Don't ask me to cook anything fancy...

Does it sound lame that I only eat 3-4 types of meals?

Yeah, it does - but hear me out on my why before you judge!

I’ve had an up and down relationship with food my entire life. 

When I was younger, I ate everything - and a lot of it, too. 

Now?

It’s either quinoa, cauliflower rice, eggs or soup basically every single day. 

When I’m on the road for work, I generally opt for a salad with veggies and chicken. 

And that’s pretty much it. 

I know - it’s boring as hell. 

Now, one of the main reasons why I’ve trimmed down the grocery shopping list to this extreme relates to health. I hired a nutritionist a couple years ago, and based on an extensive blood panel, she essentially 86’ed almost everything that I was eating at the time for one reason or another. 

She then suggested the nuclear option - eliminate dairy, added sugar and gluten. 

What???? No pasta, cheese or bread? You tryin’ to kill me over here?

Actually, it was quite the opposite. 

I felt tired all the time, got sick all the time, and felt foggy headed all the time. And she pointed to my diet as the main culprit.

And I knew she was right despite my stubbornness about it, at first. 

So, I stopped bitching and moaning and did what she said. 

She then sent me dozens of meal options that would be ideal alternatives to the stuff I was eating. As I looked through the list, I saw lots of interesting options, but I also noticed a common denominator amongst them all:

They all required me to spend a ton of extra time in the kitchen. 

And that, my friends, was a non-starter, for me.

My desire to spend any extra time in the kitchen is non-existent. And, the thought of having to shop for specific ingredients sounded exhausting and annoying beyond belief. 

I apologize, foodies - I hope you still like me :) 

Long story short, my priority with this diet shift was to learn how to make healthy meals while also protecting my time during the day in order to avoid decision fatigue.

The last thing I want to do is spend time going from store to store to find ingredients and then additional hour or two preparing stuff for a meal…or waiting for something to defrost, or stand over the stove stirring and mixing endlessly. 

Truth is, I’d rather be doing something else - anything else. 

And that’s how I landed on the small list of foods that I currently eat day-after-day.

They are all easy to prepare, quick to cook, and dare I say, damn delicious to me. 

No additional time, no decision fatigue - just the good stuff delivered consistently and without any hassle.

In the end, I’m a much happier and more productive person for it.

While it was a tricky transition with some speed bumps thrown my way, the juice, ultimately, was worth the squeeze.

Over to you…

What’s one thing you could eliminate from your day right now that would allow you more time to participate in activities that are important to you? Please share in the comment section below.