Neurodivergence

It’s not perfect but here’s what I’ve been doing lately. It’s my favorite method so far because, like you, I find cooking to be too much work most of the time.

From the store I’ll get:

• protein: usually ground beef, ground turkey, or boneless chicken
• premade sauce: not just spaghetti sauce but also teriyaki, sweet and sour, curry, pesto, whatever catches my eye
• whole potatoes or sweet potatoes
• frozen vegetables
• cheese
• rice or pasta if I’m running low

Once or twice a week I’ll throw the veggies in the oven to roast, bake a couple of potatoes (or sweet potatoes), and cook the meat with basic seasoning (salt, pepper, onion and garlic). When everything’s cooked it goes in separate containers in my fridge. If rice sounds good I’ll make a batch of it too. Just make sure you make enough for 3-4 meals.

When it’s time to eat, I just throw it all together with a sauce and heat it in the microwave. So maybe I’ll do protein + veggies + rice + teriyaki sauce. Or protein + veggies + cheese stuffed in a baked potato. Or protein + veggies over pasta with spaghetti sauce.

It does take a chunk of energy and executive function to cook the foods, but if you can get yourself to do it then for the next several days you can be eating in 5 minutes with minimal effort. Since my family insists on eating Every. Damn. Day. this makes it a little more tolerable.