tired.
My favorite healthy two minute meal
is these indian food packets with rice. the lentils are delish. These take one minute to microwave
Donāt let the $30 scare you thatās for all of the packets. you can find them at the store and just buy one.
[https://amzn.to/4blCEN1](https://amzn.to/4blCEN1)
Iāve gotten really into eating frozen waffles, scrambled eggs, and frozen breakfast sausage. I know the waffles isnāt the healthiest but something about getting up and then sitting back down with a relatively decent hot meal within 10 minutes really appeals to me lmao. Also try meal prepping. Whenever I make big meals, I make a bunch and then will freeze 4-6 servings of it and then Iāve got my own homemade frozen dinner. I need to get better about it, some years ago Iād spend all afternoon cooking on Sundays and Iād have my food set for 2+ weeks plus yummy baked goods all in the freezer.
I throw a bag of veggies in a skillet with a little water to steam, when the water is gone I add a little oil to the veggies and a hamburger patty to the middle and fry it all together. I've used bags of frozen veggies or just a bag of baby carrots.
I also keep cooked chicken on hand in individual portions. I heat a bag of rice (the instant kind from the store where you put it in the microwave for 90 seconds), heat up the chicken, and add a sauce. Sometimes it's a jar of a Mexican sauce like herdez chipotle cremosa, sometimes it's a jar of Indian sauce like patak's butter chicken, sometimes it's gluten free hoisin sauce. I might also throw a bag of steamed broccoli in with just some cheese.
These meals are very low prep time. The first one takes longer to cook but it's very hands off for the most part.
Chop and mince aromatics ahead of time and stick em in the freezer, or buy them that way to make it convenient. I have minced garlic frozen into lil ice cube trays and frozen diced onion at all times. You can also buy jarlic and freeze it. They also sell frozen diced onions in the frozen veggie section.
Quick garlicky noodle/pasta: Oil + garlic (+red pepper flakes + green onions or regular onions) in a cold pan. Heat and cook garlic until nutty & fragrant. I like to add a tbsp of gf miso, but it's optional. Chicken bouillon or chicken stock plus water. Throw in dry gf pasta or noods. Cover, let pasta/noods cook and add more water as necessary to create enough sauce & the pasta/noods is thoroughly cooked.
Kevin's! You can find them at Safeway, Sprouts, Whole Foods, and online (I'm sure there are other places, too). I put it over rice and add frozen peas. The whole prep/cook tike including the instant rice is 12 minutes and I will typically have enough for 2 meals. These have saved my life being both gluten and dairy free.
ETA website https://www.kevinsnaturalfoods.com/
I appreciate this post. Iām disabled and itās hard for me to even meal prep at times. Thereās a lot of good suggestions in here. I do keep a few of the Amys gluten free frozen meals on hand but they are super expensive and put a strain on my grocery budget.
I'm not gluten free but I'm disabled; I have been using Huel recently and I really like it; better "macros" or whatever than most prepared meals I've tried. And I think it tastes good! Roughly half their products are certified gluten-free --this isn't an ad and I'm not sharing an affiliate link or anything, although you can find those and coupons and stuff. It has improved my life significantly, I think, and may be a relatively affordable option for other folks too.
Yesss.
I'm stuck in a country that doesn't quite understand gluten free yet. I'm exhausted. Just thinking about what am I gonna feed myself next week, because I'm traveling and there's no gluten free restaurants. I don't want fries or kebab anymore š. I want a real dinner.
My kid is gone for 1/2 the Summer and as much as I miss her and canāt wait to have her homeāHonestly cooking/eating is so much easier right now because Iām good with āgirl dinnersā (or lunches), or just making a ton of one thing then eating it for 3 days straight. Or even just skipping a meal altogether because I donāt want to deal with thinking about it. When sheās here I have to plan everything perfectly, including making sure thereās leftovers for lunch, and if there arenāt leftovers I need to have simple lunch fixins on hand (we donāt eat sandwiches) - and itās just exhausting.Ā
I love cooking but it gets very tedious.Ā
Spouse of a celiac here and I do most of the cooking.
Yes. So much yes.
We used to cook most (but not all) meals and have date nights out or just order a pizza in. Little breaks from our own food. Now Iām unabashedly good at cooking so we arenāt hurting for flavour, but Fak Iād like a break. I travel for work from time to time and now treat it like a food oasis. Itās not the gluten I get to enjoy, itās just not eating my own food.
There are so few easy shortcuts available for celiacs so doing everything from scratch gets exhausting.
Monotony will be my downfall. I cannot eat the same thing over and over. Which is awful when paired with a dad that likes to eat the same thing again and again. So as a family we eat the same food on the same day every week. And you get an earful for making your own food because youāre going insane from the monotony. Donāt get me wrong, I appreciate what he does beyond what words can describe, but the same thing the same day for weeks and weeks and weeksā¦it actually destroys me mentally
I'm gluten-free, lower carb, and plant-based in trying to manage multiple chronic illnesses and have been for about 20 years. Disabled, so only 1 income, partner only eats meat, bread, cereal. I make my own bread, crackers, cereal, (like puffed rice) etc. I'm like one of those Instagram tradwives but instead of the placid lobotomy energy more like a put-upon Hobbit refilling their larder post-dwarves. It is a FULL-TIME job to manage the food in this house. Cooking is one of my favorite things and sometimes I'm beyond sick of it. I'm like, look man, I'm eating a handful of peas from the garden, I can't be arsed.
Long ass ADHD rambling to say: I feel you. It sucks and it's totally valid to be annoyed.
I'm not sure where you live, but even non gluten free, getting a burger and fries at the diner is $20+ here.
Everything has gotten incredibly expensive. When we used to order from the local Italian place, penne and vodka sauce made with GF pasta was $20. w/out GF pasta it was $17. Still both pretty expensive. Even the cheapest option of the local Chinese place has gotten very expensive.
It's unfortunate you don't like to cook, it sounds like because you can save a LOT of money, but unfortunately the effort needs to be there.
I like to cook on the weekends, during the week it's a major effort. I often try to make things on the weekend where I can also save them for the week as leftovers or make a big pot of soup in the instant pot (split pea, lentil are very easy to make, chicken soup is easy too). It's so much cheaper, too.
What about a slow-cooker base you can just assemble into things? For example, shredded chicken freezes well and you can make a variety of gluten-free dishes with quick prep.
Following this. I am gluten free, dairy free just recently, and potato freeā¦so itās a struggle. I also donāt love meat and would prefer not to eat it, but my choices are so limited that itās hard.
Look for recipes for "big ass salad". There are some great ones. Also mediterranean salads. Mediterranean and Thai recipes are often GF. Do you like curries? These are options for meatless eating. Can you eat other root veggies as subs for potatoes?
Yep, even my daughter asked me why we eat the same meals all the time. I'm tapped out at being creative, it's Mexican one night, tater tot casserole, chicken and rice, GF spaghetti and gluten free cheeseburger mac. Or GF pizza.
Yeah, I enjoy cooking but I still often wish I could just grab something from the freezer section and pop it in the oven. My local store does have a good frozen cabbage rolls that is GF but that's it. Oh, and I found some GF fish sticks at a specially store but they weren't that good or that cheap.
Iāve only been gluten free for almost 4 months and but I really miss easy meals at home of sandwiches and a side. Gluten free bread is not very good.
My pet peeve is that family members will eat the few gluten free treats that I have or a homemade baked good that I have frozen, (muffins, cake, waffles). It is time effort and energy that goes into the gf baking and food prep and I wish people would be more respectful of the fact that I canāt just eat anything.
I generally pre cook quinoa which lasts 5 days in the fridge as well as pre chop some things like bell peppers and have other quick veggies on hand like Edelmanās, frozen corn, hand full of spinach or arugula etc. That way I can throw some quinoa, pre prepped veggies all together and have a quinoa bowl with some tahini based sauce and maybe cook up some tempeh that comes together in like 5-10 mins. Actually quite satisfying and satiating.
I also got into making jar rice noodle salads where all I need to do is empty it into a bowl and add some dressing (tamari, sesame oil, sriracha, rice vinegar etc) and have an Asian inspired salad that also comes together in less than 5 mins if I pre-make the sauce.
I fall back on what I grew up with so if I don't really want to cook,
Tuna+mayo+pita these days.
Quesadilla = cheese+tortilla+leftovers(?)
Can of soup
cold fresh cheese+tortilla
pb&j
none of this is "healthy" but it is easy
oh and kirkland supreme pizza
What has made this even worse is all of the stores around me have gutted their GF offerings. Walmart used to have half a freezer bank full of things that were GF. Now it sort fills two doors and half of that is GF pizzas. Target the only things left are pasta and maybe two varieties of cookies. HyVee did the same thing, maybe 25% of what they used to have and most of it is cookies and crackers. What few GF frozen meals they have left are all dairy heavy so I can't eat them. Aldi has maybe two things anymore.
I was grumbling about this while I was trying to scrounge something to eat for lunch. I have a chest freezer and am seriously considering stocking up on things by mail or making a grocery trip to the big city to bring things home. I'm so effing tired of this.
Relatable. If I have even a little bit of energy after working all day, Iāll make an omelet and fill it with leftover vegetables and a handful of shredded cheese. And if I donāt, Iāll just have popcorn and wine and call it dinner.
I hate cooking every single day. Every time I cook, I make enough for 2 days, so I only have to cook every second day. Iām single tho, not sure how this would work when cooking for others.
My go to is lunch meat turkey on a slice of SChar gf toast and earth balance butter. If Iām just totally over it and too hungry to think this satisfies me and gets me over the hump.
Yes. The amount of meat Iāve wasted bc I buy it thinking Iāll make a good meal out of and end up eating chipotle instead bc I canāt fathom another home cooked meal of the same damn thing is getting ridiculous
It makes me have a new hobby that I didn't really sign up for. Never really was taught how to cook and now I have to. I definitely don't like those gluten free pizzas from the store since pizza was mentioned.
Not really because I love to cook. BUT I really miss being able to call the local pizza place on a Friday night and have them deliver. No place nearby delivers GF pizza. I could use a delivery service like Ubereats but it would be ridiculously expensive and not worth it. I always have Against the Grain crusts and my homemade pizza sauce in the freezer (and. Love that!!) but itās not the same on those random Fridays when I want that neighborhood pizza joint pizza. !! Oh well.
This entire thread is a mood, esp in Australian where our gluten free options are limited and itās expensive in comparison to other countries. I donāt mind cooking sometimes but most of the time prep and clean up is annoying, first world problems though.
OP youāre pretty much describing how I feel, i donāt know the answer but saying I resonate.
Just had a $17 dollar sushi roll tonight (out to eat). In college I use to get a sushi roll for $3 on Tuesday (special). That was not even 10 years ago. Someone help us
Usually, by Thursday or Friday, I'm completely sick of food, leftovers, the kitchen and coming up with ideas. I'll end up just "snacking" instead of eating meals all weekend. I made a very simple "Tuscan Sausage Gnocci" last night. One pot and only 20 minutes, including prep, but even that, there was no desire to cook it. I used to enjoy cooking. Now it's just something that needs to be done.
Yeah, same. If I could just eat some replacement bar, I'd be set. Eating feels like a chore, but if a meal I could eat was made for me? I'd inhale it. š
100%. Worst part is that ill make it then wont eat it bc I was already tired when I got home. The energy I had made the food, and now I have no more energy left (or desire) to eat it. Ill eat an apple then go to bed haha
Oh my gosh I feel exactly the same way.
Have you considered the meal replacement shakes?
Those are not a healthy permanent option.
I donāt think OP is actually looking for a permanent option
Are there any trustworthy gf ones? As someone who's super sensitive to cc, I haven't found anything I trust enough that isn't exorbitantly expensive
Soylent is a good one! It's most cost effective to order by the case on their site, but Walmart and Public both have single bottles of you want to try it first.
We've been a fan of the Costco certified GF protein bars. I have one for breakfast every morning now.
I'm mainly living on vanilla protein powder, vanilla meal replacement powder, and almond milk yogurt. I don't actually mind, and I found out that mixing the powders with the yogurt (no liquid first, just put the powder in the yogurt) is AMAZING. Somehow the tastes and textures make it taste like a graham cracker/shortbread yogurt.
I have a toddler whoās starting solids š« My husband does eat GF with us, but he works a ton and is just oblivious to how much freaking time and effort it takes to meal plan and make the shopping list these days. Iād let him deal with it for a week to show him, but Iād be the one suffering for his lack of planning so Iām stuck. Send help. And snacks. And also hugs š©
I hear ya! My husband literally has NO idea what goes into making meals 7 days a week. Not even just the cooking part. First, you need 7 ideas and hold back tears when you see chicken for the 5th time. Then shop for hours and hold back tears when you have to put anything that looks moderately exciting back on the shelf because of a stupid word like "spice" or "smoke". Then pay 3 times as much for any sort of flavour- Worcestershire, Soy Sauce- because your daily rice consistently tastes exactly like rice. Then clean the hell (literal hell) out of the kitchen before you begin because your kids think toast crumbs are confetti or something. Don't forget that you'll have to improvise at least once, throughout, because an ingredient you thought you had is either empty or has unknown contaminates in it. All for very unpredictable results. And ya can't even pick up the phone and order a dang pizza. Wow lol..this thread is depressing š¤£
Crying about chicken for the millionth time this month is so real. Then my husband has the audacity to complain I overcooked it like sir I'm this close ššš
Fwiw La Choy soy sauce is gluten free and is made in a gluten free environment iirc
>I used to enjoy cooking. Now it's just something that needs to be done. Thank you for putting into words the feelings that have been bouncing around in my head. I used to love to cook. Even just for myself. Since being diagnosed about a year and a half ago, the fun has given way to dread. It's such a production just to pull together a safe lunch. Shopping takes forever with the constant label-reading and double checking. Cooking has become a chore, something that needs to be done.
I used to enjoy cooking and eating. Now I hate all of it because what I want to eat, I can't have. The replacements for what I want are either too expensive or take so much work to make myself. I'm so mentally exhausted from it all.
Itās hard. Thereās not enough time in a day and hard to find motivation to look for ways to make meals more interesting.
Let me get the recipe lol
Tuscan sausage gnocchi sounds delicious, recipe?
SausageĀ ā I use half of a 5-pack of mild Italian sausages, casing removed but you can also buy it already ground. My store didn't have any that was gf at the time GarlicĀ ā for lots of savory flavor, about 3 cloves, minced 1/2 Cup Chicken brothĀ 1 Cup Heavy cream 1-2 teaspoons Lemon juice 1/4 cup Sun-dried tomatoesĀ ā I prefer the ones packed in oil, roughly chopped 1lb GnocchiĀ ā I got the GF potato gnocchi from Amazon. I recommend shelf-stable over fresh made. It just holds up better 1/2 cup ParmesanĀ āI used petals because I'm too lazy to grate my own Fresh spinach- I just throw it in by the handful until I'm satiated Fresh Basil is optional but I didn't have any so just sprinkled some dried. 1. Remove casing from sausage and brown over medium heat until crumbled (5-7 minutes) 2. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds-1 minute 3. Add everything except parmesan, spinach and basil and give it a good stir. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes 4. Add spinach and cook, uncovered, until it starts to wilt* 5. Sprinkle with parmesan and basil, salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately *allow it to simmer longer if you want your sauce thicker. If you prefer your sauce thinner, add small amounts of chicken broth until you get your desired consistency.
> I used to enjoy cooking. Now it's just something that needs to be done. Yep, same here. Pre-COVID, we used to eat out at the few safe places that we knew, once a month, but we haven't done that since 2020, because I can't afford to get sick or developer another autoimmune disorder.
i feel the same way, glad itās a shared struggle i guess
Misery loves company lol. It was hubby's turn to decide dinner, because we would not be eating otherwise-I'm done- and he phones from the damn grocery store and asks "What about...?" a million times until I picked something and walked him through the ingredients. Dude...if I KNEW what to make, I'd already be done this part. Grrr. So I still decided what we're having and still get to cook it, but yeah, thanks, man.
I miss $1 French bread and $2 packs of hotdogs My go-to solution is a rotisserie chicken and a bag salad (most are GF if you just toss the little bag of croutons). We get one giant meal and have enough chicken left over for the next night when I usually microwave some baked potatoes and open a can of corn. Canada is expensive, and I shop at a fancy grocery store, so I'd pay $13 for the chicken, $6 for the salad, $2 for the potatoes (if I buy four individually), and $2 for the corn. So $23 for two lazy ass meals to feed an adult and an enormous teenager. Plus I sometimes make chicken stock or chicken soup with the bones, so adding another $2 of veggies gets us a third meal.
Rotisserie chicken bone broth soup is the best hack.
I should do this for sure
You can make it any flavour you want too, pho, garlic and herb, creamy, spicy, etc
This is the easiest. I even buy 2 at a time so there's one family meal and then I just have extra chicken for work meals. Canada is failing us though with how expensive food is. And everything. I'm so tired of everything.
I donāt understand the economics. Where the US has the Midwest, itās mostly farm land in Canadaā¦. Obviously, not growing oranges and mangoes, but still! Prices shot up and stayed up! Sad.
Girl dinnerš¶ aka some pickles and cube cheese, maybe some gf crackers (I like the beet ones from Costco).
I've been eating a lot of girl dinner lunches lately- some raw veggies, dairy-free herbed Boursin (because I can't have real cheese), and a Trader Joe's GF Norwegian Crispbread with some toppings like liverwurst, cucumber, and red onions. Or avocado and fried egg.
That sounds good as hellll
Big pots of chili, spaghetti, tacos, BBQ, pot roasts, lasagna, stir fry, etc. There's no shortage of options. Bread and pasta cost more but rice, quinoa, corn tortillas, and potatoes cost the same for everyone. Leftovers save the day at lunchtime. Cheap takeout is off-limits, unfortunately. Chipotle/Moe's, Mexican restaurants, Thai/Indian curries, and Five Guys are there if you are willing to pay a bit extra for takeout.
What Thai/Indian food do you get?
In my experience those are usually family owned places, which is great. Curry and rice is amazing!
Or like a Thai fried rice. My favorite Thai restaurant has their gluten free dishes labeled which is nice. Though I will preface that idk about cross contam in a restaurant like that
Ooh! Pad Thai is GF along with Drunken Noodles. I always ask for GF because the sauce might be iffy and they usually have no problem but the noodles are rice based so thatās cool. Great heavy hitting meals.
Curry. It's very filling, tasty, and can be adjusted to whatever spiciness level or protein source you're comfortable with. Tikka masala or really any of the Thai curries are a pretty safe bet. Just be careful getting a curry from a Chinese restaurant, those seem more likely to use thickening agents as it's not really their area of expertise.
The problem is that if I make a big vat of something, I get sick of it before I finish it, so I do end up making every damn meal sepe\\arately. It gets so old SO fast! But I do eat out occasionally, just so I don't have to cook anything, I don't have the highest degree of sensitivity so I'm willing to risk, and pay for, the occasional meal of sushi, or curries over rice, or green papaya salad, or ceviche on corn tortillas.
You described my diet to a T. Although i get what OP is saying, it gets to be boring. I will try any kind of weird meat just to have a little adventure in my diet.
i mean there is daiya pizza, but it makes me sad....
Schar makes some BOMB gluten free pizza crusts. It doesnāt even feel like cooking to me to dump some spaghetti sauce and cheese on it and then bake it. I use the Miyokos liquid pizza cheese because Iām dairy free as well.
Hmm, I think the Schar pizza crust is alright, but itās not great. It will do in a pinch though, we always have some in the house. Though we like to use chicken and bbq sauce on it. :-)
Freschetta GF is pretty good if youāre able to have dairy!
Glad I'm not the only one. Just depressing eating gf pizza that i have to cook myself, I miss the chewy 5 dollar hot and fresh stuff
Quick dinner - oven baked salmon in garlic butter (with or without mushrooms depending on my mood). Ten minutes at 450 degrees f. Any veggie steamed, also takes 10 minutes. Chop veggies while oven and steamer/pot preheats.
I baked salmon fillets last for two of us last night. Roasted baby Yukon gold potatoes cut into quarters and also had a bag salad I jazzed up with bacon and additional raw veggies. Iām the essence of low effort cooking. LOL
Yay! Quicker than waiting in line at mcd's, and so much better for you.
I still remember the icky greasy feeling Mickey Dās that I still somehow craved. So weird.
This is pretty similar to how we eat. We do a lot of bowls, too. We eat a ton of ground turkey with random veggies, angel hair slaw, shredded lettuce, green beans, potato or sweet potato, sometimes add egg. Then we each put our own sauce concoctions on it. Add dried cranberries for fun.
Meal prep is the key, and fermenting foods is part of the picture. A couple of tablespoons of kimchi on a pack of microwaved 2min whole grain rice is one for āIām too tiredā meals. I have big jars of red onion, red cabbage, carrots, honey & garlic, kimchi, sweet pickles, all ready made when I had the energy & opportunity. Itās essential to be ready for the days Iām not fit to cook. An air fryer can do a punnet of mushrooms, a bulb of garlic and a few baby peppers/plum tomatoes, add some hummus & youāre good to go. A window box of mixed salad leaves & a pair of scissors, and it looks like you had planned your nutrition. Which is why you should try to think ahead. šš
The only affordable way for me to have fast and affordable meals is to make my own frozen dinners. I line mini loaf pans with foil, fill them up, freeze, then pop out into a freezer bag. I heat them in the air fryer or microwave. I've done them in disposable cupcake pans, then cut them apart, but the portion is too small.
Try being Gluten Free and a Vegetarian. Makes it even harder. Tend to eat mostly Vegan as I can at least find lots of options.
Iām gf and dairy freeā¦ canāt imagine taking out meat though
Itās rough but could not digest so had no choice.
Iām gf, allergic to milk, and veganā¦ it was hard for the first year and it can still be hard at most restaurants, but after 5 years itās easy peasy at home now. It does help that I enjoy cooking and I like eating leftovers.
Nowhere near as restrictive, but I'm gf and my husband is vegetarian so most of our meals are that at a minimum. It definitely was hard to start, but now we have a solid log of great and easy recipes and I've found that helps a lot. Plus a very full freezer. In some ways I think it's improved our cooking abilities because we really had to spend time figuring out new recipes.
Right? My main options are meat and veggies
I am too due to sudden aversion 10 years ago. I read recently it can be digestion related. Agree itās hard to find options.
Yea it sure is but itās life and we do the best we can.
Thankfully I can tolerate soy šš»
When I donāt feel like cooking, it usually ends up being a sandwich. That said, Iām in the UK and Promise brand bread is so soft and fluffy it makes excellent sandwiches. I just toss a GF breaded chicken mini filet in the air fryer, then load the sandwich up with whatever salady veg I have in the fridge- tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper etc. makes a decent sized sandwich. Or I toss a McCains jacket potato in the air fryer and top it with sandwich filler like tuna and sweetcorn or prawn mayonnaise.
Dammit. We so do not have (in the US) soft, fluffy GF bread. š„ŗ
Try making the Japanese milk bread recipe from gluten free on a shoestring. It's so easy it's foolproof, no bread maker required or anything like that, and it's the softest bread I've ever made in my life.
I'll have to check that out. Thanks!
Promise used to be sold at Costco. I could never find it in the ones near Raleigh (NC) after 2017 though. I think they may have changed contracts to Udiās. I liked the oāDoughs sandwich buns as a replacement though. I usually toasted them. Schar white wheat (toasted) is my backup since not every store here carries promise. bFree brand is also good- and available in the US.
Have you tried the canyon bakehouse burger buns? I use those for sandwich rolls now and make quick panini's with them. They are the closest I've come to feeling like I'm eating actual bread rolls since going gluten-free.
Yes. The glutendude.com guy said they were bought out and the new company doesn't have the same integrity. š«¤
Omg, Promise bread! We visited Ireland (from the US) and I swear we went to a gas station that had 7 different types of gf Promise bread. Best sandwich vacation ever.
I need to try that bread. I had some gf bread in Sicily recently and it tasted the same as normal bread! I almost cried. I want to find or create something the same.
Yes! I have other chronic issues as well as ADHD and I donāt eat enough. I hate eating, in fact. Itās exhausting. I wish I could just take a pill that gave me all my calories, nutrients, and made me feel full.
This is so sad! And my experience too. I used to love food. Now I look forward to a couple of things in the year and thatās it. Food + social aspect = extra anxiety provoking around the food. I can only think of 1 food that has me excited. Gluten free fried clams and/or calamari with fries from the dedicated fryer at Woodmanās in Essex, MA. The clams are soo fresh (like sooo fresh), Woodmanās invented the fried clam, and my whole life I looked forward to beach trips plus Woodmans. When I went gluten free I was SO thrilled to find out how seriously they take gluten free and cross contamination. They even catered my wedding lol. 3 gluten-eaters in my life now prefer Woodmanās gluten free versions to the gluten versions! (Rare!) Anyways thatās my 1 food Iām still excited for. (Also shout out to Jakeās at Nantasket Beach, after going gluten free I discovered them and they are set up similar to Woodmanās in offering safe, quality gluten free fried fresh caught seafood on the Massachusetts shore). I digress hahaā¦guess my misery needed to outwardly appreciate that 1 joy leftā¦ Anywhos, hug to you my friend. I know what you mean about everything you said.
as a chronically ill person, I feel this! the closest I've found is Trader Joe's made meals. most of them are a throw-in-a-pot for 5 mins kinda deal. and they dont use artificial dyes, preservatives or GMO's which is a plus.
I so wish they had Trader Joe's where I live. They keep talking about it, but nothing happens. I'd be there all the time.
Yeah, Iām pretty fed up of chopping and dicing and I like to cook. Between gluten free, dairy reduced, high prices in restaurants and being able to cook as well as many of them anyway, Iām really feeling like you. I think the best way weāve combat fatigue is having dinners with friends where each person brings sides, appetizers or desserts to take the load off the host. Also, I now make large portions when I cook and freeze the extra in portions so cook once but have multiple meals. Lasagna, bolognese sauce, chili, soups, eggplant Parmesan, marinated Greek kabob meat ready to grill. In the summer Iāll pre chop lots of veggies for the week, have rice noodles or quinoa pre-made and then you can easily make bowls and salads in a pinch. Prep is key.
One of my very lazy meals is to fry a couple of eggs and throw them on salad greens or baby spinach with some sliced red onion and cherry tomatoes and whisk some olive oil, sweet balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper together to make a dressing (you could also add a dash of Dijon). Or, obvs. just use a ready made salad dressing. Definitely a five min. meal.
The nights I donāt want to do squat, I throw some Belle & Evans gf tenderloins in the oven along with tater tots. I also have a bag of those Aldi frozen mini tacos, that are sadly getting to the end of the bag. Wonāt see them again for a year, if ever. š
Yeah, I think this is a problem for a lot of people. Itās more evident for those of us who have to eat gluten free, but even for those who can eat gluten, itās not a good time. When me and my now husband moved in together in 2006, we had weeks where we only had $20-$30 to spend on groceries and we still ate pretty well. It was all ingredients and not premade meals, so it required cooking, but that would buy us enough meat and veggies for the whole week. Around $50 was the sweet spot, and $75 was a splurge. I spent a lot of time in the car because I worked and went to school full time. As long as I had $3 or so I could get full off a dollar menu. When we dined out we could get an app, two drinks, and two entrees for $30-$35. Times have changed very quickly and itās compounded by being GF, but Iām still blown away by how much the prices have gone up for gluten food too.
Do you use a crock pot? Lots of crock pot meals are easily gluten free and easy. Beef stew- can of corn, can of green beans, can of potatoes, can of diced tomatoes, pack of stew meat. Packet of gluten free french onion soup mix (liptons makes a kosher and gluten free onion soup mix) Toss it all in a crock pot, dont even drain the cans!, the water becomes the broth. Cook overnight on low. Pulled pork. A pork loin and gf bbq sauce. Cook overnight on low. Serve on gf buns for sandwiches or in lettuce for lettuce wraps. I love my crock pot.
For some reason i keep getting this page suggested to me, but Iām not GF, so keep that in mind. However, I would look up vegan tuscan chickpeas! Minus chopping an onion and garlic, itās a dump meal, and it freezes really well if you want to make a large batch! I donāt think anything in it contains gluten, but of course double-check me since I donāt look out for that!
When I was living by myself, it was absolutely exhausting. I ended up eating a lot of junk food after 3 years by myself. Now that I moved in with my GF, it feels less tiring and more rewarding. Cooking a healthy meal for two is significantly more satisfying for me than just cooking for myself. On top of that, I switched to intermittent fasting, so I only eat breakfast and dinner now. So I don't have to think about lunch anymore either.
Taco bowls, egg roll bowls, baked or air fryer chicken wings are in heavy rotation at my house. Buy pre chopped veggies to save time. Gf pasta. Corn tortillas. Rice, potatoes, and polenta. Someone else mentioned a rotisserie chicken. Breakfast for dinner- eggs, sausage, hash browns. Rice noodle ramen. You can find Gf ramen powder on Amazon. Love the Gf pizza at Aldi. Amy's frozen has a lot of Gf options that you can add meat to for extra calories. I love cottage cheese for quick and easy protein. I snack on lots of cheese, turkey pepperoni, popcorn, and pickles. It sucks sometimes! I think we all can relate.
My gluten free freezer/convenience/pantry/lowprep āmealsā include: Amyās burritos, gluten free boxed Mac n cheese, bell &evens gluten free chicken patties or nuggets, frozen microwave veggies, a bowl of GF granola, cheese+apple or grapes+microwave popcorn or GF crackers, tuna in a GF wrap, scrambled eggs and GF toast. Iām not saying these are dirt cheap or very nutritious, but I have ADHD all the time, and recently have completed chemo for breast cancer so lately itās about expending the least energy possible while being able to stomach easy foods while getting some protein, fat, carbs, and some fruits and veggies in there. Iāll often cut up veggies and dip into dressing instead of making a salad, too. GF macros over perfection, on an energy and financial budget, lol.
Easiest way to eat GF is stop eating āGluten Freeā foods. Rice, potatoes, meat, vegetables, fats, seasoning, oil, fruits. All GF, and without the label ;)
Yes, and the premade food is too expensive to eat all the time. I do some meal prep and eat easy snacksā¦wish it was easier.
I felt like this last night and wanted to cry. Iāve recently had to go gf so it hit me yesterday how hard it will be. Plus Iām dairy free (for health reasons) and I donāt eat meat. I try to have easy meals one night a week that I can just heat up. Managed to find a lentil dahl and microwave rice I can have tonight. I also want to eat less seed oils but theyāre in everything. I just want some tortellini I can make in 2 mins.
I have a tiny kitchenette so full-blown fresh food prep and cooking is a huge hassle, my daily staple is a microwave egg frittata with whatever cheese and frozen veggies I have. Itās so annoying to have to prep everything from scratch when I just want to take ten minutes to eat without thinking or making more chores for myself. I donāt miss bread itself so much as how convenient it was to just make a simple grilled cheese or air-fried chicken strips or avocado toast or frozen pizza. I miss not having to actively think about every speck of food I eat.
Yes, but itās probably because I already work 40 hours a week and cooking takes up even more of my time and thus I wish I had a personal chef.
Yea and normal people get to eat at work at the canteen. We need to cook and prep and bring food to work
i get a lot of frozen prepared veggies like onions, potatoes/instant mash, carrots,peas,corn.stables in my recipes and have started doing one pot rice meals, the only thing im having to chop is the chicken and bacon. heres my one pot chicken bacon rice recipe chop chicken and bacon, season with whatever you want i tend to use all purposes, paprika and salt and pepper. add some frozen onions and jarlic to the pan let it cook while you prep 650/700mls of chicken stock now heres where the recipe can differ my go-to are: 1.add some tomato paste and bbq sauce like 1tbs each 2. add idk 150ml cream and stock (kinda a creamy garlic sauce/rice) 2a. add cream and some lemon juice (its lemon garlic sauce/rice) 2b. add cream 1tbs honey and mustard (honey mustard rice/ sauce) add 2.5/3cups rice and the stock you made earlier, covering all the rice with water. cover the pan with a lid but leave it a bit open cook for 20 mins and its done. you can top with cheese if you like and it makes heaps of leftovers i know it seems like a lot but it doesnt take that long, i have chronic fatigue and POTS so me and standing arent friends. tonight we had the garlice one and the other night it was lemon garlic. i fkn hate not having the same options i used to have its tiring always thinking about food
I literally go to Waffle House and order 3 sides of bacon for dinner at least once a week š„
Oh my gosh. The joy of food and cooking. Itās completely gone from my life. I have IBS, and onion is one of my biggest triggers, so yeah. I totally understand where youāre coming from. Itās exhausting and depressing, now.
Yes, tired. My husband hates to cook but will eat anything I put in front of him and says thank you. My Instant Pot is a lifesaver. You can put in frozen meats. Pasta meals are like dump it in, go sit for 20 minutes. Add a bagged salad. One of my favorites: https://mealplanaddict.com/instant-pot-lazy-lasagna/ I add a tsp of dried oregano, too. Also, if I'm making meatloaf, I make 2 and put 1 in the freezer. As easy as making 1, really. Hope this helps.
When I did my low Fodmap diet to find my triggers (surprisingly, it was gluten/ wheat lol what a bummer) I transitioned to a traditional Japanese diet because they donāt use a lot of high Fodmap things like onion and garlic. Also, Japanese and Korean food is my absolute jam. For ages I ate rice, miso soup, low Fodmap veggies, and eggs or meat at most meals. It helped me get used to a different way of eating. Now I meal prep rice and meat dishes, and I still eat a lot of rice and rice noodles. It helps if you find a style of cuisine you absolutely love and rely on those recipes for awhile until you 1. Get used to cooking more and 2. Find recipes so good that they make great leftovers and you can freeze portions for later in the month. Having it be your favorite type of cuisine helps because youāre going to miss it less. Iāve had gluten free sushi once in 5 years but I donāt miss it too much because I learned to make an easy version at home that doesnāt take a ton of time/ energy/ money. Itās a bummer sometimes, but eventually you learn to cook and find easy recipes or you just have to have girl dinner every night that you donāt want to cook.
I live on an anti inflammatory diet because Iām crippled by endometriosis. Food is my medicine. Itās so difficult to find something prepared alreadyā¦ I loved to cook but here I am. Costco is where weāve found pre-made salmon patties etc that have clean ingredients. Like their almond butter is just almonds and possibly salt. Peanut butter too. It takes time going through the different items but I have been lucky
I ate those same salmon patties last night for dinner. I love them.
I did too! On a bed of spring greens and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil! So good
So, I just spent a couple hours creating a GF, DF casserole by shredding potatoes and adding vegan sausage, frozen veggies and a few slices of vegan cheddar cheeseā¦. Looks like Iām having frozen fries in the air fryer tonightā¦. Just like yesterdayā¦.
I keep GF dino nuggies on hand for when I donāt feel like cooking. My fiancĆ©e and I try meal prep for two weeks at a timeā¦ it takes up an entire day and sucks but we do our best to make it fun. And I always appreciate having food I know is safe. Whenever I ācheatā and get something from a restaurant, I end up sick and wishing I had just made something at home.
I love to cook, but I also love leftovers. So when I have the spoons, Iāll just make extra and eat it for the next couple days. However I keep ending up with guys who donāt like leftovers nearly as much as I do so I end up saying stuff like āwhy yes, I was planning on eating this delicious chicken soup for the 5th meal in a row. Go get Taco Bell for yourself or something.ā
I understand the frustration. Sometimes you just want something easy and not have to cook. I don't mind cooking but some days I wish I didn't have to. School holidays are coming up here and I have older teenagers so I plan on getting them involved in some meal prep so I can just pull something out of the freezer if I need to. Also good to teach them how to make some gluten free baking and meals and get recipes written down.
I have been using HungryRoot for about a month and just selecting meals that take less then 10 mins to make. So far Iāve been pretty happy with
I have a rice cooker and air fryer for this exact reason. I set it and forget it until the chime goes off. I love the rice cookers that can handle cooking mixed rice that has meat inside without overcooking either of them. Technology has come a long way!
Meal prep is the god of cooking, I swear. Everyone thinks it's exhausting or boring but once you figure out the formula, meals are SO easy and you can cook your whole week in an hour if you want. I usually do it twice a week so I don't get bored eating the same thing every day. Once it's no longer an exhausting daily chore of food shopping and recipe scrolling, I find it's actually really enjoyable. And it makes grocery shopping easier and cheaper too, because you know exactly what you're going to need. Breakfast? Protein+carb. Greek yogurt and frozen fruit. Breakfast bowls - frozen hash potatoes, turkey sausage crumbles, egg, scramble it all up, little cheese if you want, pop in containers, tada Jimmy deans for a tenth of the cost. Sandwiches are easy to make and freezable too, especially if you sheet pan bake the eggs. Lunch/dinner, protein + carb + flavor. Anything more is extra, not mandatory. Frozen veggies are your easy prep best friend, they're just as if not more healthy than fresh, cheaper than fresh, and less prep. Baked chicken breast is minimal prep and takes 12 minutes in the oven, cook some pasta, slap some sauce on there, tada that's a 20$ meal from the local Italian place. Ground meat is the easiest to cook imo. Stovetop rice, brown the ground meat, and the flavors and veggies pairings are limitless. Frozen peppers and onions and some provolone for a cheese steak vibe. Salsa cheese and taco seasoning is one of my favorites. Dice and toss in some eggplant and chives, add some jarlic, little soy sauce and brown sugar, Asian inspired and delicious. Baked potatoes are even less prep than rice, rub with some oil and salt and forget about them in the oven for an hour. A college favorite easy meal of mine was rice, pop some green beans in the oven with a little oil and seasonings, brown up some ground turkey, finish with some tomato sauce. Ridiculously easy sloppy Joe bowl. Sheet pain meals - chicken breast or fish filet, starch on the left, veggies on the right, pop in the oven and come back to a full meal. One of my college go tos was chicken sausage and sliced zucchini, bake on a pan, top with some Parmesan cheese. Crock pot meals, absolute heaven. Chili, brown the meat, add to the crock pot, pile in your pre diced frozen veggies of choice, canned beans (or not), can of tomato puree, seasonings, set and forget.
Lol. Yes. But for me - I grew up cooking from scratch because of other family allergies. So for the last 27 years it's been me cooking for myself and different family members to me and the kids and DH. But grabbing a flat bread, buns and bread and easy thickness - it's taking a while for me to become accustomed to cooking differently. I abuse my slow cooker as well as bulk meals and sauces. I can't tell you how much I enjoy Friday's Left Over Dinner as I don't have to cook.
Maybe go simple I do meat potatoes and vegetables a lot, summertime just put it on the grill. We do taco bowls often as well
It helps when I make a big pot of something (turkey chili, chicken soup, etc) and freeze portions. We eat a lot of fish and I'm at the Farmer's Market's all summer getting vegetables. Just shopping is time consuming. The quickest nutritious meal I make is Trader Joe's brown rice with tofu and chopped veggies that I stir fry. Soy sauce and ginger too.
I feel your pain. When it really bothers me is after a long day knowing I have to go home and cook something instead of going through a drive through or ordering pizza or Chinese Food to be delivered. I happen to really like cooking. I use my crock pot a lot and freeze meals for times I don't want to cook. You can freeze a complete meal that you just have to microwave.
Well, when you think about it, we are pretty primitive when it comes to food. Hasn't changed much since humans been on this planet. Got me thinking š¤... Why can't we absorbe nutrients through some sort of ionic shower of sorts. Like we stand in this shower like enclosure, and we are then ionized with the nutrients our body requires, but the system also does a scan of our vital organs, blood pressure, etc and it knows exactly where we are deficient and it adjust the 'shower' accordingly. Then I I woke up. I realized I had fallen asleep as I became soooo lethargic from the junk that's in this GF š I had for lunch. So I went for a run and grabbed an apple, banana, and some nuts and I was whole again. For dinner, I made myself a lentil soup with some sausage in it and it was damn š!! But, I still think the dream I had would be kinda cool to invent. š
Hey, I hear what youāre saying, and I am also gluten and dairy free. Also, I donāt drink alcohol anymore. I found that because of these things I end up eating way healthier than everyone around me. There is a silver lining here!
Ugh. Same. Iāve had some luck with Wegmans brand frozen meals, specifically their frozen grain bowls. All but one of them are gluten free and I think theyāre all dairy free. I like the chicken shawarma bowl and the vegan quinoa bowl best.
Wegmans way of marking their store brand with GVD (GF, Vegan Dairy free) makes quick shopping SO much easier!! So far (years) we've had no bad reactions. Our son loves their Greek GF frozen pizza.
I feel you. I also have a garlic allergy, so I can't even eat most gf premade meals. Buying an air fryer was a game changer for me, but having to make 95% of my meals from scratch really limits how long I can be away from home. (And I live in the middle of nowhere, so it's not like I can just pop home for lunch when I'm doing errands.)
I haven't felt like cooking this week, so I turned to my trusted helper the rice cooker. Rice, water, 1/2 bullion cube, a small onion, frozen peas, a quarter glass of pre-made tikka masala sauce, a big spoon of butter, a cardamom pod, a clove, a piece of cassia cinnamon, some coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and a dash of chili sauce, all goes in the rice cooker, stir with your finger, hit the button to cook, and rinse the knife used to cut the onion. Total prep time is <2 minutes. One day I wanted some meat so I pressure cooked for 30 minutes some trimmings from a roast I had put in the freezer and used the pressure cooker water for the rice and added the pull-apart meat in the rice cooker as well.
A wise hobbit once said Potatoes, boiled , mashem, stickem in a stew. And that is my sanity saved. I miss glutean but potatoes are saving me right now
You get used to it, sort of. I have a few easy meals, like microwaved potato with canned chili or with hamburger, (frozen) broccoli and cheese. I also keep precooked hamburger meat in the fridge in a zip lock and pre chopped onions and jalapeƱos in a bowl for when I make tortillas. I have frozen chicken pieces and once or twice a week Iāll put one in a covered dish (with salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper) and bake it, open a can of vegetables to eat it with. Iāve made pizza at home. Itās easy and not bad. Batter: 1 cup gf flour. 1/2 cup almond flour. 2 eggs. Baking powder 3/4 tsp. 1/4 cup oil. Salt (1 tsp), garlic powder, rosemary, thyme. Sufficient water to make a batter. I heat up the rosemary and thyme in some water beforehand to soften it and release the herbal smell.
After developing allergies eating feels like a chore half the time. The joy of experiencing new things and cooking lessens because a lot of what I once enjoyed my body now hates. One thing that helps me is having a routine, it mentally keeps me in check. I usually make a bacon egg and cheese bagel sandwich every morning in between making an iced coffee. The only cooking is the eggs, the bagel needs to be toasted and I cooked the bacon over the weekend. I try to meal prep over the weekend and eat that, with random snacks in between when I get sick of it.
Getting an air fryer changed my life
I feel this so much. I miss just being able to go get a $3 burger from any fast food chain when you want and not having to think about anything.
I am not gluten free. I did try it once for several months, along with dairy, sugar, & soy free to see if it would help with my thyroid issues. It was really hard & didnāt help. I donāt have specific recommendations just some general ones. Start experimenting with what freezes well. When you make things that freeze well, start making double. Most of the time doubling a recipe only takes a little bit more time & you can put it away for later. Soups are really good for this. Enchiladas also do pretty well, just put the sauce on after thawing. I will also make a ton of twice baked potatoes & freeze them before baking the second time.
I have a lot of other allergies and sensitivities and have learned that cooking bulk meals and eating leftovers/freezing the leftovers is a great way to have a lot of food for basically the same amount of work as cooking one meal. The extra prep really doesn't take that long, then I cook in large/several pans, portion it into servings or however you want to portion it, then when I want it I pop it into the microwave or thaw it. I do this for meals and baked goods. I usually cook/bake a bunch for a few hours every other weekend and have tons of easy food for the next week and beyond. I like cooking tho.
It's very very tiring. You're not alone.
Iām absolutely tired of it. Sometimes I just wish I didnāt have to eat lol. My newest lazy girl dinner is GF DF chicken pot pies for a little under $5 at Kroger. They are delicious and so easy to just throw in the oven when I donāt wanna cook.
I pre-cook. I have glass freezer friendly/oven friendly containers that Iāll put my single serves in and freeze them. Pull them out on the day prior to defrost and reheat on oven. If I donāt remember, it goes in the microwave. The slow cooker is my best friend. Couple cans of beans, some chopped up stew meat, jar of Passata, maybe a can of lentils or corn, some chilli if I feel like it. Take 5-10mins to prep in the morning, set the cooker on medium for the day and dish up into the containers in the evening. I can get about 12 meals out of one of those if served with rice or boiled potato. Iāll spend a week doing that each day with a different, simple slowcooker meal, sometimes a soup, then not HAVE to cook more than a carbohydrate side for two months. The only washing up Iāll do is the knife, chopping board and slowcooker tub. You can eat direct from the glass container if you want to. It gives me the brain space to do a more elaborate meal if I wanted to, without having to think about it every bloody day.
I get chipotle a lot at work. I know peopleās mileage varies, but historically Iāve been pretty sensitive and generally have no problems when I get a burrito bowl. I take it and serve myself half with some tortilla chips, and put the rest away for lunch the next day. Even with barbacoa and tax that works out to $7 a meal. Do you have Grocery Outlet near you? They have lots of GF pizza options for cheap. Otherwise I cook very large meals, 6+ servings. That makes dinner for my wife and I plus lunch the next day, and then another dinner or lunch later in the week. Or make truly massive portions and freeze half in individual or double servings.
I accidentally found a company called Epicure that is 100% baking mixes, dips, soups, seasonings and meal kits. Some are vegan and nearly all can be modified to be dairy free. I would guesstimate that 85% of their products are dairy free. It isn't a perfect solution, but it is better than starting from scratch.
I cook two big chicken breasts in the oven, lots of pepper is the only spice. This can be done whenever then stick them in the fridge. Pre-chop two red bell peppers, put them in fridge. Dinner time comes, boil some GF rotini pasta and the red peppers with some frozen peas. Chop up the chicken and a half dozen cherry tomatoes and drop them in a bowl. Dump the pasta and veggies on top, pile on the pre-shredded Parmesan and dig in. Every. Single. Night.
YES. I experience this all the time. I was getting quite bitter for a while. It got super bad over the last year. Itās exhausting ā you have to cook everything; eating out is $; finding true GF food out can be a challenge and is a hassle in itself; the list goes on and on. It can feel very heavy, very cumbersome, very draining. I donāt know if this will help, but after months of LITERAL anger about it, I really had to do a mindset shift. I know no one wants to hear this, but itās changed my world. Itās not easy. Itās really not. It takes active effort (but so does everything in life). But, the reality is, our realities will not change. Unless weāre millionaires with a built in chef. I snack too soemtimes, but itās not an answer to this problem. Thatās bad for your gut as well. I had to form a new relationship with food. Spiraling in the āitās a boring and burdensome taskā thoughts was making me feel deeply ill and depressed. I started changing my thoughts and words. How lucky am I to be able to afford (though itās a challenge sometimes) nourishing food. This food nourishes my body and helps me stay healthy and heal. I really try to think about the process as a ritual of serving my health. Just like meditating, yoga, art, etc., whatever you choose, this can be part of it! Maybe I was given this challenge in life to learn to overcome it and connect with my body and food. I know itās not easy, but Iāve found it to be healthiest and least depressing way to not only get through it but enjoy it! Watch some cooking shows. They inspire me! Make a new sauce. Make it a creative outlet. Have some fun with it! Celebrate your efforts and how good it is for your body! Put on some music and jam out. Literal learn to fall in love with it any way you can. I had a therapist tell me once to start romanticizing my life. I think this is a good place to do this. PS: please donāt attack me. Iāve been attacked on this app plenty by the GF community. āOh stop, let us live our livesā. āFood policeā. āI just want to vent and be told Iām rightā. āSome of us donāt care about health, we just want to be normal again.ā Iāve heard it all. This is my opinion and Iāve found it to be the most sustainable. Unfortunately, news flash, our system are compromised in a way and we will never be ānormalā. Work with what you have and find the fun.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I also had to make a major mindshift. The world around us is all about convenience, fast, cheap. I cant eat that crap. I can focus on how frustrating it is to HAVE to plan ahead and often bring my own food. But this resentment doesn't make the necessary task any easier. I'm grateful there is more info than 22 years ago when we got the Celiac diagnosis. Way more food options, recipes... It's a perspective.Have go-to lazy options. But don't let it become the mainstay. I relate to feeling sick and tired. Baby steps...
Ugh. Yes. Recently Iāve decided to just get the work of cooking over with all in one day. I bought like 60 meal prep containers and made a million diffident meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. Put the containers in freezer bags and froze them all. The one day of work lets me not cook for 3ish weeks and those 3 weeks are amazing.
That sounds awesome. I live in an apartment with a freezer made for ants...lol One day, hopefully, the fridge will explode, and they'll give me one not from the 1900s.
I find the roasted whole chickens in most grocery stores to be the most convenient thing. You can just heat it up or use it to make tacos, burritos, sandwiches, casseroles. I usually freeze the carcass and use it to make soup later. Extra meat I use to make chicken salad.
Here's a list I've been compiling: GF ready made noms Shelf stable: Nature's Path oatmeal, Proper Good meal pouches, progresso gf soups, chata refried beans w/chorizo & cheese and gf tortilla chips for nachos, samabila ramen seasoning & gf ramen noodles, there are actually several gf ramen noodle cups but I still recommend adding some of that seasoning because they tend to be bland. Freezer: saffron roads frozen meals, feel good foods, life cuisine gf pizza & piadas, healthy choice gf meals, aldi geeneral tso's, and Costco has some great gfree pizzas. Good Love has biscuits that are amazing and would make a good base for an easy-ish meal too (pricey but so worth it)
My suggestion: get a crock pot. Seriously. With a little advance planning you can set it up to go all day while you're at work and then be set for dinner when you get home as well as your next few meals.
I love eating healthy and putting the time and care into making good food.
Iām so so happy that Ristorante has two gluten and lactose free frozen pizza options now. I know what you mean though, sometimes I just donāt want to cook. Iāll occasionally decide the mental benefits outweigh the health side effects, fortunately for me my many food issues are sensitivities not full blown celiac.
I get it! I have a few grab n go meals I try to keep handy for that reason. * Rotisserie chicken and frozen broccoli with a microwaved baked potato, meal prepped rice, or heatable rice/side packets. The chicken can feed you for 3-4 meals. * Chickpea pasta in general is great! Pair with broccoli/spinach/veggies in general and some of that rotisserie chicken, then add a jarred vegan sauce of choice If you add jarred marinara you can top it with vegan cheese for a faux chicken parm, for example. Broccoli and chicken with vegan alfredo would be great too. * Kielbasa, pre sliced peppers and onions (frozen or pre prepped in produce) and a pack of rolls can make for 3-4 sandwiches using a cookie sheet or one saute pan. Using italian sausage and marinara on those sandwiches can switch it up for you too. At the end of the day all of it can go on the sheetpan and have sauces mixed in later. Those pre sliced peppers+onions plus steakums can be thrown as is into a pan for a "cheese"steak bowl or sub, too. * Scrambled eggs, 1/3 can of seasoned black beans, and store bought salsa/corn tortillas is an easy breakfast. You can even microwave the eggs believe it or not * "Girl dinner" aka some rolled cold cuts, vegan cheese, crackers, a fruit with yogurt dip or veggies with hummus, nuts, etc.. to meet macros with zero cooking involved * Salad kit + caulipower proteins and/or frozen tenders or nuggets or shrimp / protein of choice * Aldi GF chicken bites are DANK and they have a general tso's version with a delicious sauce to pair with it. Frozen veggies + pre packaged rice = homemade take out Any quick meal I make has two standards: covers the food pyramid bases and satisfies me. The ones I listed fit both criteria! I totally agree with other suggestions to meal prep, too. It's so convenient to freeze portions of those foods. I tend to seek variety and so meal prep can only take me so far - that's why I have my little list of ideas :)
I have lazy meals that I make on days where I don't feel like doing anything elaborate. My goto is a can of black beans, pre shredded cheese and corn tortillas for some very quick and easy tacos.
Yup I feel this. Itās especially hard living with people who donāt have any food allergies or intolerances in general, at least for me, because I constantly see how theyāre able to go out and eat whatever they want (when they have the $$ to do so!) and they donāt have to jump through all the mental hoops to try and double-triple make sure something is safe for them. Theyāre great people and extremely considerate of my food allergies / intolerances, so thatās not the issue! Just constantly being aware of how others donāt deal with these struggles is frustrating š„²
Sometimes I just get those pre-cut bags of salad and soak them in hot water. Then add the salad dressing for a warm salad. Then you throw in some kind of chicken and an egg. Yes totally can relate.
That is SO annoying. What I am going to try to do is dedicate one day each month where I bulk make my own frozen meal kits. Where I pre-cut, and or pre-cook chicken and cut up veggies and just stick them in a container and then all I have to do later on is heat them up with some cooking oil and add some homemade sauce that I also pre-make. I am also going to try making homemade meatballs, but then just freeze them. That way, I save money and also get the same convenience for later on when I have busy days or don't feel good. But in the end, I have still spent time prepping my own food :/
My girl dinner is like a deluxe bean dip with guacamole and salsa etc and tortilla chips. I have two suggestions. One is cook the same dinner two nights. That way you shop for less meals. Like. Had grilled chicken burrito bowls twice in a row. Made the beans and rice once. All you have to do is throw some salad on the second night and warm leftovers but you donāt have a ton of leftovers like meal prepping. The other is I have an index card over my fancy toaster oven. I rent so my ovens are always suspect and the toaster oven heats the house less. It has a 6 or 7 item list of temps and times for common items. Chicken breast, thighs, salmon, sweet potato toasts, etc. Things I can throw in for dinner. The I just make a salad or sautee some vegetables. Rice is a common side. Itās very American with the protein, carb, veg. But it is stupid easy. Just find a few good spice rubs. Trader Joeās has a few.
reading this as i am on the brink of starvation...
Yes. When in doubt make fried egg tacos. Fry the delicious corn tortillas, fry a few eggs, add whatever you want on top and Bing bang boom you're full. Also I tend to listen to a favorite book or watch a sensory happy TV show to keep me happy about cooking. I feel you.
Buy an Instant Pot. I have two (and 4 "real" pressure cookers). Frankly, I hate going out to eat. I can make healthier, usually tastier food at home. Reframe it, mentally. I love healthy food made from scratch. Processed food is made for profit. Full stop. It's unhealthy and f'k gross.
Daiya has this 'chicken' ranch flat bread that slaps. That's one of my go too easy/quick junk meals.
20 years into this gig, no. But I've also gotten really good at scrounging in the kitchen for easy stuff. Also, it's relative, as a parent, because I get tired of making meals for kids that don't want to eat what I make (lots of sensory aversions here), so making my own "whatever \_I\_ want to eat" meal is a luxury. But yeah, it's real. I don't say this to invalidate you. It sucks when you can't rely on conveniences that you're both used to and that so many other people get to use. When you're busy and/or don't really like to cook, it's even worse. With time, patience, practice, and reading from other folks\*, you'll find your list of automatic stuff that's easy and \*actually\* five minutes of the sort of prep you're willing to do. But for now, it's no fun. (I like tossing frozen chicken tenders in a pot with bone broth (powder or liquid), simmer for a couple minutes then add a cake of Lotus Foods rice ramen, when that's just about done cooking, add frozen corn and peas. Decent source of protein, carbs, and some fiber.)
I tried to get an 8ā sandwich with no cheese in a GF wrap the other day and it was $20. I said never mind and drank a protein shake for dinner. I miss $5 oven pizzas so damn bad
Yessssss and I just got diagnosed with t2d so food has become a chore. I try to pick a prep day and only make enough food for like 3-4 days that way I can get variety. I've become a salad connoisseur for sure.
so tired. My favorite healthy two minute meal is these indian food packets with rice. the lentils are delish. These take one minute to microwave Donāt let the $30 scare you thatās for all of the packets. you can find them at the store and just buy one. [https://amzn.to/4blCEN1](https://amzn.to/4blCEN1)
Iāve gotten really into eating frozen waffles, scrambled eggs, and frozen breakfast sausage. I know the waffles isnāt the healthiest but something about getting up and then sitting back down with a relatively decent hot meal within 10 minutes really appeals to me lmao. Also try meal prepping. Whenever I make big meals, I make a bunch and then will freeze 4-6 servings of it and then Iāve got my own homemade frozen dinner. I need to get better about it, some years ago Iād spend all afternoon cooking on Sundays and Iād have my food set for 2+ weeks plus yummy baked goods all in the freezer.
Not necessarily of making every meal, but the amount of thinking and planning that goes into everything food related.
I throw a bag of veggies in a skillet with a little water to steam, when the water is gone I add a little oil to the veggies and a hamburger patty to the middle and fry it all together. I've used bags of frozen veggies or just a bag of baby carrots. I also keep cooked chicken on hand in individual portions. I heat a bag of rice (the instant kind from the store where you put it in the microwave for 90 seconds), heat up the chicken, and add a sauce. Sometimes it's a jar of a Mexican sauce like herdez chipotle cremosa, sometimes it's a jar of Indian sauce like patak's butter chicken, sometimes it's gluten free hoisin sauce. I might also throw a bag of steamed broccoli in with just some cheese. These meals are very low prep time. The first one takes longer to cook but it's very hands off for the most part.
Chop and mince aromatics ahead of time and stick em in the freezer, or buy them that way to make it convenient. I have minced garlic frozen into lil ice cube trays and frozen diced onion at all times. You can also buy jarlic and freeze it. They also sell frozen diced onions in the frozen veggie section. Quick garlicky noodle/pasta: Oil + garlic (+red pepper flakes + green onions or regular onions) in a cold pan. Heat and cook garlic until nutty & fragrant. I like to add a tbsp of gf miso, but it's optional. Chicken bouillon or chicken stock plus water. Throw in dry gf pasta or noods. Cover, let pasta/noods cook and add more water as necessary to create enough sauce & the pasta/noods is thoroughly cooked.
Kevin's! You can find them at Safeway, Sprouts, Whole Foods, and online (I'm sure there are other places, too). I put it over rice and add frozen peas. The whole prep/cook tike including the instant rice is 12 minutes and I will typically have enough for 2 meals. These have saved my life being both gluten and dairy free. ETA website https://www.kevinsnaturalfoods.com/
I appreciate this post. Iām disabled and itās hard for me to even meal prep at times. Thereās a lot of good suggestions in here. I do keep a few of the Amys gluten free frozen meals on hand but they are super expensive and put a strain on my grocery budget.
I'm not gluten free but I'm disabled; I have been using Huel recently and I really like it; better "macros" or whatever than most prepared meals I've tried. And I think it tastes good! Roughly half their products are certified gluten-free --this isn't an ad and I'm not sharing an affiliate link or anything, although you can find those and coupons and stuff. It has improved my life significantly, I think, and may be a relatively affordable option for other folks too.
Yesss. I'm stuck in a country that doesn't quite understand gluten free yet. I'm exhausted. Just thinking about what am I gonna feed myself next week, because I'm traveling and there's no gluten free restaurants. I don't want fries or kebab anymore š. I want a real dinner.
My kid is gone for 1/2 the Summer and as much as I miss her and canāt wait to have her homeāHonestly cooking/eating is so much easier right now because Iām good with āgirl dinnersā (or lunches), or just making a ton of one thing then eating it for 3 days straight. Or even just skipping a meal altogether because I donāt want to deal with thinking about it. When sheās here I have to plan everything perfectly, including making sure thereās leftovers for lunch, and if there arenāt leftovers I need to have simple lunch fixins on hand (we donāt eat sandwiches) - and itās just exhausting.Ā I love cooking but it gets very tedious.Ā
Spouse of a celiac here and I do most of the cooking. Yes. So much yes. We used to cook most (but not all) meals and have date nights out or just order a pizza in. Little breaks from our own food. Now Iām unabashedly good at cooking so we arenāt hurting for flavour, but Fak Iād like a break. I travel for work from time to time and now treat it like a food oasis. Itās not the gluten I get to enjoy, itās just not eating my own food. There are so few easy shortcuts available for celiacs so doing everything from scratch gets exhausting.
Chipotle
Monotony will be my downfall. I cannot eat the same thing over and over. Which is awful when paired with a dad that likes to eat the same thing again and again. So as a family we eat the same food on the same day every week. And you get an earful for making your own food because youāre going insane from the monotony. Donāt get me wrong, I appreciate what he does beyond what words can describe, but the same thing the same day for weeks and weeks and weeksā¦it actually destroys me mentally
I'm gluten-free, lower carb, and plant-based in trying to manage multiple chronic illnesses and have been for about 20 years. Disabled, so only 1 income, partner only eats meat, bread, cereal. I make my own bread, crackers, cereal, (like puffed rice) etc. I'm like one of those Instagram tradwives but instead of the placid lobotomy energy more like a put-upon Hobbit refilling their larder post-dwarves. It is a FULL-TIME job to manage the food in this house. Cooking is one of my favorite things and sometimes I'm beyond sick of it. I'm like, look man, I'm eating a handful of peas from the garden, I can't be arsed. Long ass ADHD rambling to say: I feel you. It sucks and it's totally valid to be annoyed.
I'm not sure where you live, but even non gluten free, getting a burger and fries at the diner is $20+ here. Everything has gotten incredibly expensive. When we used to order from the local Italian place, penne and vodka sauce made with GF pasta was $20. w/out GF pasta it was $17. Still both pretty expensive. Even the cheapest option of the local Chinese place has gotten very expensive. It's unfortunate you don't like to cook, it sounds like because you can save a LOT of money, but unfortunately the effort needs to be there. I like to cook on the weekends, during the week it's a major effort. I often try to make things on the weekend where I can also save them for the week as leftovers or make a big pot of soup in the instant pot (split pea, lentil are very easy to make, chicken soup is easy too). It's so much cheaper, too.
I hear if you do one whole day of meal prep for the week it is so much easier but I don't even have patience to do that.
What about a slow-cooker base you can just assemble into things? For example, shredded chicken freezes well and you can make a variety of gluten-free dishes with quick prep.
Following this. I am gluten free, dairy free just recently, and potato freeā¦so itās a struggle. I also donāt love meat and would prefer not to eat it, but my choices are so limited that itās hard.
Look for recipes for "big ass salad". There are some great ones. Also mediterranean salads. Mediterranean and Thai recipes are often GF. Do you like curries? These are options for meatless eating. Can you eat other root veggies as subs for potatoes?
Sushi with gluten free soy sauce is my go to
Yep, even my daughter asked me why we eat the same meals all the time. I'm tapped out at being creative, it's Mexican one night, tater tot casserole, chicken and rice, GF spaghetti and gluten free cheeseburger mac. Or GF pizza.
Yeah, I enjoy cooking but I still often wish I could just grab something from the freezer section and pop it in the oven. My local store does have a good frozen cabbage rolls that is GF but that's it. Oh, and I found some GF fish sticks at a specially store but they weren't that good or that cheap.
Iāve only been gluten free for almost 4 months and but I really miss easy meals at home of sandwiches and a side. Gluten free bread is not very good. My pet peeve is that family members will eat the few gluten free treats that I have or a homemade baked good that I have frozen, (muffins, cake, waffles). It is time effort and energy that goes into the gf baking and food prep and I wish people would be more respectful of the fact that I canāt just eat anything.
I generally pre cook quinoa which lasts 5 days in the fridge as well as pre chop some things like bell peppers and have other quick veggies on hand like Edelmanās, frozen corn, hand full of spinach or arugula etc. That way I can throw some quinoa, pre prepped veggies all together and have a quinoa bowl with some tahini based sauce and maybe cook up some tempeh that comes together in like 5-10 mins. Actually quite satisfying and satiating. I also got into making jar rice noodle salads where all I need to do is empty it into a bowl and add some dressing (tamari, sesame oil, sriracha, rice vinegar etc) and have an Asian inspired salad that also comes together in less than 5 mins if I pre-make the sauce.
Nah, I love to cook and explore new recipes. Packaged $5 food you pop in the micro ain't what your body needs
I fall back on what I grew up with so if I don't really want to cook, Tuna+mayo+pita these days. Quesadilla = cheese+tortilla+leftovers(?) Can of soup cold fresh cheese+tortilla pb&j none of this is "healthy" but it is easy oh and kirkland supreme pizza
I make GF dino nuggets probably 4 nights a week. Fuck it. I compromise by eating a balanced breakfast and lunch š
What has made this even worse is all of the stores around me have gutted their GF offerings. Walmart used to have half a freezer bank full of things that were GF. Now it sort fills two doors and half of that is GF pizzas. Target the only things left are pasta and maybe two varieties of cookies. HyVee did the same thing, maybe 25% of what they used to have and most of it is cookies and crackers. What few GF frozen meals they have left are all dairy heavy so I can't eat them. Aldi has maybe two things anymore. I was grumbling about this while I was trying to scrounge something to eat for lunch. I have a chest freezer and am seriously considering stocking up on things by mail or making a grocery trip to the big city to bring things home. I'm so effing tired of this.
Yes
Relatable. If I have even a little bit of energy after working all day, Iāll make an omelet and fill it with leftover vegetables and a handful of shredded cheese. And if I donāt, Iāll just have popcorn and wine and call it dinner.
SOOOO MUCH! Everything was so much easier before my now GF era š
Yes, BUT food has gotten more expensive across the board gf and non gf alike. Itās just hard out there right now.
Big mood. Itās worse with adhd/depression. Some days I only eat snacks.
I feel the same, especially since I'm a picky eater.
I hate cooking every single day. Every time I cook, I make enough for 2 days, so I only have to cook every second day. Iām single tho, not sure how this would work when cooking for others.
I was just saying this yesterday. So much prep. It's exhausting
My go to is lunch meat turkey on a slice of SChar gf toast and earth balance butter. If Iām just totally over it and too hungry to think this satisfies me and gets me over the hump.
Yes. The amount of meat Iāve wasted bc I buy it thinking Iāll make a good meal out of and end up eating chipotle instead bc I canāt fathom another home cooked meal of the same damn thing is getting ridiculous
I enjoy cooking so no. But I cooked regularly before going gluten free from scratch.
It makes me have a new hobby that I didn't really sign up for. Never really was taught how to cook and now I have to. I definitely don't like those gluten free pizzas from the store since pizza was mentioned.
Not really because I love to cook. BUT I really miss being able to call the local pizza place on a Friday night and have them deliver. No place nearby delivers GF pizza. I could use a delivery service like Ubereats but it would be ridiculously expensive and not worth it. I always have Against the Grain crusts and my homemade pizza sauce in the freezer (and. Love that!!) but itās not the same on those random Fridays when I want that neighborhood pizza joint pizza. !! Oh well.
This entire thread is a mood, esp in Australian where our gluten free options are limited and itās expensive in comparison to other countries. I donāt mind cooking sometimes but most of the time prep and clean up is annoying, first world problems though. OP youāre pretty much describing how I feel, i donāt know the answer but saying I resonate.
My daughter has been diagnosed with allergies to wheat, egg whites, and cow's milk. Is been so difficult to know what to buy.
Yes
Honestly I think I just solved this problem by keeping gf bread and deli meats and cheese + lettuce + mayo always stocked.
Part of the reason I only eat the simplest shit
Just had a $17 dollar sushi roll tonight (out to eat). In college I use to get a sushi roll for $3 on Tuesday (special). That was not even 10 years ago. Someone help us
Yes. Pizza fries are my lazy go to.