How to eat well when you have zero time (or almost)?

Eating well is mostly about making good choices

We sometimes tend to believe that eating well requires a dietetics degree or hours in the kitchen. In reality, it often just takes a few good decisions to make a difference. Eating balanced doesn't necessarily mean cooking everything yourself or depriving yourself: it's mostly about choosing the right ingredients, at the right time, in the right proportions.

Eating healthy isn't about being perfect. It's not about cooking Instagram-worthy dishes with 12 exotic ingredients either. It's more about:

• 🧀 Favoring raw, simple, minimally processed products;
• 🥦 Betting on diversity: vegetables, grains, legumes, varied proteins;
• 📦 Limiting ultra-processed dishes and industrial snacks;
• 🥗 Making room for pleasure — because a dish that frustrates is never sustainable.

A fridge full to bursting guarantees nothing if you don't know what to do with it. Conversely, a well-thought-out dish, even prepared in advance, can tick all the boxes: balance, taste, practicality.

Smart shopping to save time

Eating well often starts... at the supermarket (or at the local market, even better). The trap? Shopping without a clear idea, hoping inspiration will come later. Result: we buy too much, waste, or end up ordering a pizza. To avoid this, a minimum of strategy is enough.

Here are some simple tips to shop faster — and better:

• 📝 Plan 3 or 4 "go-to" meals for the week: simple recipes that you like and master.
• 🥚 Build a base of versatile ingredients: eggs, grains, legumes, easy-to-cook vegetables, hard cheeses, condiments...
• 🛍️ Save time with practical yet durable products: washed but unpeeled vegetables, pre-sorted herbs, pre-measured bulk products…
• 🧺 Favor short circuits and seasonal products: for the planet, for your health… and often for the taste.

No need to spend hours in the aisles: by starting with a clear idea, you save time, limit waste, and prepare your week with more serenity.

Anticipate without batch cooking commando style

We often hear about batch cooking as a miracle solution to save time. Cooking all your meals for the week on Sunday? On paper, it’s great. In real life… not always realistic. Especially when your weekend is already busy, or spending 3 hours in the kitchen doesn’t thrill you.

The good news? There are much more flexible alternatives. Sometimes it’s enough to prepare 2 or 3 elements in advance to be able to assemble balanced meals in a few minutes. No need to turn your fridge into Tupperware-land.

Some examples of gentle anticipation:

• 🥕 Roast a tray of seasonal vegetables (carrots, squash, broccoli…): to eat hot or cold, in Side or in a salad.
• 🍚 Cook a large portion of rice, quinoa, or lentils: perfect for lunch bowls or evening leftovers.
• 🥚 Prepare a few hard-boiled eggs: rich in protein, they can be added to any meal.
• 🧄 Blend a small pesto or a yogurt-Garlic-lemon sauce to add flavor to everything (even on lazy days).

With this kind of homemade “bases”, you can improvise meals in 5 minutes flat. The idea is not to control everything, but to always have a joker up your sleeve.

And when really, there’s not a minute: delegate smartly

No matter how organized we are, there are weeks when it just doesn’t work. Too many meetings, a sick child, monumental laziness… whatever the reason, you know that you’re not going to cook. And that’s okay.

In those moments, what matters is to make the best possible choice in the context. And between a frozen pizza, an ultra-processed snack, or an artisanal cooked dish with good ingredients… the choice is quickly made.

This is where bienBon.ch cooked dishes make perfect sense:

• 🍲 Balanced, seasonal recipes, mostly local,
• 👨🍳 Cooked by a starred chef, in an artisanal logic,
• ♻️ Packaged in jars (or vacuum-sealed), without unnecessary packaging,
• 🚚 Delivered everywhere in Switzerland, ready to heat in a few minutes.

All with a shelf life of several months, to always have a healthy option on hand, even in case of rush or unforeseen events.

It’s not cheating. It’s adapting. And above all, it’s taking care of yourself without pressure.

Free yourself from the pressure of “homemade”

Sometimes we have this persistent idea that to "eat well," we must do everything ourselves. Cook every meal. Cut our vegetables by hand. Soak our chickpeas the night before. It's commendable... but not always realistic. Nor necessary.

In reality, what matters is regularity. It's better to eat "fairly well" every day than "perfectly" once a week. And above all, it's better to have a practical, balanced, and reassuring solution than a homemade dish hastily prepared at 10 PM, without pleasure or appetite.

Allowing yourself to delegate part of your meals is also freeing yourself from the daily mental load. Less stress, more serenity. And if it's good, healthy, and ethical too... what more could you ask for?

No one will judge you for not peeling your squash yourself. And certainly not us.