QOTW and stuff! :P ❤️
Added 2025-02-11 09:53:33 +0000 UTCHello Ali cats, I hope your week is going good so far ✨ My work schedule has been shifted a bit so I’ve found myself staying up later and later lol. I don’t mind it though since I’ve always been a night owl at heart :P I’ve also found more time to work on writing and drawing so it’s a win! I currently have eight audios recorded so I feel pretty good o w o
As I mentioned in my last post, I have quite a bit of things for you all this week and I’m really excited to share them! ❤️
My question of the week is inspired by my current work schedule. What’s a meal that you find easy (but still healthy) to eat when you’re too tired or busy to cook?
Comments
I bought a small Magic Bullet Blender a while ago since I'm only making food for myself and it's a good size to make a glass of smoothie. Also it's really easy to clean which is my favorite part since you can just rinse the blades off. For Dashi, I haven't tried a bunch, but I use Yamasan Kyoto Uji Japanese Umami Dashi Soup Stock Mix which comes in little packets that you boil for 3 minutes (kind of like tea). It's been pretty good for me so far and another little dish that I made when I had the stomach flu was just dashi broth, salt, and white rice. It's warm, soothing, and easily digestible! My entire life has been centralized around the rice cooker from childhood till now! 😆 It provides set and forget cooking while not occupying stove space so you can prepare things on the side without managing your rice. It can also be used for more complex recipes like Japanese Mixed rice where you toss a bunch of mushrooms into the rice cooker and it makes your entire room smell really tasty 😋
Christopher Chang
2025-02-15 02:25:53 +0000 UTCHello Alichu! My week has been okay, I hope yours is well. Hm, nothing beats a good old sandwich, very customizeable.
Emeraldrop
2025-02-14 01:09:52 +0000 UTCI love me some Trader Joe’s!!! I go too often 😅 I try to do most of my grocery shopping there (I’m a sucker for their blood orange Italian soda). I try not to buy too many frozen or pre made foods but when I do I like their orange chicken and I’ll make rice with it, their dumplings, wontons, they have these grilled chicken fajitas, there’s also vegetable and chicken fried rice. There’s also breakfast stuff if you want that. I’ll admit some are hit or miss for me :p a friend of mine loves their chicken tikka masala while I think it’s okay. I hope you enjoy Trader Joe’s as much as I do! :D
SomeGuyHere
2025-02-13 21:14:02 +0000 UTCThanks a bunch Moy! :D I don’t get that far ahead often but the past week or two I went into over drive. Both because I was inspired but also to keep my mind busy lol. I really love salmon but funny enough I’ve never had it smoked! It’s already pre-cooked right? I imagine it’s really tasty. I’ll have to see if I can find some the next time I go grocery shopping :) Egg sandwiches are the best and such a big go to of mine! Gotta use kewpie mayo though! :P
alichu
2025-02-13 20:37:54 +0000 UTCThank you so much Christopher, I really do appreciate that! 😊 I gotta say, that smoothie sounds so good. I don’t have a blender at the moment but I should definitely get one since they are convenient to have. I’ve only tried instant dashi once before and I don’t think the brand I got was very good, or maybe I wasn’t using it correctly. Is there a brand you recommend because I’d love a tasty one! A lot of you have recommended rice cooker recipes so I really need to get myself one. I’ve always made my rice in a pot but I’m starting to see the convenience of the cooker now xD I also understand that about the eggs. I’m always so jealous watching anime where they just put a raw egg onto their food- I want that too! ; w ;
alichu
2025-02-13 20:33:09 +0000 UTCNo judgements here! I like some food that others consider strange as well. A big one being sardines with vinegar- so good! ✨ I’ve never tried adding tuna in with pasta before; I’ll have to give that a try sometime :)
alichu
2025-02-13 20:27:58 +0000 UTCI went to Trader Joe’s for the first time ever last week funny enough! I didn’t look everywhere though so next time I’ll have to check out the frozen stuff. I don’t eat it often but sometimes it’s nice and convenient when I’m busy/lazy :D Any frozen meals you recommend from there?
alichu
2025-02-13 20:26:20 +0000 UTCIt's certainly the best way to cook rice
Kai Zomei
2025-02-13 13:16:00 +0000 UTCThat sounds really good! I’ll have to get me a crockpot- or maybe steal one of the many my mom has haha! XD
alichu
2025-02-13 09:12:58 +0000 UTCA few of you have mentioned a rice cooker. I should look into getting one too! :)
alichu
2025-02-13 09:11:43 +0000 UTCI really appreciate your comment Kraiden, thank you! ❤️ And don’t worry, I’m definitely making sure to take care of myself too :D I absolutely LOVE eggs so omelettes and egg sandwiches are a big go to for me. I love avocados too but never thought about making a chicken wrap; that sounds really good! I’ll have to get me some good wraps the next time I go to the grocery store :) It took me a while to see how great they were but I did finally get an air fryer thanks to my mom haha! XD They really are great I gotta say. I haven’t really done any cooking in mine yet though. I’m scared I’ll dry it out but I know it’s all about trial and error to get it right! ✨
alichu
2025-02-13 09:11:11 +0000 UTCYeah man, their chocolate dough bar is heavenly
Secular Succotash
2025-02-12 07:48:41 +0000 UTCYou really have been working overtime for all the audios and what not lol I've often wondered how often ASMRtists record in advance, so I found that to be pretty neat. Can't wait to hear them! In terms of something that's healthy but easy and fast to work with, I like having smoked salmon in the fridge. It's healthy and pretty versatile. I like using it with a bagel with garden veggies cream cheese for either lunch or breakfast, the bread and protein from the salmon keep you pretty full. You can also do stuff like toast a slice of bread and put some avocado on it along with the salmon and a soft boiled egg. It's also pretty good for salads, it's a good protein alternative to chicken. I get tired of eating chicken in salads all the time so switching things up with salmon is pretty nice. I also enjoy an egg sandwich here and there, but that's not always healthy lol
Moy
2025-02-12 05:50:39 +0000 UTCI can 100% vouch for the barbells protein bars they are delicious and great macros.
Releothunder
2025-02-12 05:00:50 +0000 UTCThanks I’m trying my best I’m really liking my new gym everyone is pretty chill and it’s almost never crowded it’s clean and all the machines and weights are in good condition so I’ve been making some good progress hoping to be back to full strength again in within maybe another 2 months my deadlift is already back up to 365 so only 90 more pounds there. What about you though Ali are we gonna see Alichu ifbb pro bodybuilder in the future lol fr though I hope your reaching your fitness goals. Eggs sandwiches are so good I love making those for breakfast I should try making stir fry I think I even have a wok I know it’s good but I guess I just didn’t think to make it but it’s like a perfect healthy delicious meal I’m gonna try that thanks Ali!
Releothunder
2025-02-12 04:59:08 +0000 UTCOh believe me it is, I usually end up straight passing out on the couch till like 1-2am once or twice a week, on one hand, I'd like to go back to the 8-5, on the uther have, i really like getting home before 4pm and missing traffic.... lol And yes! Also, rice is amazing
Delta
2025-02-12 04:47:34 +0000 UTCRight?? I was always so skeptical of the air frier craze, and then when I finally got one I was converted within a week tops... It's so easy. So, so easy. And I think a rice cooker is definitely worth it! Doing it the old fashioned way is totally fine too, and I still cook it that way for certain occasions or intents, but being able to toss 3 cups into the rice cooker with some water and just tell it to go is very convenient and easier to leave in place for a while. Plus there are really nice ones that you can do different things with or even cook simple recipies inside (Korean instant chicken rice hack, anyone??). :3 At the end of the day it's whatever works for your needs. I hope you have a great week and that some of these Alicat ideas are actually useful for you. x3
Shadowkitty
2025-02-12 04:06:39 +0000 UTCI feel you! Up until now I had to get up early too. It’s been rough switching my schedule around but I think I got it down now :D Funny enough, I don’t think I’ve ever had canned chicken. The most I’ve had is canned tuna and other fish. I’d be willing to give it a shot though. I’m down to trying any food once! :)
alichu
2025-02-12 03:46:30 +0000 UTCOh man, the pepper idea sounds really good. I do like the idea of just mixing a bunch of stuff together like that!
alichu
2025-02-12 03:44:23 +0000 UTCOh man, four-five hours of sleep is rough. Be sure to get plenty of rest! I know sometimes it’s unavoidable though so hopefully it’s not too bad. I’m also big on stir fry dishes. They’re easy, cheap and delicious! Also: Rice :P
alichu
2025-02-12 03:37:38 +0000 UTCThanks Strobi, I hope your week is going well too! :D I absolutely love eggs. I can eat them any way too! My favorite is probably scrambled and as a sandwich :P
alichu
2025-02-12 03:35:56 +0000 UTCOh man, going from night to day sounds rough- hopefully it won’t be too bad though! I wish you the best Shadowkitty and that you get back to your usual nighttime routine soon ✨ It’s funny that you say that about the airfryer because I felt the exact same way haha! I was very skeptical but then my mom ended up gifting me one. I gotta say, I love that thing lol. I’ve never owned a rice cooker though. I usually just make my rice in a pot but have always been curious if a rice cooker is actually better/easier. I will admit I’ve never put anything raw in my airfryer though. I’m not against it however, I think I’m just too scared of it drying out haha! I know a lot of people do cook in it though so it will just be trial and error for me :) I very much appreciate your comment and suggestions, thank you! The dessert idea sounds good as I don’t mind cottage cheese texture/flavor either. I also have a sweet tooth so the whole thing sounds like a win to me!
alichu
2025-02-12 03:34:42 +0000 UTCcanned salmon > canned chicken
cloudberrybob
2025-02-12 01:43:43 +0000 UTCNo worries, I’ve been careful about not burning myself out. I do appreciate the concern though, thank you! :D Tbh making stuff is a big stress reliever for me. I’ve had some stuff going on that’s not the best but making stories let’s me get my mind off it and I’m really thankful ^_^ Omg, Taco Bell’s chicken bowl is a big go to for me if I eat fast food. Never tried the grilled chicken taco supreme though so maybe I’ll give that a try sometime too! As for Chick-Fil-A, their southwest chicken salad is bomb! I’m not sure of the macros but I can’t imagine it’s too bad (hopefully) haha! Tuna is a big go to also. I love tuna sandwiches or with rice or crackers! Admittedly I put too much mayonnaise though 😂 I appreciate your suggestions, especially on the protein bars! I struggle finding ones that taste good lol.
alichu
2025-02-12 01:29:55 +0000 UTCI love fish so much! Unfortunately I can never find a place that I feel has good quality fish, or maybe I’m just picky. It’s a real shame considering I live in a state by the ocean 😭 My favorite is salmon though, especially the crispy skin! ✨
alichu
2025-02-12 01:10:45 +0000 UTCWow, down 55 pounds; that’s awesome! A big congrats to you on the hard work Releo ^_^ Sounds like you’ve been eating some good stuff too. Funny enough what you described is pretty similar to how I eat. I eat premade stuff when I’m busy but I try to go for the healthier options at a grocery store (sushi, salads, sandwiches). I’m also a big egg fan since they are so easy to cook up and go with anything. I love egg sandwiches and boiled eggs with salt and pepper ✨ Stirfrys are another big staple of mine because they are quick. I can just make some rice and veggies and throw in some tofu- done! :D
alichu
2025-02-12 01:08:03 +0000 UTCHaving 8 recordings ready to go is amazing! The amount of work you put into your art is definitely heard, seen, and appreciated! For meals, especially struggle meals, I have a few options for folks depending on available equipment and phase of life. These days a simple "meal" is either the "Goodberry Smoothie" recipe from the DnD cookbook my siblings got me which is just strawberries, blueberries, and/or bananas with ginger, honey, and salt blended together with orange juice. It's refreshing, and nutritious enough to take you through part of the day. Another go to is a pretty simple Udon noodle soup. Dried bdon, instant dashi, chopped napa cabbage, and some wakame thrown in a pot for 11 minutes. Since I have most of the ingredients on hand, the only level of effort required is chopping like 3 leaves of cabbage. It's a warm, pescatarian (can be vegetarian/vegan if you use a konbu dashi) meal that's high in veggie content. Can be enhanced with miso, more veggie variety (baby bok choy works well), and tofu (silk tofu has the nicest texture with the soup). However, back in my college days, I developed a set of rice cooker based meals that require almost no prep time: If you throw in eggs (shell and all) into the rice cooker alongside your rice, they always come out perfectly steamed. Add some soy sauce or nothing at all and you've got something warm to eat before class. If you're feeling fancy, some cabbage, carrots, and/or mushrooms can be thrown in as well which will also come out perfectly cooked. I've also done the raw egg in white rice with soy sauce like you see in anime, although I'd probably recommend against that since you're really not supposed to eat raw eggs in Western countries where they remove that outer waxy coating on eggs (but I did it anyways because I was hungry >_>) And then there's microwaving a frozen lasagna and eating that alongside a bag of potato chips. That's not healthy, but sometimes that's the mood.
Christopher Chang
2025-02-11 19:44:44 +0000 UTCI do mornings and evenings back to back at my workplace, so it's a little tougher to be the night owl I want to be when I'm working, but Uni is a little more flexible to work with so I can be one then lol. As for the question, it's not really healthy, or much of a meal, but my go to quick snack is either welsh rarebit or peanut butter and marmite on toast (Please don't judge me for those choices lol). For an actual meal however, normally have tuna lying around so a tin of that with some pasta is pretty quick to make, and it's pretty easy to throw a couple veggies in with it
ProzXADYN
2025-02-11 17:07:20 +0000 UTCI hope your sleep isn’t being messed up too much with the change in schedule 🫡 when I started my current job I had to start waking up at 5am and it definitely messed me up for awhile As for the meal, I’m a big fan of air frying/baking stuff (chicken, veggies, items to blend soup, etc.) so I can just do my thing while food is cooking. When I know I won’t have time to cook I’ll make a quick parfait with frozen fruit and high protein yogurt so it’s more filling. I’ll also get already made meals from Trader Joe’s :p they can be pretty healthy if you buy the right ones and I don’t think they’re too expensive for what they offer (the macros go kind of crazy for not being a home cooked meal)
SomeGuyHere
2025-02-11 16:11:25 +0000 UTCI really like salads, but my goto minimal effort meal is crock pot slow cooked Shredded chicken and rice, you can boil some veggies to go with it.
Support Main
2025-02-11 15:19:56 +0000 UTCThat's good your schedule is shifting to times more suitable for you. If I'm not cooking, then cobbling together a sandwich. If I can do a bit of cooking, the an egg or sausage over a small frypan. Sometimes I'll just throw everything into the rice cooker and let it do the work.
Kai Zomei
2025-02-11 13:33:24 +0000 UTCReally glad the schedule shift is working in your favor! Sometimes, nighttime just hits differently and gives such a productivity boost. x3 And eight audios? That's seriously impressive! But please don't overwork yourself - you're already doing so much for us, so don't you dare neglect yourself! ÒvÓ Take care of yourself too, okay? For a quick and easy meal, I highly recommend omelets. Still involves some cooking, but they're super fast to whip up and surprisingly versatile. Just toss in whatever vegetables you have on hand (bell peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms make a great combo~), add some fresh herbs like chives or parsley, and season the egg mix with salt and black pepper. A little bit of cheese on top or even mixed in with the egg mix for the extra cheese pull, and you’re good to go! If you want a fluffier texture, just whisk in a bit of milk before cooking. Another great option are wraps - especially avocado wraps! Cook some chicken (if you’ve got extra time, marinate it beforehand), season it well, then layer it on a tortilla with lettuce, avocado, tomato, cheddar (or any sharper cheese), and some sour cream or your favorite sauce. Wrap it up, grill both sides in a pan until golden, and enjoy! An even quicker option would be overnight oats or oatmeal variations - just boil some oats in milk, add a bit of honey, and garnish with fruits like banana or blueberries. For extra crunch, toss in some nuts, and a dash of cinnamon for seasoning. In a pinch, you can even make it in the microwave! And my last tip: get an air fryer - it's a total gamechanger. You can pretty much toss in anything and let it cook without much effort at all. Just throw in some sweet potato fries (seriously the best! 🤤), marinated (or plain) chicken breasts, and whip up a quick dip or sauce, and you’ve got another quick, delicious meal with minimal effort! Hope that's not cheating, since most of these require at least a few minutes of cooking. But I tried to keep the active cooking time to a minimum. xD Otherwise, onigiri, sushi, sandwiches, guacamole with toast, or even cold wraps wouldn't be too bad!
Kraiden
2025-02-11 12:43:59 +0000 UTCLove staying up late when I can, but work has me getting up early 😞. For healthy easy food, I LOVE canned chicken. It's so easy to do whatever you want with, and it's pretty healthy!
Eeveeolite
2025-02-11 11:34:54 +0000 UTCYou can actually make very tasty salads very easily by simply mixing up various ingredients that you like. For example you can insta do a pepper salad by mixing up a jar of roasted peppers, a can of tunna, some corn, and maybe a bit of onion. Or an orange salad with oranges, canned fish, onion and some potato chips. Honestly, next time you go grocery shopping you can simply pick up various ingredients that look yummy and putting them together in a bowl. Even if it comes out wrong you only spent a couple minutes, so you can just eat something else
thok54
2025-02-11 11:31:18 +0000 UTCI'm on call with work this week bleck lol gotta be available 24/7 til next Monday! As for me with the schedule, I shifted mine to be earlier so now I wake up around 5am, problem is, I still go to bed around midnight/1am lol and daang, 8 audios?? And for your question, usually like a chicken stir fry, or a ground beef rice bowl, what about yours?
Delta
2025-02-11 10:40:22 +0000 UTCI am a Night Owl too,no Surprise as a Baker!🤣 A quick and yummy Meal are scrambled Eggs, I like to eat some raw Paprika after because they are healthy and yummy aswell. Hope your Week is nice and pleasent Ali!😉😁
strobi100
2025-02-11 10:28:41 +0000 UTCHaha~ Well, so long as you're getting enough rest and aren't too worn down, I see that as an absolute win. Come be nocturnal with us dark types, you're always welcome! x3 I actually will be dealing with the opposite problem this week, and will likely be spending quite a few days not sleeping at all as there will be some unavoidable necessities for me to instruct during the day... With it being the new year, there is a lot of critical training that needs renewed, and it only makes sense to inconvenience myself rather than making entire classes match my schedule. xP (I still am going to avoid the sun though even if I am awake during daytime hours. >.<) As for the weekly question; hopefully this tactic isn't too minimalist for you but, when I'm falling behind on meal prep or otherwise procrastinating, there are basically two things that make my life so much easier. The first, a rice cooker, has been a permanent fixture in my life and I could never survive without it-- the second was when I finally gave in and decided to give an air frier a chance. Those two appliances are the holy grail of lazy, but theoretically clean eating. I'm very unpicky, so I can put almost anything over rice. To the point that in some contexts the air frier is just a nicety, as I'll happily eat plain old canned tuna or chicken over rice with just a bit of kewpie mayo and fire sauce... Hell, sometimes I will buy various canned goods like soups or chillis with the sole intent of putting them over rice when know I'm not going to cook properly. xD But the air frier helps in the sense that I can toss in more 'proper' items, like chicken breasts/thighs or lean beef patties (I'll pick up a bag of the 90/10 lean, and just keep them in the freezer.) as well as some frozen vegetables or other simple goodies. The air frier is faster, easier, and ultimately just more effective than the oven and between it and the rice cooker I can cobble together the basics of a meal in 20 minutes or less, basically just by pushing a few buttons. Also, not a meal, but having a bag of impact whey and a blender bottle hanging around for a quick shake can go pretty far in a pinch as well. Oatmeal and peanutbutter is an insanely low effort fill, and you can mix in fruits or protein powders to suit your fancy. I also make uh.. Well, I just call it 'fluff', but for those trying to ramp protein while limiting caloric intake I get a lot of mileage out of mixing together 425g greek yogurt, 678g 2% cottage cheese, and 42g of sugar free pudding or cheesecake mix. I just mix it all up by hand since I dont mind cottage cheese texture, but you can blend it to make it smooth too, and in either case it basically makes a super rich little psuedo-dessert that keeps in the fridge for a hot minute and is a sort of easy craving buster you can divvy out here or there as a snack or treat without destroying your caloric intake for the day. Hopefully uhh.. at least some of that is helpful, or if nothing else gives you an angle to work your own ideas from! Otherwise, there are a metric fuckton of easy crockpot, fire and forget type recipies that you can also run in the background. I know one of my siblings essentially lived off crockpot meals while he was going through his preceptorship.
Shadowkitty
2025-02-11 10:28:18 +0000 UTCI’m about to go to nights myself so I’m in a similar boat! And damn EIGHT? That’s crazy impressive, you’ve been hella busy! I know you enjoy making audios but be sure not to burn yourself out either! This QOTW is right up my alley (pun not intended lol) If you’re talking fast food, Taco Bell’s grilled chicken taco supreme has great macros, and so does their cantina chicken bowl. Chick-Fil-A’s grilled chicken nuggets have GODLY macros, I mean it’s literally just cut up grilled chicken breast lol (a 30pc has 100g protein for just 590cal!) If you’re talking groceries, tuna has awesome macros too and is really cheap and filling. They make a ton of different flavors, or you can just buy regular cans and squirt some sriracha on em, not bad in a pinch. Whey protein shakes are great for squeezing in your protein but aren’t that satiating. Protein bars aren’t a bad choice either, Barbell’s protein bars are awesome, so is FitCrunch. Quest is pretty good too Moving away from protein, if you’re looking for something low calorie and fiber packed to keep you full, sugar snap peas are great. Super easy to just toss in a baggie and take on the go, they’re really sweet, refreshing, and crisp, and like I said the high fiber is really satiating
Secular Succotash
2025-02-11 10:18:27 +0000 UTC70% of my meals are pan-fried fish. Just need to throw some fish and some water in a pan and wait for the golden brown, flipping occasionally. Can eat carrots or spinach on the side. Super healthy, but it takes about 50 minutes to cook properly, so you need to plan ahead
cloudberrybob
2025-02-11 10:04:57 +0000 UTCI’m a night owl aswell myself rarely do I ever go to bed before like 2 am I’m trying to get a job I can work overnight right now as it would just fit my routine better. Glad your new schedule is working out for you 8 audios already recorded is so impressive you are truly unstoppable can’t wait to listen. As for the question of the week I find myself eating these premade sandwich’s from a local store a lot tons of meat on them with full grain bread so they are nice and high in protein and not to many calories so they fit my diet well so I’ll have one of those with usually a vitamin water or protein shake and that’s what I’ll eat for lunch or dinner after work alot if I’m tired or busy but and also having 9 chickens I tend to eat a lot of eggs so sometimes I’ll just make a bunch of scrambled eggs or an omelette for dinner if I don’t wanna cook like a whole meal but want something healthy and full of protein quick and easy. I’m also trying meal prepping my younger sister works at a chipotle and can basically make everything on their menu so she gave me the recipe to make their chicken and lime rice so I’ve been meal prepping that and some veggies usually broccoli cause broccoli is the best but I’ve been making like 10 servings at the start of the week to eat whenever I might need a healthy and delicious meal without doing anything more then throwing it in the microwave. I’d also like to ask right back at you the same question I’m always looking for more healthy options to eat would love to hear yours considering how strict of a diet I’m on down about 55 pounds hoping to lose another 40 or so. Hope you have a great week Ali!
Releothunder
2025-02-11 10:00:30 +0000 UTC
