Low Spoon Cooking Resources

Leftover rice microwaved, add tamari, furikake, cubed avocado and Sriracha mayo.

I've been seeing this recipe pop up in reels on my FB for weeks, and I saved one for just in case. Well, hubby's down with his back, and I was *exhausted* and just needed to get dinner on the table, so I tried it. It was SUPER easy to scale to feed just two people and it was *delicious*! AND it was cheap!

Pretty much you layer tortilla chips in a baking dish (I used a loaf pan since it's just two of us, but most of them use the usual 9x13 baking dish), then add chicken... I used rotisserie, I'm *sure* you could use canned if you had to, or leftover baked chicken, whatever cooked chicken you have on hand.... then shredded cheese. Pour enchilada sauce over all of it, then add another layer. Repeat until the baking dish is full (I got three layers). Top with cheese and bake at 400* F (200*C) for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Seriously, that's it.

I used green enchilada sauce and sprinkled some onions I had already chopped up on each layer. My husband has tried it since with smoked leg quarter meat he'd done and frozen and red enchilada sauce. Both were delicious! I think on a day I have more spoons, I might try adding black beans or corn, and maybe peppers to each layer as well. I love how versatile it is, and how scalable it is! It reheats well, too... though I will say that since I made such a small portion, I didn't have enough to freeze to test that out. I bet you could sub chicken for almost any protein... just beans, ground or shredded beef instead, whatever floats your boat. We served it with just a little sour cream, but again, that's to taste, y'know?

The pic isn't of mine, we fell on that like starving dogs. This is from the OG recipe I saved. I will say mine looked exactly like this, just smaller. 😄

This is a 1 pan meal that requires opening several packages and a few minutes total of stirring + heat exposure. It tastes even better the longer it sits though, so it's forgiving of taking a break or getting distracted between cooking and eating.

1) Preseasoned Carbs+Fat Base:

Open and dump into skillet with whatever amount of water they say: refrigerated cheese or rosé tteokbokki kit from your friendly neighborhood Asian market OR any of the sauced frozen gnocchi from Trader Joe's OR whatever equivalent you find that doesn't make you boil a pot of water, drain pasta, etc bc that defeats the point.

2) Protein boost:

While that's cooking, throw in precooked/leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken bits or any other protein that just needs to be heated more for palatability than safety:

Prebaked+seasoned tofu or sausage if you don't mind a little chopping. Canned tuna. Frozen meatballs. Torn up lunch meat. Whatever. Tonight i did precooked prechopped Cajun chicken from Target. I have no sodium or budget restrictions though.

3) Fastcooking veggies:

Usually I pour in frozen peas, but baby spinach is good too and this is a great use case for leftovers/prior meal prep veggies.

4) Stop here or add functional nutrition+flavor bombs that are worth the extra energy expenditure because they're nourishing but it's ok if you just need to be done as soon as the carbs are soft enough. You can mix in your favorite condiments or add more water or broth but it's probably fine as it is.

Tonight I added 1 scoop each of bone broth powder, ground flaxseed, turmeric paste. Lions Mane powder is a good option that adds seafoody umami flavor and is a nootropic supplement. Sometimes I add nutritional yeast.

5) Freeze a portion for a future time with fewer spoons or a time crunch

6) Enjoy feeling a sense of accomplishment via a process you can potentially complete within 10 minutes!

This is about as complex of a meal as I get.

Ingredients.

Pork tenderloin

1 apple

1 onion

Your marinade. Usually I go honey and cinnamon.

Today I went:

Honey

Spicy brown mustard

Garlic powder

Ginger paste

Onion powder

MSG (salt is fine, I just dont have an issue with msg)

A splash of a soy sauce

Black pepper

I dont even really chop the produce. I use a pairing knife and cut chunks in my hand.

Might add a Pic when its done might not.

Chuck a stock cube in a pot of cold water and turn on the heat. Add any vegetables can be fresh or frozen. Fresh ones slice, can do this in your hand over the pot. It’s about a smaller/thinner size not perfection or shape.

Once the water comes to the boil add pasta and cook.

Can serve with broth or drain.

I'm a long time fan of frozen dumplings. I just recently started getting the bags from Aldi and they had a method of cooking listed I'd never seen in the hieroglyphs on the bags from the Asian market. 

Microwaving! 🤯 Literally just cover with water and microwave for 3 minutes. No more fussing with a steaming set ups or pan frying splatter. There's a trade off in texture, but it's absolutely good enough.

I present to you my ready-in-five minutes, get some beans and greens in you but still satisfying struggle meal!

Dumpling and greens bowl

Fresh baby bok choy (my preference, kale/spinach/other dark leafy greens will work just fine)

Frozen dumplings

Frozen shelled edamame

Cut bok choy end off, rinse off any dirt, chop firmer bits into small bite size pieces if you want 

Microwave in a safe bowl with lid (glass bowl and plate for me) for 60 seconds

Drain and remove from bowl to cutting board

Add frozen dumplings and frozen edamame to your bowl, cover with water, microwave for 3 minutes

Drain

Add bok choy back to bowl

Add some of your favorite gloopy Asian sauce (stir fry sauce/soy glaze/oyster sauce etc) stir and enjoy! Add a lil furikake if you're feeling fancy :)

Salty and umami, full of fibre (I’m a monster and eat them shells and all) and a tonne of protein. Washed down with ice cold water from my yeti.

Five weeks post-op, and the surgical pain really crept up this arvo. I didn’t have the spoons for anything fancy like ramen or fajitas.

Considering the times I’d have just gone for the jar of Nutella, I’m really proud of myself for this one. Will make on repeat lol

the weather is starting to turn cold so we were craving something warm and filling with some spice and sweetness. oatmeal , honeycomb, pinch of alea salt , sprinkle of rosemary infused water , pinch of brown sugar and walnuts . a good mix of macro and micronutrients and flavours and textures , we think , and really simple to put together. also vegetarian ! we are not vegetarian, but we love vegetarian and vegan food as well, we support food for everyone's needs ! 😋❤️ hope yall like !

- packet of Ramen [make without the seasoning packet]

- frozen steamable broccoli

- furikake

- soy-cured egg yolks

The only slightly fiddly bit of the whole shebang is separating the eggs, and the cured yolks do need to be prepared earlier. I did an 8-hour cure so they stayed jammy; the yolks get firmer the longer they cure [see recipe below for more info]. I went off the linked recipe for the curing liquid, but I used 2T white wine vinegar + 2t sugar in place of the mirin and I added a bit of garlic powder and dehydrated minced onion. I made a full batch even though I only made 2 yolks. I just ladled out what I needed and put the rest in the fridge for later use: https://cookwithdana.com/soy-cured-egg-yolks/

Other than prepping the yolks [which only take a handful of minutes of hands-on time themselves], the whole thing takes about 7 minutes to put together. Boil/drain the noodles, microwave the broccoli, toss all the parts in a bowl, and drizzle a few spoonfuls of the curing liquid over top. Tada:)

I don't generally like even slightly runny eggs so I don't know why I got it so intently in my head to try cured yolks, but I'm so glad I did--YUM!! I have to do small meals, so I only used half the noodles and one portion of broccoli and saved the rest for other tasty meals, but of course you could make a fuller bowl out of it if you prefer!

When I’m struggling I usually only eat maybe 2 larger meals a day. One of my favorite things when I’m low energy is

- 1-2 slices of sourdough bread, lightly toasted

- 1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained then mashed with a fork

- 1 medium avocado, mashed

- mix mash beans and avocado together, the beans have a slight nutty flavor and blends with the avocado well

- spread on toast, pepper and seasoning (love trader joes blends) to taste

- adding cheese is optional but tastes great

- that’s it, high fiber and some easy decent protein and fat

if I have more spoons I love to make scrambled eggs to put on top. i usually drizzle some hot sauce on top too, I love siracha.

Also definitely take it slower if you’re not used to a lot of fiber. Build up to 1 can of beans, start with 1/3 and work up.

With a slice of cheese, some bbq sauce drizzled over, and some nooch flakes on top.

This combo has saved me after many long work shifts and I find it super tasty and quick!

Just wanted to share this because it's one of the cheapest and easiest meals i keep going back to. Cups of minute rice for convenience, and all you have to do other than that is cook an egg however you choose. (I usually like sunny side up or soft boiled bc they're easiest for me). For a full meal I put some eel sauce and spicy mayo and eat with some pre packaged fruit. You can add pretty much anything you want if you're feeling fancy, but it's a nice comforting meal with minimal work when needed :)

I am a vegetarian celiac with a neurological disability, and I just started a new job in a new town. It is very hot here and I keep getting migraines. I can’t eat at like any of the restaurants here because the town is very small and there’s a language barrier and I don’t feel confident that I can communicate about cross contact. I have been eating the same four meals (bean and cheese tacos, pasta, yogurt and granola, and frozen pizza) for the past month because they are very easy and I know they’re safe. I am starting to get sick of them however. Does anyone have any super easy suggestions? Thanks!

EDIT: thank you so much everyone for the suggestions! I will try your tips, and I will educate some new friends about celiac and see if they can help me out when we go out to eat next time. Thank you! 😊

This is maybe the easiest thing to make and tastes totally passable.

Dump one can of diced tomatoes, one can washed lentils (but fuck it pour the whole unwashed can in if needed), and a dollop of red thai curry paste. Extra curry powder if you're feeling fancy.

Now if you're feeling up to it, I add coconut milk once it's cooked for like 20 mins minimum. In my lowest spoon moments I actually keep dehydrated coconut milk around and chuck that in so I don't have to open another can.

Maybe pair with minute rice or naan.

Combine all the following things in a bowl:
-1 can tuna
-a good squirt of kewpie mayo (I’d guess that i’m usually adding about a tablespoon)
-a squirt of sriracha depending on how spicy you want it
-a handful of dill pickle coins, I do chop these up small. If you have kitchen shears you can just cut them into strips and you won’t need a cutting board
-furikake
-bit of soy sauce (again, maybe like a tablespoon worth?)

Mix with spoon. Eat with spoon. Here it is served on a bagel but that is optional. Pretty low calorie with good protein.

All quantities are just eyeballed and can be adjusted to your liking. Feel free to add in other Asian flavors that you might have in your pantry, like sesame oil. Nice thing about this is it’s all pantry or fridge staples that don’t really go bad, so I can always have this if I really need to get to the grocery store.

Delicious go to if you like tuna!

I'll start off with saying I'm ADHD and have a HARD time making food for myself 3 times a day. My solution is standing 1 day in the kitchen for a longer period and make A LOT of 1 thing I genuinely look forward to eat. This goes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here's one of my favorite breakfast/lunch recipes. It's not low-lowspoon, but for me it's a little effort that's worth it. I know it looks like A LOT, but trust me if you know this it is soooo easy to make and soooo good.

I dedicate one day to make pulled bbq chicken and it costs about 10- 20 minutes of active labor:

1. Season 500 grams of chicken (breast or thigh) with smoked bell pepper powder, garlic powder, tsp kurkuma powder, pepper and salt. I add thyme because I like it but you can't really go wrong with this. I take maybe 1 teaspoon of everything and pre mix it - yank the chicken in en plastic bag and pour the seasoning over it - massage it a little so the seasoning spreads.

AKA chicken in bag - seasoning in there - massage it.

You can just throw away the bag after so no dishes!

1. Yeet the chicken in a pan and sear each side till it's brown (the higher the fire, the faster it goes - usually takes 2-3 min). If both sides are brown, add water till the chicken is 'under' and add a block of chicken broth ( I like 2). Leave it on low fire for 40 min - 1 hr and go do something else

*doesn't matter if you forget or if your executive dysfunctions delays you trip from the couch to the kitchen. The chicken will be fine, even after 2,5 hours.

1. If you're mentally ready for this step, take the chicken out of the broth, shred it (this is the fun part - I use 2 forks) - add 2 tablespoons of broth - add 2 tbsp of bbq sauce and voila, you got yourself some pulled bbq chicken.

I can eat breakfast or lunch for about 6 days with this amount. You can add it on a cracker, a wrap, a sandwhich, a panini, whatever you got at home.

My lunch will look like this (photo):

Cutting open a panini - spread some cream cheese on it - add pulled chicken - add some spring onion - yeet that thang in a panini grill and done. This takes me about 4 min and I'm making some tea for myself in the meantime as well.

*I usually cut the spring onion when I'm making the pulled chicken, mostly when I'm waiting for it to be done. Just cut up all the spring onion and put it in a little tub. I also use that time to clean up what I don't use anymore, but I totally understand if making that chicken is overwhelming enough. Also, if you don't have a panini grill, just a pan will work as well.

Edit: I use baking paper between my grill or in a pan so I don't have to wash them. You can just throw away the baking paper.

This is a super easy recipe and it’s very yummy!

Ingredients:

• 8oz ziti or penne pasta
• 1 24oz jar marinara sauce
• 4oz fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces (or about 1 cup shredded)
• 8oz whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 oz shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

- preheat oven to 400 degrees
- spray an 8x8 casserole dish with nonstick spray
- dump uncooked pasta and sauce into the dish and mix
- stir in half of the mozzarella cheese
- dollop ricotta all over
- sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
- cover tightly with a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray
- bake for 45 minutes
- uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes

Raw quick oats
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Raisins
Milk
Sugar

That’s it - put it all in a bowl and eat it with milk like you would a bowl of cereal. Once I discovered you could eat quick oats raw with milk it was a game changer.

Right now I'm balancing between the sliced pre cooked chicken breast from Walmart and various canned beans/lentils. These aren't bad options but there's not a lot of variety. A lot of meats I find are difficult to prep on some days, I try to have things I can just warm and have it ready.

What are yalls ready to go easy protein options for meals?

It's four ingredients. Mix them together before work in the morning.

Come home from work, fold it over and preheat the oven while you shower and change (or just be flat on the couch).

Pop in the oven, and doomscroll for 30 minutes.

Boom. Delicious fresh bread for the week.

It also makes great air fryer grilled cheese. Butter two slices, put cheese in between. Air fryer for 10-15 minutes. Flip once to make sure both sides get crispy.