Cooking Through Chaos

Simple Strategies and Recipes when Life Feels Overwhelming

I really love to cook. I also suffer from depression and ADHD. For me, this means I can get thrown out of a routine very easily, and even the things I love to do the most—like cooking—become very difficult. Food is my comfort when I am feeling big emotions, and it has been for as long as I can remember. Practically, this often means I turn to food in times of stress and sadness and end up eating food I’d rather not eat. I have a lot of compassion for myself and understand that when I need to, it’s fine to turn to take-out, but I always strive to find the path to the kitchen instead, where I can make food from scratch that nourishes my soul.

This past week and a half has been hard for so many. My routines have fallen away, and in the days after November 5th, I didn’t do much cooking, exercising, or any of the other healthy practices I try to plan into my days. As often happens after a big shakeup in my life, I was able to slowly move forward, gather some of my go-to recipes, make a list, and get the week’s meals planned. There are sure to be many more weeks that feel like this, and many more that feel worse over the course of my lifetime. I can’t change much about how the world around me happens on a large scale, but I can work to change how I react to those happenings. Building resilience and working to do a bit better next time are things that I want to keep striving toward.

Here are some things that have helped me keep going through chaos and get back to the kitchen—my favorite place.

Acknowledging the feelings

A first step for working through difficult emotions for me is always to try to identify what I am feeling and sit with it for a while. I get mad if I need to, cry if I need to, or do whatever else feels good in the moment. In these times, it is normal to lack motivation and not feel up for doing the things I really want to be doing. This process can take a day, a week, or longer for me, depending on what threw me off. The most important thing I have learned is to not push the feelings away but rather to practice being with them. The worst of it usually passes within a day or two and then there’s just the lingering heaviness of it all for a while. Once I have found some equilbrium with my emotions the next step is gently pushing myself to do something that feels grounding—like cooking.

Importance of Nourishment

When everything feels tumultuous, my first instinct is usually to get take-out. But when I’m able to gently push through that feeling and cook at home, I always feel better about my choice and feel better overall later. Even when homemade meals are not exceptionally healthy, I generally find that the act of making them helps me feel grounded, and eating them with my partner makes me feel well-nourished. Cooking doesn’t need to be fancy to be fulfilling, either. Simple recipes made with care (or sloppily tossed together) are often just what is needed.

Strategies for Low-Energy Cooking

When looking for go-to simple recipes, I generally look for meals that take 30 minutes start to finish, use ingredients I usually have on hand, and don’t take a lot of mental energy to put together. I keep a fairly wide variety of ingredients in my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, which helps a lot. Another thing I look for in these recipes is ones where the main ingredient(s) will last a decent amount of time in the refrigerator. During more difficult times, I usually only have the energy for a single grocery trip, so I try to stock up on pantry items and grab everything for the recipes i’ll be making that week. Making a double batch is another strategy I rely on when I’m cooking with low energy so meals stretch further.

Go-To Easy Recipes

Here are a few of my go-to recipes—easy, comforting, and perfect for low-energy days. Each has been a reliable source of nourishment for me during hard times. I would love to hear what recipes are part of your normal cooking rotation that you might add to this list as well!

Mapo Tofu - This is the recipe I make the most out of any other on this list. I love mapo tofu and have found the JOC recipe to be the right amount of effort to deliciousness and comfort. The Woks of Life also has a great mapo recipe, and if you own a copy of The Wok there are two great options from Kenji that I make as well. Served over white rice, a double batch will last a few days for two people and is my go to comfort food.

Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles - If you have a mortar and pestle this recipe is very quick work. If not, it might take just a bit longer, but the time spent is well worth a result packed with flavor. I always have the ingredients for this in my pantry and toss it together often.

Shakshuka with Feta - This dish is comforting and simple to make. I always have most of the ingredients on hand and the more perishible items required keep well in the firdge for a few days. The hardest part about this recipe is having the patience to sweat the onions and peppers slowly, and avoid adding the rest of the ingredients too soon. After that, it’s smooth and easy to finish up.

Quick, Essential Stovetop Mac-and-Cheese - Smitten Kitchen is generally one of my go-to site for simple, easy, and comforting recipes. This mac and cheese checks all of those boxes and is flexible enough that one can reasonably substitute different ingredients as long as they match decently enough with what the recipe calls for.

Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce - If you don’t do much wok cooking and don’t work with eggplant a lot, this one takes a bit more effort than the others, but I absolutely love this recipe and make it as part of my regular rotation. I highly recommend trying it and other recipes out from the Woks of Life family.

Final Thoughts

This past week and a half has been hard for a lot of people in the US, and unfortunately, it won’t be the last tough time we face. Cooking brings me a lot of joy, and I hope it can bring you some too. Even when the world feels like it’s falling apart, the kitchen can be a place of comfort—a small but powerful way to care for yourself.

Whether it’s making something simple, reheating a frozen pizza, or ordering takeout, what matters most is showing yourself kindness in whatever way feels right. Every small act of care helps us find steadiness in the chaos and reminds us of our capacity to take care of ourselves, even when everything feels hard.