DORIAN

Cut up a selection of fresh fruits and put them into Tupperware containers for an easy, healthy snack

Cut up or shred a rotisserie chicken into pieces and dissect into portions for an easy protein source to add to pre-made salads or noodles

Make large batches of things that you like the taste or texture of when reheated in a microwave, like soups.

Cut up vegetables for you so you can cook with them more easily

Make up sandwiches you can easily put in a toasted sandwich maker

Pack lunchboxes for you with balanced foods and nutrition

Help with simple recipes until you feel confident to try them on your own

Help break down recipes for you to understand easier

Bake batches of healthy snack food that doesn’t need to be warmed up (I’ll link some recipes below)

Make batches of freezable things that still have a good texture once defrosted in the microwave or oven (scrolls, sausage rolls)

Help you script phone calls so you can order takeaway or delivery of food

Help you identify gaps on your nutritions and how to fill them with foods you like

Try new foods with you so you don’t have to do it alone

For people without support workers who are struggling:

Buy pre cut, pre cooked, frozen vegetables. They can be cooked in the microwave or on the stove top. They also do this for onions for anyone who hates chopping onions.

Buy packets of pre sliced meats like roast chicken breast, ham or salami to add to meals for some protein

Cut back on the steps in recipes as much as possible. One meal I’ve been finding good lately is stir fry. I use a pre made stir fry sauce, pre cut beef strips, and a stir fry vegetable mix from Cole’s. If you want to add some noodles, the easiest way is by adding some two minute noodles, but if you’re confident to cook noodles like udon, they go really well. Another simpler alternative is to mix in some microwave rice.

Use tubes of garlic and ginger. It cuts back on the work of cutting and cleaning.

A basic rule of thumb for seasoning is that you want a fat, salt and acid. Fats can be butter, ghee, lard or olive oil, salt can be table salt or a salty sauce or cheese like soy or Parmesan, and an acid can be citrus, wine, tomatoes or garlic. My favourite combination for vegetables is olive oil, salt and garlic powder, but another great one is olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan. Butter and garlic go really well together too.

Buy pre made salad kits. All you have to do is mix the ingredients together and maybe add a protein like chicken.

Use microwave rice. There’s lots of variations of it too, including mixes with quinoa.

Buy fruits that are easy to prepare, like apples and bananas.

Buy snacks that are easy to prepare, like pre packaged snacks or carrots and hummus. Chobani does squeezy yoghurts marketed towards adults, including high protein low fat variations.

Links for recipes below:

1. Routine — get into a routine of doing your workout on specific days. On an even smaller scale, have a ritual you follow. I start off my having a pre workout drink and setting a timer for fifteen minutes before I work out to get me into the right headspace.

2. Workout from home — gyms are incredibly overwhelming. Workout from home to avoid other people, noise and routine disruptions. My favourite way to work out at home is with resistance bands.

3. Choose the right music and headphones — music is a big part of getting into exercise. Use whatever works for you, even if it seems silly.

4. Use a token economy — a token economy is the term we use in behavioural psychology to describe things like star charts and reward systems. For each time you work out you get a point, star or token. Choose a number of tokens to earn and once you’ve earned them you can have a reward.

5. Make the space you work out in sensory friendly — incorporate any sensory needs you have into your workout space. This means choosing a space where you can control and dim the lighting or whatever your sensory needs may be.