Do you still have energy to cook after a 12 hour shift?

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Hi! I'm writing this as I wait to clock out from my 6:30 am to 7:00 pm shift. The one thing on my mind is FOOD. What am I going to eat?? Should I cook or buy something? I have to be up early tomorrow for clinical. I like my sleep but I feel like I'm just being lazy.

That led me to wondering, what does everyone else do??? Do you guys still have energy to cook after your 12 hour shift, whether it be a day or night shift??

Specializes in Mental Health.

I try to have a lot of food at work, I eat two breakfasts, big lunch and afternoon tea. last meal is usually between 5 and 6pm, usually get home at 2130hrs - I may have a cup of tea but I usually don't eat when I get home - if I am really hungry I can make an omelette or grab a protein bar

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Specializes in GENERAL.
Oh yes, after a 12 hr shift and long commute I come home to cook a 7 course meal for my family, and still have the energy to sew all our clothes, polish our silver, make handcrafted soap, then darn (handknitted) socks, plus homeschooled the kids, of course.

Oh, yes. And after I take off the orthopedic brace from my back, I crank up Riverdance and practice my Irish step dancing till the wee hours.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

These answers are so familiar...except the darning of socks. :speechless: lol

I eat breakfast, shower, crash and burn, and then wake and eat frozen pizza (after it is cooked, of course) and shower again (12 hr nights). Yay for me! lol

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I do a lot of meal prep. I have an extra deep freezer just so I can do this. I normally keep about a dozen 'ready to go in the crockpot' meals in the freezer (sauce,meat,veg all in a bag ready to go), plus a dozen or so frozen ready to cook meals, plus all kinds of pre-cooked and then frozen breakfasts and smoothie preps and other things. It means that twice a month I have to really do a lot of prep work but it keeps my family functional. I started doing this years ago.

Using crockpot liners and putting my ready to heat freezer meals (like lasagna) in containers I can toss instead of reusing also insures I have few dishes to do.

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No. Nope. Not at all.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

Cooking?? Heck no, that's what husbands are for. I usually make myself lunch for work (I work nights) and then I might make something simple like eggs when I get home in the morning. Husband will cook breakfast half the shifts I work, depends on when I get home vs. his work schedule.

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Sometimes words are hard let alone cooking. Thankfully my awesome fiance cooks a lot of the time, she takes awesome care of me.

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Specializes in NICU.
I do a lot of meal prep. I have an extra deep freezer just so I can do this. I normally keep about a dozen 'ready to go in the crockpot' meals in the freezer (sauce,meat,veg all in a bag ready to go), plus a dozen or so frozen ready to cook meals, plus all kinds of pre-cooked and then frozen breakfasts and smoothie preps and other things. It means that twice a month I have to really do a lot of prep work but it keeps my family functional. I started doing this years ago.

Using crockpot liners and putting my ready to heat freezer meals (like lasagna) in containers I can toss instead of reusing also insures I have few dishes to do.

Do you have any recipe or website recommendations for the crockpot-in-a-bag meals? I'd like to utilize mine more but the idea of getting up extra early pre-work to do food prep makes me want to cry.

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.

No, I am lucky to come home to food cooked for me by my husband :-)

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Specializes in geriatrics.

What kind of liners do you use for a crockpot? Are these special liners you buy? Sounds like a great idea.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

I don't have energy to cook. Dinner after a 12 hours shift is either left-overs from food I made previously in the week, what ever I can scrounge up that doesn't require much thought (canned/prepared foods, or random snacks i.e. yogurt and some fruit or veggies), or if my husband was feeling exceptionally generous that day I may come home to a fresh home cooked meal (or take-and-bake pizza:sarcastic:).

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Wow, seems like I'm the odd duck here! I ALWAYS have food when I get home, whether night or day shift. If I don't, I feel awful the next day - moreso than I would be if I didn't sleep. I have celiac disease so I am gluten free, and our cafeteria isn't gluten free enough for me to eat without getting sick so I have no option but to have lunches ready for the next day as well. I can buy frozen GF meals, but they aren't very filling and they're super expensive.

I really heavily on bulk cooking, like a large crock pot of chili (currently cooking dried beans right now for chili tonight, then leftovers for work tomorrow!), soups, stir fries with rice, and baked veggies to throw over quinoa. I cut up the veggies ahead of time, then when I'm ready to eat I can just throw food on the stove and it's done in 10 minutes.

I'm used to this type of cooking now, though I admit that in the beginning it seems to take so.much.time. Now it's fast and easy and I feel great during my shifts knowing I'm eating good food to energize my body. The key is to figure out 5-10 SIMPLE meals that you enjoy, and rotate through them making sure you have leftovers each night.

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