Suppose you had to make a meal plan for someone extremely lazy, who wanted a diet that kept them at a nice, healthy weight while requiring only the bare minimum amount of effort.
Assume they don’t care about taste or variety–this person would rather toss some carrots and beans on a plate and call it a meal than spend time in the kitchen making recipes.
What are a few meals you might suggest for this lazy bum?
Equipment: Air fryers Air fryers are a divine gift from the gods. Minimum effort and max results.Food: canned/frozen veggies, pre portioned chicken, pre portioned salmon, meal replacement shakes, 90 second brown rice/pasta pouches. Fresh fruits and canned fruits, canned/pouches tuna, pre made salads
Honestly minimum effort like absolutely bare effort would be meal replacement shakes, just drink and go. But having an all liquid diet can be detrimental to the digestive system. But you can get a fair amount of you vital nutrients from them so that’s absolute bare minimum
Pre made salads are expensive and often have a decent amount of calorie content and often slack on the nutritional content but it’s calories and some greens
Canned/frozen veggies are great all the time. They can be put with the 90 second rice pouches or cups and boom a healthy meal that takes at most 5 minutes.
Pre portioned meats like chicken and salmon are great because you toss them in warm water for maybe 30 minutes then season with salt/pre mixed seasoning air fry at 360/400 for 10 minutes and boom protein.
Meal prep containers are great too. The big compartment is for the main course like half a pouch of the brown rice, some green beans and the chicken then have some canned carrots or microwaved broccoli in one of the small compartments then an apple or Handfil of grapes!
I also found portion cups like the 21 day fix ones we’re a huge help with meeting my nutritional needs when I was severely depressed. I knew I was meeting the basics of how much I was eating and also calories
I hoped this helped
If you’re really that lazy, find a combination of foods that fit your desired macros and micronutrients. Put enough in a pot for as much as you can manage (1 week’s worth of meals?). Cook until done. Weigh the entirety, and write down how many grams needed to meet the day’s caloric intake requirements. Eat that much daily.
I suggest a base of a lean ground meat like 93% turkey, plus a variety of vegetables of various colors, and white rice to fill up the remaining carb requirements. Balance the levels of each to meet the desired macro quantities.
This is me! I buy frozen vegetables and frozen meat like chopped chicken leg or minced meat or shabu shabu, frozen mussels squid etc.. throw them in a pot out of the freezer, add water, spices, aromatics and seasoning and boil for 20-30 mins lol. This is 95% of my meals. I pull out a chopping board if I’m adding garlic otherwise I don’t chop anything.. Can’t stand prep time
Start with a pot of beans, some quinoa, eggs and fresh veggies. That takes care of 50% of your meals. I’m super lazy too and this is something I’ve been able to maintain for a few years now.
The other 50% changes from week to week for me now, but I’ll include some sardines, oats, and once in a while some meat.
I couldn’t imagine making completely different meals, too much time and thought. But take time perfecting your beans, they’re a damn good source of protein and fiber while being pretty easy to make once you get the hang of it.
My go to for healthy lunches includes two boiled eggs (my mother in law got me an egg cooker), carrots, sweet peppers, a hand full of nuts, 6 triscut crackers, and a cheese stick or cottage cheese. Everything is super easy to just throw together and I get what I need.
The other option that I do is to buy a package of mixed greens and a smoked salmon. I make a salad with that, some sort of nuts, cheese, and again triscuts in the side. Both options require basically no work what so ever.
I always have nuts/seeds and some fruit in my back for a little snack too. When my dr let me have more carbs, I added brown rice cups to my food.
I’ve lost 50lbs and am now off diabetes medication, no high BP, and my cholesterol is good. I did it eating whatever I want but in moderation and cutting out soda and other sugar filled drinks. Drinkingonly water and the occasional flavored seltzer water. If I’m craving pizza I’ll have 1 slice and fill up on some nutritional veggies. If I want a big Mac meal I’ll have a big Mac meal then have a grilled chicken breast salad only using the ACTUAL serving size of whatever salad dressing I’m craving, lately it’s been a balsamic vinaigrette. I also lost those 50lbs with little to no exercise due to severe back problems. Jan 1st 377lbs, now 324lbs and still dropping. The biggest thing I did was learn when I’m actually full and by full I mean satisfied not barely able to breathe. I realized that when I’m eating ill subconsciously stop and take in a deep breath for some reason that’s how my body decided to tell me I’ve had enough food.
Have 6-8 oz of lean meat, 2 servings of carb or fat source of your choice, and veggies as desired 3 times a day. It’s very easy to stick to while eating out. Here’s the problem with this question though- if I had an Olympic swimmer on this diet they would be a bag of bones, and if I had a 90 pound 18 year old girl on this they might GAIN weight. So rlly the key is to watch the scale and be consistent, but if you’ve gotta pin me up that’s what I would say
You could get certain kitchen devices that make life much easier. Air fryer, instant pot, rice cooker.
Eat lots of beans, oats, canned fish, rice, frozen vegetables. For frozen vegetables I open the bag, add oil and seasoning close the bag and shake it, put it on a tray and in the oven for 20 minutes until crispy and add it to all my meals. I don’t like the taste of vegetables normally but they’re delicious that way.
My tips:
Eat once a day. I’m able to afford organic foods this way, cook whatever I feel like, and use the rest of the hours for productive work (I only need 30-60 minutes tops to cook and eat).
Quick and easy are
125g canned pink salmon2.25 cups canned lentils1 cup kale1 cup sweet potato2 tbsp sunflower seeds1/3 tsp kelp powder1.25 tbsp Moringa powder
= ~1000 cal and has everythingCan fill up rest of your calories with whatever, oats, quinoa, brown rice, corn, onion, berries, kiwi fruit all excellent additions (but you could eat nothing else and lose weight; or all white rice or potato technically.)
Can of sardines6 slices wholewheat bread1/2 cup hummus1/2 cup parsley1/2 cup cut mushrooms left in sun for 1 hr1.5 cups cooked spinach+Drink 1.5 cups coconut water
= 1100 caloriesHas everythingAn egg, tomato, onion, carrot, sweet potato, kiwi fruit, berries or extra mushrooms or kelp powder would be good additions but not necessary
I based my eating around an avocado and tortilla chips for lunch for like, a year and never got sick if it. Put a bit of salt, pepper and a couple drops of hot sauce on the avacado.
Not the only thing I ate, but it really kept my appetite in check since the avacado just kept me from really craving anything crazy for the rest of the day and could eat a similarly light dinner and feel good.
This is me. ADHD and I’m using my tenuous executive functioning skills for other things. I make way too much food and eat the same meal for days, or grab and go stuff like cottage cheese, bagged salad, Greek yogurt, fruit.
Take him out to graze on some lush countryside if the taste is not at all an issue for him. You see the green grass is also rich in nutrients. If he is so miserably lazy this exercise could serve as an excuse for him to move his bum under the pretext of eating out. Serves two goals simultaneously…What say?
I am lazy so I cram prep into one day. I make various vegetable soups with meat. I make a huge mess then clean it up. I put it all in cheap plastic containers and freeze most of them.
I include combinations of cabbage, barley, 15 bean bags, celery, carrots, yellow onions, spinach, maybe frozen peas. I add a can of diced tomatoes. When I am done I may have 3 weeks of soups in the freezer.
I had not considered using chopped frozen vegetables but will think about it. One nice trick is to add fresh spinach leaves to the soup at the last minute.
I do the same thing with salads. I chop up red onions, hard boiled eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, olives, cheese, etc. and put them in 8 oz containers. Later I will throw one container on greens.