How to Stock Your Kitchen for a Week of Doing Nothing

“Pairing healthful foods with relaxing surroundings or a beautiful presentation creates a positive association,” Dr. Boseovski says. “It helps to remind you that this week is special.”

Consider the following to turn up the special while turning down the stress. 

1. Walk through a specialty food market. 

Whether you head to an outdoor farmers market (weather permitting) or a beautiful indoor gourmet shop, look at this as a relaxing adventure that can help you bring a treat or two to your meals. Unlike your usual trip to the grocery store, you’re not there for business, trying to get in and get out as fast as possible. Rather, you’re meandering from one stall or section to another, simply looking to see what sticks out to you.

Take time to linger and taste samples of olive oils, cheeses, and other speciality items. Settle down with a cup of gourmet coffee or tea. Enjoy yourself as you look for fun treats that can complement the meals you’ve already planned for yourself. Would some grass-fed goat cheese liven up salad night? How about fresh-baked sourdough bread to go with your charcuterie? Or maybe a rare, local spice is just what your big batch meal needs to go from ho-hum to out of this world. 

2. Make it social.

Hosting a cooking party can be a great way to see some friends and cross some of the meal-prep off your to-do list.

“Lean into the power of social support and turn what seems like a chore into a healthy hang out,” says Broxterman. Invite a friend to help you batch-cook those chilis and casseroles, as well as…

• Chop any needed onions, peppers, and carrots for the week ahead. Then store them in the freezer to pull them out when you’re ready to cook, suggests Moore. 
• Assemble containers of overnight oats, salads, and other grab-and-relax fare.
• Hard-boil eggs for salads and charcuterie night 

As you chop and cook, fire up a playlist (since your friend is helping, give them first dibs on music control!), sip some wine, and enjoy one another’s company. Then divide the spoils of your labor, so you both benefit from the day. 

3. Eat in a cozy setting. 

“Self-care is about doing something that feels good for you, not just in the moment, but also afterward,” says Broxterman. Certain activities—say, drinking one too many glasses of wine—may feel good at first, but decidedly less so later (hello, headache.) 

Others, like enjoying a leisurely meal outdoors, check both needs off and are true self-care, she says. Nature is certainly relaxing, and a 2020 study in the Journal of College Health suggests that people can achieve mood-boosting benefits even from bringing passive activities, such as eating, to the great outdoors. 

You might treat yourself to an outdoor picnic, and enjoy eating outside in nature by a scenic lookout. It could be at a park bench, or a short hike into the woods if you have local trails nearby. Or just eat outside in your backyard. Bring a soft blanket to up the cozy vibes even more.

If the weather doesn’t permit outdoor eating, consider ways to add a luxurious twist to indoor meals.

Maybe you light some candles, use that fine china you inherited from Grandma, or whip out that tablecloth someone gave you two years ago for Christmas. Or, if all of that fancy stuff is what you usually do during your workweeks, maybe you change things up by going less formal: eating while snuggled up in bed, for example, or taking your dinner to the couch.

There are no hard-and-fast rules. So consider: What would make you feel special and cared for? Then, go do that.

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