Emergency Meals for Spoonies: Quick, Gluten-Free Ideas for Low-Energy Days

Ever have those days when your fridge and your cupboards are empty, and most of your spoons are gone? 

Me too. That’s why I put together this guide to emergency meals for spoonies, with quick, gluten-free options that don’t gobble up what little energy you have left. 

Some people make it look so easy: they always keep their fridge and cupboards stocked, and put a full dinner on the table every night. They are pros at being The Responsible Adult. And I’m 99.99% sure they are normal, healthy people.

But chronic illness—whether it’s a physical, mental, or neurological condition—is a beast. It turns ordinary activities into major struggles. Chronic pain, fatigue, brain fog… they each impact our everyday lives in more ways than most ‘Normies’ can even imagine.

Brain fog can easily make us forget to buy essential pantry staples. Chronic fatigue may put us in bed during the day and barely able to even take a sip of water. Sensory overload can make us leave our carts behind and flee from the supermarket, so we can have our breakdown somewhere safe. Chronic pain… let’s not even get there.

Yet, we still have to eat. Even when we’re out of spoons. And ordering takeout isn’t always an option.

What Are Quick Emergency Meal Ideas for Spoonies 

Don’t get me wrong: sometimes ordering takeout is all we can do, and if that’s the case, then don’t let anyone guilt-trip you into thinking you should really be stronger than that (or whatever other bollocks people might throw at you for ordering takeout).

This is your body, your health, and your money, so you get to make that call. Nobody else. Well, unless you’re spending their money, I guess…

Anyway, when you’re chronically ill, you’ve probably already been gaslit by too many people for far too long and you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. I will certainly not judge you for ordering takeout.

That said, takeout does come with its own set of problems. If you’re gluten-intolerant, allergic to several other common ingredients, and sensitive to texture… good luck finding something on the menu (any menu) you can eat without risking yet another flareup.

Not to mention, takeout is rough on your wallet, and too often, the food is loaded with unhealthy fats, too much salt, added sugars… And while that’s fine occasionally, you don’t want to put all that extra strain on your body on a regular basis.

How to Make a Quick Emergency Shopping List

Take a deep breath and sit down with pen and paper (or your phone) and jot down a quick shopping list. Not just any list, though. Forget about making the healthiest, tastiest meal ever. 

We’re talking about gluten-free emergency meals here—with emphasis on the emergency bit. You just want something in your belly. Something that’s not too expensive or unhealthy, and that still tastes alright. 

Our priorities are clear. The meal needs to be:

In other words, you’ll be looking for pre-cut veggies, a tin of legumes (or tuna if you eat fish), a bag of pasta, an instant meal, soup—and one healthy snack. Don’t skip the snack. You’ll need it. And I don’t care if it’s healthy or not. It just needs to be filling and comforting.

And to show you I truly speak from experience, this is what today’s emergency shopping list looked like for me:

Once you’ve got your list, you get to the hardest part of this whole undertaking: go to the nearest supermarket and get those items. Just work through your list. No extras. You want to be out of the supermarket and back home as soon as possible.

Here’s what it looks like for me: it takes me 15 minutes to roll to the supermarket, 10-15 minutes (depending on how busy it is) to grab my items and make it through the checkout, and then 15 minutes back home.

By the time I got back home, I was knackered—but that was OK. I put my groceries away, had my snack (the fruit yoghurt) and then… went to bed. While I couldn’t sleep, I did get an hours’ rest and was able to replenish my spoons enough to be able to feed my cats and prepare my own dinner.

Red cabbage and applesauce (I still had a jar in the fridge) with potatoes and cream cheese. No cooking needed. Just plopped potatoes and cabbage on a plate and zapped it in the microwave, then added a generous dollop of cream cheese and my applesauce.

Was it the best dinner ever? Nope. But it had all the basics of a balanced meal: carbs, protein, fibre, vitamins. It filled me up and tasted well enough, and that was all I cared for. Even better, I still have some of my replenished spoons left to write.

So where does that leave you?

When you get back home from your shop, you’re probably exhausted, too. But no worries. Just put those few groceries away (or even just dump them on the worktop), have your snack and lie down to rest and replenish your spoons. 

You may need an hour. Maybe a little shorter, maybe longer, but eventually you’ll have enough spoons to prep your meal.

Remember, you don’t need anything fancy. You just need to feed yourself without going bankrupt or being too hard on your system. That’s all that counts.

Simple Gluten-Free Emergency Meals When You’re Out of Spoons 

Now that you’d done this once, you know it’s doable. Barely, but still… it works. And with just a little bit of planning, you can make things a lot easier for when the next Meal Emergency strikes. 

Here’s how.

Make a list of two or three emergency meals that you actually like and will be able to make even when you’re almost out of spoons.

These are mine:

Now, all you have to do is stock up on all the items you need for these meals. For me, that’s 

How I Stock Up on Gluten-Free Emergency Foods 

I like to stock up on my emergency foods when they are on offer, and then buy doubles or triples. Sometimes even more—except for the vegan cream cheese, which won’t keep as long as the other items. Still, I like to always have one tub in my fridge. Just in case.

This way, I’ve almost always got at least one of my emergency foods on hand (except the other day, when I was plain out of everything easy and convenient), and it has saved me from many an emergency shopping trip.

What’s your favourite quick, gluten-free meal when spoons are low? Drop a note in the comments.

Like these meal ideas? Pin them!