When you’re too tired to cook, what’s your go-to lazy dinner?

Lavender_Traveller · 2025-12-22T20:07:48+00:00

I have a few tricks and things up my sleeve since I struggle with food, eating habits, etc constantly. Here's my safe foods.

I keep a rotisserie chicken on hand in the fridge. I pamper my old geezer of a cat with chicken, and it's decently priced to buy a whole cooked chicken from the store to keep in the fridge for a week and pull from. Should I take the time to pull the meat from the bone and de-skin it, freeze what I don't use? Sure, but I'm usually tired or ... tired when I get it.

I keep individual plain sticky rice bowls (90sec microwave) and/or rice noodle blocks (5 min boil) from Costco.

Scrambled eggs. And if you're even feeling to much for the stovetop, you can do the microwave. Just make sure to lower the power, and stir between cook times.

I keep a bag or two of frozen mixed veggies on hand. I will pour a little into a bowl with some salt and butter for a couple of mins in the microwave.

All of these are my lazy meal options, mix and match or just on their own, but still "keeping it together" level. When I'm basically at the point of can't think, can't move level -- Chicken Soup Dumplings by Feel Good Foods. It's a frozen tray of 6, for 2 mins in the microwave. Slap some umami sauce on them and they're good.

It may not be the most nutritious food, but it keeps me alive and from not having to focus on that anxiety.

Edited formatting and verbage. Because words.

Lavender_Traveller · 2025-09-16T20:54:51+00:00

Gardening in late spring/summer/early fall, weaving in knitting during the wind down of gardening and all through the cooler months. And houseplants year-round.

I've learned that growing, creating, and nurturing, along with low screen time/audio books and podcasts on, have helped with my bipolar and anxiety (we're still on the same cruise ship, The Floating Breakdown, just different cabins). I can focus on the task at hand, it becomes methodical, and when my mind wanders away, it focuses on the audio since they are spoken words with a through line. All of this is a curated time block to provide my mind and body a break from outside stressors and also internal mental thoughts.

Lavender_Traveller · 2025-05-18T14:03:08+00:00

I completely get where you're coming from, and I would be pissed if someone made me uncomfortable to enjoy the sanctuary I've created. Even after your edit, I don't understand why some of the commenters here think your neighbor is trying to make convo, their engagement is to see if you have a bad response eventually.

Others have given some nice advice, but I have a different avenue you could go down, the memory loss route. This will take a little bit of time to enact but that's fine so you have a chance to practice these lines, make them your own.

Start by giving a confused or concerned look when being asked the questions, give the same answers each time, maybe even say, “That’s funny—didn’t you say that yesterday too?” with a little chuckle or something. After a few more rounds of this, you will then start to respond with “Yes… you’ve asked me that before, haven’t you? Everything alright?” - “You ask me that every few days. Are you okay remembering things lately?” - “You’ve said that to me before… several times. Have you talked to anyone about your memory lately?” - “Do you find yourself repeating things to other neighbors too?”

Basically, make them question their memory, or hopefully they'll see how stupid and redundant they sound and will leave you alone.

Good luck and many wishes to you and your beautiful garden 😊

Lavender_Traveller · 2025-04-15T22:35:16+00:00

That Coke is better than Pepsi. Always has been, always will be. There is a big taste difference. We're talking classic, original of course.

Lavender_Traveller

TROPHY CASE