Very low effort meals needed

[IsaBisaBuildsaBoat]

I have ME/CFS and have just realised I need to be more strategic about time spent in the kitchen. I need to reduce effort as much as possible, basically. Shame, as I enjoy cooking (sometimes) and have resisted making this change for too long. I use a perching stool so I can sit while I chop but still, the lower effort the better.

I need to change my shopping habits to include more preprepared frozen veg, frozen steam rice, more family size ready meals, and incorporate more dishes that are like 'dump the jar on the chicken beasts and walk away for forty minutes'.

So, please share your low effort tips. I would really really appreciate it.

Heat until the cheese melts obs. Add the cheese gradually.

This is possibly the best thread I have ever read! Have only got to page 3 and am place marking until I get a chance to note down some ideas. Luckily I am in good health but have a Velcro 4th baby so time is very limited in the evenings to prep things and I too suffer the guilt with the others.

OP, I hope that all the suggestions make life easier for you - I am in awe of anyone who can bring up children in such a situation.

Hungry now!

I couldn't see on the thread how old your kids are OP, but when I was growing up my mum had ME (still has it although it has improved over the years), I made the dinners during the week based on instructions she'd give me, from when I was in high school (aged 11). Even when I was younger than this I was able to be a helper to her in the kitchen until she felt she could leave me unattended doing it. I'm in my thirties now and love cooking and put this down to growing up doing it (I am aghast when I see friends living off takeaways when I know how easy it can be to make your own food - as evidenced by the excellent recipes shared by people on this thread, some of which were staples when I was growing up).

So, not sure if it is an option for you but maybe you could look at getting the kids more involved in cooking? It will stand them in good stead for adulthood! It was also what I did for my 'pocket money' (that and hoovering - shudder! I can't say I still love hoovering now!).

As said before, think about using eggs or jacket potatoes. I also find a stir fry quick, quickly chop and stirfry while cooking rice or noodles. I love prawns in mine, but lots of other fish and meat would work. You can add onions, soy sauce, chilli sauce or make your own for extra flavour. If you make anything like pasta, double up and freeze. Use frozen broccoli, peas, sweetcorn as that'll save preparation.

I had a routine but uncomfortable op a while ago. Had to be v economical on energy and bending and stretching. ISwim.

The Guardian started some series on eating for best mental health.

I completely misinterpreted this. I thought it would be easy peasy suggestions for maximum nutrition and enjoyment with minimum effort.
No. It was easy to 'source' gibbons like ainamosa pods. (Made that up)

What I was really after was a thread like this.

(I'm fine now but the one thing that I always asked help for was sheet changing. Esp duvets.pp were always so happy to oblige; 5 minute job but such a help.)

:)

Right, dinner tonight is cheese toasties and tomato soup with chopped up raw veggie sticks. I have soup of my own from yesterday and a leftover sweet potato, and might hard boil half a dozen eggs for the week ahead.

Excellent thread. Thank you.

I have limited mobility and stamina, and have had to move my cooking goalposts a fair bit. Very annoying it is too. Nice to hear so many coping strategies from others. I wish I had a bigger freezer!

My main strategy is to spread prep out over the whole day, a little bit, the a sit down, then a bit more, and so on. I will often get ingredients out of cupboards the day before I need them, especially for baking, and weigh or chop then as well if I'm feeling up for it. Sort of striking while the iron's hot, then it's the nice putting together bit to start the next day.

I'm another one with an amazing dh. Hooray for fabulous spouses who make it all so much more doable!

This is a great thread. Very helpful.

I think this thread is real evidence that cooking has got totally poncetastic (I include myself in this assessment). It's a thread full of easy to do, wholesome family food with a few twists to make it especially easy for people who have limited time/energy and we're all so chuffed with it - it really shows that we can make life simpler, easier and less energy sapping all round.

Here is a good one. Foil parcels of ready to cook noodles with any sort of fish on top. Splash of soy sauce. Add spring onions, peppers or tomatoes. Bit of oil and seasoning. Wrap it up and leave for 30 minutes fan oven 170. then you have the 30 minutes to do the dishwasher, get washing out of machine blah blah or pour yourself a glass of wine and relax.

My favourite no cooking meal here - hope this is not a duplicate as I have not read the entire thread.

Chuck some boneless chicken joints in a casserole dish or lasagne dish, I allow two per person, chuck in some pancetta, new potatoes, chopped up onions peppers and mushrooms (am sure you could even use the frozen ones), maybe some herbs. I never add stock as the chicken makes it own juices, just pour over some olive oil and stir. Roast in oven until cooked. No need for anything as protein, carbs etc all in one dish.

I cook homemade meals but I still buy things like premake yorkshire puds, pouches of puy lentils (good with sausages), etc. I still count the overall meal as homemade even if I use these, as long as it is nutritious, who cares?

Waitrose Asian and curry sauces are good, no horrible ingredients - the Keralan curry one is good with fish or chicken, I add extra veggies and serve with rice and chutneys.

In a pinch the Fuller for Longer ready meals from M&S are good and wholesome and you can sometimes get 3 for £10, if you cook extra veggies or serve with salad this is even better (my kids will share one if it has noodles or rice to bulk it out)

Whatever you cook make enough for 2 days.

Mexican rice is quick. Tinned tomatoes, rice, onions, peas I think. Can get the recipe if anyone wants.

cherry tomatoes
olive oil
almonds
garlic
olive oil
salt
basil, or parsley, or even mint- fresh

blend, lovely Sicilian Pesto eat with boiled pasta

Tesco cauliflower cheese - gummy - at least as nice as homemade - and cheap.

Tesco frozen pouches of vegetables - called micro-veg.

NOT omelettes - I always think it will be quick but end up standing by the cooker for an hour and can't see across the kitchen for smoke.

Meatballs - pour on tomato type sauce and bake.

Macaroni cheese - cook macaroni - stick on pre-grated cheese - stir.

The Slimming world mac n cheese recipe is also genius for quick easy cooking.

Boil water and cook pasta until its al dente, not soft.
Beat 2-3 eggs with a pot of quark. According to taste, add a squirt of garlic paste/ pinch of garlic powder, grated/powdered nutmeg, tsp of mustard, dried thyme, smoky paprika, tsp marigold bouillon powder, salt, black pepper etc. (Not all of these just what you fancy.)
Grate in some strong cheddar or grana padano -about 60g is enough, Fine to use pre-grated mature cheddar.
Drain pasta but leave in pan. Stir the egg mix into it and cook on hob for two minutes. You can then serve immediately with salad or microwaved veg, or sprinkle it with some more cheese and/or sliced tomatoes and stick under grill until bubbling and golden.

the pan is a bit of a faff to clean, but the prep time and effort are under ten minutes. DC never complain when I do this cheat's version. They might prefer the one made from white sauce that takes hours and uses every pan in the house, but they are happy with this one.

Do you have a steamer? Frozen veg cooks really well in those, as do pieces of fish if you are struggling with the oven.

Prawn curry is a quick and easy meal.

Sachet of whatever paste you like - thai, balti etc, tipped in with some frozen onions, etc. add some tinned chopped tomatoes, simmer, chuck in the prawns - frozen will do, no need to defrost, cook for 5 mins, then add either coconut sachets, or yoghurt/cream/whichever you use.

Put 1 pack (approx 500g) of skinless chicken thigh fillets (or just thighs - horses for courses) in the slow cooker and turn it on to medium.

Mix together 3tbsp of dijon with 4 tbp of runny honey and 3 crushed garlic cloves and pour over the chicken.

Leave for, well, as long as you like really - but about 3-4 hours ideally.

Serve with some broccoli or green beans and whatever spud (baked/new/sweet etc.) you like.

So many great ideas here!

We use loads of quorn (especially the "chicken" pieces) because you just have to chuck them in a sauce straight from the freezer and heat for 10minutes. Easy curry is basically a jar of sauce, random veg from the fridge and frozen spinach with one or more of a tin of chick peas, a block of paneer grilled for a minute on a ridged pan, quorn chicken pieces, eggs boiled in with the rice or a cauliflower quickly broken into florets. Naan goes straight in the oven from the freezer. Add yoghurt or cottage cheese. Curry in 15minutes.

My fav quick pasta dish is a glass of white wine boiled quickly to reduce, add a tub of creme fraiche and mix, then add chunks of feta, a pack of smoked salmon trimmings, sliced spring onions, some parsley and black pepper. While the pasta is cooking add frozen peas. Mix together and enjoy!

Sweet and sour pork chops/steaks.
Fry the chops in a frying pan (good if stand them up on the fat edge first to crisp up and then you don't need to add oil to pan). Seal them on both sides in hot pan them turn heat down (and cover if you like) to finish cooking through. Take meat out on rest on a plate. Pour worst of fat out the pan sprinkle bottom with sugar until it starts to caramelise -then pour in a big splash of vinegar (or lemon juice if feeling posh) boil it off then stir in a big dollop of tomato ketchup and a big teaspoon of mustard and lots of water - scrape the cooked juices from bottom of pan, pour in any juices from the meat plate and boil it down, when it has thickened and is almost sauce like put chops back to warm up. Serve with new potatoes and broccoli.
(That sounds like a lot of faff but making the sauce actually takes minutes)

You can also seal chops under grill/pan then finish cooking them in a casserole dish and covered with sauce ingredients (if you aren't carmelising the sugar maybe use tom puree cos it is less sweet than ketchup) but I find the frying pan method is nicer...

If you can find some quick cooking turkey steaks they cook in about 5mins (fry or hot grill) would be good with lots of different things.

My favourite "special" meal, as you do ocado - whole side of salmon, (always half price!) squirt of bottle lemon and splash of wine. Salt pepper in oven.
Baby new potatoes that only need boiling, nothing else.
Cold sauce to go with that can be prepared beforehand -and left in fridge - jar of abbas red caviar, creme fraiche, Mayo, spoon of Dijon mustard and squirt of lemon and some dill and chives. Dill and chives not used in sauce can go on salmon or freezer as both freeze well. Sauce works with prawns as well if you don't like caviar but go for the small cooked ones.
Serve with salad or asparagus and green beans.
If leftovers mix with a tub of Philadelphia and serve in a jacket the next day.

Btw Turkey is supposed to be good for helping with depression or low mood, so good substitute for chicken for anyone who is suffering from those problems.

Last night we had what I call green eggs and ham.
Ingredients for 2 adults and a child:
Pack of shredded ham hock
5 eggs
Big bag of baby spinach
100ml double cream
5tbsp green pesto
Grated cheese

Mix everything except eggs and cheese. Put into oven proof dish. Make gaps and crack eggs into them. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper. Bake for ten mins at 200°c. Serve with bread (I stick part baked baguettes in the oven at the same time).

I suffer with fatigue also op and I love cooking but don't have the energy to spare for it.

Traybakes are great; chicken legs or sausages, frozen veg of some kind, stock or tomatoes, a sprinkle of herbs, maybe bung in some new potatoes or eat with crusty bread.

Stir fries are also good when your energy is limited. Use ready cooked chicken or prawns, a pouch of sauce, some prepped veg and noodles.

I used to spend ages on curries. Now I just use garlic and ginger paste and curry powder. Make the sauce first with onions and flavouring and stock or tomatoes and then just chuck in your meat and some lentils, frozen spinach or whatever.