My 15 favorite delicious options for when you are low on energy, but still need to eat in order to fuel your body and restore your strength. Enjoy!
Photo of salad against a light background by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash
Depression can lower your energy levels, so eating regularly is key for sustaining the amount of energy it takes to manage your mental health plus pull yourself out of a depressive state.
This can seem easier said than done, but these 15 favorite go-to meals for when you’re feeling tired and depressed involve minimal prep, cook, and clean-up time, so hopefully they help!
Having depression myself, I find the most useful appliances to keep on hand are a toaster (I bought mine for $4 from the dollar store) and a rice cooker. For the rice cooker, unless you will be cooking multiple serving sizes, a small or medium size rice cooker will be perfect.
Put in equal parts dry rice and water, press cook, and in 30 minutes or less your rice cooker will sound off to let you know your food is ready!
Disclaimer to vegans: Eggs are in a lot of these recipes, but if you are looking for a good vegan alternative, Just Egg or Follow Your Heart are great brands to try.
Enjoy my favorite 15 tasty and reliable depression meals:
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1. Protein pasta with marinara sauce or olive oil and light salt.
Photo of spaghetti with marinara sauce by cottonbro on pexels.com
Barilla’s protein pasta is my favorite brand and comes in multiple varieties.
With 10 grams of protein per serving, this is the ideal food for when you need protein, but only have the energy to eat emotional support carbs.
2. Sunny side up eggs on whole wheat bread. Breakfast for dinner anyone?
Photo of sunny side up eggs and toast by Ekaterina Bolovtsova on pexels.com
Drizzle some olive oil in a pan, crack in a couple of eggs, cook on medium-high heat, put the cooked eggs on whole wheat bread, season with salt and pepper, and ta-da! An easy and yummy meal that’s ready in under 5 minutes.
3. Fried egg on top of rice (or salad) with sriracha or soy sauce. A rice cooker makes this meal even easier to make!
Photo of sunny side up egg on rice by Momo King on pexels.com
If you opt for salad (I use boxed spring mix) instead of rice, I do recommend an extra egg to really fill you up.
4. Ramen noodles with an egg and some frozen veggies dropped into the soup while cooking over medium heat.
Photo of ramen noodles by Markus Winkler on pexels.com
Soup always warms me up from the inside out, and this is one of those meals that looks like it took a lot of time and effort, but is actually super easy to make! Making it one of my favorites.
5. Easy chicken pot pie! Every time I make this, I tell myself I will have leftovers, and every time I make this, I eat it all in one sitting. It. Is. SO. GOOD.
Photo of chicken pot pie with biscuits via thecozycook.com
Here’s the actual recipe in three steps:
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees fahrenheit (193 degrees celsius).
- Then, in a casserole dish, mix cooked rice, frozen veggies, cream of mushroom or celery, and chicken (I either buy cooked shredded chicken from the deli in the grocery store or use vegan chicken).
- Finally, sprinkle with salt and pepper, bake for 25-30 minutes, and enjoy!
6. Toast with jam and nuts on the side (I love cashews personally).
Photo of toast with jam via potatorolls.com
This plus a cup of tea and a fluffy blanket can bring me comfort even on my saddest days.
7. Peanut butter and jelly (or peanut butter and fluff) sandwiches!
Photo of peanut butter and jelly (PB&J) sandwich via mashed.com , “The Strange Origin Story Of The PB&J” by Heather Clark.
An American classic and favorite for a reason, PB&J’s always seem to hit the spot.
8. Scrambled eggs in olive oil with salt and pepper. Try adding on ketchup and hot sauce too!
Photo of scrambled eggs with toast on the side via latimes.com , “Silky Scrambled Eggs Recipe” by Genevieve Ko
Scramble the eggs directly in the pan by stirring with a fork or spatula for a one pan meal.
One pan meals mean only one pan to clean, and therefore they are my favorite kind of meals.
9. Rice + soy sauce + frozen veggies + egg, all mixed together = easy fried rice in a few minutes.
Photo of veggie and egg fried rice via gimmesomeoven.com , “Favorite Fried Rice”
For a perfect comfort meal, add rice (hello again rice cooker), frozen veggies, and an egg to a pan, cook over medium heat, and customize the taste with soy sauce and/or hot sauce.
10. Steamed veggies with butter on rice or salad. This entire meal can be made in a rice cooker!
Photo of steamed vegetables via bettycrocker.com , “Steamed Vegetables with Chile-Lime Butter”
Some rice cookers come with a strainer insert for steaming fish and veggies while the rice cooks. When the timer goes off, you have a fully cooked meal ready to go!
11. Pan sheet roasted veggies can be prepped in a minute and ready in 25!
Photo of sheet pan roasted vegetables via twopeasandtheirpod.com , “Roasted Vegetables”
Recipe and directions:
- Preheat oven to 385 degrees fahrenheit.
- Drizzle some olive oil on a cookie sheet and spread the frozen veggies out on the pan.
- Season with your favorite spices, bake for 25-30 minutes, and enjoy!
12. Try a mini snack board with some fruit and crackers for when you only feel like snacking.
Photo of snack board via healthy-liv.com , “How to Make the Ultimate Snack Board”
Combine fruit, crackers, cheese, yogurt, nuts, or granola to make your own relaxed charcuterie board if you’re hungry, but only in the mood for snacks.
13. WAFFLES. Frozen waffles are amazing. Add some maple syrup — maybe even some peanut butter — and YUM.
Photo of waffles with butter and maple syrup via shugarysweet.com , “Easy Homemade Waffles Mix Recipe”
Throw some waffles in the toaster, and get ready for syrupy deliciousness.
Sure, this may not be the healthiest meal, but depression is hard to deal with. You deserve it, so treat yourself!
14. Smoothie or protein shake it up!
Photo of five different smoothies via evolvingtable.com , “How to Make a Fruit Smoothie” by London Brazil
Some days I don’t have the energy to eat at all. When depressed, drinking is easier than eating and chewing for me. On these days, I opt for a smoothie or protein shake.
15. Cereal or oatmeal is a pantry staple, and perfect for any time, day or night.
Photo of cereal and granola with blueberries by JESHOOTS via pexels.com
Oatmeal is especially delicious when the weather is colder, and no shame, I LOVE Lucky Charms.
Marshmallows in cereal is another way to spell happiness.
Want more delicious and simple recipes? Check out our ATSO Deliciously Simple Recipes in 5 Steps or Less Cookbook!
Thank you for reading, I hope these favorite meals help, and happy eating!
Always yours,
Sara, ATSO
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