I know you know you need to meal prep, as do I, but what do you do if you haven’t had the time to prepare this week?
Maybe it’s because you’re exhausted from work, the weekend or the general daily bashings of life, or maybe you’re like me…plain lazy.
However it happened, lack of energy or time, how will you maintain your diet, to some degree, now the weekend is over and you’re super busy?
Try these super-fast emergency foods to get you through the week, and then resume your usual prep next week
The Lazy Guide to Meal Prep – Emergency Food
I’ve always been taught that when a job is worth doing it’s worth doing well, but I think a job not done at all is worse
…and that’s what the lazy guide to meal prep is all about.
Think of this article as an emergency meal prep protocol, by no means is this best practice (for that you should read our ultimate meal prep guide)
Neither is this a guide to meal prepping in less time (for that you should read our guide to meal prepping for the week in under 2 hours)
This guide is to help you salvage the most from a bad situation. When S**t has hit the fan, everything is up in the air and it’s too easy to completely spoil your diet if you’re not careful.
It’s for those occasions where you have been unable to do any sort of meal prepping beforehand.
These quick to prepare meals are handy for those sticky situations and if you ever find yourself in one, you’ll be glad you have this guide to refer to.
Emergency Meal Prep ready in less than 15 minutes
Fish Finger Sandwich
It may sound completely ridiculous but this classic has got me out of trouble plenty of times and it takes literally zero effort to make. Perfect for those particularly lazy days
The classic recipe is simple:
- Two slices of bread
- 4 fish fingers (cooked obviously, under the grill or in the oven)
- A squeeze of reduced sugar ketchup
- Some lettuce (optional)
Bish, bash, bosh!
But we know the world is full of people who like to take pictures of their food and share it on social media (as if anyone cares!), so we have come up stolen a recipe for those guys too.
It’s the same thing, but more fancy. Instead of regular bread use a ciabatta. In place of ketchup use mashed avocado and tomato slices. Anyways here’s how to make it:
- Put the fish fingers under the grill as directed on the packet (unusually around for 12-15 mins). Then bring a pan of water to the boil
- Halve a ciabatta
- Mix the shredded lettuce with the yoghurt and season with lemon juice.
- Spread this on both pieces of bread.
- Turn the water down and poach the egg in the simmering water for 2-3 mins to your preference.
- Take the water off the heat
- Place the sliced tomato and avocado on one piece of bread and top with the grilled fish finger. Retrieve the egg from the water and place on top
- Carefully lay the other piece of bread on top and serve
Simple, although the more fancy you make it the longer it takes to prepare, and for me personally sooner is better than later.
For more variations on the classic finger sandwich visit the Birdseye website where they have a whole bunch
Sardines and Microwave Rice
Yep as simple as it sound
One can of sardines and half a pouch of microwave rice (or more as you need). Serve with some greenery to complete the dish, if you can be bothered.
Canned sardines are already cooked and ready to eat so the cook time for this is next to nothing, but that doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy
Sardines are an excellent source of omega-3, vitamin D and B12 and they contain plenty of protein too.
I prefer them packed in olive oil but for those concerned with their fat intake, they also come packed in saline or spring water
If you’re purchasing fresh sardines, look for ones that smell fresh, are firm to the touch, and have bright eyes and shiny skin. Although, this is not the lazy way.
Tuna Sandwich
- One can of tuna
- A squeeze of mayo
- Two slices of bread
- Sliced cherry tomatoes with spinach or lettuce for your greens
- A bit of salt, a crack of black pepper
- Corn (optional)
For those who want a low fat option, try using a fat free salsa in place of mayo or some Greek yoghurt. Either way you will need to add something to the tuna or labour through the dryness.
And for those on a low carb diet, remove the bread and have it as a salad
Tuna Salad
- Readymade salad, or chop a few vegetables yourself and make your own
- Can of tuna
- A squeeze of mayo
- A little wholegrain djon mustard for flavour (optional)
- A bit of salt, a crack of black pepper
- Microwave a few new potatoes if you want some added carbs, then call it a tuna potato salad.
To cook the new potatoes in the microwave: wash them, stab them a few times with a fork, and halve them (will cook faster), place into a microwaveable bowl with lid (or baking dish), microwave on full for anywhere between 5 – 10 minutes and stab with fork again to check if done (should be soft throughout)
Breakfast of slobs – Mackerel
Toasted Wholemeal Bread
A smoked mackerel fillet
Soft boiled egg or Poached
Salt and black pepper
A sprinkle of chives
So there you have it emergency meals you can prepare rapidly when you either forget to meal prep, or choose not to. If you want to meal prep properly check out the ‘ultimate guide to meal prep’, alternatively check out how to meal prep for the week in under 2 hours.
