• Make a List of Meal Ideas: When depressed, sometimes just thinking about things to make is overwhelming. When you’re not feeling too crappy, make a list of simple things you can easily make when/if a depressive episode hits again. Some examples are: peanut butter and banana on toast with a yogurt, meal-replacement smoothies, or pita pizza. Check out the “Depression-Friendly” Recipes section for ideas.
• Plan For The Future: When you’re feeling up for cooking, make some extra to portion into meals for the future. Future You will thank you.

• Benefits: Frozen foods and instant rice keep forever, are cheap, and take no time to prepare. Pair them with a protein (think: rotisserie chicken, scrambled eggs, tofu, etc.) and you have a complete meal. Click here to learn how to roast frozen vegetables (spoiler: it’s super easy), and here for different sauces to put on your rice+veggie+protein combo so each meal is unique.

If you’re able to swing it financially, get food delivered to you!

• Allow yourself to order take-out: Spending a bit more on take-out right now might be a wiser decision compared to not eating at all.
• Get your groceries delivered: Check out Instacart and Peapod. Whisk is also a great app that allows you to import ingredients from a recipe into a grocery list, and connect that list to a grocery delivery service. Easy peasy.

• Make use of plastic utensils, paper plates, and disposable aluminum pans: We know, this one is hard to swallow. But just for now, give yourself permission to use these things- reducing the number of dishes you’ll have to wash can make cooking so much less of a pain.

• Seriously. Throw ingredients in and let the device do the work for you. Get an Instant Pot here and a slow cooker here. 

• You can’t do everything alone: Ask for help – maybe a friend or family member can pick up some groceries for you or help you prepare meals.

• 3 meals too much right now? Break them into 6 mini-meals per day to make it easier.