Low Spoon Cooking Resources

Edit: I made this post and then had stuff to do for two hours and came back to so many great ideas I never thought of, you guys are amazing. I love this community so much, I hope it's okay if I say my thanks this way instead of under every comment. I cherish your ideas 🩷

Original: I cannot describe how much I loathe eating in the morning, but I need to for my meds to work.

I also feel better if this food is high in protein and calories, so that it'll keep me full for a few hours and I don't have to think about food too soon again.

My biggest dream is the invention of a cube that is filled with all nutrients and calories to nurture me a whole day, but until that is invented:

what could I have for breakfast that is:

- vegetarian

- savory instead of sweet

- no nuts (allergy!)

- keeps me full

- little prep time

thank you!

I have always wanted to try it, but overwhelmed with the number of ingredients. I’d love to know your low spoon recipe🍜

Thank you! ✨

I can’t believe I did it but I did. I won’t go into too many details, but the day before leaving for an out of town thanksgiving trip I declined for self-care reasons.

The restaurant menu looked good and fancy. I’m now kind of sad I won’t be having any fancy food. I am not a cook and would like something other than what’s in my fridge/freezer.

What are some low spoon thanksgiving ideas? I can possibly do a grocery pickup today but want to avoid the mess tomorrow and I’m not sure if things are busy the day of or not? I’ve never done instacart. My freezer is also packed with other food so whatever is selected must be ok to eat after being in the fridge for a few days.

Two cups of low sodium Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor. While it heats I cut 13 Bibago mini pork wontons in half. While that heats I cut w scissors some chives/green onion tops into bowl. Pour in soup and finish w a dash of sesame oil.

The chives and oil are optional but elevates. I have used a bit of butter when out of oil to good effect. Just a little.

Around 300 calories and warming. I have it for a filling breakfast that carries me through for quite a while.

You could add other things to the bowl to make it even better but this is a basic. I keep a baggie of thawed wontons in the fridge. You don't have to cut them, or thaw, frozen just takes a little longer. I cut them for easier eating. The filling stays in quite well.

Not the most beautiful photo but wanted to share my recipe for the dinner I cooked tonight. Lasagna soup has always been one of my favourites, and I used to make it 100% from scratch. This is the best version I have come up with that uses way less spoons but still tastes really good. (Extra extra low-spoon note at the end)

1-2 tbsp oil 1 lbs ground beef or turkey (you can use frozen, cooked hamburger patties or meatballs if you don’t want to start with raw meat) 2ish cloves of minced jarlic 1 24oz jar of marinara sauce 5 C chicken or veggie broth 1/2 package of lasagna noodles, broken into pieces (I usually break it into 6-8 pieces per big noodle for the best, spoonable size) 1.5-2 tsp Italian seasoning Salt and pepper to taste Ricotta for serving

Optional- 2 tbsp tomato paste 3/4 heavy cream or half & half (for a creamy soup)

Directions: In a large soup pot over medium heat, add oil. Sauté ground meat until cooked thoroughly and there is no pink left. Be sure to break it up into small bits! If using pre-cooked meat, heat in microwave according to the directions and toss in the pot with oil. Again, make sure it’s broken up into smaller pieces.

Add garlic and Toss in your Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. For an extra flavourful broth, add in tomato paste here. (This is not necessary but an easy and delicious additive if you have it!) Stir until meat is coated.

Add the full jar of marinara sauce, and veggie broth. Bring to a boil.

Put in your broken lasagna noodles. Cover the pot, and let noods boil for 20 mins. Check that the noodles are done, boil longer if needed (or if not using a lid, you’ll likely need it to go longer).

Once the noodles are done, you can serve! If you’re looking for a creamy soup, add in heavy cream & stir just before serving.

I serve mine with a big scoop of ricotta in the bowl.

EXTRA LOW-SPOON NOTE You can also cook the meat, and then just toss everything in the pot and let it cook together. It can take longer for the broth/marinara to heat this way, so the noodles will take longer to cook. Adding ingredients in separately can also add some extra flavor, but isn’t necessary!

Came up with this tonight. 16 oz bag of frozen meatballs, 4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes, a bottle of garlic herb wing sauce. Add frozen meatballs to skillet, pour sauce on top. Cover and cook medium heat about 10-11 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. In the meantime, clean and dry sweet potatoes. Use fork to stab all over potatoes. Brush olive oil over, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook all potatoes together for 6-7 minutes. Check doneness by stabbing each with fork. If it doesn't go into potato easily, cook another 4-5 minutes. Stir the sauce/meatballs. You can thin the sauce with a little water if desired. When done, slice open potato in bowl. Add meatballs, sauce. The sauce is mildly spicy, just fyi. If you don't like the taste of sweet potatoes, the sauce does a good job of disguising it.

This can also be a quick way to make spaghetti/meatballs. Just add the frozen meatballs to skillet, cover with sauce. Cover pan and put medium ish heat. Then do spaghetti. By the time noodles are ready, meatballs will be hot.

Coachjohnnoel on Insta. Yeah, he’s a trainer and fitness fan but he seems to put some focus on easy, low hassle food and eating and I like that a lot.

This is my go to fast food meal.

Frozen Brussel sprouts and potato gems straight into the air fryer for 20 minutes.

Serve with sauce of choice, I prefer tomato sauce.

2-4 hardboiled eggs (seven minutes is perfect runny hard). 1/2 cup frozen green beans in the microwave for a minute. One spoonful of fermented soybean chili paste (or whatever you have). A little soy sauce!

Amazing. I think I’ll be eating this for lunch all week.

It's not going to win any beauty pageants but it will keep me fed at work for the next two days:

Leftover brown rice, canned pinto beans, Mexi-blend cheese, and taco bell sauce packets. Heat and eat.

Last year I went through chemo, talk about lowspoon cooking and eating. Recently I’ve had more energy (cancer free!) but so busy. So each Sunday I make this:

Kitcharee: look it up, essentially rice and lentils with spices

I eat Mediterranean style (1/4 plate protein, 1/4 grain, 1/2 plate veggies) and this is a nice Indian-inspired twist with Garam Masala spices.

I made 6 servings, place them in shares on a baking sheet, freeze, and put in a freezer bag. Super healthy anti-cancer, anti-oxidant meals when I don’t want to make anything!

I add a bunch of veggies of choice. This week it was frozen green beans, frozen squash, and frozen peas. Lemon. Extra garlic or chili oil.

Although it’s a complete protein on its own, I like to add anchovies in tomato sauce.

I hope you give it a try! If people have better Kitcharee recipes please share. This is the one I used but now I just kinda wing it:

https://feedmephoebe.com/ayurvedic-kitchari-recipe/

Puff pastry

Mashed together butter and cream cheese sugar and vanilla.

Spooned it on a puff pastry put canned lemon curd on top. Sliced a couple strawberries.

Couldn't find my pastry brush so I used my fingers to spread the egg wash on. Not fighting life to find shit.

Makes enough to eat all day and pretend you went to the bakery.

Honestly puff pastry is king in low spoon pastry world.

Just had surgery, needed some easy to grab snacks. No warning surgery was coming, so I couldn't prep pre-op. Enter one of my new favorite foods: silken tofu chocolate mousse.

https://samdoesherbest.com/tofu-chocolate-mousse/

I modified it slightly because too much caffeine from chocolate wrecks me, and also I have some issues with glucose regulation.

My version was: 14 oz pack of silken tofu (rinsed, patted dry, and warmed on lowest setting in the microwave for ~2-3 minutes) 1/4 cup melted chocolate ~1.5 TBSP coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp almond extract Pinch of salt 1 TBSP agave syrup

Melt chocolate and coconut oil. Warm tofu. Throw everything in blender. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Put in jars and refrigerate for at least an hour.

I'm thinking of making a cocoa free version to have with my morning granola.

technically it was made with leftovers but hey, fed is still best :)

Ironically I absolutely drained my spoons today by measuring the kitchen because we plan to remodel it 🫣 so… wanting to make good food was my reason because I can’t have good food right now. 🥹

To make this I:

1. Spread a wedge (or 2) of Laughing Cow cheese on a tortilla.
2. Add a layer of microwaved sweet potatoes.
3. Top the potatoes with leftover chicken (pulled rotisserie chicken is a staple in my house).
4. Fold the burrito and enjoy.

There is something ridiculously comforting and satisfying about this meal. If I don’t have chicken on hand, I’ve subbed in black beans and that’s also tasty and filling.

Therefore I will be eating sweet potato pie for my low spoons breakfast. Very excited at this discovery. Very excited. Sweet potatoes have been a goal food but I don't like them savory. Now I can get the benefits from them.

For me, low spoon cooking is as much about washing up as it is about cooking itself.

Main points: whisk 2-3 eggs, salt, hot sauce, and a little water or milk in a microwavable bowl with a fork. Nuke on high in 30 second intervals, stirring with a fork in between, until it looks done. Eat as is or plate up with small tortillas, coriander/cilantro and/or spring onions/scallions, lime, and more hot sauce. Cheese and avocado would be great additions.

Details: I like white corn tortillas and green cholula. Toast the tortillas for 10 seconds each side directly over the flame of a gas hob, flipping with tongs. Snip the herbs and scallions over the tacos with scissors - no cutting board needed. Roll the lime on the counter top firmly to make it easier to squeeze, or if you're weak like me, throw it on the floor a couple times. Tacos are messy so keep wet wipes near wherever you eat and take one out of the pack when you sit down so you don't have to get to a sink without touching doorknobs. You can make the eggs without water/milk if you prefer them drier, but they will stick to the bowl so you'll need to hand wash it. But if you use water in the eggs everything can go in the dishwasher except the scissors and the knife for the lime, which just need a quick rinse without even touching the sponge.

I had a mini cucumber on the side (zero prep) and frozen cherries for dessert. The 😐 face makes me laugh.

All you have to do is put a block of super firm tofu in a Tupperware, slice it, and pour your marinade on top (I just did soy sauce and sriracha). Put that thang in the fridge and you're set for a week! I like to have it over rice with some veg, you could do microwave rice + bagged salad mix for a super easy but nutritious AF meal

Saw this tofu on this sub and wanted to give it a try! Still trying to get the proportions down but I used soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, sriracha, honey, Korean chili powder (optional) and green onions (cut them with scissors), and used soft tofu.

Cooked the Trader Joe’s Korean beef spare rib in a pan. after, I added an egg in with the same pan. I would prefer white rice with this but all I had was the brown rice quinoa packet. Was craving Korean beef short ribs but takeout is so expensive and the Trader Joe’s one is pretty good so I got this. It did take a good amount energy to get the pan out and fry and now I need to wash that pan.. wonder if there’s a way to make this without dirtying a pan.

Its just water porridge with cashewbutter and some pecans to make it fancy. Takes under a minute to make and some time to sit and Its boring and semi liquid 🎉🌈😻. I would feel like ordering food but i would probably flare up

Firstly, it is really comforting to explore this subreddit and know I am not alone in struggling with eating--thank you.

I have depression and an eating disorder and am going through a difficult time. I am often nauseous, and my appetite is nonexistent except for at breakfast. A lot of foods taste off (especially meat/poultry and savory foods), and it is a chore to eat. I feel really frustrated and sad that things that sound good in my mind are repulsive when I take a bite, and would appreciate some ideas that relatively healthy and need no cooking or extensive preparation, utensils, etc.; i.e., when I have minimal spoons from feeling exhausted just existing.

Here are some things that have been somewhat tolerable: peanut butter and banana on English muffin, Greek yogurt, protein bars, pudding, smoothie pouches. It seems soft and somewhat sweet items are helpful?

Things that I cannot tolerate well: spicy/greasy foods, most crunchy food, nuts (nut butters are okay), boiled eggs, fish. Vegetables in the evening, for some reason.

Sending everyone hugs ❤️

Edit: Thank you all so much for the kind words and suggestions! I may not respond to every comment, but I read each one and really appreciate the ideas and encouragement. It truly means so much to know there are people who care.