8. Food prep ideas for when you’re extra low on spoons

We all have days where we are low on spoons and don’t have the energy to prepare and cook healthy meals. It would be all too easy to snack on junk food, but it is at times like these that it is even more important to eat healthy foods to build up your strength again.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Our blogger Jo from Tea and Cake for the Soul has teamed up with Panasonic to share her cooking hacks for low spoon days. Panasonic has tons of useful blog posts to help you- everything from juice recipes, to batch cooking tips and gluten-free bread recipes; along with lots of appliances to make things that bit easier in the kitchen.

Be prepared

Make the most of the times when you feel stronger and prepare as much as you can in advance. If you have more energy in the morning and flag as the day progresses, prepare all your meals first thing or have someone do it for you before they go off to work if that is an option. Or if evenings are better for you, get things ready the night before for the following day.

Here are a few of my tips for maintaining a healthy diet, particularly when you have zero energy:

1. Batch cook when you are feeling well. I do this as part of my regular cooking regime anyway. Foods such as curries, chilli, bolognese and soups all freeze and reheat well. Pack out with lentils, pulses and vegetables to add more nutrients. When cooked and cooled, dish up into portion size storage tubs that can go from freezer to the microwave so you literally take from one to the other. You don’t even need to dish it up onto a plate!

2. If you are cooking from scratch or are having a ready meal, make use of frozen and tinned vegetables. Quality frozen vegetables can sometimes have a higher nutritional value than fresh.

3. If you prefer fresh vegetables use those that don’t need peeling and preparing such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach and cabbage. Simply cut from the stalk and steam or roast.

4. Try cooking a whole meal in the oven. I will often put vegetables onto a pyrex tray and cook in the oven with fish or a chicken breast in a separate dish. It’s easy to turn the oven on and leave to cook without having to watch the stove.

5. Have frozen fruit already prepped in batches to whizz up into a smoothie.

6. If your energy is really low and just eating a meal requires too much effort then make some snack pots up, or ask someone to do it for you. Chopped and peeled fruits and nuts are obvious choices, but a tub of crackers with some sliced cheese doesn’t dry out if kept in a lidded tub. Whole fruits like bananas and apples can be eaten as is. A chunk of cucumber is refreshing on the palate and can be eaten whole with no prep. Bite-sized pieces of chicken or turkey are nice to nibble on, as are tiny sandwiches, or make up a tub salad of carrot, celery, and pepper batons so you can pick as you wish.

7. Have chilled water, squash or juice chilling in the fridge in reusable bottles ready. Then keep on your bedside or coffee table for when needed. It is really important to keep hydrated.

8. I like to drink lots of hot tea when I’m low but there have been times I can’t be bothered or have not even had the energy to put the kettle on. In these instances, prepare it all in the morning or have someone do it for you, so you only have to turn the kettle on and pour. Even better if you have a thermos flask keep some hot water in that and keep by your side.

I hope some of these ideas will prove useful to you, they’ve all been tried and tested by me and have helped me maintain a healthy diet.