What to Eat When You're Too Tired to Cook

Burnt out? You might not have energy to cook or feel like going out to eat, but your body still needs food. This blog post has ideas for what to eat when you’re too tired to cook.

One of the occasionally annoying things about occupying a human body is that we regularly need an input of energy in the form of food to survive. It’s fun when we’ve got the time and energy to make something that’s tasty and satisfying to eat…not so much when we’re feeling physically or mentally exhausted and can barely think about food, let alone go grocery shopping or cook. Those are the times I wish I had a personal chef! Unfortunately, the reality of our financial situation (and presumably yours as well) does not allow for that, so when I’m feeling too tired to cook, it means dredging up what little energy I have to figure something out.

When we work with clients on flexible meal planning, we encourage them to have plans for when they’re feeling too tired to cook. Everyone has those days when cooking or putting on real clothes to go out to eat feels impossible, so it’s important to have a plan for how to feed yourself in that situation. It’s especially important for clients in eating disorder recovery, where skipping a meal or undereating ramps up ED thoughts, making the next meal/snack even more challenging. It’s also especially important for clients struggling with depression or a health condition that affects energy levels, like chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis or cancer.

One thing I’ve noticed in my client work is that often times people place unrealistic expectations on themselves around nutrition when they’re feeling tired, as if having the perfect balance of nutrients will perk their body right up! While food can instantly energize you if you’re feeling tired due to hunger, unfortunately, there is no perfect food or meal or mix of nutrients for fatigue. The focus on things like “energy superfoods” overlooks the most important aspect of nutrition for energy - getting a balance of fat, protein, and carbs at your meal, and perhaps some produce as well. Pairing carbs with fat, protein, and some fiber from produce is helpful for stabilizing blood sugar levels, making it best thing you can do for yourself food-wise when you’re feeling exhausted.

Ideas for what to eat when you’re too tired to cook:

Outsource to a child/partner/etc:

This one is mainly for my female readers (but not exclusively). We can take on a lot of responsibility for caring for other people’s food needs, when there may be people there who are willing to help take care of ours. Sometimes, we just need to ask for help. If you have a partner, older child, or even a roommate that can help, it’s OK to ask.

Order takeout

When you’re too tired to cook, don’t cook! Takeout is a great option, especially if you order enough to have leftovers the next day. When I’m exhausted, my go to orders are Vietnamese vermicelli bowls (since we live in Boston’s Little Saigon there are approximately 3,482 options), Indian, and pizza.

Grocery store deli/salad bar or prepared food section

If you can make it to the grocery store, or swing by on your way home from work, there’s a ton of great options for easy meals. When I lived in SC, we’d frequent the hot bar at Whole Foods, and now that we’re in Boston, there’s a great hot bar (with legit the world’s best roasted sweet potatoes) at Lamberts, a small family grocery store nearby. You can also find great options in the prepared food section, like meatloaf, quesadillas, quiche, pastas, and soups/chili. Some stores even sell complete meals with a meat, starch and vegetable in the prepared section.

Snack plate

There’s no rule that snack foods can’t be dinner foods! For an easy meal, make a snack plate by throwing a bunch of different snack foods on a dinner plate. I encourage clients to get at least four different foods on the plate, and make sure there is some amount of carb, fat, and protein included, plus ideally some produce (i.e. a fruit or vegetable). Here’s some ideas of things you can put on your snack plate:

Crackers, chips or pretzels
Dips: guacamole, salsa, hummus, salad dressing
Fresh or dried fruit
Raw or pickled veggies
Yogurt or cottage cheese
Deli meats or cheeses
Hard boiled eggs
Avocado
Random leftovers
Bars, granola or energy bites
Chicken, tuna, or egg salad
Chocolate or cookies

For more snack plate inspiration, check out this blog post with breakfast snack plates.

*A snack plate I made for an actual snack, so it’s a bit smaller but hopefully gives you an idea!*

Fast Food

Reminder that fast food absolutely is an option! So what if it’s not the most nutrient-dense meal on the planet. You don’t need to eat a multivitamins worth of nutrition at every meal. Keep fast food as an option for when you’re too tired to cook, and it will be one step towards normalizing your relationship with it.

Chili potatoes

Variations on chili potatoes are one of my go-to dinners, and we always keep a can of chili on hand for it (Amy’s spicy vegetarian chili to be exact). Usually I'll bake or microwave a sweet or white potato, fill with canned chili, and top with cheddar cheese and hot sauce. If I've got it on hand, I'll add frozen peppers and onions to the potato, or pair it with raw veggies and my favorite jalapeno-cilantro dressing. I also love to make a variation of this with frozen home fries or French fries.

Breakfast Sandwich

A simple breakfast sandwich can make a super satisfying dinner, especially if you give it a little upgrade with something like fancy cheese, hot sauce, jam, or pesto. For a more well rounded, satisfying meal, pair it with fresh fruit and/or yogurt.

Fancy Toasts

Continuing the trend of breakfast as an easy dinner, try fancy toasts! I love them so much I included recipes for three different ones in my book, Gentle Nutrition. Here's a few ideas for inspiration:

Avocado toast with goat cheese, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs
Peanut butter toast topped with banana and granola clusters, drizzled with honey and dusted with cinnamon
Toast with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, cucumbers and everything bagel seasoning
Toast topped with pesto, hummus, provolone, sliced fresh tomatoes and cucumber

Fancy toast is always better with yummy bread. I recently was introduced to Wildgrain, a delivery service (based in Boston!) that brings artisan sourdough breads, fresh pastas, and pastries to your front door. Their breads are ah-maaaazing and you just bake from frozen for the most incredible, freshly baked bread out of your oven. The link I included is an affiliate link where you get $10 off your first box, plus a free box of croissants in every box!

*Sourdough with black currant jam, burrata and basil - was pretty proud of this one!*

Instant Noodles + Fried Egg

IMHO, instant noodles are a perfect food. I have been loving Momofuku’s new instant noodles, although usually I just grab a couple packs of whatever looks good when I go to an Asian market. For an easy meal, I make instant noodles with whatever random veggie I have on hand (typically spinach since it cooks quickly) and top with a fried egg. Bonus yummy points for chili crisp!

*My favorite momofuku spicy soy noodles with Asian greens from our backyard, a fried egg and chili crisp. Rose approves!*

Frozen Pizza + Salad Kit

Another mindless meal I’ll pick up when I’m too tired too cook. Sounds random, but I’m a big fan of serving a scoop of salad on top of my pizza to make a little pizza salad! Pro tip: BBQ chicken pizza with a ranch salad kit is two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

What to Eat When You're Too Tired to Cook: Frozen Pizza — *Is there anything easier than this??*

Veggie Burger + Frozen Fries + Fruit

For a meal you can make almost entirely from the freezer, I like to bake a veggie burger and frozen french fries, and serve with fruit or whatever raw veggies I have on hand. It feels very much like a kid meal, which I kinda like.

Ravioli/Tortellini

I love making ravioli and tortellini because it’s filled with cheese, and sometimes meats/seafood as well, so it already has a combination of fat, protein and carb! Just add tomato sauce for a meal that has all your macros. For an extra boost of nutrients, throw some frozen spinach or kale to the sauce.

Boxed Mac and Cheese

Who doesn’t love boxed mac and cheese? I like to dress mine up with frozen peas and canned tuna, or add frozen broccoli or roasted red peppers. For a more filling meal, check out Banza’s boxed mac and cheese, which is made with chickpeas so it's higher in protein and fiber, or look for one that's made with whole grains.

tartiflette — *I mixed this boxed mac and cheese with a can of* *Freshe tuna, which comes with red beans, corn, and red peppers*

Hummus salad wrap

This is my favorite easy sandwich to make. Just get a big tortilla wrap (not a diet one!), spread it with hummus, add deli meat and cheese, then add salad from a prepared salad kit or another prepared salad from your grocery store deli. Pair it with fruit, yogurt and/or chips for a filling meal.

Indian food packets + microwave rice

One thing you may be noticing in this blog post is that I'm a big fan of processed food for making life easier! One of my favorite processed, convenience foods to have on hand are packets of Indian curries. Some of my favorites are by Kitchens of India and Maya Kaimal. Just serve with a packet of microwave rice.

*Trader Joe’s makes some decent prepared Indian foods too*

At the end of the day, when you’re feeling exhausted, eating something is better than nothing. While these ideas mostly have a balance of macronutrients plus some produce, it’s OK if that’s not what your meal looks like. If we always had to eat perfectly balanced meals to be healthy, well, humans would not have made it very far evolutionarily speaking.

If chronic fatigue, exhaustion from work or parental stress or whatever is making it hard for you to feed yourself, reach out! We work virtually with clients helping them heal their relationship with food and take the stress out of eating. Here’s more information on our nutrition services.

What are your favorite meals when you’re too tired to cook? Leave a comment below!