Eating healthy is a real problem when you are working nights shifts. While people who work days can always go and grab food at a nearby restaurant, that option is not normally available at 3 am. People who work night shift seem to be destined to eat from fast food joints until the end of time.
Not really.
How you want to deal with this issue is to bring your own food. And I don’t mean sandwiches! But how will you bring some real, good food if you barely know how to cook an egg?
Learning how to cook is easy but you have to start somewhere if you never did it. Let me show you a recipe that will have you eating good and healthy for only $5 a meal. This recipe is easy to remember, highly modular and quick to do.
To be honest, actual price of the meal varies as I don’t know how hungry you are. I used the averages that apply to me, a 220 lb male.
This is one of the first meals that I made when I bought a crockpot. I was looking for something that will be healthy, easy and quick to prepare. Last thing I wanted to do after a 12 hour shift was to spend hours in the kitchen.
That being said, if you don’t have a slow cooker you can make this meal within an hour using a normal pot and a hot plate – I made some of my best meals using just those two!
If you never used a crockpot or never cooked, don’t worry! Just follow this step by step tutorial and you’ll get there.
For this recipe you will need:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- A can of diced tomatoes
- Spice mix
- Cooking oil
- Frozen vegetables
I will assume you have nothing in your fridge. I am also going to assume that you never bought food for yourself (or haven’t done so in a long time).
So let’s walk you through it.
Put $100 in your pocket and go to your favorite supermarket. You won’t need all of that money but it’s cheaper to buy bulk. Grab a shopping cart, some of the things you will buy can be unwieldy. Once you have it it’s time to go through the aisles.
First thing you want to get is a pack of chicken breast. You can get a small pack from the fridge but I like to buy in bulk, so I get a big package. Remember, if you are buying bulk from the store you need a freezer at home as well! If you don’t have a a freezer, or don’t have room in it you will have to buy a smaller package. Meat you will not prepare right away you can put in your fridge for a day or two but don’t wait too long. Meat doesn’t last too long in the refrigerator.
To clarify, you want boneless, skinless chicken breast. Breaded kind will not work for this recipe.
A club pack, which is about 7 kg (15 lbs) of chicken will run you about $30 CAD (abut $24 US). Small pack will run you about $10 CAD (about $8 US).
Then you want to go into the cooking supplies and get a pack of canned tomatoes. I usually go for diced ones but you can get whole or mashed, they will work
equally well.
A pack of 8 will cost you around $10 CAD ($8 US) but you only need one per meal.
Now get a spice mix. I usually go for an Italian mix but you can get anything you prefer. To play it safe, let’s assume that a mix will cost you $5.
Get some vegetable oil. I usually buy those big jugs but you can just get a bottle $5 CAD ($4 US). If you have some butter at home that will do just fine. Make sure you coat the bottom of the pot with it. If you can splurge for avocado ($11 CAD, $8.5 US) or coconut oil ($16 CAD, $12.50 US) go ahead and do so because it is healthier.
Grab some frozen veggies. Again, you can get whatever you want but I get something with cauliflower in it because I like it. A pack of these will run you about $2.50 CAD ($2 US). I usually use about half a bag.
Once you have it you are good to go to the counter and pay for your groceries.
Once you get home you can start cooking your meal.
Open your crockpot and pour some oil in it. You only need to cover the bottom so a tablespoon or so will do.
Add a layer of frozen vegetables and then add a layer of chicken breast. You do not have to dice the chicken breast but you can if you prefer.
Add spice as preferred. If you are not sure how much spice you will like just add a little. You can always add more spice later.
Continue adding a layer of veggies and meat until you get close to the top of the bowl. Once you do stop and add the tomato sauce. Do this slowly and make sure that the sauce finds its way into the pot. You want the meat and the veggies to cook in it while you sleep. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Cover the pot, turn it on, set it for 8 hours on LOW and walk away.
Congratulations, you just cooked your first healthy meal!
Once done, put the meals into Tupperware containers and freeze them until you need them. Make sure to take them out at least a few hours before you decide to bring them to work!
This simple recipe is incredibly versatile. You can change chicken for any other type of meat that you prefer and if you are a vegetarian you can even use tofu.
I usually add shrimp to my recipe for extra protein.
Tomato can successfully be replaced with coconut milk or broth. If you like your meal thicker I suggest adding a bit of rice.
And if you don’t have a crockpot there is no need to despair because you can use a normal pot. Follow the instructions above, then put the stove on medium and let it cook for an hour or so and the food will be ready.
Let’s see how much did all of this cost us.
- A two-pack of boneless, skinless chicken breast costs about $10 CAD.
- A single can of tomatoes will cost you less than a dollar, let’s say $0.80 CAD.
- A dash of spice will cost maybe $0.10 CAD.
- Tablespoon of oil will run you not even $0.05 CAD
- Half a bag of vegetables is around $1.50 CAD.
All together that is $12.45 CAD. Since this recepe usually lasts me two days I’ll use half of that for the price of my meal.
That means my meal cost me about $6.20 CAD (and change). That is $4.84 US, less than $5 US for a home made meal that is healthier than anything you will find in a fast food joint.
I hope this simple recipe will show you how easy cooking really is and help you realize that you are not destined to eat sandwiches until the end of time just because your work the night shift.