for when you're just toast

When sh*t sucks and our minds feel fried, figuring out meals is often the last thing we wanna spend our energy on. As if dealing with day to day ~life~ isn't enough, we also gotta power on our bodies to function at a baseline that doesn't even feel good, to begin with. It's not a fun place to be.

So that's where this series comes in. Over the next several weeks, we're gonna dive into the realm of ADHD Burnout— specifically, what the heck we can do to stay fed when we're in the middle of it.

Today, we're talking about the fundamentals: pre-made goodness. These are the vital, ready-made, no cook foods that you can rely on when burnout exhaustion is coming down hard and you just gotta eat something.

How to use this post

Read or skim for ideas. Refer to when making a grocery list or when needing a reminder of meal options. Write down the foods & meals you like in each category, and anything else that comes to mind.

01. takeout

Seriously, don't underestimate the relief of letting someone else do the cooking for you. Be it from your fav fast food joint (hello, Taco Bell), a local restaurant, a friend who makes meals for others, etc. Not having to spend your depleted energy cooking can free up soooo much space to deal with all else that comes with burnout.

If you can, I recommend ordering yourself enough food for multiple meals so you have a bit of a cushion. Like, I'll order a sh*tton of Tacos & Burritos from Taco Bell and keep em in my fridge to reheat later. Heck, I might even try throwing some in the freezer next time.

An added bonus: order using a delivery service if leaving the house sounds like too much of a time and energy suck.

02. snackable grocery

These are your snacky snacks— even if they're not "traditionally" snacky foods. I consider these foods anything that you can keep nearby to grab and munch in a moment's notice. I highly recommend keeping a variety of textures and flavors around, so you're less likely to get sick of one item.

Snacky foods are awesome for when you just wanna graze through the day or make a fancy charcoochie board. But they *really* come in handy when you just need to eat something fast. I often opt for snacky snacks if my appetite is meh since I can usually eat finger foods while doing something else.

These are some of my favs to have around:

• Granola and Protien Bars

• Chips and Salsa

• BB Carrots, Snap Peas, Broccoli Florets, and a Sauce or Dip

• Crackers and Cheeze

• Popcorn

• Meatless Lunch Meats

• Chex Mix!

• Candy (hello, Watermelon Sour Patch Kids)

• Yogurt and Granola

• Gatorade or other Sport Drinks

03. ready-to-eat grocery meals

These are the meals you're gonna find at a grocery store, gas station, market, etc., and require you to open the packaging, but that's about it. I used to be a delivery driver and practically lived off of these things.

And honestly, they can be hit or miss. Don't be discouraged if something you pick up is weird. Sandwiches are often the biggest risk, tbh, because when they're soggy, they can get super...interesting. That said, I always like the options at Trader Joe's. Local grocery stores will often carry Wraps and Sandwiches from local small businesses which tend to be pretty excellent, too.

Ready-to-eat meals can be found in a few different places throughout the store, so look around. A meal that's always in the same-ish place is Pre-Made Salad Kits— you can find these in the produce section.

The common meals I often find are things like:

• Cold Case Noodles

• Sandwiches and Wraps

• Pizza

• Sushi

• Salad kits

• Corndogs

• Salad bar

• Burritos

• Spring Rolls

• Bottled Smoothies

• Pay-by-the-pound hot dishes

okay, now go grab a snack

Friends, we just wrapped up the first post in this series on burnout meal Ideas, so let's get some food in our system and hydrate if we need it.

I'm excited to talk about this over the next few weeks, and I hope that this becomes a page you refer to next time you're building your grocery list. Especially when you've forgotten what the heck you even like to eat. If you didn't do it this time, I recommend coming back to this post and writing down what you like in each category.

what comes to mind when reading this?

As I was writing this post, I realized how awesome it would be to have an ADHD Burnout Meal Workbook. Something with checkboxes, space for notes, and extra guidance/suggestions.

I know I'd love a workbook to refer to when burnt out, but I wanna make something useful to all those interested. So what does ADHD Burnout look like, for you? What makes cooking harder? What would make it easier?

Let me know what you're thinking in the comments below. I'd love to chat more about this with you.

interested in burnout-friendly recipes?

let’s talk cooking & burnout ↓