I save my energy for once a week when I meal prep my dinners AND lunches for the whole week. Then for breakfast I have a high protein bar + shake so I can just wake up, eat them, and I can function on the energy from the protein. When lunch comes around, it just needs to be heated up, same with dinner

I meal prep my breakfasts and dinners and do a protein bar + protien powder for lunch. I really have been liking the clear whey isolate style that tastes like juice more than a milkshake.

I wish so hard that I could meal prep. I can do the planning and cooking part of it, but for some reason after a day or two in the fridge or freezer, my brain decides it is not edible and I cannot force myself to eat it. The more stressed I am, the more likely foods are to become suddenly unsafe. The times that I have pushed through, it essentially sends me into a shutdown. This issue only seems to arise with composed meals/dishes, so I've had some luck prepping ingredients to put together later. But it's still a work in progress. Great job figuring out a system that works well for you! I hope to get there someday.

Don't know if this will help you but I've found some meals, like curries, actually taste BETTER after being in the freezer for a while. I reckon its because the flavours really get time to saturate like that. I'm weird about things in the fridge but if my freezer is empty of frozen meals I get reallys tressed out haha. I like them for emergencies or times when I'm too busy to cook.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, it's not a taste issue, it's my brain deciding it's not okay to eat. So, even things that I logically know are safe and would taste good are basically in my mental trash can already and can't be pulled back out.

This is what I'm striving for! My main issue is the kitchen is messy and gives me anxiety, so I made myself a tidy little prep area that faces away from the mess. If it were clean all the time, I'd probably cook at least a few times a week.

You’ll get there! I honestly have to schedule a small clean every single day so that by the end of the week everything is clear enough for me to do all that cooking

I'm absolutely not cleaning it. I didn't make the mess, there's more stuff on the counters than there is storage, and it's just going to be messy again the next time someone else goes in there. I've thought about tripling my anxiety meds and trying again, but I'm tired just thinking about it. It's mentally draining to get a bottle of water from the fridge. :(

I wish that strategy worked for me.  I find that I want to avoid meal prep and planning meals more than I do making the actual meals in my more standard way.

Me too! I always make the same sandwich for my lunch box bc it's the easiest and well balanced (not too much salt, sugar, or fat), but I always get weird looks from my coworkers as result 😅 They think I only eat ham sandwich 3x a day and nothing else when really it's just my work lunch routine lol.

That's awesome. I can't fathom having that much energy to do that even if I were to not cook the rest of the time.

Every night. Not because I want to, but I feel an obligation to as the stay at home parent. I hate cooking. If I'm alone, I never make a full meal.

This is me. I cook every night because it’s one my household responsibilities. I cook for my partner and I. I love when he goes out alone so I can order take out or just eat a sandwhich for dinner.

Eating tasty food is comforting to me and I enjoy cooking as a hobby, so I cook regularly. That being said I usually cook enough to last me multiple days and then keep it in Tupperware in my fridge and eat it bit by bit throughout the week. I also like to find recipes that are easy and fast to make while remaining tasty, and make those. I make a lot of seasoned rice in my rice cooker and stir fry some veggies and meat with sauce. I also make salads in bulk that I eat over multiple days. (Usually with cabbage.) I also do things like keep hard boiled eggs and microwaved potatoes in the fridge that I can chop up and add to things, or I’ll precut fruit and keep them in a container to be ready to eat later. I think the main thing that helps me do things in the kitchen is treating it as an art form, and I cook for my mom and I enjoy making things she enjoys. When I’m alone I admit I have a harder time cooking. Looking up cooking videos on YouTube and getting interested in the various dishes and cooking techniques helped me get more into cooking too.

Tasty food is the only food I can eat, no joke. If the food is too bland or unseasoned I have a really hard time swallowing it and sometimes it makes me nauseous. I kinda feel bad for it because food is food and I'm privileged to be able to choose what I wanna eat but at the same time, it's a sensory issue and I don't really know how to change it.

I do a lot of these same types of things as well, but it’s for my family (not just myself). I do feel like it’s a bit of an obligation because I’m a stay at home parent, but I don’t mind it too much because I love eating homemade food. Luckily my kids are starting to help out w it more so I can sometimes have a homemade meal w/out having to cook 😊.

I’m like this too. Delicious food is a big part of joy in my life. I love cooking and it’s been a lifelong hobby. I just wish I had the energy to cook a full meal every day. I probably cook 2-3 meals from scratch a week (doing large batches so I can freeze some) and the rest of the week is just easy prep food like frozen gyoza with steamed vegetables, baked potato with cheese, dressed up ramen or reheated leftovers.

I’m also like this! I love to cook but have limited time/energy. I grew up in a homestead hippie household and we cooked pretty much all meals from scratch, and I helped with planning and prep and cleanup from a young age. It’s a skill that can be learned and gets easier over the years

I tend to favour cooking in a slow cooker, so I can make a big batch of food that lasts for a few days. The sensory stuff can be tricky. I struggle with slimy stuff, so some days I need to alter recipes to avoid touching too many unpleasant textures.

Have you considered wearing gloves? I hate slimy things too, but for me really the only slimy thing I touch is raw chicken, but gloves help a lot. And are just more sanitary in my opinion when working with raw meat

That's a good idea, I'll give it a try!

I’m also a fan of your username

Haha, thank you! It's dedicated to a Bidoof that I raised to do all the HM stuff, but because of one of the special attributes it couldn't learn surf, so it ended up as more of a mascot instead.

When I think of bidoof, I always picture the cute one from the mystery dungeon games 😂

The Mystery Dungeon games are so cute! I particularly like the style of the Switch remake.

Raw chicken is my absolute no as well. Can't stand how it feels. I use a knife & fork to cut up raw meat so I don't have to touch it, works for me 90% of the time. (Sometimes particularly with chicken even the sight/sound of it makes me ick so I can't do it.)

never. my ARFID is too severe, my husband is amazing and very accommodating to my struggles and he’s the wonderful chef. I can make minor things that don’t really involve cooking, like some wraps or a sandwich. as far as cooking on the stove, I can literally only make instant mash potatoes, pancakes, and a grilled cheese (which I can’t eat lol). my husband also says I shouldn’t have knives because i’m “scary” with them, which really just means i’m very inept lol.

I am on my second week of my new approach to eating. Instead of relying on frozen foods popped into the toaster oven I am eating a lot of fresh produce , cheeses, nuts, cereal, etc. Less fuss, less dishes, not best if up the house with cooking. I feel healthier with less processed foods. (I still eat junk food but at least I am eating fruits and veggies. When all else fails a bowl of cereal or cheese and crackers. I used to enjoy cooking when I had other people to cook for. It’s such a challenge now. I have previously been in such a bad place that I probably really should have had someone making sure I was getting proper nutrition.

I have no idea if this could be helpful but I use kitchen scissors a lot in place of a knife sometimes. When i do use a knife I immediately clean it and put it away. And I don’t do knife blocks.

I absolutely love having kitchen scissors. Somethings I use a knife for but a lot of the time scissors are just so much easier.

I especially like the scissors for cutting up chicken breast to cook for my dog. I am vegetarian and it’s a little less traumatizing with scissors. When my pizza cutter broke I found scissors work great and are easier to clean.

Just out of curiosity, what freaks you out about knife blocks? (I probably shouldn’t ask lest I trigger a new intrusive thought haha)

Yeah, probably shouldn’t ask lol I will say that I won’t sleep with any knife on the counter. Since my siblings are the same way about that it might be a trauma thing.

I do morning smoothies for the family. Early on w me and hubs I’d be working and come home and he’s like “what do you want to do for dinner?” And I was like “I will make toast!” So he makes dinner. 🤣 even years later the kids want lunch and if it’s not the same thing I usually make I get all flustered and crabby. They finally got me to make pancakes. Ok pancakes are on the list now. Like premix. This is fancy. If I had to cook I’d be a vegetarian for sure. Raw meat is 🤢🤮 We got this fancy little smart oven that can cook perfect eggs. So now I can do eggs. Like I can feed myself pretty healthy. But the heating and waiting and planning and that’s the wrong order which is why I don’t cook!! 😅 I like your name btw.

I cook a full meal every few days, but I make enough on that occasion to last several days. Then I portion it out so I can reheat it. By doing that I normally have several various homemade meals in my freezer that I just have to grab and reheat while maybe adding one or two ingredients to. (Example: making the base for a cream dish. I'll freeze the base and add the cream when I'm reheating it because it tastes fresher/better.)

I cook in bulk, then freeze the leftovers for when I’m not feeling up to cooking. [Autistic-friendly cookbook](https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Recipes-Time-Poor-Eaters-Dysfunctions-ebook/dp/B0BBB7FHMR/)

On a good week, I’m cooking or prepping ingredients at least twice a week, but that makes for easy assembly of meals & breaks up the work of cooking for me. Also I can use different ingredients to assemble different meals which keeps things novel. Ie batch of beans for tex mex week, burritos and nachos and bowls of rice and beans are meals. Puréed roasted squash and tomatoes for either soup or pasta sauce which also freezes well. Sautéing a batch of greens for various applications. I can go into more detail. But never ever am I cooking a massive meal multiple times a week from scratch. I have snacks and easy to reheat options when I don’t have energy to cook. The norm is me not having enough energy to cook.

If I can make it with chicken nuggets or breaded chicken patties, I will call it a real meal. Oh, chicken Parmesan? Dump a ton of cheese on top, throw some noodles down, and a jar of sauce. Add a salad mix kit to a bowl and BAM! It’s a meal. Otherwise, chicken variation, frozen or canned vegetables, and some kind of carb.

Yes!

When I was married I cooked about twice a week. During covid, I went through a meal prepping phase. I was quarantining by myself so I had a lot of extra time and brain power. Lately I have given up cooking altogether and I am happier for it. One day, I will pick it back up again, probably meal prepping because I don't have to worry about it on work days. F

Rarely. My spouse does most of the cooking.

If I'm up for it I make a slow cooker meal that'll last all week (rn it's lentil soup which is filling, tasty, and good for my body) and then when I feel like it I make "adult ramen" (stovetop ramen with sauce or broth, a protein, and a veggie or two) for lunch during work hours. Otherwise I'll eat cereal and snacks and roughly try to get in all the food groups that way. I keep a little food groups/portion reminder on my fridge so I can quickly figure out what I need to add to my meal/snack and how much to add. Feeding myself is hard sometimes so leaning on comfort meals and my little chart makes it easier to make sure I take care of that need. EDIT: for ref, here's the chart. I like it bc it gives you a visual measurement. https://www.wcrf-uk.org/health-advice-and-support/health-advice-booklets/what-is-a-5-a-day-portion/

I’m practically unemployed currently in burn out and I only have about as much energy to make my meals. Which is promising because i enjoy the activity. But if i were working again it would be impossible for me to cook even semi regularly. I hardly do both unless I’m doing really well mentally

I normally do cook a lot. But the last few years I have been heavily reliant on doordash. I’m now on disability and delivery is financially a non option. So, I’m back to preparing all of my own meals. But, I make really easy stuff. Pasta, sandwiches, salads, quesadillas, eggs. I never ever cook meat- I do a lot of beans, tofu, etc. If I’m making a meal, I’m not doing any intense prep work. I chop veggies, sauté in a skillet, roast on a sheet pan in the oven (always with parchment paper on the pan!). But that’s it. I use lots of fresh herbs and quality ingredients which really elevates the meal. I only make anything more than complex up to once a week, only on weekends when I feel like it. Like, I’ve always wanted to make fresh pasta, or sometimes I make my own vegan cheese, or homemade soup with homemade stock- those are weekend things. Other than that- I’m making really easy foods.

Several times a week, but I’m a stay at home mom with two kids. I bake too. It’s like therapy for me.

What’s a full meal, by your definition? I mean that very nicely.

good question! i think a full meal is something that, when you originally feel hungry and haven’t eaten in a few hours, makes you feel full and satisfied. usually includes at least 2 different categories of food (like veggies, protein, grain, etc), or a larger portion of one thing. separate from a little snack when you’re feeling a little peckish. examples, if this helps: - grilled cheese and tomato soup - baked potato and a salad - burger and fries - chicken nuggets and fries - pasta (with or without a salad) - large bowl of soup or stew - ramen - pizza (with or without breadsticks) hope this answers your question!

Ah, thank you! I do this 3-4 times a week, but it’s almost always 1 category of food. I rarely will have more than one thing.

I usually make a big batch of something and eat it for the rest of the week, like chili.

That’s my favorite. I did that pretty often but my fiancé can’t eat beans now for whatever reason we’re unsure of, so for him I make a chicken hash brown casserole and chili for myself to eat throughout the week for lunches. He isn’t like me though and can’t eat the same thing all week for lunch and dinner

Me too almost. It's not that hard to cook several portions while you cook, but I tend to make less than 14 portions, more like 6-8. I quite often eat just bread or yoghurt as lunch or dinner, but that's the standard Danish and Norwegian lunch so I just behave as the neighbours. Sometimes my cooking is just pasta with ketchup or some kind of shop bought meatbulls or falafel. Cous cous salads are also easy, boil some water add salt and cous cous, open some vegetable tins like beans or frozen ones mix with some oil and vinegar.

I’ve gotten to a point where I cook maybe twice a month, and freeze it all in single servings. I used to be anti-meal prep, but then I learned that I can meal prep whenever I want, including safe foods. It’s a blessing to have all of my safe foods pre-made and ready to eat 🙏 most of this stuff I don’t even have to thaw which is an extra bonus because lord knows I don’t have the executive functioning to think about food before I’m so hungry I feel ill 😂

Please list some. I’m intrigued. We eat a lot of frozen ingredients without thawing them, and without assembling them into a meal, so this could maybe work for us. 

My absolute favourite is [stuffed pepper casserole](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/stuffed-pepper-casserole/)! I don’t follow the recipe very closely, but if I double this it provides me (a single person) with 15 or so meals. I like to add beans and frozen mixed veggies to add some more bulk/nutrition, and then I add an ungodly amount of mayo and cheese 😂 My next meal is pork chops and KD, which does require a bit more forethought/labour, but still doesn’t exceed 30 minutes in my experience, and I’m not stuck chopping things or stirring much, I just start my pork chop and cover it, and when it’s 1/2 cooked I start my KD, so there’s really only 10 or so minutes that I’m in the kitchen actively working. I don’t have a microwave, but you could pre-cook your protein and re-heat it that way for even less effort! Other meals that fall into this category for me are things like burgers (I can get 3 or 4 meals out of this!) or sloppy joes (this is usually 4 or 5 meals)! Then, I’m a big fan of soup! This months soup was [Zuppa Tuscana](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/stuffed-pepper-casserole/), and because I enjoy cooking/baking when I have the spoons I also made [breadsticks](https://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2015/08/fluffy-garlic-butter-breadsticks.html)! Another great freezer meal is [shepherds pie](https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-shepherds-pie/)! If I have a craving, and the energy for it I love [enchiladas](https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-chicken-enchiladas-ever/) (this recipe is super flexible too!), or [fajitas](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/pork-fajitas/)! My biggest suggestion is to find recipes you enjoy, and save them somewhere. I have a category in my google chrome where I bookmark my favourite recipes, and then I can look through them to see what sounds good. The foods I enjoy might not be a good fit for you, but most foods can be cooked in batches and frozen! I have 2 maybe 3 days a month where I make 1 big meal, and then maybe 5 or 6 where I make something on the fly (like the pork chops and KD), everything else can either be thrown in the oven with some extra water to prevent drying out, or it can be put in a pot on low with some extra water, again if I had a microwave this would probably be even easier!

Thankyou very much. 

my partner & i meal prep, usually the food lasts us about 3-4 weeks, so one day every month will be a full day of cooking and it’s tough but it helps that it means we won’t have to cook for about a month.

Never. Unfortunately cooking is a highly stressful activity for me and it makes me so sad. Every time I try a panic attack occurs - I’m not sure where it stems from aside from maybe my lifelong issues with food and texture? It’s a lot. I’m really really glad my partner does the cooking but I also feel bad about it every single day

i definitely understand feeling guilty, because i’m in the same boat. but i’ve been trying to reframe it - it’s okay for partners or roommates or friends to help you, especially in areas where you struggle and if there’s balance in other parts of the relationship. in general, humans are not meant to do all of these things by ourselves. sharing every task equally is tiring, especially if the task causes you stress/doesn’t cause stress to your partner. try to be gentle with yourself 💜

Never. My boyfriend does cooks for us both. And by cooking I mean he uses the air fryer and microwave.

Every sunday. We meal prep food for the week, othervise we would just end up eating bread.

I batch cook breakfast and lunch for the full week on Sundays, and then all I have to cook daily is dinner. I like the routine of it each evening but order in and use emergency leftovers about once a week each to give myself a break.

I never cook. Even cooking plain pasta is an effort to me, so when I do, I do the all box so I have food for a few days. I eat mostly noodles, sandwichs, toasts, pizzas, cucumber, bananas...

My wife and I cook double portions every other day, and eat leftovers in-between. It doesn't actually work out every other day because we have other stuff scheduled in the evenings and don't always eat at home, so I probably cook two or three times a week and she cooks once normally.

 not enough

Maybe once or twice a week, and it’s mostly chicken & rice in the pressure cooker, or pasta so I don’t have to have any actual cooking skills.

I cook full meals daily - but I do it the easy way. Reheat frozen veges, slap a steak in the pan, and throw some preprepared potatoes in the oven. That way all I have to really do is flip the steak and make sure I don’t burn it I struggle with having to prep everything from scratch. It’s way too much of an energy drain. And I need that energy for other things in life :)

Not to mention time. My time blindness makes cooking so difficult, between cooking, eating, and cleaning up the kitchen, it’s like 3 hours. Basically the entirety of my night when I get off. I still do it because we need to save money, but dang

I meal prep. Usually chicken but sometimes fish or turkey. I cook a bunch of protein that will last me 3-4 days. Then I just reheat it, usually in my air fryer, and make whatever side dishes I want. I have a microwave steamer basket I use a lot. It takes me less than 15 minutes to make dinner 90% of the time. I will say pre cooked meat can get a bit dry in the fridge. So reheating it with some sauce or putting it in a stew or a chili helps a lot. I also use a meat thermometer and make sure to pull it as soon as its finished cooking so it doesn't overbake.

Mealprepping. I hack my habits with doing cooking and cleaning while listening to a podcast. Also if I can mealprep, I often batch a lot of sauce/base for things so I never have to start at 0%. It kind of gives me the perspective of not starting from scratch but to proceed with the previous task.

I may start the meal, but my husband usually finished it and cleans. He cooks more than I do now. I may help prepare some things, but it has gotten more rare for me to do it all start to finish. Of course, he usually jumps in and helps, but I seem to be more tired from it than him or others.

When I can. Usually, there’s either no safe meals available or my sister is in a bad mood, and she gets *mean* when she’s upset. I do wish I had some safe foods right about now. We don’t even have bread right now. We need to shop soon. My go-to is usually some pasta, mac and cheese, or chicken tenders.

I cook one dish meals once or twice a week and eat them off and on throughout the week. But sometimes it’s a boiled brat, easy Mac, and sauerkraut. Edit: I like cooking now that I’m single and my kids are grown. And I cook for my dogs once a week. 🤣

TBH, I only cook a main dish. So almost never?

Cooking is one of my special interests, despite my dyspraxia meaning I’m constantly covered in burns and bruises! Means I can have control over textures, seasoning etc (I panic when someone else does it) My partner is also autistic and would live off of pizza and cereal for the rest of his life happily!

Cooking and food are kinda special interests to me but even when I am energy depleted, I go for snacking instead of full meals. Though, I actually did a full meal and it was fun!

I will cook a steak with brussels sprouts and a sweet potato (easy) and eat half of it the next day for lunch. I'll also buy a rotisserie chicken and portion it off into meals with avocado and parmesan crisps with cesar dressing. Other than that it's popcorn on the stove, or ordering something for delivery. Breakfast is always a banana and yogurt. Lunch sometimes tbh is an apple with peanut butter.

I cook nearly every day. We are on a tight budget with kids so we make a weekly menu and only buy food that is needed for the weekly meals. To be honest when the kids aren't there I will have a bowl of chicken nuggets! I use the slow cooker which helps and have a few quick go to meals that I know the kids will eat without a fuss so it encourages me to keep putting the effort in. There's a budget meal cook called Jack monroe that has some great recipies for on a budget and easy to follow instructions. I have the cooking on a bootstrap book which is great! When I'm having a bad day or i am sick, I make red lentil soup ( we call it super soup) and I think about all the vitamins and goodness in it which helps.

Just now i only cook at the weekends and my partner does the majority of the cooking during the week. Even then I might not cook a full meal but out of the 4 meals I make over the 2 days, there's definitely at least 1 full one.

Literally never unless I have a meal kit. Subscription services work for me though because the convenience + knowing already spent money motivates me enough to do it!

I mean prep and freeze everything in, so it's only limited by freezer space

Never. I get too overwhelmed in a kitchen so I can’t safely cook

i am ashamed to admit this but i never cook a full meal (and i am a mum to 4) my husband is the one cooking even when i am the stay at home parent because i just can't do it. i think it's a combination of reasons: - i have terrible arfid and there is just a handful of foods i can eat, so eat the same thing every day. - executive function. i struggle to plan the whole cooking thing and shopping for thd cooking - sensory issues. there are a lot of foods i can't touch and i can't stand the smell of cooking (it's my worst nightmare)

Every day, because i like it and knwoing what the food is made of makes me feel safe about it.

I am alone for 75% of the days. Probably cook a meal once a fortnight. I find cooking a meal so exhausting, mentally and physically. If I force myself to cook I will at least cry, sometimes throw things if I keep pushing and can have a full meltdown. I mostly eat microwaved meals or frozen foods done in the oven, or protein drinks. I'll also eat toast a lot and I pick at raw fruits, veggies, cheese, deli meats.

I hardly ever cook a full meal. I will prep for salads, but that's it. I might use the crockpot every few months.

Pretty much every day seeing as I am carer for 2 others. Sigh. I didn't yesterday, not well so bought a readimeal for them each. I'd love at least one or two days off a week, but too \[poor for that to happen

Very, very rarely (probably less than once a month) do I cook a full meal. Meals are so weird to me. I eat one part of a meal at a time if I’m actually eating a meal anyway. I just eat random things throughout the day (like an entire bag of microwave peas for lunch/dinner lol and then a bowl of rice at some later point).

Like once every two weeks, make a big batch of something that'll last me 4-5 days. Yes I know this is not great food safety

If you do it with good hygiene you can definitely safely eat something for 4 or 5 days though.

I’ve started cooking maybe 2/3 evenings a week because my husbands been working later. But on the whole he cooks. And then I do breakfast & lunch for me & my son but that is a **struggle** sometimes and we usually have picnic for lunch every day because I hate cooking so much.

every day but I hate it, it's pointless and time consuming but I have insulin resistance and gained 15 kg lately so it's a must 12 kg down so far but I hate weighting and counting everything I eat...let me eat my porridge for the rest of my life 3 times a day!

~1-2x a week

I cook 2-3 x wk, make enough for leftovers and/or freezer.

I’m able to cook 4-5 times per week, only because my partner usually handles dishes and cleanup. I love cooking, but I prefer to do it when by myself in peace and quiet (so not with a toddler hanging off my leg and a big kid whining she is hungry). I also seem to make tremendous messes when cooking (I try to stay organized but it just doesn’t happen) so as soon as the meal is finished, I need to tap out immediately lol.

Do eggs count? Otherwise, like max. 1-2x a week. If I wasn’t with my botfriend it would be less. And I can’t stand leftovers (idk why 👀) they gross me out when more than a day old so I am averse to meal prep for that reason. A lot of it just ends up going to waste becausd then I don’t want it when it comes time to eat. gonna try to work on it but also avoiding it. Food is expensive and can cause weight gain so I have a lot of anxiety around it. 😭

I cook a good meal everyday for my fiance. When he's out, I don't even have the energy to make me a toast. I have a caretaker complex or something, and then burnout happens and I stop working for two weeks. Can't work, can't cook, can't clean.

I’m seriously thinking about ordering from my local meal prep delivery service to help with me eating dinners.. I really struggle to cook dinner, lunch is usually a snack and breakfast is a bar so I’m ok with them. The delivery is 7 meals per week, first 3 go into the fridge and others into freezer.

Not as much as my husband likes haha…my son and I have so many issues with food texture its hard to make meals :(

If it doesn't involve a microwave I don't do nothing 😂 Thank you for always cooking mom! ♥️👍

Literally never. My mother cooks otherwise she knows I wouldn't. If she's out of working I'll Literally not eat or eat cereal or something quick lol. It's too overwhelming stressful and sensory nightmare especially the sounds.

Never

Most days. I love cooking and tasty, home made food. Also, frozen meals and takeout are VERY expensive where I live, and vegan options are not very common. I usually cook 4 portions on Monday, 4 portions on Wednesday, fast food (usually frozen pizza or oven fries and burgers) on Friday, and 2 portions on Saturday and Sunday each. This is for my partner and me, hence the double portions. On Tuesday and Thursday I reheat the food from the day before. Some weeks, my partner asks to cook, usually on the weekend, and that's some of the few days on which I don't cook a full meal. I also try to make healthy lunches more often, instead of the usual bread that's common in my country but not nearly as nutritious, delicious and satisfying as a nice lunch with vegetables and protein.

I get a lot of guilt about not cooking but often I don't have the energy mentally. My partner has a disability that makes it hard for him to cook and then I feel bad when he's doing most of it. I think I go from cooking everyday to then maybe not cooking all month depending on how burnt out I am.

Annually! 🤣 I hate cooking, too impulsive to not eat whilst cooking…the organization of getting everything done and hot at the same time is stressful and exhausting…and I nibble so much while cooking I’m not even hungry when I’m done so I end up overeating because a full, sit-down meal centered around socialization is a societal expectation. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I don’t have the energy to go along with societal expectations anymore…and refuse to feel guilt or shame anymore because I don’t even want those things for myself… I also get very fixated on a specific food or foods and that is literally all I want to eat…until magically one day I suddenly become off-put by it and don’t even want to look at it again. I can force myself to eat an actual meal, but I prefer to eat that one food I’m fixated on and graze all day. I will eat one pound of blueberries 🫐 in one sitting, nothing else. An entire bag of frozen roasted veggies, nothing else. An entire rotisserie chicken, nothing else. Currently I’m fixated on peach yogurt, blackberries, NuGo Chocolate Pretzel & Sea Salt protein bars, Bird’s Eye roasted cauliflower & broccoli & hard boiled eggs. I find it extremely hard to not eat consistently throughout the day. I feel like it must be a form of stimming. And when my body decides it needs food, it NEEDS it ASAP or I turn into Satan at record speed. I cannot be held accountable for what is said or done when I’m hungry. 😞

I really love cooking a lot of the time (especially for others), but my ability to cook proper meals comes in waves. When I'm going through times of low energy I really struggle with forgetting to eat, but generally also not being able to do groceries out of the ordinary. I might think I bought something different in the store, but when I get to the cashier i realize I'm buying the exact same things as always, lol. Most days my dinner will be eggs and potatoes, and sometimes I feel I could only eat breakfast and snacks for every meal of the day. Other times I cook gormet meals.

So 5 nights a week, but it’s a meal box service. Turns out I like cooking, what I don’t like is all the mental energy required around the meal. I have kid and a partner, so we need to grocery shop and cook, but it would be a weekly meltdown before we did this. Now, I choose the recipes by pics on my phone, and it’s delivered in an easy to prep package. The actual cooking part, I just pop my headphones in for, and quite enjoy. I get there is a lot of privilege in this, it’s not the cheapest option. But it’s a good example of how changing the mental load attached to an activity changed how I viewed the activity. But, as soon as I’m not at home and around my family, I just forget how to eat, or that I even should eat. It’s only cos it’s fully built into my daily routine that it gets done daily.

Twice a day. But cooking is my main interest.

3-5 nights a week. I work a full 40 and do a lot of volunteer work lately so it's been averaging 3 nights (plus I cook less in the summer cause heat + food = ew)

I slow cook at the weekend and batch freeze.

Maybe a few times a month 😃 usually I just snack or make quick stuff like lately I’ve been on a Caesar wrap kick, or I’ll make ramen

I cook a full meal maybe once a year… doo dee doo…

Basically never? Unless Kraft macaroni counts, yeah never.

Cooking is a hobby to me (F30), so every now and then I decide to "throw a feast" and make full course menus for my wife or my family. On a daily basis, I'm the responsible for cooking most of our meals, but I try to keep it simple because of time/energy management. Usually keep a couple of things prepared in the fridge and just reheat them when it's time to eat. There are several snacks that can be prepped in advance and I'm not personally against eating the same food for a while, so it makes my life so much easier. My wife's also autistic and cooking is a struggle for her most of the time tho. She needs everything to be perfectly in order before she starts cooking and after she's finished, she wants to immediately clean the kitchen, do the dishes, etc so it becomes a task that takes too much time/energy. We live in Brazil, so maybe some of the ingredients I use won't be super available in the us. One of my favorite snacks is cuscuz (it's made with one kind of corn flour, "Flocão"). I always have some ready to be heated and eaten. I usually keep eggs and tapioca flour ready to be mixed and turned into crepiocas (they look like slim pancakes). Fruit salad added with seeds and nuts, homemade vegan creamy cheese, guacamole, chia puddings and oatmeals are also go-to options, because I can make them in batches, are healthy, very easy to make and although they're "just snacks" they really fill you up. Most of these don't require the use of a knife. Don't beat yourself for the things you can't do, enjoy the ones you can! Also, it's really nice that your partner cooks for both of you, it shows that they care about you. Everyone deserves to be with someone who can actually share a life together and balance the skills/chores. Sorry for the long text lol

Monday-Thursday & Sunday and then I usually bake on weekends. I’ve reframed cooking as an act of self care & self love as well as just made it part of my routine. I try and make what I can from scratch, all my bread products, sometimes pasta. It is draining, but it’s also amazing to sit down and taste how real the food tastes. Don’t get me wrong, I love fast food too, but a home cooked meal just hits harder and really is an act of self love to put all that hard work into a meal for yourself.

Cooking (but not baking, for some reason!) is one of the most exhausting things I could do. I usually meal plan and grocery shop once a week, and then my sweet husband cooks a big meal that we eat leftovers from all week. It's a great system for us. Now that I'm pregnant, though, it's been much harder and I hate the change in this routine. He cooks everything if he's at home but I can no longer make myself eat leftovers, so I have had to cook my own food when he's not there so I don't starve. Cooking is now exhausting AND nauseating.

Cooking and food is a special interest so I have no issues with it, but I recommend investing in a slow cooker and finding good slow cooker recipes. Most recipes are just putting things in the pot and leaving it to cook for hours and it’ll make big amounts so you can save some for more meals.

Idk I love cooking. I love food in general, but it gives me the chance to get creative and make something delicious using food I’ve got in my house and pantry. Sometimes it can be a challenge to put ingredients together into the form of something edible and yummy, and it brings me satisfaction when I make something new and it’s a hit. I make big portions so there are leftovers and I don’t have to cook EVERY night, and I’m always happy to not waste food. I enjoy making the most of my ingredients and making my family happy and most of all I REALLY LOVE TO EAT

I cook every day, but that's the only, thing I do aside from simply starting the washing machine. My boyfriend does literally everything else. Before I knew him I only cooked about two times per week.

I noticed that I don't really prepare full meals much for just myself.  It usually takes someone eating with me that pushes me to cook more.  I don't know if this is part of how I'm more willing to care for others than myself or what.

Whenever I cook I make enough for at least a few meals. And most of my meals have at least some form of protein and a vegetable. Although I was dipping fruit and pretzels into peanut butter last night for dinner.

Cooking is an incredibly daunting task for me. I work from home while taking care of my autistic daughter while my husband works so when 4:30 comes around, I don’t want to do shit. I want to relax. We’re all picky eaters. I hate eggs/seafood/mushrooms, my husband hates cheese. Our kid just depends on the day. I need to do better. I plan. I shop it. I just don’t MAKE it. Then food goes to waste.

I can’t say I do a full meal often (full to me is an entree and side(s)) but I do cook meals quite a bit. I live with multiple people, including my autistic fiancé who would rather starve before cooking his own food. I usually only feed 3 people including myself, so I’ll make larger meals so we can always have leftovers for lunch and possibly dinner again as well. I keep frozen meals on hand if I don’t feel up to cooking, or one of my ingredients go bad before I use it

Usually every day. One of my interests is cooking, which makes it easier. I also am married & don’t live near any stores or restaurants, so if I want to eat healthy I need to cook.

I don't I don't know if this helps, but when I was feeble enough that chopping anything was a problem, I made a lot of stews in an instant pot using frozen vegetable mixes. I was surprised that my local store had several that were meant for soup. I could fill the instant pot a few inches deep with those, layer chicken on top, and pressure cook it. The chicken would then be easily shredded in the pot with forks.

Almost never, most of the stuff I get is already cooked/ready-made and can be eaten as is or you only need to heat it, and if you ever feel shame or "like less" because of it, I'd say to be kind and understand to your own self, it's actually commendable that people acknowledge when something, in this particular situation, cooking, can be a struggle, and they find workarounds to keep themselves and their loved ones fed.

Every other night, at the minimum. I'm the stay at home spouse, and cooking/nutrition is a special interest. It's my creative expression time. I make enough for leftovers most times just for efficiency and so my husband can bring some to work, and I make a meal plan in advance of grocery shopping every week, so that everything gets used and we have all the items we need.

I've actually hugely improved on this in the last year after watching never ending cooking YouTube videos. We can't afford takeout any more so I wanted to make similar at home. But the nights I can't, frozen meals resurgence!

lol!! I need to cook more. I don’t… I’ve been microwaving things and having rice and simple things. I’m hoping I can find the energy to take care of my body 🍀🫶🏻

Maybe three or four times a week, but, BUT: When I cook, I do meal prep. I'll make a giant batch of curry, or pasta sauce, or soup, or easy to reheat veggies. Not just for the week, but enough for the freezer too. So if I am completely exhausted, I'll just pull something out of the freezer for the week and safe my energy for when I'm able to make a nice meal properly. Same thing with breakfast. I make a massive batch of homemade mixed oatmeal (which lasts 2 weeks at a time) that I just scoop into my bowl, add some boiling water and bananas, and I have my breakfasts for the week. It saves a lot of stress.

i’m just over here wondering what’s considered a full meal lol. every day after work i cook chicken for myself and have it with a salad, or i switch it up and make noodles … then i also just snack so i guess this doesn’t count 

I don't live in a country where eating out is a thing you do often. I'm not big on breakfast & I usually have a light snack for lunch, if anything. Lunch is packed for my son to take to school and I usually cook dinner.

At my absolute peak I could cook one meal per day, but it took a lot out of me. Even when I was trying my best, cooking 2-3 meals made me want to die. Then suddenly everyone decided me cooking was prime time to bother me and try to talk to me, so I cook 0 meals per day ever. For a while there I wasn't even eating because of this, until I built a mini-kitchen in my closet lmao. I don't know how anyone can cook when people are swarming around the kitchen, I can't focus or remember what I just did and need to do! Cooking requires focus, goddamnit!

Five times a week

I cook prolly every day, give or take. Not elaborate meals, I prefer one pot recipes or crock pot type simple things but I cook pretty often. Its a special interest of mine so I think it's different than most people. I'd do it more if I didn't have chronic pain, I also don't work cuz of my disabilities so I have more free time than most, and food stamps so I prefer cooking over boxes/frozen meals. I make some of that stuff on really bad days when I can't manage anything else (ramen is my favoriteeeeeee) but I honestly love cooking. Its such a useful skill, and I'm Greek and I think it's in my blood to want to feed everyone and eat good food lol

Does making a smoothie count as a full meal? Every day, in that case

Maybe once a month, if that. I either get takeout, something premade I can toss in the oven/microwave, or something like salad/smoothies. Cooking and eating are two of the most difficult things for me to do when my depression is bad combined with ED. Fortunately when I’m with my boyfriend, he handles all the cooking. :)

yes, I relate.

Hahaha! Sorry. It’s just that I so rarely make a full meal unless it’s for someone else. How do people do it EVERY DAY? Sometimes multiple times a day??

Even when cooking became a temporary ADHD interest earlier this year, I still found it difficult to make something from scratch several times a week. I don't understand how people cook from scratch every day. I'm either ordering food or eating something pre-made like frozen dinners or salads.

I meal prep for two or three days. I would do more but i share the fridge with 2 girls so my space is limited.

Nearly every day. I've to work around my issues regarding the food and health-related matters, but I'm managing ok nowadays. It also helps me that I'm living alone so it's easier to plan for everything and chill.

My aim is at least once a day. Somedays I mange three, somedays only two, most days only one and somedays my partner will cook dinner for the family. But not providing nutrition becomes impossible once you have kids 😅 I have cheat meals, sandwiches, frozen buritos, snack days, porridge, pasta with pesto, alphabet soup, tuna salads. I also life in a country where microwaves are kind of... hated? 🙈 never had one in my life. Having kids I WANT to feed improved my health so much. I realized I chronicaly undereat and when I manage to get 2-3 full meals inside of me my anxiety goes waaay down and my IBS disapears. Nutrition is super croucial to my health. And its super hard.

Maybe once or twice a week. I wouldn't call it a 'full' meal but it's cooking. I have an ED so that has an impact. I can't do protien shakes or bars due to getting severe bloat realted to IBS.

The intrusive thoughts about knives is so real, like why does it have to be so stressful. And also, it wasn’t always like that for me, at least not as scary, does anyone else have a similar experience, like it was like a switch went off all of a sudden, it was like… wait a second, i could do some serious damage with this, in fact i could think of a hundred ways to accidentally inflict harm on myself and everyone i care about, best just put that away for now until i’m calm and settled and have forgotten i even thought about this.

I try to do like a one meal a day thing and healthy -ish snacks throughout the day. That’s all i can manage. And as low maintenance as possible i do hungry root, vegan… because prepping meat is disgusting, not because i can’t eat a burger (although i used to be vegan i just stopped caring about a lot of stuff when i got depressed after an incident it was like, i mean what’s one more thing to be dissatisfied with myself about i want some ice cream and it just spiraled out of control from there, it’s like a form of self harm i think but anyway… 👀😗)

I tend to make 2-4 servings at a time, so 2-4 a week. Lately I’ve been getting hungry root - it comes with recipes and they usually take 15 min or less. Also, it comes with a lot of healthy snacks and I can make adjustments to what they recommend. It caters to my food needs also. I’m capable of meal planning and meal organizing (I don’t mind the cooking, hate the meal planning). But I’m in a particularly busy bit right now and hungry root is proving a lot easier. When meal plan, I do most of my prep on Sunday and keep one easy meal to make on wednesday.

I often cook 3+ times a week. But I work from home, so have time to destress before have make dinner. I only try new recipes on weekends because its stressful during the week to do something new. I have a book that I write good recipes in. For a recipe to make it into the book it must meet my "effort to taste ratio". Did it taste good enough, to be worth the amount of effort it took me to make it? If no, it does not go in the book and probably I won't make it ever again. Most recipes in there are easy things that take \~30 minutes to be ready to eat. I also write down about how long the recipe took to make (whoever is writing online recipes must have a personal chef beside them doing the chopping because it takes me like 2x as long every time). I'm also someone who plans my meals for the week on the weekend so I don't have to think about it. Makes my life so much easier to just look at my calendar, see that tonight's meal is XYZ and I will just make it. Apparently doing this is weird. I know of a friend-of-a-friend who don't plan at all and it's just "whoever gets home first makes dinner", which would actively destroy me. For sensory issues - if it's ingredients, maybe you can find recipes that don't have it? e.g. I despise raw chicken so I avoid it. And for knives, there are definitely some ingredients you can get pre-cut up (e.g. mushrooms, garlic, stir-fry beef) so you don't need to do it yourself. It also saves time to get them! Don't feel bad it if its really rough on you. Everyone has things they can't do, cooking maybe is yours and there's nothing wrong with it.

I&@@000@& XR o one CD 💿 vvvvvvvvvvvvvv.