Have you ever spent an entire day in back-to-back meetings, only to realize it’s 7 PM and you’ve barely eaten anything? I’ve been there. I remember one day when I was glued to my desk from 9 AM to 7 PM, with just a couple of 30-minute breaks. By 3 PM, I desperately tried to find time to eat, but there was nothing quick or easy to prepare. In those few minutes between meetings, I ran to the fridge, but it felt like I couldn’t find anything I could cook in the short time I had before my next meeting. I was lightheaded, had a headache, and my mood was slipping. By the end of the day, I collapsed on the couch and ordered DoorDash. It wasn’t just the hunger; the lack of energy and focus came with it.
Except that was not some one-off memory: I’ve consistently worked 9–12 hour days, where I often took my first bite of food well into the evening. When I was hungry enough to care, delivery was usually my only option. The guilt over how much I was spending, combined with my growing desire to feel better and more energized at work, was a real turning point. So, I did what I do best: I project-managed myself into eating better. I set goals, identified my challenges, sought solutions, made to-do lists, blocked time on my calendar, and tracked my progress until I was consistently eating three meals a day—even on my busiest days.
Now, I’m a changed woman. I no longer accept that my first meal of the day happens at 4 PM. I’ve gathered the data to know that when I eat breakfast and lunch, I’m far more productive at work. But it’s not just about work: I’m no longer sacrificing my health for the sake of my job. I feel better—I have fewer headaches, more energy, and more strength. I no longer end my days sprawled on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through social media. Instead, I enjoy my evenings and have the energy to engage in my hobbies.
I want this for you, too, fellow political professional. Our industry has a serious problem with glorifying a toxic work-life imbalance, and we’ve normalized the idea that it’s okay not to eat while working. I’m sure you’ve tried to block time for a lunch break only to have a coworker schedule over it. We collectively don’t value eating, and I hate that.
You deserve to eat. Not just because it will make you a more productive worker but because you are a human being that needs food to survive, and your health should take priority over your work. And I know that’s easier said than done when you’re working in politics. But in this blog, I’m going to share what works for me and how I manage to feed myself three times a day—even during the busiest of workdays. I’ll walk you through my tips and tricks and share a 4-week meal plan complete with recipes, grocery lists, and a meal plan calendar.
You deserve more than a bag of chips at 7 PM. Let’s fix that.
Overcoming Common Challenges to Feeding Yourself 😤 💪
When I first set off on my journey, like any good project manager, I identified the challenges in my quest to feed myself. Those barriers included not having the mental energy to think about what I wanted to eat three times a day, lack of access to a car for grocery shopping, and not having any good Tupperware to store my food.
I encourage you to take a similar approach in identifying your challenges—and then figure out how to overcome them. It’s not about perfection; it’s about making eating more accessible.
Below, I share a couple of crowdsourced challenges my friends have with feeding themselves during work, along with my recommended solutions.
Not Having Time during the Week to Cook
Meal prep has been a lifesaver for me. I’ve learned that if I don’t dedicate 3-5 hours to cooking on the weekend, I won’t have time to eat during the week. For me, that time is sacred. It’s scheduled into my Google Calendar, and I make it a priority.
If I don’t meal prep, I don’t eat. This meal plan assumes you will also dedicate a couple of hours on the weekend to meal prep your food. I invite you to trust me on this—to me, there is nothing better than being in back-to-back meetings, running to the fridge to grab a Tupperware you prepared the weekend before, popping it in the microwave for 3 minutes, and having a delicious hot lunch ready to go by the time your next meeting starts.
Meal prep is the key.
Not Having a Dishwasher
I joke that if my apartment is a closed system, and no dishes enter or leave my apartment, why are there always dishes in my sink?! But seriously, I do not have a dishwasher, and you are telling me I have to work all day, then spend an hour cooking, and then spend another 30-40 minutes cleaning up my kitchen? No thanks.
There is no beating around the bush: washing your dishes by hand sucks. But, I have never had access to a dishwasher in my 30 years of life, and I have learned a thing or two about how to stay on top of my dishes.
Clean while you cook. Washing your dishes while you cook is one of the easiest ways to stay on top of kitchen cleanup, and also something of a flex if you can nail the habit. As you wait for something to simmer or brown, take a few moments to rinse cutting boards, knives, and mixing bowls. By the time your meal is ready, your sink will be nearly empty, making cleanup faster and far less overwhelming.
Let your dishes soak. You are trying to reduce the time you spend hunching over your kitchen sink scrubbing as much as possible. Outsource as much of the work of washing dishes as possible. Let your dishes soak for at least 30 min in hot, soapy water before you even attempt to clean them.
Buy Dawn, and only Dawn. This is not a sponsored post, but if there is one thing I have learned in my long career of washing dishes, nothing beats Dawn. It is just the best, and no other soap comes close. I thoroughly recommend paying extra to buy brand name–it is worth it.
Use more Dawn than you think you need. I once got into a fight with an ex over how much Dawn I use when I wash my dishes. While, yes, it’s expensive to use that much product, it also significantly reduces the amount of time you will spend scrubbing. Let Dawn do the work for you; you will be done before you know it.
Use a good sponge. I am less brand loyal here, but I do lust after SpongeDaddy sponges. You should find what works for you, but the right equipment here will make all the difference.
Find a routine that works for you. The last thing I want to do after a long day is my dishes. So that is why I let my dishes soak overnight. Every morning, I set my kettle to boil water for my morning coffee and tend to last night’s dishes. It has become something of a ritual for me. I get 15 minutes of morning peace before I rush to work and stare at screens for the next 10 hours. But hey, I do not have roommates, and if I want to leave my dishes in the sink for the following day, I can. You may find a different routine that works for you. Sometime,s I entice myself to wash dishes by pairing it with an audiobook or podcast I’m eager to hear. You gotta find what works for you.
Not Having Time to Grocery Shop
A fun fact about me is that I love grocery shopping. My ideal day would be going to 8 different grocery stores to buy all the specialty groceries my heart desires. Not only do I not drive, but my time is also limited.
I know grocery delivery services like Instacart can be controversial, and I don’t take the decision lightly. But for me, it’s a game changer. I’m not physically able to carry all the groceries I need for the week, so online grocery ordering allows me to access food without the hassle.
Delivery workers rely on tips to supplement their income, as base pay can be egregiously low. It’s essential to tip generously—at least 20%, and more if the order is large, complex, or delivered in bad weather. These workers provide valuable service, and tipping reasonably ensures they’re compensated for their time and effort.
When I order my groceries online, I can save time, fit groceries into my busy schedule, prevent impulse buys, check my kitchen first to be sure I am not buying double an item I already have, and meticulously shop for groceries against the recipes I have planned for the week.
By using grocery delivery services mindfully—tipping well, shopping strategically, and consolidating orders to reduce environmental impact—you can make it a practical, efficient solution that aligns with your values. While it may not replace the joy of wandering through your favorite grocery aisles, it’s a lifesaver when your schedule gets tight.
Not Knowing What to Cook
Even if you have time to cook, figuring out what to make can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re hungry and pressed for time. This is actually what I struggle with the most. The horror of my life is that I have to decide what I want to eat, every day, three times a day, for the rest of my life. I make decisions all day long–the last thing I want to do is decide what I want to eat, let alone coordinate it with the food I already have in the house.
This is why meal planning and prepping is so important to me. I take a couple of hours on the weekend to look at recipes, plan my grocery list, order groceries, and prep food.
In this blog, I will share an example of one of my meal preps: a whole month’s worth of recipes and grocery lists that you can use to run your kitchen on auto-pilot. But I also want to give you a few tips and tricks to ease decision paralysis and get better at whipping together a meal based on what you have in your kitchen.
Use AI Tools: Throw all the ingredients you have on hand into ChatGPT and let it suggest recipes for you. It’s like having a personal chef brainstorm ideas with you. You can even tell ChatGPT your food preferences or if you are in the mood for anything in particular.
Browse Recipe Apps: The NYT Cooking app is my favorite for scrolling through recipes like it’s social media. When something catches my eye, I save it for later. When it comes time to prep for the week, I pull up the app and look for a recipe that catches my eye. If the NYT recipe is too involved, I will find a more straightforward, toned-down recipe off the Internet. The trick here is that you are looking for inspiration.
Organize Recipes: The Paprika app is beloved by home cooks for collecting recipes, planning meals, and even assembling grocery lists. Having a centralized place for inspiration makes cooking much less daunting. With Paprika you can import recipes from across the Internet and store them in one place. Paprika can also automatically assemble your grocery list from the recipes you have imported.
Not Having Time to Eat During the Day
I imagine all of us at one point have put a hold on our calendar to eat lunch, only to relinquish that hold to take another meeting to deal with something urgent that popped up.
I will level with you: Your ability to eat during the day rests in your willingness to set boundaries with your work. This means treating your lunch break as non-negotiable. Block it off on your calendar, communicate its importance to your team, and resist the urge to let it be overridden. If you consistently deprioritize your own needs, you’re setting yourself up for burnout, low energy, and diminished focus—all of which hurt your ability to perform well in the long run.
And that is all easier said than done. I have started using Reclaim at work and have fallen in love with the productivity app. In Reclaim, I can set Habits and recurring calendar items with set priority levels. I set up habits to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which Relcaim schedules onto my calendar for me. Then, if something else pops up on my calendar, Reclaim automatically moves the Habit to another time. If I set “Lunch” as a “High” priority, it will reschedule my Lunch over any Low-Medium priority work I have scheduled with Reclaim. For me, this has been a real game-changer. The flexibility of Reclaim’s AI scheduler means that I am eating three meals a day, more so now than I ever have in my decade of working as a career professional.
One Last Thing…
I want you to have as few hoops to jump through as possible to start feeding yourself better, but I would be remiss if I did not mention a couple of pieces of equipment that I think you should invest in if you are going to make this journey.
Tupperware: You are going to be cooking your meals in advance and putting them in the fridge or microwave. I recommend investing in a nice set of Tupperware: enough to store 6-12 meals. I say go glass if you can afford it, but this plastic set of 26 containers comes recommended by Wirecutter and is less than $25.
Masking Tape & Sharpies: Labeling your food is crucial. You need to know what you made and when. I’ve saved so many meals from rotting by simply labeling them. Trust me—this small habit will save you from mysterious food and prevent waste.
Rice Cooker & Instant Pot: I swear by my rice cooker (I have a Zojirushi, and it is my best friend). Perfect rice every time. When I barely have the energy to cook for myself, I can always throw a cup of rice in the rice cooker and take the next 40 min to figure out a protein and a veggie. Also, an Instant Pot is essential for making easy, one-pot meals fast. Whether it's a quick stew, soup, or even chicken, the Instant Pot does it all in under an hour. If I had to pick one, I’d choose the rice cooker, but that’s because rice is my favorite food.
My 4-week Meal Plan 📆 🍽️
One last disclaimer: Food is deeply personal. Some people have deep-rooted cultural connections to certain foods and recipes. Some people have dietary restrictions. Some people have health problems. Some have preferences, whether it's plant-based, keto, gluten-free, or something else entirely. Some people have kids to feed or other adults in their household. I don’t have any dietary restrictions outside of hating olives, but I know everyone’s relationship with food is unique.
I will share an example of a meal plan I use to feed myself as a busy professional. This is what works for me—my preferences, my schedule, and my needs. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. Hopefully, it will spark some ideas for you to build a plan that works for your unique situation.
➡️ The Meal Plan ⬅️
About the Recipes
Every recipe in my meal plan is a Budget Bytes recipe. I wanted this meal plan to be affordable and accessible, and Budget Bytes is simply the best for that. They list each recipe's total cost and price per serving, which I find helpful in my budgeting process. Plus, if you see an interesting meal but want a more sophisticated recipe, nothing stops you from Googling around for one.
I also include two variations of breakfast, lunch, and dinner each week. While I am perfectly content to eat the same thing every day, I know many others are not and prefer variety in their diet. If you want to cut down on meal prep time, you can make double the amount of one recipe and eat that straight through the week.
Spices are not included in the grocery list for two reasons: 1) you likely already have these spices on hand, and 2) while expensive up front, spices are an investment in your culinary adventures. I like to collect my spices slowly, picking up 1-2 new spices every few weeks to add to my collection.
On breakfast
It sucks how much better I feel when I eat breakfast. It is the meal I am most likely to skip, but the one with the most consequences for missing.
I have two approaches to eating breakfast: meal prepping ahead of time and keeping easy, grab-and-go options on hand.
My meal plan contains both options for you to experiment with and find what works for you. There are some weeks where I prefer to have prepped potatoes and eggs or overnight oats that I can grab and reheat, and other weeks where I reach for an energy bar or bowl of cereal. I also like to keep my breakfast as mess-free as possible–the last thing I want to do is start my day with a load of dishes.
You should feel free to swap breakfast items into the meal plan that works for you. Here is some inspiration:
Easy, grab-and-go breakfast items
Bowl of yogurt, with toppings as you have them
Cereal
Energy and protein bars
Leftovers
Bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter
Meal prep ahead
Muffins and other baked good
Potato and egg bowls
Freeze-ahead breakfast burritos
Overnight oats
Smoothies (maybe not make ahead, but it’s not quick or mess-free)
Week 1
Breakfast: Overnight oats & cereal
Lunch: Cold peanut noodle salad & chicken salad
Dinner: Creamy pesto chicken pasta & butternut squash and black bean soup
Notes
Buy a gallon of milk for the creamy pesto chicken pasta, the overnight oats, and your cereal.
Quadroule the overnight oats recipe for breakfast for the week. I make a big tub of this to snack on.
You can throw tofu, shredded rotisserie chicken, or edamame onto the cold peanut noodle salad for extra protein during lunch.
You can save the carcass of the rotisserie chicken to make your stock, which can be used in the chicken pasta. It's your call if you want to spend the time on it versus buying some stock/broth.
You will have leftover grapes from the chicken salad and can eat the rest as a snack. If you find the process of quartering grapes tedious like I did, you can instead use a diced apple--cheaper and more manageable.
The extra celery and walnuts from the chicken salad can also be eaten as snacks
I buy pre-cut butternut squash. I do not have the time to cut up a whole squash, and I find the entire process messy and draining. Over time, you will determine what hacks are worth spending on.
If soup is not filling enough, pair it with bread, salad, or leftovers from something else you cooked this week.
Week 2
Breakfast: Yogurt & breakfast bowls
Lunch: Chickpea salad & veggie sammies
Dinner: Sweet potato and black bean skillet & one pot chili mac
Notes
The fruit and other toppings you bought for the overnight oats last week will work well on your yogurt or as snacks.
Buy a bag of sweet potatoes for the skillet dinner and the breakfast bowls.
Feel free to add tofu, chicken, or another protein to the veggie sammie.
Buy a load of bread for the veggie sammie and the chickpea salad.
Any veggies that you did not use up last week will work well here: the carrots, the cabbage, and the celery.
You can use the extra cheese from the chili mac and breakfast bowls on the sweet potato skillet.
This is a great week to have avocados, tortillas, hot sauce, and sour cream on hand.
A recipe last week had you use half a pound of penne for a chicken pasta. You can use the other half of that pasta in the chili mac this week.
Any leftover kale or spinach from last week can be used for a quick salad.
Week 3
Breakfast: Overnight oats & Cereal
Lunch: Kale and sweet potato salad & chicken fried rice
Dinner: Cheese tortellini and sausage skillet & American goulash
Notes
Any leftover sweet potatoes from last week will serve you well this week.
Likewise, you can use up any leftover shredded cheddar cheese from last week here.
Feel free to dress up your salad as much as you want. Apples, nuts, cheese, leftover veggies: throw them all on your salad.
You do not need to buy a bottle of red wine for the goulash; instead, you can use beef broth.
If you buy dried cranberries for the salad, you can use them in another round of chicken salad.
You do not need to make the maple tahini dressing; instead, use any store-bought dressing you choose. I like mixing olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, and salt for a quick vinaigrette.
Throw any leftover veggies into your chicken fried rice.
You will use two eggs for the fried rice. The rest can be used for your breakfast.
Week 4
Breakfast: yogurt & bagels
Lunch: Cold peanut noodle salad & veggie sammie
Dinner: Creamy cajun chicken pasta & teriyaki chicken and rice
Notes
Any leftover chicken from the creamy cajun chicken pasta can be thrown into the cold peanut noodle salad or veggie sammie.
The cream cheese needed for the chicken pasta can be used for your bagels.
I encourage you to throw random leftover veggies and protein into your teriyaki chicken and rice. This is your chance to use up any carrots or other veggies in the back of your fridge.
Last week, you used one lb of chicken breast. I have never seen any package of chicken under two pounds in the grocery store. You can use the other pound/leftover chicken breast from last week here.
You should not have to buy more cream cheese this week, as you have some on hand from week 1.
Make it your own
This meal plan is designed to be the starting point of your food journey, a foundation to help you build a sustainable and joyful relationship with eating. While I’ve provided a structure, you have the freedom to adapt it to your unique tastes and needs. Swap out recipes, experiment with different ingredients, or adjust portions to fit your schedule and lifestyle. Think of this as your opportunity to explore and discover what truly works for you. Part of the fun is uncovering your likes and dislikes, figuring out which flavors excite you, and learning how to create meals that not only nourish your body but bring you joy. Over time, you’ll develop your own rhythm and style of eating—one that feels less like a chore and more like an act of care and creativity.
Here are a few extra links to recipes that you can use as inspiration when designing your meal plan.
Here is a whole collection of no-reheat meal prep recipes that are perfect for lunch:
This is a list of one-pot meals for the days you do not want to wash dishes:
And these are slow cooker recipes for days when you want dinner ready by the time you are done with work:
Conclusion
My journey to learning how to feed myself wasn’t just about figuring out what to eat—it was about reframing the act of eating. What once felt like another chore on a never-ending to-do list has become a delight. Over time, I’ve discovered the foods that bring me joy, the flavors that energize me, and the satisfaction that comes from relishing the time I set aside to eat during the day. Feeding myself isn’t just nourishment for my body—it’s an act of care, a way to connect with myself in the middle of a hectic day.
But let me be clear: it’s unacceptable that, in the political world, we’ve normalized working ourselves to death. We’ve created a culture where skipping meals, pushing through hunger, and sacrificing our health are badges of honor. This needs to change. There is nothing noble about starving yourself for the cause, and there’s no value in burning out when the work demands our sustained passion and energy.
This culture shift starts with us. It starts with you. It starts with setting boundaries and choosing to prioritize your health and well-being over the never-ending demands of your job. This blog is about eating, yes, but I want you to think about the bigger picture: What else in your life could change if work wasn’t your top priority? What other joys could you bring into your life if you permitted yourself to pause, to rest, and to savor the moments that truly matter?
The act of feeding yourself—regularly, intentionally, joyfully—isn’t just about survival. It’s a statement. A stand. A choice to value yourself and your humanity, even in the face of an industry that often demands otherwise. Let’s normalize that. Let’s make it okay to step away from our screens, to enjoy a meal, and to nurture not just our work but our whole selves.
You deserve to eat. You deserve to thrive. And it starts with the simple yet radical act of feeding yourself.
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