Emergency Calories (0-1 Spoon)
Food can be a struggle on really bad days, no matter what the circumstances are. You hurt too much to make something, or maybe itās the thought of the dishes afterwards thatās too daunting to bear. Maybe youāre too brain-fogged for whatever reason to decide on a thing to actually make, or hyperfocused too long on something and come out of it so hungry that itās turned to nausea and/or headache, and the thought of any real food is sickening. Either way, the problemās the same - too much hunger, not enough spoons to fix the problem.
The way Iāve found to deal with that is to keep a small stock of emergengy calories on hand; the kind of thing that needs minor preparation at most, and at most one dish and a utensil. Most of them donāt even need that much. Sometimes, just the act of cramming some emergency calories into my face has unlocked enough spoons to be able to manage an actual meal. So hereās a list of the emergency calories that have been my saviours, particularly since my fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Peanuts: zero prep, zero utensil, zero spoons. Peanuts (and most other nuts, if youāve got a peanut allergy) are high in protein and fat, because nut oil, and while not particularly high in carbs, theyāve got enough to be going on with. This makes them a quick-burn and a slow-burn food, and can be supplemented with other things that are higher in carbohydrates to get more of a quick pick-me-up. Thing is, itās the longer-term energy that I tend to be going for when I shove a handful of peanuts into me, since Iām generally hoping that itāll perk me up enough to make an actual meal. Thatās why I keep a bag of salted peanuts in the cupboard; if I canāt make myself prepare anything and need something a little more substantial than the usual snack foods, Iāll just pour myself a handful and munch.
Dried fruit: zero prep, utensils, and spoons, at least in terms of consumption. I have a whole entry planned about why a dehydrator is the best investment anyone who lives with a really tight spoon budget can make, but if you donāt have one, store-bought dried fruit is fine. A little expensive, maybe, but sticking with raisins helps with that, and getting those little snack-boxes of raisins may end up a nice little nostalgia trip back to elementary school lunches and that one trick-or-treat house no one really wanted to go to because the raisins werenāt even chocolate-coated. For something that feels a little more prepared and tastes a little more interesting, mixing raisins and peanuts is really nice, giving an interesting range of textures and flavours. Sometimes a handful of peanuts plus a little box of raisins can unlock a whole spoon with which to cook an actual meal, Iāve found.
Potato chips: zero prep, utensils, and spoons. Maybe not the healthiest choice, but sometimes itās the only choice. They recommend plain salted chips (or crisps) for chemotherapy patients for a reason; theyāre easy on the stomach and help replenish lost salts. Whether theyāre fixing a salt deficiency, fixing a blood sugar deficiency, or just a placebo, I donāt care; I find a little bag of crisps settles my stomach when Iāve left it too long between meals and have the nausea as a result.
Rice cakes or crackers: minimal-to-zero prep, utensils, and spoons. It all depends on how youāre eating them. You can have them plain - they even have flavoured rice cakes now - and that takes no spoons or anything. On the other hand, if youāre up to picking up a knife or pulling something out of the fridge, rice cakes and crackers are a good, light, easy-on-the-stomach alternative as a vessel for something that actually tastes of something. For instance:
Peanut butter: minimal prep, utensils, and spoons. Peanut butter (or any other nut butter, again accounting for allergies) can be eaten with a finger out of the jar if youāre really having a bad day, but if you can manage a spoon, just eating a couple of spoonfuls from the jar works just as well. Thereās also the option of dipping something like dried banana or apple chips or something into the peanut butter and eating it that way, if youāve gone the dried fruit route. However, if you can manage a knife and maybe a plate, this provides scope for peanut butter sandwiches or just peanut butter spread on rice cakes. If inspired that way, there could even be PB&J. Itās shelf-stable, so it doesnāt go bad very quickly, and has the same basic benefits as the nuts on their own. Maybe more sugar and/or salt, is all.
Sliced lunch meat: minimal-to-zero prep, utensils, and spoons. Like the rice cakes - in fact, part of why the rice cakes are there is because they can be part of a low-spoon charcuterie board sort of set-up. Way less expensive than Lunchables. Or, if you just need some protein that isnāt a nut, just roll up a piece of whatever lunch meat youāve picked up and nosh away. Same basic thing as jerky or dried sausages, but both those can be kind of salty and a bit more effort to eat than someone might be up for, and both are a lot harder to put on a cracker.
Cheese: minimal-to-zero prep, utensils, and spoons. Whether real cheese, Kraft Singles, or some lactose-free version of cheese, itās still got protein and fat and is useful for something you can just quickly eat right out of the fridge, or spread on crackers if itās cream cheese or soft cheese, or slap together a cheese sandwich with. A versatile way of getting your protein in on the same tier as the lunch meat.
The deciding factors on all of these are how long they take to go bad. Fresh fruit is a great snack but any time you buy fruit, youāre making a commitment to either eating it all before it goes off or wasting food, and that latterās a pretty common outcome, particularly when some of oneās symptoms can lead to forgetfulness. Thatās another one Iāll point out in the dehydrator-related entry, but for now, sticking strictly with the basics - that these are good, solid snack options for days when there are just no spoons left, and are sometimes effective enough to replenish a spoon for cooking a real meal. Just the one, generally, but itās like one of those tiny minor mana potions you get in video games; sometimes that one spoon is the difference between getting something done and not. Itās enough, sometimes.
These are just my recommendations for the little essentials that should be sitting in the cupboard somewhere in case of emergencies - the kinds of things that Iāve learned will keep me going when Iām struggling and too hungry to function. If youāve got any further ideas for little snacks for bad days, additions are welcome. I havenāt put soups in here because theyāre not really near-instant calorie sources; Iāll touch on soups another time.
