hold my spoon blog
recipes & cooking tips/tricks all in one place
-
Healthy kids snacks and on the go breakfast ideas
Morning chaos comes in many forms. Someone can’t find their shoes, the lunchbox lid’s vanished again, and the coffee’s gone cold… twice. You might not be able to control the school run, but you can make the first meal of the day a little easier (and more satisfying than crusts off someone else’s toast). The…
-
Easy summer recipes for busy days and warm nights
Summer’s here! Which means sticky fingers, sandy feet, and someone always asking, “What’s for dinner?” while holding half a popsicle. The days feel endless, but the energy? Not so much. Between school holidays, work, and keeping the fridge stocked with something other than wilting spinach, eating well can start to feel like another job you…
-
Hidden veggies that actually work (and taste good)
You know that moment when your kid swears they hate zucchini… while happily eating three muffins filled with it? Yeah. That’s the magic of hidden veggies. It’s not about tricking anyone – it’s about making food that everyone can enjoy without the nightly “just three more bites” negotiation. Because if you’ve ever spent 40 minutes…
-
15-minute recipes that prove fast can be healthy
What if dinner didn’t have to be stressful, time-consuming, or planned three days ahead? What if it could just… happen – fast, fresh and with zero panic? That’s the magic of 15-minute recipes. They’re not just for super-organised people or home chefs with color-coded spice racks. They’re for anyone who’s busy, tired, or simply not…
-
Wellness apps for women in 2026: tech, nutrition & science
Wellness isn’t just green smoothies and expensive leggings anymore #ThankGod. Heading into 2026, the women’s wellness space is finally catching up to how real brains and bodies work. Forget cookie-cutter advice about “balance” – most of us are done taking advice from child-free influencers who think “balance” means 90 minutes of Pilates, a full night’s…
-
Your midlife glow-up: foods for energy, mood & skin
Let’s get one thing straight – your 40s and 50s aren’t the era of “slow metabolism and salad sadness.” They’re your glow-up years. The years of eating food that actually fuels you, not punishes you. Somewhere along the way, perimenopause diet culture forgot to tell women that restriction doesn’t equal radiance. Your body doesn’t need…
-
Brain-boosting foods for women over 40
Some days it feels like your brain is buffering. You walk into a room and forget why. You open your laptop and suddenly remember everything except the task you sat down to do. Welcome to midlife – where hormones start freelancing, focus takes a lunch break, and emotional energy can feel permanently on low-battery mode….
-
ADHD and protein power foods for focus and energy
Let’s talk about protein – not the bodybuilder kind, the brain fuel kind. Because here’s the thing, when you’ve got an ADHD brain, your energy and focus can rise and fall faster than a badly timed soufflé. You start the day strong, hit a wall mid-afternoon, and suddenly you’re running on coffee, crumbs and sheer…
-
ADHD food paralysis: how to beat decision fatigue
You open the fridge. It’s full… Leftovers, eggs, maybe something that used to be lettuce #gross. But your brain? Blank. Every option feels wrong. Too much effort, too many steps, too many decisions hiding inside one tiny question: What do I eat? That’s food paralysis – when your ADHD brain hits a wall long before…
-
ADHD snacks that boost focus without the sugar crash
You know that moment when your brain decides it needs something crunchy, salty, or sweet… like right now? Yeah, that’s your dopamine talking. It’s hungry, impatient and totally convinced a handful of chocolate chips will fix everything. Spoiler: it won’t. What will help is finding healthy ADHD snacks that hit the spot and keep your…
-
Perimenopause self-care: finding calm in the chaos
Life doesn’t exactly slow down just because your hormones decide to remix themselves. Work still wants your time, family still needs your energy, and your body is quietly (or not so quietly) throwing hot flashes, brain fog and mood swings into the mix. No wonder self-care can feel like just another thing on the never-ending…
-
Perimenopause weight shifts: what’s really going on
You step on the scale, tug at your jeans, or catch your reflection and think: “Hang on… when did this happen?” Suddenly, clothes fit differently, your body has new ideas about where to store weight, and the old “fixes” don’t seem to work anymore. Perimenopause has a way of rewriting the rules without asking permission….
-
Perimenopause cravings and how to handle them
It’s late. You’re tired. You’re scrolling social media and suddenly the only thing that matters in the universe is chocolate. Or chips. Or both. You raid the pantry, promise yourself tomorrow will be different, and then wake up feeling sluggish. Sound familiar? You’re not weak or lacking willpower. You’re experiencing the very real hormonal shifts…
-
Perimenopause in the kitchen: meal prep that works with your energy
Dinner used to feel like just another part of the day. Now? Some nights it feels like the biggest boss battle yet. You stare at the shelves and wonder how on earth you’re supposed to turn this into a meal – especially when your energy left the building an hour ago. If this sounds familiar,…
-
Meal prep shortcuts for mental sanity | Hold My Spoon
It’s 5:47pm. One child is asking for snacks every two minutes, another is arguing with the dog about who gets the couch, and you’re staring into the fridge like it’s hiding a secret passage to a better life. Dinner dread is real – and it doesn’t mean you’re lazy or unorganized. It just means you’re…
-
Best budget tips for ADHD, busy families and busy brains
Feeding a family can feel like running a café where the customers change their minds daily – and the chef (you) is working with a tight budget and not nearly enough time. Groceries keep getting more expensive, schedules are full, and the constant “what’s for dinner?” question just keeps rolling in. Now, throw in an…
-
ADHD meal prep: simple strategies for stress-free dinners
Meal prep always sounds like such a great idea… until you’re staring at a fridge full of good intentions (and three bags of spinach that didn’t make it past day two). For ADHD brains, meal prep can feel like a puzzle with too many pieces: endless chopping, too many containers, and way too many steps…
-
ADHD grocery shopping: simple ways to turn chaos into calm
You pop into the store for milk. You walk out with three dips, a novelty candle, and zero clue what’s for dinner. Sound familiar? For ADHD brains, grocery shopping is less “quick errand” and more “sensory obstacle course.” Bright lights, endless choices, crowded aisles, and that running mental chant of don’t forget the thing… It’s…
-
ADHD and money: Simple work hacks to manage finances and routines
For many ADHDers – diagnosed or “pretty sure” – managing money and work routines can feel like building IKEA furniture without the instructions. You know it should come together, but instead you’re knee-deep in random screws, distracted by the promise of meatballs, and wondering where the Allen key went. It’s not a lack of intelligence…
-
AI for ADHD: Tools that turn chaos into calm
Having an ADHD brain often means seeing the world in ways other people don’t. Ideas spark quickly, creativity flows, and you notice details others miss. But it also means everyday tasks – like following a recipe step by step or remembering to switch the laundry – can feel way harder than they should. That’s not…
