Well, hey friends, welcome to Clutter -Free Academy, where our goal is to help you take small, doable steps to live every day with less clutter and more life. Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s close to my heart, how to manage meals when you’re low on energy. This is actually part one of a two -part episode because we had so much to talk about. In this first part, Tonya and I will be talking about the challenges of cooking when you’re tired, when you’re overwhelmed, when you’re stressed.

and I’ll share some strategies from my new book, Sabbath Soup. We’ll cover meal planning, energy saving kitchen hacks, and how to make the most of those days where you have not enough energy to do all that needs to be done. So let’s get started.

 

Well, hey friends, welcome to Clutter-Free Academy, where our goal is to help you take small, doable steps to live every day with less clutter and more life. And Tonya and I are back, better than ever, yay! Well, we’re very high energy, but.

 

Tonya Kubo (00:25.094)

Yay!

 

Kathi (00:30.176)

That’s not always the case. As we discussed last week, it has been, well, definitely, I don’t know that, well, how I want to say this. Your family has been very low energy because of lots of illness. We’re wondering now if Roger just has long COVID because this guy cannot get on top of it. We are eating healthy, he’s out there working out.

 

Tonya Kubo (00:50.772)

Mmm.

 

Kathi (00:58.24)

I don’t even know if I’ve told you this, Tonya. We have dug a trail around our property so that we can go on walks. Yes, it really is nice. But yeah, we just can’t get Roger feeling good. so, and I was down and out over the weekend. And here’s the thing. You may not.

 

Tonya Kubo (01:08.374)

how nice!

 

Kathi (01:25.822)

We do not have the physical location where we can do DoorDash. most people, when I did DoorDash one time when I was at my mom’s house, Tonya, I was aghast at how much it costs.

 

Tonya Kubo (01:30.632)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (01:42.024)

yeah, no, it is not affordable. Well, not for us. I mean, it depends on where you live though, right? Because I have friends who, you know, drive big vehicles and stuff and they swear that they save the money in gas.

 

Kathi (01:45.163)

And here’s

 

Kathi (01:56.706)

We have a big vehicle. We’ve got about the biggest vehicle you could have. That’s some interesting math. I don’t understand it. I’m not calling your friends liars or dumb, whoo. Yeah. We have not had a lot of energy around here. And I think that this is something that as people get older,

 

Tonya Kubo (02:07.726)

Yeah

 

Kathi (02:24.354)

You know, we all want to say hey, we’re gonna always have the same amount of energy I used to be low energy because I had all the kids now I’m lower energy. I just think because the ravages of time and so I do know like I’ve learned I have to balance my energy like in the morning and into you know, I morning until lunch I am good to go then I have my afternoon dip

 

Tonya Kubo (02:31.507)

Right.

 

Tonya Kubo (02:42.494)

Mm

 

Kathi (02:51.074)

and then I’m really good until about 630 and at 630 I’m done. Like I’m not, I’m not, I was gonna say I’m not laying in bed. I am lying in bed, but I’m still working. I’m doing, working on like social media and things like that. But I don’t know. How about you? Where are your energy peaks and valleys?

 

Tonya Kubo (03:11.988)

Yeah, well, I mean, for me, I have the most energy from like 4 am to noon. Like hands down, 4 a.m. to noon. Four o ‘clock is an evil, evil time, Kathi. Why do people want to meet with me between the hours of two and four pm Like it’s just, that it is not my favorite. They don’t, they obviously don’t. The world is not built around me.

 

Kathi (03:21.581)

Sure.

 

Kathi (03:33.794)

They don’t love you. Yeah, obviously.

 

Well, and here’s the thing, your children want things from you during those hours.

 

Tonya Kubo (03:44.688)

Right? You feel my pain. Yeah. And, and I would say for a lot of people, know, weekends are a high energy time. It’s, it’s not a high-energy time for me, but I do my best. am somebody. And this is where I think you and me are a little bit different. I do better in a single marathon.

 

Kathi (03:46.878)

It’s just wrong. Yeah. Yes, absolutely.

 

Kathi (04:00.439)

Yeah.

 

Tonya Kubo (04:10.868)

than I do in breaking things up into say 30-minute chunks throughout the day.

 

Kathi (04:11.926)

Hmm.

 

Kathi (04:15.584)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It depends on what I’m working on. But yeah, I like to be able to quit a task when I run out of energy. So yeah, we, you know, as many of you know, I have a book coming out October 8th, it’s Sabbath Soup. And I didn’t really write this with in mind with, you know, three different people when you’re low on time, when you’re low on money, and when you’re low on energy.

 

Tonya Kubo (04:24.143)

Yeah

 

Tonya Kubo (04:44.99)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (04:45.33)

Now, all three at the same time is hard. Like I get it. That is super, super hard. And I’ve been in that place where when I was a single mom, there wasn’t a lot of money. I was working full-time. And when I was done for the day, I wanted to be done for the day and it just wasn’t an option. So for all my single moms out there, I no longer feel your pain, but I remember your pain very, very deeply. And

 

Tonya Kubo (04:53.843)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (05:14.696)

Tonya is currently a single mom because her husband is sick on the couch but I just think that there are times when we have to say you know because all the articles I ever read are about when you’re prepping food You know how to save time how to save money But I think there has to be this third option of when you just don’t have the energy When you need to take care of your future self But how do you do that when your current self?

 

Tonya Kubo (05:37.341)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (05:44.47)

doesn’t have a ton of energy. And so we’re gonna talk about that. Tonya is interviewing me because it’s my book, but Tonya of course is going to add her own brilliance into this. So let’s talk about it, Tonya.

 

Tonya Kubo (05:46.11)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (05:58.08)

Yeah, so Kathi, one of the things that I get very stabby about, because as you know, I was raised by a single mom. And so I was raised by a single mom. Money was super, super tight. I now as an adult, when I read all of these ideas, right, of, you know, like how to feed your family of 20 on $200 from Costco, totally exaggerating there.

 

Kathi (06:05.643)

Right.

 

Kathi (06:22.238)

Yeah. Right.

 

Tonya Kubo (06:25.012)

I get frustrated because when I look at these meal plans, when I look at these ideas that are in these articles, it’s like they think that if you don’t have a lot of money, you somehow have 32 hour days, right? Like you’ve got time to go and buy wheat, wheat berries that you then toast and grind yourself to make your own bread. And

 

Kathi (06:45.204)

Right, right.

 

Tonya Kubo (06:49.0)

What I appreciate about Sabbath Soup, and even when you were talking about the concept of the book, is that you don’t do that nasty thing where you assume having less in one area, whether it’s time, energy, or money, means you have an unlimited supply in the other area.

 

Kathi (07:05.154)

Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you about a book I read probably 10 years ago. It’s called On a Dollar a Day. And it was this couple who, you know, we talk about stunt memoir and that’s really what this was. But they both, he was a school teacher or no, she was a school teacher. He worked in some kind of program for the disadvantaged.

 

Tonya Kubo (07:10.664)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (07:18.728)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (07:34.646)

and disadvantaged youth, I believe. And they were talking about what it looked like to live on what the California welfare system gave to people. And I know a lot about this. My mom was a social worker, and it’s so true. And it’s not like this as much anymore, but…

 

Tonya Kubo (07:51.443)

Mm

 

Kathi (08:00.674)

in order to get your benefit, it took almost an entire day where you’re not earning money to go apply, do the paper, all that kind of stuff. And I just know that for a lot of us, we are lacking sometimes in all three. And I don’t know that, this book does not have all the answers. Let’s be 100 % honest.

 

Tonya Kubo (08:06.28)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (08:19.272)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (08:27.75)

And if you are lacking financially, you and I are big believers in go find a food program because thousands of pounds of food get tossed out every day in the state of California. Let’s get that to some humans, shall we? And then if you don’t have time, it’s okay to go to Costco.

 

Tonya Kubo (08:30.792)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (08:36.466)

Right.

 

Tonya Kubo (08:42.824)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (08:54.036)

and get some prepackaged meals. It’s okay to get the rotisserie chicken. But I’m also gonna give you some ideas on how to stretch that rotisserie chicken. If you don’t have the energy, say like you’re a senior citizen, there are programs for senior citizens for prepared meals. Have somebody, if you can’t do it, have somebody check those things out. But if you’re in that place where you’re like, I do enjoy cooking, or I want to cook because I wanna control the ingredients that are going in my recipes, or I don’t wanna have to leave the house all the time for this kind of stuff. Or I actually like my cooking. I enjoy the type of cooking I do. I just wanna give some easy ideas for people who maybe don’t have a ton of energy to be able to cook. And yeah.

 

Tonya Kubo (09:49.242)

Mm-hmm. Well, Kathi, I’m sorry. mean, based on your experience, how have you seen a lack of energy impact eating habits? Because that’s the piece where, you know, I’m just going to go grab something quick. I’m just going to go grab something quick. And I hear this from people all the time, you know, a week’s worth of just grabbing something quick oftentimes is not making us feel our best.

 

Kathi (10:07.009)

Right.

 

Kathi (10:16.034)

No, it’s not. And you know, you know, I have struggled with obesity. I was born at 10 pounds. Let’s be clear. I’ve struggled with obesity my entire life. Not saying that a 10-pound baby is obese, but you know, it I come from a long line of people who struggle with obesity. And, you know, I know that if I don’t have if I’m not pre-planning, then what I’m doing is

 

Tonya Kubo (10:41.492)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (10:45.34)

sometimes the energy comes in deciding, especially in the moment. And so if we’re trying to decide in the moment, the easy things to grab are the pizzas, the easy things to grab are the fast food. hear me loud and clear. I like some fast food. Like I can get down on a Taco Bell taco that that is, you know, I enjoy Chick-fil-A -A every once in a while.

 

Tonya Kubo (10:48.82)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (11:05.437)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (11:09.395)

Yeah.

 

Kathi (11:15.17)

A McDonald’s Diet Coke is about as close to bliss as I could get. But I know that in order for me to feel good, in order for me to have energy, I can’t be doing those on a regular basis. And let me be honest, know, Tonya, I have a couple of disadvantages. I still have extra weight on me, which, you know, I’m working with and on, but it’s still a reality.

 

I have a short tendon in my foot, which doesn’t sound like it would be a big deal. But if I stand for any length of time, my right ankle just hurts. And I still have a little bit of a back issue, which is mostly cleared up with losing some weight. But if I’m standing for long periods of time, it does not. So I really have to think about my energy management when it comes to everything I’m doing.

 

Tonya Kubo (12:09.502)

Mm

 

Kathi (12:13.416)

This is part of it. And so our food impacts how we feel. If we’re doing that, you know, frozen pizza, the frozen French bread pizza, by the way, which we keep on hand, and we probably have once a week and really enjoy it. It’s the days when it’s Roger’s turn to cook lunch. And because I’ve got an extra meeting and anything that’s too complicated in the kitchen, he could do it. We had him.

 

Tonya Kubo (12:25.716)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (12:42.176)

do some very complicated things when I burned my arm recently, but let’s just say it does not bring him joy. So, it’s okay to have the, go back to kind of those comfort foods, but you can’t do it on a regular basis if energy is an issue for you.

 

Tonya Kubo (12:48.66)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (12:57.662)

Mm -hmm.

 

Right, okay. So what do you think, since Sabbath Soup is a book that really is focused on weekly meal plans and meal planning, what do you think are some things, because I can imagine that if energy is a challenge, that could sound daunting. So I’m wondering in your mind, you know, what should somebody consider when it comes to planning meals for low-energy weeks?

 

Kathi (13:18.881)

Yeah.

 

Kathi (13:26.516)

Yeah, so I like to break it up. So, you know, on Mondays, I’m going to make the plan for what I’m going to cook and I’m going to do an inventory and kind of see what we already have. And by the way, you know, if past me had some leftover chicken, chopped it up, put it in the freezer. What a gift, right? Because that’s chicken I do not have to cook. So I’m going to look for those kind of things when I’m having a low energy week and plan my meals around that.

 

Tonya Kubo (13:47.454)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (13:56.448)

Tuesday I’m gonna create my shopping list Just like okay. Here are the things that I want to cook, but I don’t have on hand, And Tuesday for low energy. Can I just tell you if you live near a Sam’s Club? That is my favorite thing in the world because I place my order on Tuesday and I go pick it up on Wednesday or if I’m going into town on Tuesday, I place it on Monday whatever but I I don’t have if I’m having a low energy week

 

Tonya Kubo (14:10.142)

Mm -hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (14:19.828)

Mm

 

Kathi (14:25.832)

I don’t even have to go inside the store. It’s all there waiting for me. And if you’re like, well, nice for you, Kathi, I don’t have a Sam’s Club. Like there are no Sam’s Club in the Bay Area. That’s okay. Target, you can do the same thing with and it’s free. You can do the same thing with where we are like a Rayleigh’s or a Safeway. A lot of places have where you can pick those up. Now both Safeway and Rayleigh’s have a charge, but if you’re low,

 

Tonya Kubo (14:28.852)

you

 

Kathi (14:55.1)

on energy, that’s a great energy-saving idea. Thursday, this is where I save my energy because the hardest part of cooking for me is all the chopping. that, that’s the thing that just kills me, right? That and dishes. So on Thursday, what I’m going to do is I’m going to get out my food processor and I’m going to chop anything that needs to be chopped. And if you’re like, that sounds like too much.

 

Tonya Kubo (15:07.774)

Hmm.

 

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (15:24.126)

I get it, friend, go to Trader Joe’s and get their mirepoix or you know, which has the carrots and onions and celery already chopped up. Buy the bagged salad, do what you need to do. But if you’re like, no, the money’s the other thing I’m trying to save, then that bag of carrots is so much cheaper than buying chopped carrots. Let’s just do that. Unless there’s a great sale, know, do what you need to do. But I’m gonna get everything out.

 

Tonya Kubo (15:44.852)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (15:53.442)

One thing that I’ve done, Tonya, that may seem silly, but I don’t care, is I have an extension cord that runs to my kitchen table. Okay? So I’m gonna wash all my vegetables at the same time, and then I’m gonna sit down at my kitchen table with all my little containers, and I’m gonna chop all my vegetables, and I’m gonna put them into the containers, and I’m gonna chop them, and I’m gonna do all that while I’m sitting down. Yes.

 

Tonya Kubo (15:56.094)

Mm -hmm.

 

Okay.

 

Tonya Kubo (16:07.742)

Mm

 

Tonya Kubo (16:21.224)

Right, and let me clarify though, because you mentioned extension cord and then chopping vegetables, some people may not connect the dots. It’s because you use a food processor to help you do that.

 

Kathi (16:28.47)

Sorry. Right, right, sorry. Key, key point. You are so smart. So yes, so I am going to, I’m going to chop all those with my food processor. I’m only washing the food processor once. I may wipe it out every once in while, but I’m only washing it once. And then that is all ready for assembly day on Friday, which is beautiful.

 

Tonya Kubo (16:33.282)

haha

 

Kathi (16:56.35)

Another thing that I feel like is really, really key is I am not rushing myself on cook day. So I’m putting things into a slow cooker. Like it can cook all day. It can be doing what it needs to do. Food is marinating. Like it’s a slow process. It’s the slow food movement. Another thing, if you struggle with something like I do with my ankle,

 

One of the things I’ve done is I’ve got a standing mat that I’ve put in my kitchen. So those are so nice. And it makes such a big difference with energy. Another thing is we don’t wear shoes in our house just because we’ve got a lot of outdoors outside. But we have bears.

 

Tonya Kubo (17:32.702)

Those are so nice.

 

Tonya Kubo (17:43.988)

Mm

 

You have bears that have to go potty somewhere.

 

Kathi (17:51.498)

Yeah, and this morning there were turkeys that were not letting moose go outside to go to the bathroom. So she just stood there and barked and then Roger came down and is like, what is the drama? I said, it’s turkeys. And he said, you’re just going to have to deal with it moose. And I said, the turkeys are eating our grapes. And he says, not today. They’re not. And so Roger runs out there, shoes them all away. And Roger, I mean, moose was able to go outside. But you know, I don’t even know what I was saying.

 

Tonya Kubo (17:56.468)

Waaaah

 

Tonya Kubo (18:09.812)

No.

 

Tonya Kubo (18:17.256)

Yes.

 

Kathi (18:21.366)

But it thinking in batches is to plan. Like I cook all of my hard boiled eggs for the week in one batch. I cook all of those type of, you know, I’m trying to do all of my dishes in one thing, you know, one load. I’m doing all of my chopping in one load, thinking about it like that, breaking it down throughout the week so you don’t have to worry.

 

Tonya Kubo (18:31.122)

Hmm.

 

Tonya Kubo (18:40.691)

Mm -hmm.

 

Kathi (18:50.782)

You’ve already got the food cooked. It’s a beautiful, beautiful concept.

 

Well, that’s all we have time for this first part of our discussion on meal planning when you’re low on energy. But don’t worry, we have even more great tips and ideas coming up in part two. In our next episode, we’ll dive into some specific meal ideas, how to involve family in the cooking process, and I’ll share some of my favorite go -to recipes for low energy days. You won’t wanna miss it. Thanks for listening to Clutter -Free Academy. I’m Kathi Lipp. Now.

 

Go create the clutter -free life you’ve always wanted to live.