You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible

A trained chef teaches you how to keep yourself fed in the face of stress, burnout, and exhaustion—and have fun doing it.

Delivery is expensive. Eating a spoonful of peanut butter is depressing. You can’t imagine having the energy to chop an onion. But somehow, you gotta eat. How does anyone feed themselves under these conditions?

Enter You Gotta Eat, a friendly, accessible resource for getting something on your plate when you have too much on your plate. Part cookbook, part pep talk, and part action plan, You Gotta Eat offers tips and tactics—plus ten “do exactly this” recipes—for making effortless food that’s nourishing, tasty, and even a little fun. Choose your current energy level and learn important kitchen skills such as the following.

If you can open a package: Turn instant ramen into a feast

If you can assemble a plate: Make a cheese board fit for a king

If you can press a button: Whip up perfect eggs in the microwave

If you can wield a knife: Turn any leftovers into a hearty casserole

Plus dozens more ideas for living deliciously without impossible effort.

Whether you’re burned-out, depressed, overworked, a new parent, living away from home for the first time, or some combination of the above, let food editor, classically trained chef, and nacho enthusiast Margaret Eby show you how to make your eating experience better—and easier—in every way.