When you're too tired to cook, rely on one-pan/pot meals, slow cooker recipes, simple pasta dishes, wraps/sandwiches, and breakfast-for-dinner, using pantry staples like canned beans, pre-cooked grains, frozen veggies, or shortcuts like rotisserie chicken to minimize effort for quick, satisfying meals like loaded tacos, quesadillas, or hearty soups.
Grain salads: Get some ready cooked grains that you can just microwave (quinoa, wheatberries, rice, pasta, or some of those combo packs if they have them wherever you live). Mix with healthyish ingredients and some protein (couple of spoonfuls of canned lentils, some cold meats, hard boiled eggs,...).
Everybody needs to eat. And yet two-thirds of Gen Z say they never learned how to cook a meal from scratch. 61% percent feel overwhelmed making something as simple as an omelet — while.
Many with ADHD report finding the idea of cooking overwhelming, uninteresting and difficult to motivate themselves to do. Executive function challenges can make it difficult to start cooking and to manage the mess afterwards. This may lead to avoidance of cooking and relying more on convenience food and takeaways.
The 2-2-2 food rule is a simple guideline for leftover safety: get cooked food into the fridge within 2 hours, eat it within 2 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months to prevent bacteria growth, keeping it out of the temperature "danger zone" (40-140°F or 5-60°C).
Use ready-prepared foods such as grated cheese, diced meat and pre-washed salads to reduce the energy required in preparing these foods. Cook at times of day when energy levels are higher. A slow cooker or a timer setting on your oven or microwave can help you prep when you have the energy, for a meal later in the day.
The ADHD "2-Minute Rule" suggests doing any task taking under two minutes immediately to build momentum, but it often backfires by derailing focus due to weak working memory, time blindness, and transition difficulties in people with ADHD. A better approach is to write down these quick tasks on a separate "catch-all" list instead of interrupting your main work, then schedule specific times to review and tackle them, or use a slightly longer timeframe like a 5-minute rule to prevent getting lost down "rabbit holes".
The ADHD "30% Rule" is a guideline suggesting that executive functions (like self-regulation, planning, and emotional control) in people with ADHD develop about 30% slower than in neurotypical individuals, meaning a 10-year-old might function more like a 7-year-old in these areas, requiring adjusted expectations for maturity, task management, and behavior. It's a tool for caregivers and adults with ADHD to set realistic goals, not a strict scientific law, helping to reduce frustration by matching demands to the person's actual developmental level (executive age) rather than just their chronological age.
The 24-hour rule for ADHD is a self-regulation strategy to combat impulsivity by creating a mandatory waiting period (often a full day) before reacting to emotionally charged situations or making significant decisions, allowing time for reflection and reducing regretful snap judgments, especially for things like impulse purchases or arguments. It's a pause button that gives the brain space to process, move from impulse to intention, and evaluate choices more logically, helping manage ADHD's impact on emotional regulation and decision-making.
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
Worldwide, women cook twice as much as men: One country bucks the trend. Worldwide, women cook nearly nine meals a week on average, while men cook only four, according to a new survey.
Cooking itself isn't necessarily a talent but more of a skill you learn. Anyone with a very good memory can learn and cook recipes. Creating new recipes great recipes is more of a talent and skill, like what the executive chefs are doing at high-quality restaurants.
Understanding the 3-3-3 Rule
Specifically, the rule suggests: Three balanced meals per day. Three hours between each meal. Three hours of movement per week.
By starting with energy-boosting foods such as bananas, oats, eggs, nuts, and sweet potatoes, you give your body the fuel it needs to function at its best and feel great. These natural energy boosting foods do more than just keep you going, they enhance your mood, concentration, and overall well-being.
Just try to think of your meals in terms of balance. 80% healthy, whole foods, and 20% for fun, less-nutritious treats. The key is consistency over time, not perfection at every meal. So, if one day you have a pizza, no big deal—just aim to get back on track with your next meal.
The ADHD burnout cycle is a pattern where constant effort to manage ADHD symptoms (like executive dysfunction, overstimulation, and masking) leads to extreme mental/physical exhaustion, a "crash," and a shame spiral, often followed by trying to overcompensate again, repeating the cycle. It involves phases like the initial push/overcompensation, the struggle/stress, the collapse/shutdown, and the guilt-ridden recovery attempt, resulting in fatigue, irritability, procrastination, and disengagement from life.
Increase stress relief by exercising outdoors—people with ADHD often benefit from sunshine and green surroundings. Try relaxing forms of exercise, such as mindful walking, yoga, or tai chi. In addition to relieving stress, they can teach you to better control your attention and impulses.
The one-touch rule
Teach your child to only pick up each item one time and put it away immediately. It could take some time to get used to, but once they do, this is a simple habit to keep things neat. For example, coloring books go onto their bookshelf, dirty socks go into the hamper, and so on.
Unlike traditional ADHD, which is characterized by visibly disruptive behaviors and severe impairments, high-functioning ADHD allows individuals to maintain a semblance of control in daily life. However, this comes at a cost.
The 5 C's of ADHD, developed by psychologist Dr. Sharon Saline, is a framework for parents and individuals to manage ADHD challenges, focusing on Self-Control, Compassion, Collaboration, Consistency, and Celebration. This approach builds skills for better emotional regulation (Self-Control), empathy (Compassion), working together (Collaboration), establishing routines (Consistency), and recognizing progress (Celebration) to foster a supportive environment and reduce stress.
These include deficiencies of vitamin C, vitamin B complex, sodium, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, l-carnitine, l-tryptophan, essential fatty acids, and coenzyme Q10 [107].
26 Dinners for When I'm Too Tired To Cook
One of the primary issues is the difficulty in planning and preparing meals. The executive function impairments associated with ADHD can make it challenging to organise grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking.