Simple meals for caregivers on a tired week

One question keeps coming up in Caregivers Connect: what do you actually eat when you're looking after someone else all day? The honest answer from most members is "whatever's in the cupboard at 10pm." So I asked the group for their real, low-effort meals and collected the favourites here.

Cook once, eat three times

A big pot of lentil soup, chilli or curry on a Sunday covers several dinners. Many members freeze it in single portions so there's always something that only needs reheating.

The no-cook plate

Wholegrain bread or crackers, cheese or hummus, a tin of fish or a couple of boiled eggs, and whatever fruit and veg can be eaten raw. Not fancy, but balanced, and it takes five minutes.

Say yes to help with food

When a friend asks "what can I do?", the group's advice is unanimous: say "bring a meal." People want to help, and food is easy to accept. One member keeps a shared list of dishes her mother can eat, so friends don't have to guess.

Don't forget to drink

In this heat, a lot of caregivers tell me they realise at dinner time they've had one cup of tea all day. Keep a water bottle wherever you spend most of your time. That's the one bit of physician advice I'll sneak in.

Most of the ideas here came from members of the group, not from me, and they're better for it.