Categories: Health InformationMSK articles

Ready, Set, Cook!

Cooking a healthy, tasty meal can be a great way to look after ourselves, unwind after a busy day or share with friends and family. But some days, the thought of preparing and cooking a meal is too overwhelming. You’re tired, and in pain, and it seems like too much effort.

But there are things you can do to make cooking easier and less hassle when you’re not feeling your best. Here are our top tips:

Plan your weekly meals

It’s not a particularly exciting thing to do, but planning for your coming week is really helpful. It ensures that you have all the ingredients you need and stops you from wasting money on the things you don’t. And if a case of brain fog hits when you’re standing in front of the fridge, your meal plan will sort you out. Check out The Spruce Eats top meal-planning apps.

Shop online

It’s never been easier to shop online. It’s easy, and efficient and you get exactly what you need delivered to your door. Or you can organise a click-and-collect, without having to leave your car.

Use your freezer

Frozen fruit and veggies are great time savers and are packed with nutrients. You can buy them at the supermarket or prepare your own. Find out how you can freeze fruit, veggies, bread and herbs in this article by Good Food.

Batch cook

When you’re feeling inspired and have the time and energy, put on some music or a podcast, and cook batches of food to freeze. Then it’s just a matter of reheating and eating. Perfect! Check out My Foodbook for some practical tips to help when it comes to batch cooking.

Go, go gadget!

Use kitchen gadgets and other aids to save energy, and protect your joints, they’ll help to make things easier for yourself when cooking. Tools like electric can openers, jar openers, tap turners and thick-handled knives can be lifesavers. Check out the range of products available from our friends at Statewide Home Health Care.

Cleaning up

There are many ways you can make cleaning easier while you’re cooking, such as:

use non-stick foil or baking paper to line your trays, as well as roasting bags; they’ll lessen the mess on your trays – which means less scrubbing
if you have a dishwasher, load it as you go
soak dirty pots and pans before you start scrubbing to loosen any baked-on gunk
clean up spills immediately
put ingredients away as soon as you’re done with them
keep a bowl nearby for scraps and rubbish or bring the kitchen bin closer to where you’re working.

Call the pizza joint?

Sometimes takeaway food is the option that’s best for you. And there’s nothing wrong with that if it isn’t a regular thing. Takeaway foods are generally higher in salt, sugar and/or fats and don’t give us all the nutrients we need in a balanced diet.

Contact our free national helpline

Call our team if you have questions about managing your pain, musculoskeletal condition, treatment options, mental health issues, or accessing services. They’re available weekdays between 9am-5pm on 1800 263 265; email (helpline@muscha.org) or via Messenger.

More to explore

Check out our recipes page
The tasty recipes have been created by our volunteers – Accredited Practising Dietitians and a Registered Clinical Nutritionist