hmb13 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I'm a single woman and live alone. I work long hours at one demanding job, and run a non-profit on the side. Between the two (and trying to fit in 8 hours of sleep a night), all my 'spare time' is dedicated to procuring and preparing foods for Whole30. I'm on Day 16, and intend to complete this experiment. But as I start to look long-term, I just don't see Paleo as something that is sustainable. This is seriously labor-intensive, people! Even using Melissa J's strategy of a big Sunday cookup, I feel like this is an incredible amount of work for this one girl living alone in a big city who already has to do it all. Anyone else feel like this is a lot of work? Strategies to make it easier? Anyone out there doing Paleo for awhile that can comment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Hi hmb13, I am in a similar boat to you although not nearly as busy by the sounds of it. But I do have a busy job and am single. I'm also finding the cooking (and shopping) very time consuming. To try and get around this week I'm going to try and start buying meat in bulk and freezing it, also thinking of buying more veges and only shopping every couple of weeks, if you get good quality veges they easily last a couple of weeks. No real tips on the cooking front as yet, I did spend 3.5 hours on Sunday afternoon cooking and would like to try and cut the time back. Having said that it is great during the week to be able to just do the final preparations on meals without making them from scratch. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrustdc Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Yes. Utterly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke91 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Great question! I enjoy cooking but struggle for time during th weekdays. Dinners are usually grilled or roasted meat (flavored by spices), avocado or Olive tapenade, steamed veg and sweet potato. I have the meat in portions in either the fridge or freezer and choose veg that requires limited prep. Total time might be 15-20 mins. I make enough to cover lunch the next day. Breakfast is usually eggs so I crack and beat them in a jug the night before and leave in the fridge. In the morning I throw them in a pan with mushrooms and spinach and serve with avocado. Total time 10 mins max. Workout meals are tinned tuna with sweet potato from previous night. It probably sounds bland but I save the interesting things for when I have time. Jamie Oliver has some tips on speeding up prep time and getting meals ready quickly. (obviously unlikely to be many w30 compliant recipes though). Probably the first and last time a Jamie Oliver link will be posted on this forum! http://www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-30-minutes-meals/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adagio Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Yes it is a lot of work, especially in the beginning. But like anything else, it's a habit that can be worked on and simplified over time. We travel a lot, and believe me, it is very overwhelming to plan, shop, cook meals on portable appliances, and do cleanup in a hotel bathroom while traveling around the country for weeks at a time. For me, thinking about it is more overwhelming and exhausting than actually doing it. When I get fed up, I review my priorities. I always come to the same conclusion: eating properly will help me achieve/maintain better health, which will enable me to do the things I want/need to do in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Price McBride Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 It does sort of feel like my life is now in the kitchen/grocery store. The best trick I've come up with is stocking up on meat on the weekends, and prepping food...not necessarily cooking a week's worth of food. For instance, slicing and dicing onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, etc, and keeping those in the fridge for the week. I find that most of my time cooking is spent chopping, cleaning up my work area, chopping some more, and doing dishes. Pre-chopping food makes cooking dishes a loottt faster. Hope this helps! Keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrustdc Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I posted this in another thread, but this is the only thing keeping me going and our family fed: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4z5yPR-mgDURUN4QVlycW1hQWM/edit?pli=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juju Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 It is a big time commitment. I work 80 hours a week and every third weekend (in addition to the 80 hours) I am on call for 72 hours straight. So my time is limited, at best. I cook in batches, huge batches. I have been paleo for 2.5 years now and it is manageable. This is my thought process..."holy sh*t, I have no free time...do I have time to feel like crap? Do I have time for a chronic illness and the doctors appts that go along with a chronic illness? Um no, no I don't. I guess I should get my a** in the kitchen and start cooking in huge batches!" For me, I would rather take the time to prepare for a crazy work schedule then end up eating SAD food and feeling like crap and not having the energy to power through 80 work weeks and 72 hour call shifts. I find myself grilling tons of meat all at once and roasting tons of veggies and then having them in the fridge and freezer ready to go so I don't need to think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I posted this in another thread, but this is the only thing keeping me going and our family fed: https://docs.google....hQWM/edit?pli=1 Wow...I am so impressed by this. LOVE it. I'm not quite that organized and don't really need to be now because my 27 YO daughter either eats what I am eating or fends for herself, but I still love it. I work at least 60 hours a week and the best thing I have done is just make sure my freezer is stuffed with meats and emergency frozen veggies. I think I will try to do a version of this though just so my meals are even easier to plan and I love the idea of the prep work being done ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flynn Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 I don't like to cook so I eat a lot of salads for lunch and dinner....they are easy, quick, and you can change them up a million ways. Not really any prep needed either unless you want to chop the veggies ahead of time...that may save a few minutes. Buy several bags of prewashed greens. For dressing use balsamic and olive oil, lemon and olive oil, lemon and sunbutter, tahini or almond butter, lime and almond butter, lime and a smashed up avocado...basically you add an any acid and any fat together and it's always good. Just mix at the bottom of the salad bowl, don't even get another bowl dirty. Always add salt. Done! Personally, I can't do all the planning ahead and cook ups, because later I won't be in the mood for the thing I made, plus cooked vegetables get really nasty in the fridge. If you love cooked vegetables, get a bamboo steamer, they are like 15 bucks and you can steam broccoli, asparagus or kale in 2 minutes. Some people are anti microwave, but if you're not, you can microwave a yam in about 4 minutes. Done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillymonstar Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Had to chime in here and say omg yes I totally agree. It is a lot of cooking and dishes and If I had the money, I'd hire a maid. I haven't completed a W30 without slips so because I'm a perfectionist I keep starting over, failing, starting over. Now I'm doing a 21-day primal challenge. So I'm all over the place. I have a rowdy 2.5yo daughter. A husband who comes home for lunch to eat. I freelance as well 25+ hours most weeks. Oh yes, AND I fit workouts in almost 6 days a week on average. After a time, it becomes second nature. You just go to the store more. Sometimes it's fun to make new fun recipes. Sometimes the thought of making dinner again makes me want to scream. But the food is darn good. I use a pressure cooker regularly and love everything that comes out. I wash out the food processor right after I use it so it's there for me every time. I feel so much better eating almost 90% W30 compliant. I love having a salad with lots of olive oil. Would rather eat a good steak then a bowl of pasta ANY DAY! To think of it, I spent just as much time in the kitchen before because I loved a good pasta dish or corn tortillas fried up fresh for tacos! I say go out to eat-- maybe a Japanese restaurant would be the most likely compliant. Be annoying and have the place prepare it W30 compliant. Spend this time with a friend/family. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAK911 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I do a big cook up once a week when my husband is out of town, because I'm way less likely to cook nightly if I'm on my own. For me, that big cook up looks like this: 6-8 chicken breasts 6-8 hamburgers or chopped steaks 12+ egg muffins a couple pounds of sweet potato (cubed and roasted) 4ish bell peppers stir fried 1 pound of broccoli steamed It might be a little monotonous, but having food just right there to grab totally makes up for it for me. I have 2 egg muffins and some sweet potato for breakfast (the muffins usually have broccoli in them); a chicken breast with a bunch of veggies, more sweet potato, and a handful of nuts for lunch; hamburger with lots of veggies for dinner. Sometimes I'll make a curry or something to break things up. I don't go to the store that much, usually once a week. We buy meat in bulk and freeze whatever's not getting cooked immediately, and we buy bulk bags of produce at Costco. I pick up coconut milk, oil, and other odds and ends at Trader Joe's. I feel like, as others have said, settling into a routine really helps. We basically keep staples on hand unless we're going to have extra time to really enjoy prepping something big. Also, at least in my case, I think the frequency with which I'm not in the mood for what I have on hand has really gone down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I'm a single woman and live alone. I work long hours at one demanding job, and run a non-profit on the side. Between the two (and trying to fit in 8 hours of sleep a night), all my 'spare time' is dedicated to procuring and preparing foods for Whole30. I'm on Day 16, and intend to complete this experiment. But as I start to look long-term, I just don't see Paleo as something that is sustainable. This is seriously labor-intensive, people! Even using Melissa J's strategy of a big Sunday cookup, I feel like this is an incredible amount of work for this one girl living alone in a big city who already has to do it all. Anyone else feel like this is a lot of work? Strategies to make it easier? Anyone out there doing Paleo for awhile that can comment? I am single and sort of live alone..my 27 yo has been with me since July..AACK. She feeds herself, participates in my meal plan or does her own thing. I work huge hours so I keep it simple. I really like the idea of prepping veggies ahead of time, but to tell you the truth, I don't like to be locked into a meal plan. What works for me is the NuWave oven. No, I am not related to Mr. NuWave. You can take a frozen steak or chicken breast or whatever and toss it on there and there's dinner. Veggies..I prefer fresh, but I always keep a supply of frozen in the freezer for those lazy/forgetful times. Breakfast..same thing every day. I take a huge pile of spinach or collards or kale and toss them in my cast iron skillet with ghee. A little sea salt and dried chili peppers and done deal. Then I throw in 2-3 eggs depending on activity, hunger, mood..whatever. Over easy and breakfast is done and delish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Crockpot ;0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningforme82 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 It's funny I did the whole crockpot thing today for dinner and the found myself prepping pad Thai for myself for the rest of the week. So I gained basically nothing a I still missed out on time with my daughter. So ya, I too am getting drained from the prepping/cooking/dishes. Oy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningforme82 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 But yes the crockpot is a life saver in general. I shouldn't discount it lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 It's funny I did the whole crockpot thing today for dinner and the found myself prepping pad Thai for myself for the rest of the week. So I gained basically nothing a I still missed out on time with my daughter. So ya, I too am getting drained from the prepping/cooking/dishes. Oy! So, if you prepped for the rest of the week, don't you now have more time to spend with her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubborn Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I am lucky and have a roommate that is doing the Whole30 with me, but we do feel like we are constantly cooking. We don't have to go shopping too often though because we get organic fruits and veggies delivered to our front porch. You might be able to find something like that depending on where you live, and I will say that I absolutely love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DVeep Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Hi hmb13! I totally agree about feeling burned out with all of the shopping, chopping and cooking, and cleanup! It seems I'm in the kitchen at least 3 hours every night. I try the Sunday cookup thing but don't like the feeling of spending the weekend in the kitchen, so I usually burn out after 4 hours. The saddest part about eating this way is I just don't trust most restaurant food any more, so we rarely eat out. However, the most wonderful part about eating this way, is feeling better and loving my own cooking. Plus yesterday I bought my first piece of Le Creuset - a braiser! Woohoo! It has been a huge challenge, but as tillymonstar shared, the food is so much better than a SAD diet and it does get easier. At least that's what I'm banking on. Good luck! -Diana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningforme82 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 So, if you prepped for the rest of the week, don't you now have more time to spend with her? Just pad this to eaton for the week not a weeks worth of pad Thai for 3 meals a day, but I get what you're saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillymonstar Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 CAK911-- I really need to do this cookup. I'm so tired of cleaning a pan every time I do anything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 During my first Whole30, I felt the same way. About a week before I finished, I invested in a 14 cup food processor. Made my life SO much easier! Chopping veggies was always my nemesis, but no longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara Branch Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I'm single and do the sunday cook up. I make 2 or 3 big meals ,, one in the crockpot. If I have too much for the week I freeze one or two servings for later. I suplement with salads and salmon or tuna and some fish or seafood during the week. I have been doing that for awhile before the Whole 30 and it works great for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmb13 Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Wow ! I must say I'm humbled and impressed by all your responses. So glad to know I'm not the only one out there feeling this way. And yes - the reason I'm sticking with it is because I am feeling great, and do value eating this way. Thank you for some of your tips and strategies -- I look forward to trying them out!! Thank you, all, for such a wonderful, supportive community out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoolJumper Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I have the exact same lifestyle and schedule and yes I too am exhausted from all the meal planning, cooking, snooping and cleaning. I do really enjoy the meals though! I'm hoping I get more into a pattern soon and it will get better. It is very tough doing it alone, but we will persevere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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