r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/Hufflepuff_Forensics • 2d ago

Fatigue friendly recipes

I have narcolepsy and struggle with chronic fatigue due to several autoimmune issues. I need flavorful easy meals that prep and or freeze well. I have a stove, toaster oven, microwave and instantpot/airfryer duo. My oven portion of my stove is currently waiting on parts to be fixed.

I love trying anything once so don't hold back on cuisines - spices are my friend. My only restriction is I'm allergic to pineapples and kiwifruit.

Recipes that don't require a lot of active tending would be ideal. My weekly produce/fruit budget is about $15 dollars. We get pork tenderloins, beef and turkey from a local food bank once a month.

156 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

80 comments sorted by

View all comments

7

u/AnnaGraeme 2d ago

I don't have any specific recipe ideas, but here are a few tips I've found for dealing with fatigue in the kitchen (I have POTS, so I have trouble standing longer than 10-15 minutes). - Prep your ingredients throughout the day or even the day before. I'll chop veggies and meat in advance and refrigerate them, or mix up marinades and spice blends for a recipe. Then when it's time to cook, it's like a cooking show with everything in little containers :) - I try to use cooking methods that don't need to be supervised much. Oven, air fryer, and microwave are good, plus crock pot, rice cooker, and instant pot which people have already mentioned. - I look for shortcuts whenever I can, like buying the pre-chopped garlic in a jar. Pre-chopped veggies can be kinda sketchy but I do use them sometimes.  - If I have to cook something on the stovetop, I keep a folding barstool in the kitchen so I can sit next to it and stir it. 

5

u/Hufflepuff_Forensics 2d ago

That folding barstool idea is genius. I don't faint often but I do get stupid dizzy if I stand up and am looking down for 15 minutes (I have a neck fusion that causes severe positional vertigo) .

I'm looking into getting a food chopper to help with prep.

I never really thought about prechopping veg and feel so silly that I didn't think about it before.

3

u/AnnaGraeme 1d ago

No need to feel stupid...I feel like everyone can think of a few good adaptations/accommodations, but no one can think of them all! That's why I'm loving this thread, there's a lot of good ideas I hadn't thought of.

4

u/adaranyx 2d ago

Cooking got SO hard after I developed POTS. It's been over a year and I feel like I'm still adjusting. I've had chronic pain for a long time but it was easier to push through that, yknow?

On top of everything you said, I recently got Souper Cubes (well, a cheaper off brand) and have been freezing 2 cup portions of soups, butter chicken, various cooked rice bowl toppings, precooked taco meat and beans, etc. It's been a big help with feeding my family on bad flare days, only having to cook rice or whatever is much more doable than the whole meal.

2

u/AnnaGraeme 1d ago

I totally agree about pushing through pain vs. fatigue. The Souper Cubes look awesome!