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Meal plan for complete overwhelm - suggestions please

22 replies

Squishedpickle · 21/03/2023 07:53

Hi

I am so overwhelmed at the moment, to an extent that my ability to function as a human being has essentially got up and left. I find meal planning really challenging at the best of times, and this is definitely not the best of times.

Can someone please give me some ideas for incredibly simple meal ideas that I can use to get through this week with the minimum of fuss and cooking?

Thanks

OP posts:
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 21/03/2023 08:01

Hummus and perhaps other dips, pitta warmed in the toaster, sticks of carrot, peppers etc
Fried eggs or other quick egg dish, e.g. omelettes, potato waffles or oven chips, peas/salad
Pasta and pesto, salad
Takeaway on Friday?

Squishedpickle · 21/03/2023 08:07

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g thank you so much. Really really sincerely appreciated.

OP posts:
DeoForty · 21/03/2023 08:08

Supermarket soup and bacon rolls. Beans and cheese on toast. Fresh pasta and sauce.

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thenewaveragebear1983 · 21/03/2023 08:09

Pasta bake. You don’t even have to cook the pasta- dry pasta, jar of sauce, jar of water. Cheese on top.

Sofitella · 21/03/2023 08:12

Ham, egg & oven chips
do you have any nice butchers or delis near you? They often do good pies /ready meals that just need heating up

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 21/03/2023 08:13

TBH, when you're having a week/period like that, I'd definitely go for the absolute easiest possible meals. If that means ready meals, so be it. Some of them are quite good. You can make up for offset high fat/salt etc by tacking on raw/quickly cooked veg and eating fruit. (Well, that's my view!) Also look at the easy cook section in the supermarket - ready marinated chicken and so on that you just shove in the oven. Pouches of ready cooked and flavoured rice, couscous, lentils etc are really useful for quickness.

IrisAtwood · 21/03/2023 08:14

Jacket potato with cheese/coleslaw/tinned tuna. Can mix the tuna with mayo for extra taste.

Slimjimtobe · 21/03/2023 08:15

For really simple I would buy microwave rice pouches and stir fry chicken and a packet of ready prepared veg (or frozen veg Asian style)

crusty bread and fresh or tinned soup would be easy and then a pudding to fill up

sausage and mash

Favouritefruits · 21/03/2023 08:17

EVENING MEALS
Beans on toast
spaghetti Bolognese
chicken Kyiv
stir fry
BLT
supermarket microwave curry
sweet and sour chicken
pizza
omelette
pasta with pesto

LUNCH
cheese toastie
soup and roll
chicken sandwich
hummus and pitta
jacket potatoes with cheese
egg on toast
nachos
cheese and crackers
bacon roll
sausage roll and crudités

AnotherSaturdayNight · 21/03/2023 08:21

Italian chicken 1-pot
chicken breasts
onion
garlic
sundried tomato paste (I buy sundried tomatoes in oil from Aldi then blitz & drain the oil off into a container)
300ml chicken stock + extra boiling water as required
Bit of chilli powder
herbs & seasoning
spaghetti
stir often & keep the lid on
add large handful of spinach at the end
grated cheese on top

ChrisPPancake · 21/03/2023 08:25

I went for HelloFresh for such a time as this. Didn't even look at what they were sending, just cooked it when it got here!

Squamata · 21/03/2023 08:25

If you have a partner or kids of suitable age, get them to help...

Otherwise those pouches of fresh pasta take two minutes and are nice.
Rotisserie chicken can last several meals, in sandwiches for lunch or with some carbs and salad for dinner.
Chicken tray bake - chicken bits, add a bit of oil, seasoning and Mediterranean veg (tomato, olives, aubergine, peppers etc)
Those shrink wrapped cured salmon things, or mackerel - nutritious and go with anything

Nothing wrong with the odd supernoodle or ramen

ChrisPPancake · 21/03/2023 08:26

Kept the recipe cards too because now if I'm stuck I can just pull a couple out.

Selttan · 21/03/2023 08:43

I've been having frozen wontons, noodles, green veggies with a sauce of soy, honey, white wine vinegar and sriracha.

So quick and easy.

AliasGrape · 21/03/2023 08:49

Breakfasts -
Porridge - get instant sachets if easier
Weetabix
Toast ( add nut butter if you like it to make it a bit healthier/ more filling but honestly, if it needs to just be toast this week that’s fine!)
Some fruit

Lunch/ Dinner -
-Anything on toast - beans, eggs, cheese, tinned tomatoes
-Cook pasta, add frozen peas (or other veg if you like) a few minutes before end, drain most of the water but keep a splash, stir through some cream cheese (plain or the garlic and herb variety if

NoSquirrels · 21/03/2023 08:54

Fresh pasta, ready made sauce, bagged salad.

Ready-made fish pie or shepherd’s pie. Frozen peas.

Frozen jacket potatoes. Tuna mayo. Coleslaw. Beans. Cheese.

Frozen chicken burgers/beef burgers, buns, chips, sweetcorn.

Ready-made soup, garlic bread. Maybe hummus & cheese etc.

Pizza.

Takeaway!

Squishedpickle · 21/03/2023 09:13

Thank you all so much. I will work my way through all your suggestions. Superstars.

OP posts:
paulmccartneysbagel · 21/03/2023 09:14

Stir fries are great for getting all your veg and protein without having to think.

Bag of stir fry veg, straight to wok noodles, tofu or meat, job done. I like to have some spring rolls too if I'm feeling fancy

Jacket potatoes are great

Pasta bakes

Tortelloni with some pesto

I get an Iceland delivery once a month and load my freezer up for nights when I can't be arsed.

Sauvignonblanket · 21/03/2023 09:18

Filled pasta like tortelloni with shopped spinach and garlic roule stirred in.

AliasGrape · 21/03/2023 09:26

Balls, posted too soon, that should have been …

Lunch/ Dinner -

-Anything on toast - beans, eggs, cheese, tinned plum or cherry tomatoes
-If you prefer, the above with crumpets or potato cakes
-Slice mushrooms, cook in some butter/ oil and then stir through some garlic and herb cream cheese. Serve with couscous, rice, toast, pasta or just bread.
-Cook pasta, add frozen peas (or other veg if you like) a few minutes before end, drain most of the water but keep a splash, stir through some cream cheese (plain or the garlic and herb variety), black pepper - can add grated cheese or Parmesan if you like, don’t have to. Could also stir in cooked chicken or salmon or ham
-Do pasta and peas as above, once drained add a knob of butter and some grated cheese if you want, lots of pepper - I do this often as an easy tea, love it. Other option would be pasta pesto and peas/ other frozen veg.
-Stir fry some veg like a pepper or bit of spring onion (sesame oil if you have it, no worries if not), add one of those microwave packets of rice to the pan and warm through, chuck frozen peas in if you want extra veg, crack in an egg and cook through. Soy sauce if you have it
-Flat breads, shop bought falafel, hummus or other dip and some salad
-Soup - get tins or the fresh tubs, or if you’re up for a tiny bit more effort get one of the pre-chopped soup mixes from the veg aisle - if you get one with added barley or lentil will be a bit more filling, and you can serve with bread or cheese on toast
-stir fry meal deal from supermarket, usually can get veg, protein element, noodles and sachet of sauce - all next to each other (or grouped as a deal online) so no thought required
-if you can afford it and eat them get cooked salmon, rotisserie chicken, cooked roast meats - Oven food - fishfingers, fischakes, shop bought pies, the ‘just cook’ range of meat/ fish - then add frozen veg, ready prepped potatoes/ mash or packet rice or oven chips

A rough shopping list if that helps would be (obvs depending on how many feeding, and which of the above ideas you like!)

Cereal/ porridge
Bread - some sliced, packet of pittas/ flat breads and maybe some crumpets or potato cakes if you fancy that
Pasta
Micro rice pouches or get the mixed grain/ lentil ones if you prefer
Jar pesto or other pasta sauce
Tins of beans
Soy sauce
Oil if you don’t have any in
Nut butter
Butter
Cheese - get some grated if easier and in budget
Cream cheese - plain and/ or flavoured
Yoghurts
Dip like hummus or tsatsiki
Selection of cooked/ deli stuff that’s easy to use in sandwiches/ salads/ add to any carb - (eg falafel, roast chicken, ham, cooked salmon, prawns, cooked sausage)
Stir fry meal deal
Ready prepped veg and potatoes
Ready prepped veg soup kit/ bag
Bag of salad leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, a pepper
Mushrooms
Frozen peas
Oven chips
Some kind of ready prepped protein part of meal from either frozen or fresh section eg - fish fillet/cakes/ fingers, pies (higgidy have nice ones and so do Aldi!), etc

AlwaysLatte · 21/03/2023 09:28

My children love those fresh pasta tortellini with pesto pasta, for a really quick meal. I just steam some flat green beans to go with it.
Get some cooked chicken to shred with pasta, or to pep up up shop bought pizzas.
Cheesy omelette, jacket potatoes with Tuna and red onion and sour cream and chives, quick salad of a baby spinach leaves with finely sliced red onion and tomatoes. Microwave pouches of interesting rice or pulses to go with most things.
Spaghetti carbonara - just a pack of bacon lardons cooked with garlic (maybe get some chopped garlic in a jar), whisk some eggs with Parmesan, cook the spaghetti then in to the pan with the onions and a tiny of bit of cooking water, heat off and eggs straight in whilst it's hot. Very quick to make and filling.
We all need a bit of a breather now and again. Hope you feel better soon x

AlwaysLatte · 21/03/2023 09:36

Ooh just remembered something my 15 year old makes that he saw on Tik Tok. 3 eggs whisked, and pour into tiny bit of hot oil in frying pan, put a tortilla on top and cook for a few mins then flip over and fill with grated cheese and anything else you like - spring onions, ham maybe. Fold once and make sure both sides cooked, turning over. Delicious!

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