“Recipes” for Days with No Spoons Left

As I have been exploring resources in the chronic illness community, I only recently came across the Spoon Theory, but I immediately connected with it. What an elegant way to explain the struggle just living can be with chronic illness. Identifying as a “Spoonie” has been a powerful way to re-frame my shame at my failure to be a fully functional human being and connect with others in the same boat.

I am very new to this community and this way of viewing my life, so I am here to both share and learn. Below are some “recipes” that require minimal effort in general, but also specifically minimal stirring or cutting for those with upper extremity joint pain like me. While many of these are obvious, I hope they can generate a few new ideas for you. They are all at least somewhat nutritionally balanced, and can be modified for dietary restrictions.

Where I had items on hand, I took pictures so you can see exactly what I use. Some of the brands are kind of bougie (i.e. pricey), but can be easily substituted for more budget-friendly options.

Please let me know what you think and suggest more in the comments!

Ready-to-Eat meals

My basic strategy here is to have several basic building blocks which can be combined in different ways for easy, tasty meals. Here are some items I try to always have on hand which can be mixed and matched to create meals or snacks in snap.

• Nut butter
  
  • Use your favorite kind! I have been loving the options from PNW local brand Ground Up, but plain old Jif, or whatever doesn’t trigger your allergies or MCAS works just fine.
    
• Fruit
  
  • I like to have a mix of frozen and fresh on hand, with a mix of larger fruits like bananas, apples, and pears, and smaller treats like berries (I find fresh blueberries to have the longest shelf life of berries) and dates. I get these whole dates from Imperfect foods and then pull the pits out myself, but you can buy them pitted at the grocery store. Dates are super under-rated in my opinion as they are delicious, versatile, and nutrient-packed.
    
• Yogurt
  
  • Eat it plain or mix in berries, dates, nut butter, granola, chia seeds, honey, and whatever else sounds good. You can also mix yogurt with a bit of mustard and honey for a delicious spread on a sandwich or wrap. You don’t have to get fancy here–I literally just squirt all the ingredients on the tortilla and mix it up right on there with whatever spoon I’ve already used to minimize dishes.
    
  • There are also tons of non-dairy yogurt options available these days.
    
• Deli or cured meats
  
  • Cured meats like prosciutto and salami have the advantage of a very long shelf life. I like to have a mix of cured and regular deli meats on hand to create delicious combos in a wrap like turkey and pepperoni or chicken and prosciutto.
    
• Cheese
  
  • In my life, cheese makes everything better. Indulging in some really great cheese brings me a lot of joy. I love goat cheese, double cream brie, gruyere, comte, all sorts of blue cheeses, and more. I’ve pictured one of my favorite combos below– I split dates in half, stuff with blue cheese, and wrap with prosciutto. Or, if I can’t cut anything that day, I just ferally take bites of each item whole. There is no shame or judgement here– do you what you need to do to eat and enjoy eating!
    
  • Hopefully even if you are lactose-intolerant you can enjoy some in moderation with the help of something like Lactaid, but I know for some people this is a no-go. I suggest exploring non-dairy cheeses or just swapping with something like hummus which is just as satisfying.

Heat-and-Eat meals

Here are some of my favorite foods which can simply be heated up in the stove, oven, or microwave and serve as a reasonably complete meal.

• Frozen Burritos
  
  • I love burritos, especially a good breakfast burrito. The Egg & Green Chile burrito from Evol below is my favorite frozen breakfast burrito that I’ve found. There are a lot of great things about frozen burritos, but one of the best is they are pretty nutritionally diverse. Bean, rice, and cheese is a pretty solid mix right there, and the variety is endless depending on your tastes and restrictions. They taste best heated up in the oven, but the microwave will always get the job done.
    
• Frozen meals
  
  • My favorites are Indian, Thai, and Mexican dishes because they often have a great mix of carbs, fat, protein, and fiber.
    
• Soups and Chili
  
  • Not all soups are very satisfying meals by themselves, but if you go for hearty versions with a good mix of vegetables, fat, and protein, you can end up very satisfied. When I really want the can to stand on its own and fill me up for half the day, I opt for chili with beans. I particularly love the Black Bean soup and chili from the Amy’s brand.
    
• Frozen Pot pies
  
  • This one is a little more indulgent. The nutritional quality of frozen pot pies varies greatly, and they can be absolutely overwhelmed with sodium. (But hey, if you have POTS maybe this is a plus!) The Marie Callender’s chicken pot pies are my favorite comfort food when I am sick or when it is just too cold outside, and I want some warm comfort.

Some Assembly Required meals

When I have a few more spoons left, I sometimes opt for meals that require a little more heating and assembly but are still relatively easy.

• Silken tofu + minute rice + frozen veggies
  
  • I love silken tofu because it’s delicious and you don’t have to cook it. Heat up some minute rice and frozen veggies (edamame, mukimame, or peas are my favorite), and drizzle on some soy sauce and chili oil. Perfection.
    
• Frozen Chicken + mashed potatoes + frozen veggies
  
  • There are so many options here. I love these Panko breaded chicken breasts, but the world of frozen chicken is vast and glorious these days, with tons of options you can just throw in the oven. For the mashed potatoes, I love these instant Idahoan packets which you just mix into boiling water, but you can always buy tubs of microwaveable mashed potatoes to reduce the effort required here. Add whatever type of vegetable you like, or a side salad with pre-washed lettuce, and enjoy.
    
• Baked Potato + frozen veggies
  
  • This is one of my favorite comfort food meals as well. Did you know you can bake potatoes in the microwave? I prefer the oven so the skin gets delicious, but the true magic of potatoes is that they are always delicious no matter the preparation. My favorite way to prepare them is to use Martha Stewart’s method with Yukon golds. (TLDR for that link: rub with olive oil, cover in foil, and place in the oven at 325 degrees F for ~90 minutes).
    
  • Top with frozen veggies like broccoli in cheese sauce, or even just a can of chili. Add sour cream or yogurt to bring it to the next level.

As always please Contact me with feedback or feel free to comment below!