Since being diagnosed with POTS, I have found it to be helpful to do a bit of meal prep and meal planning. I will try to do this on Sundays so that I have easy things I can grab from the fridge when I don’t have the energy to cook.
Grains
Making a big batch of quinoa for the week is great to have on hand because I can literally use it for multiple meals throughout the week. For lunch, I like to have it with a scrambled egg, spinach, cucumbers, mix in a little hummus, and top it off with some salt. It’s also great for dinner as a side or to mix it with turkey meat sauce and throw in some spinach and mushrooms.
Gluten Free Pasta
I have become obsessed with Banza chickpea pasta recently. It has 20g of protein and it’s delicious! It’s a good thing to have on hand when you need something easy to make. If I am having a low spoon day, I like to pull a chair up to the stove and sit there while the pasta is cooking. I like to use a little pesto or Rao’s tomato sauce to top it off with an easy finish.
Overnight Oats and Oatmeal
Overnight oats are a good thing to make in the beginning of the week and store in the fridge, especially in the summer when you want something cold for breakfast. You can add your favorite toppings the morning of – I LOVE to put blueberries and raspberries with some chia and flax seeds, cinnamon, and a little almond butter.
Chopped veggies
It’s always helpful when I can go into the fridge and grab the veggies that are already cut up – it takes the extra step out when you don’t have the time or energy to do cut them on the spot. My favorite veggies to have on hand are red peppers, carrots, and cucumbers. Broccoli is also great to have for an easy pop in the oven side for dinner.
Fruit
I love fruit, which is good and bad. Fruit has a lot of sugar, but if you try to stick to mostly berries, they are a great source of fiber. I also like to have apples ready to cut for a snack with some almond or peanut butter. When I’m craving something sweet, grapes are a good go-to to keep in the fridge.
Dark leafy greens
Spinach is my favorite dark leafy green to have on hand. I love to use it with eggs, salads, sides, and smoothies. It’s easy to use on low energy days to throw a salad together with your chopped veggies, protein, and a little olive oil and vinegar.
Protein
Eggs - I like to have hard-boiled eggs stocked in the fridge to add to different lunches or for breakfast. This is a good way to have some protein that is easily ready to go. I also like to make egg muffins, which are simple to make ahead of time and great for an on-the-go breakfast and a good thing to grab on a symptomatic day.
Turkey – This is great to have on a low spoon day, especially because of the sodium. I like to make little turkey roll-ups with avocado and cucumber and a little mustard - can’t go wrong with that!
Turkey Meat – This is a staple that I usually keep in my freezer weekly for an easy weekday meal. I really like to make use this to make turkey meat sauce over zuchinni noodles. This is a good thing to have made for low spoon days because it’s good to store in the fridge with pre-spiralized zoodles and that’s it!
Salmon – One of my favorite easy go to protein meals and very easy to pop in the oven with a little salt and pepper and put it over a salad or quinoa or rice or just with mixed veggies. To get in an adequate amount of omega-3, it is good to have salmon twice a week if you can. It’s a great source of several B Vitamins, which are needed for energy, controlling inflammation, and protecting heart and brain health. It’s also a really good source of potassium, which helps control blood pressure and prevents excess fluid retention – important for those with Dysautonomia!
Nut Butters
I am addicted to almond butter, which is putting it nicely. I love to put a little in my oatmeal for breakfast to give it a little protein boost or with an apple as a snack. I also carry little packets of Justin’s almond butter with me everywhere in case I need something salty while I am out – I literally never go anywhere without it. Salted almonds are also great to take with you on the go for those low spoon days.
Hummus
Hummus is one of the best dips out there. Use it with cucumbers, peppers, carrots, or celery. Spread it on some toast with a little avocado, so good!
Potatoes
Potatoes are easy to pop in the oven or even the microwave on a low spoon day. Check your fridge for toppings to see what you already have that can be used. Popular toppings include, onions, beans, avocadoes, tomatoes, hummus, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, cheese, greek yogurt, ketchup, basil, chives, chili powder, always topped with a pinch of salt. You can also cut the potato in half and use them as toast and top with any of the above toppings. If you are craving something sweet, you can use a sweet potato and top it with any nut butter with a little fruit.
Leftovers
Whenever you are able to cook, or if someone is kind enough to cook for you, try to always make a little extra, if you can, so that you have easy meals to grab on low spoon days when cooking is not an option. You can be versatile with your leftovers as well by not only using them as another meal, but also adding smaller portions to other meals.