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Several 12 hour shifts in a row


Angelina G

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Hi there!

 

My husband and I are starting our second Whole30 in a few days. I'm trying to be more pro-active in my meal planning this round. My biggest problem I'm running into is I work 12 hour shifts with only a few hours in the morning to make/have breakfast, take my dog out, maybe get a workout in, and get on the road. I work in the ER with the possibility of not getting a designated dinner break (I've learned to carry snacks with me to get through in case I don't get a minute to sit down) so food preparation at work is just not an option. If I come with a meal or two, it needs to be ready to eat/microwaveable or I'll take too much time and miss my shot.

 

This month, I'm on for five 12 hour shifts in a row and I'm really struggling to come up with enough pre-prepared meals to get me through to day 5. I have one day off prior to the start of these five days that I already have some hefty meal planning scheduled. I'm looking for your "quick go-to" meals that can be easily prepared morning-of and can be thrown in a lunch box until I'm ready later in the day. 

 

Please help, I'm looking to be just as successful on this round as the last, but I'm having a hard time adjusting to this new challenge. Any suggestions welcome!

 

PS - The only "quick meals" I can think of at this time are the Mexican tuna boats and a protein salad.

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Ex-12 hour shift worker here, I hear ya! :D

 

Meatballs, boiled eggs, mayo for dipping (make a big batch and add different things for different mayo flavours), I prefer cooked veggies over salad as I can eat them faster (I choke if I'm rushing salad and I need to eat a huge amount of salad), roasted potatoes / sweet potatoes / carrots / onions, etc, silky gingered zucchini soup, cut up fruit salad.

 

http://meljoulwan.com/2015/03/16/celebrate-march-meatball-madness/ (there's 15 more meatball recipes in Well Fed 2)

 

For prep, cut up your veggies first, get the ones for roasting all in the oven. While they're cooking, make your raw meatballs, when the oven is free, shove those in. While the meatballs are cooking, make your silky gingered soup, while that's cooking, make your mayo and cut up your fruit salad.

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I'm a 12 hour shift worker (with a40 min.commute each way) myself so I feel your pain. I'm on day 5 of the plan and have just started my 4th night in a row. It is a challenge for sure. I grilled some chicken and beef that's held me for a couple of days along with green salad and frozen mixed veggies that can be microwaved quickly. I also made a 12 egg casserole that I'm eating a slice at a time. It's still hard to find time. Hang in there! If I can do this so can you!

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Good, hearty soups might be an option?  I just posted about my new favorite - a recipe from the W30 book -Chicken Chowder.  I edited it to include more veggies and exclude a couple of ingredients I didn't care for.  I had a big bowl of it last night and a bowl of it plus a small tossed salad for lunch today - I'm stuffed and it's SOOO good.

 

Also, I ditto the egg casserole.  I made one every Sunday night and eat a slice of it each morning for breakfast.  I whip 12 eggs with a can of coconut milk then pour it over veggies/additional protein of my choice.  I switch it up each week- this week I have a dill/mushroom/onion/spinach/shrimp combo.  

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I love the egg casserole idea! Could you share any of your other egg casserole combos with me? Lack of creativity is another problem I experience, but I'm great at following recipes! :)

I've been using red peppers, onions, spinach and sausage. You can also add tomatoes for a little tang.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It all really comes down to planning ahead.  I work full-time, 8 hrs a day but I drive 3 hours (my job is far :().  I also have 4 kids at home so its all on me to make sure that I get what I need.  I make a big pot of chili every week - this is at least 4-5 servings and it freezes well if required.

 

I also make a scramble out w30 compliant ham or sausage (about 150 g), canned potatoes (no name is compliant), 9 eggs.  This is really good cold too you don't have to heat it if you don't want to, and it makes 3 servings.  Double it and freeze it and voila there's breakfast for 6 days.

My new favorite is half a cucumber cut in slices topped with a mixture made of 1 can tuna (no name is complaint), and 2 tbsp whole 30 mayo (the one from the book).  Sabra has a w30 compliant guac too that you can add to it if you want it to be more filling.  It takes 5 mins to cut and mix and throw in a bag, and its filling.

 

The sweet potato soup recipe is really good too and is good cold like a gazpacho.  Salads with protein are always my go to if i can't heat anything up.  Renee's brand has a w30 compliant italian dressing or just make the herb citrus vinaigrette (super easy) and is really great to eat anywhere.

 

It really will come down to planning and doing.  Sit down and plan it out before you are on those shifts. Get the hubby to help you, it will make it go quicker.  I know this post is old so i'm sure you figured it out by now but if any of this info can help anyone else, then that is awesome! 

 

 

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I love the egg casserole idea! Could you share any of your other egg casserole combos with me? Lack of creativity is another problem I experience, but I'm great at following recipes! :)

My favorites are chilies of any kind (if you buy them dried, rehydrate them first), onions, peppers, tomatoes, kale, brocolli, roasted brussel sprouts, spinach, potatoes (either typical white or sweet).... Basically, it's my excuse to load up on veggies. I'm not a big fan of eggs generally, but toss them in an omelette Or casserole and I'm happy. I also love adding more protein to them too. Hope that helps

I've also made breakfast omelet/casserole/frittatas in muffin pans so I can grab one and go. They don't take long to reheat either. But they are small so they're better to complement a meal.

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Also a 12-hr shift worker...I work 4 in a row so I feel your pain! Here are a few of my favorite quick, easy, and compliant ideas! Make all of these a day or two before your stretch and you will thank yourself later! Granted, these aren't all perfect template meals but they are great in a pinch and you can add veggies/fats as needed!

Egg, chive, and (compliant) bacon cups:

8 whole eggs

1/2t paprika

1/2t onion powder

1/2t sea salt

1T chopped fresh chives

Cook the bacon until crispy and crumble when cool enough. Preheat oven to 375 and grease a muffin pan. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full (should make 8-10 bites) Bake 10-15min, or until the eggs have just set. Remove and let cool. Store in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for future use. These warm up in the microwave very well!

 

Almond crusted chicken tenders:

Mix almonds in a food processor. Spray chicken tenders with olive oil spray. Bake at 400 for 25 min. Easy to make, easy to freeze!

 

Whole30 chili is great to make ahead and take to work!

 

How about homemade guacamole with raw veggies to dip in? Avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro,  and a dash of cumin in the food processor...so easy!

 

Chicken meatballs

1lb ground chicken

1 egg

1/4c chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

2t oregano

1t salt

1/2t pepper

2T cooking fat

1/4c almond flour

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll into 15-20 meatballs. Melt the cooking fat in a large skillet over a med-high heat. Add the meatballs (in batches if needed) Cook 30 sec or so per side, about 5 min. Transfer the meatballs to the baking sheet, cook in oven 8-10min. Serve with a compliant tomato sauce if you want but they are good on their own!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm a nurse as well & do 10hr shifts w/on call time each week, I struggled the first couple days esp with breakfast.... I normally would eat a bar on way into work about 630am & then follow it up with a yogurt or egg & protein around 9a-10am ish whenever I had time for quick break. So w/the whole30 I found myself struggling to be up early enuff to eat bf leaving house & sometimes not getting that morning break to eat. I'm still trying to work out that one big breakfast idea & not to small meals... I'm semi successful. I'm on Day 9 now...the first week I made a frittata & had a piece each morning w/breakfast & a fruit but found it didn't last me till lunch (since lunch time fluctuates as well) This week I had a sweet potatoe/applesauce mash & homemade breakfast sausage & it seems to last me longer, providing I get my lunch in the 11-12nn hour! I work my day in a row as well & keep my locker stocked w/almonds & Lara bars in case an unexpected case rolls in & requires another additional few hours. Plus I try to keep an extra fruit in the lunch box as well. I've found myself cooking ahead on my off days...at least one slow cooker meal a week, I'm single mom w/2 kids & I'm doing about 50% of their meals whole30 compliant. lol...the kitchen time is a struggle for sure! I love my chopper...it's a lifesaver! I'm trying to keep it simple!

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  • 3 weeks later...

These are awesome ideas! I am staring my 1st Whole30 today and am a 12hr nightshifter. One of my biggest hurdles coming into this is meal planning for work days while juggling switching to dayshift on my days off because I have a toddler. If anyone has any more suggestions for nughtshifters it is greatly appreciated!

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I'm also a 12-hour shift-working nurse. I often don't have time for meals, but my manager tends to look the other way when we have food/drinks at our desks (thank goodness for Clorox bleach wipes and frequent handwashing for preventing nasty bugs from climbing into my tupperwares!). I tend to keep boneless/skinless sardine tins in my locker (don't even require a can opener!) for a snack, and always have a bag of pepitas and dried apricots in my backpack, along with an apple or carrots for snacks.

 

I'm glad to read about some of the above comments and to keep watching if this post thread continues to see more responses!

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I never know how long I will be at work with an hour commute each way. I pack 2 meals. If I don't eat the second one I leave it in the frig and only bring one meal the next day. Anything and everything is fair game. Mostly chicken or ground beef and frozen veggies with ghee thrown in.

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Following this as well! I'm a 9-hr night shifter and have just started the Whole30. It doesn't seem like I'm packing enough food since I get some MAJOR energy dips throughout my shift. It's been bad to the point of microsleeping. I had an egg during one of these last night and that seemed to help some but not completely. Ugh. Hopefully my body will adjust soon, and the bad*ss new bento box I ordered will arrive in the next few days!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi all!

 

I just re-visited this post and I can't thank everyone enough for their suggestions! I have so many great new recipes to use!

 

In the past few months, I got my hands on the Well Fed book, and there is a small section in the front that finally made meal-prepping make sense to me! I'm no expert yet, but I finally can stock my fridge with freshly prepared food items to grab and go during our long working-hours!

 

Heres what I prepped in just 2 hours:

Broccoli (frozen with coconut oil)

Great beans (fresh or frozen with coconut oil)

Turmeric Cauliflower rice (S/P/Turmeric + coconut oil + pre-chopped cauliflower rice from Whole foods)

Roasted Chicken Breast 

Sweet potato rounds

Fruits all pre-cut and/or bagged (watermelon, cherries, grapes)

Melissa's Chicken Hash

Turkey meatballs

Veggies all pre-cut (peppers, carrots)

Ground Beef with garlic

AND spaghetti squash is still in the crockpot

 

I've learned that the mix-and-match method works best for me :)

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