Here is the situation: My boyfriend and I are going to be spending a lot of time working for the next month, maybe 2 months. We're talking like like 80-90 hours a week. But the main thing is that this is also going to involve lots of weird hours, pulling all nighters, working through standard meal times, that kind of thing. This started this week and I'm a little confused how to deal with the seemingly basic problem of feeding myself.
Some info: We live in a European city where eating out regularly is not really an option. It's very expensive. Also, we will (with the long work hours) be working well after things (restaurants, grocery stores) have already closed. So we can go to the grocery store maybe 1-2 times a week. We'd like to eat at least kind of healthy. I don't want to feel ashamed if my mother asks me what I had for dinner. Our fridge and freezer (especially freezer) are small. The reason I mention where we live is that when I lived in America this was easy. There are late night restaurants/fast food joints, grocery stores are open late, convenience items are a lot easier to come by (decent frozen meals available even at regular grocery stores), and I had a comparatively massive fridge and freezer. But now I don't have those options, so I don't know what to do.
I guess what I am looking for here is a sort of novel solution about the food problem. I mean, we do have to eat. But it literally feels like there is no time, not just for preparation, but for actual purchase of food as well.
What do you do to avoid cooking? Any specific meals that you turn to? Or do you have a good system of avoiding cooking? I thought about freezing meals but our freezer is small and we basically have 1 day off. I don't want to spend it slaving together in the kitchen to generate food for the rest of the week. I would love ideas on at least somewhat healthy meals that can be made in less than 20 mins without a ton of chopping or shopping. 1 pot-bowl-plate meals also appreciated, since it's fewer things to wash. We're not picky eaters.
And if you have some tips on keeping the apartment reasonably tidy you can throw those in as well.
Oh, and I would really appreciate strategies or meals that you've actually tried, not just a recipe off the internet!
Some info: We live in a European city where eating out regularly is not really an option. It's very expensive. Also, we will (with the long work hours) be working well after things (restaurants, grocery stores) have already closed. So we can go to the grocery store maybe 1-2 times a week. We'd like to eat at least kind of healthy. I don't want to feel ashamed if my mother asks me what I had for dinner. Our fridge and freezer (especially freezer) are small. The reason I mention where we live is that when I lived in America this was easy. There are late night restaurants/fast food joints, grocery stores are open late, convenience items are a lot easier to come by (decent frozen meals available even at regular grocery stores), and I had a comparatively massive fridge and freezer. But now I don't have those options, so I don't know what to do.
I guess what I am looking for here is a sort of novel solution about the food problem. I mean, we do have to eat. But it literally feels like there is no time, not just for preparation, but for actual purchase of food as well.
What do you do to avoid cooking? Any specific meals that you turn to? Or do you have a good system of avoiding cooking? I thought about freezing meals but our freezer is small and we basically have 1 day off. I don't want to spend it slaving together in the kitchen to generate food for the rest of the week. I would love ideas on at least somewhat healthy meals that can be made in less than 20 mins without a ton of chopping or shopping. 1 pot-bowl-plate meals also appreciated, since it's fewer things to wash. We're not picky eaters.
And if you have some tips on keeping the apartment reasonably tidy you can throw those in as well.
Oh, and I would really appreciate strategies or meals that you've actually tried, not just a recipe off the internet!