Healthy One Handed Meals!

olivebegonia1 · July 2019

LyndaBSS wrote: »

olivebegonia1 wrote: »

I appreciate everyone's tips. I also am keenly aware of everyone's concerns.

That being said: Allow me to map out a typical day for me.

Leave house at 7:45
Arrive at client's house at 8:15
Drop client off to work at 8:30
Drive
Arrive at second client's house 8:45
Drop second client off at work: 9:00
Drive
Return to first client: 9:15
Support first client until shift end (shift ends at 10:15)
Drive first client home 10:15-10:30
Drive back to second client 10:30-10:45
Drive second client home 11:00-11:15
Drive to third client 11:15-11:45
Support third client 11:45-12:30
Drive to fourth client 12-30:12:45
Drive fourth client to work 12:45 -1:00
Support fourth client until shift ends (Shift ends at 3:00)
Drive fourth client home 3:00 -3:15
Drive back to work 3:15-3:30
Do paperwork 3:30-3:45

Sometimes, it's even more hectic.

I had been hitting a lot of drive-thrus for food. This resulted in a weight gain.

What I'm interested in is healthy meals I can consume while working this job. I know it's not ideal. But, let's face it - if everything were ideal, I wouldn't be asking for advice.

Perhaps you can show this to your boss and ask them where your meal break is supposed to be.

My boss's schedule is even crazier than mine..

LyndaBSS · July 2019

My work here is done.

glassyo · July 2019

olivebegonia1 wrote: »

LyndaBSS wrote: »

olivebegonia1 wrote: »

I appreciate everyone's tips. I also am keenly aware of everyone's concerns.

That being said: Allow me to map out a typical day for me.

Leave house at 7:45
Arrive at client's house at 8:15
Drop client off to work at 8:30
Drive
Arrive at second client's house 8:45
Drop second client off at work: 9:00
Drive
Return to first client: 9:15
Support first client until shift end (shift ends at 10:15)
Drive first client home 10:15-10:30
Drive back to second client 10:30-10:45
Drive second client home 11:00-11:15
Drive to third client 11:15-11:45
Support third client 11:45-12:30
Drive to fourth client 12-30:12:45
Drive fourth client to work 12:45 -1:00
Support fourth client until shift ends (Shift ends at 3:00)
Drive fourth client home 3:00 -3:15
Drive back to work 3:15-3:30
Do paperwork 3:30-3:45

Sometimes, it's even more hectic.

I had been hitting a lot of drive-thrus for food. This resulted in a weight gain.

What I'm interested in is healthy meals I can consume while working this job. I know it's not ideal. But, let's face it - if everything were ideal, I wouldn't be asking for advice.

Perhaps you can show this to your boss and ask them where your meal break is supposed to be.

My boss's schedule is even crazier than mine..

Then maybe you should show your boss a labor law or two.

Wait. Are you an employee or independent contractor?

Lillymoo01 · July 2019

olivebegonia1 wrote: »

LyndaBSS wrote: »

It would still be distracted driving. People die as a result of distracted driving.

If you have the 5 or 10 minutes it takes to do a drive-thru, why not take that time to eat your own food.

The point of my post is that I DON'T have the 5 or 10 minutes to do a drive thru. I often DON'T have the time to pull over and eat something. There are times when I have to make a 30 minute drive in 20 minutes.

I'm just trying to do my best...

So not only are you eating while you are driving you are also speeding. Please don't be on the road anywhere near me as you are an accident waiting to happen.

nighthawk584 · July 2019

Even over the road truck drivers are required to take breaks and log it. There is no way you can't take 5-20 min break in an 8-9 hour day. With all due respect, that is ridiculous. I was in business for 30 plus years. Our employees ALWAYS got a break. actually two 15 MIN breaks and an hour lunch.

olivebegonia1 · July 2019

Thanks for all of the judginess, gang. By all mean, carry on with your superiority whilst you drive at precisely the speed limit with both hands on the wheel at every second.

kshama2001 · July 2019

olivebegonia1 wrote: »

Thanks for all of the judginess, gang. By all mean, carry on with your superiority whilst you drive at precisely the speed limit with both hands on the wheel at every second.

Well, I've certainly driven distracted, notably from work to school. It was a bad decision and I'm lucky I didn't hurt myself or someone else.

I choose to do that. You're acting like you don't have a choice, but in fact, you are allowing yourself to be over-scheduled, and that's on you.

rheddmobile · July 2019

Get up earlier, eat breakfast. Grab a smoothie halfway through work. Eat after work.

Annie_01 · July 2019

For quick breakfasts you could make up egg muffins with bacon, spinach and cheese and keep in the frig or freezer. Pop them in the microwave for 1 min and you can eat them as you go out the door. For lunches you could make meatballs or meatloaf in a muffin tin. Then when you stop you could grab one and eat it fairly quickly. Taking boiled eggs with you would also work. Schedule your eating with bite size items when you come to a stop. It might take a while to get your lunch in but it certainly would keep you from being starved when you get home.

Lillymoo01 · July 2019

Have you ever lost a loved one to a road accident?

aokoye · July 2019

olivebegonia1 wrote: »

Thanks for all of the judginess, gang. By all mean, carry on with your superiority whilst you drive at precisely the speed limit with both hands on the wheel at every second.

Here's the thing. You are not only responsible for you in the car, but also to at least one other person who is essentially paying for you to be responsible for them (or someone else is) and is presumably a vulnerable adult. Part of your profession is driving. I don't claim to be a perfect driver, far from it, but I'm not going to be cavalier about when I'm driving unsafely.

Additionally, when I am driving with someone who I am in charge of (someone's child for instance) you can bet that I am on my best behavior with regards to driving. Other things that I don't do? Drive and eat more days than not.

You need to figure out how to eat while not driving. You should also look up labor laws and look into the consequences of you causing an accident while one of the people you're caring for is in your vehicle.

deputy_randolph · July 2019

Eat a HUGE breakfast before you leave the house (you can boil and peel eggs and leave in fridge, overnight oats, a big turkey sandwich, precooked sausages...if you don't have time to put much together).

A premade protein shake or some type of smoothie packed in a cooler isn't anymore distracting than a cup of coffee.

Food is definitely distracting. I've defintely had to hit the brakes unexpectedly and had items move around...imagine a container of food being flung through the car. That's going to be highly distracting.

ETA: throw food into a crockpot before you leave the house to cook while you are working. Dinner will be ready when you get home. Not as likely to stop for fast food if you know there is food waiting.

SuzySunshine99 · July 2019

Based on your work schedule that you laid out, there’s no reason you have to be eating a full meal in your car while you are driving.

You don’t leave the house until 7:45. Make yourself a big breakfast. Figure out what foods are filling for you and will keep you satisfied for a long while.

You finish work at 3:45. Have an early dinner after work.

Keep protein bars with you during the day that you can literally eat in about 30 seconds if you get hungry.

boozybookworm · July 2019

Guys, come on. You've got valid concerns, but she wasn't asking to be mothered. Eating and driving are FAR from the worst thing you could do while driving. @olivebegonia1 I'm not sure what field you are working in, but just from the schedule alone, I'm guessing it could be something along the lines of what I was doing several years ago which was a form of in-home care/transportation for people with developmental disabilities.

To all saying, she needs to speak with her boss? GTFO of here with that schtick. Unless you've worked that field, and done what she is doing, you have no right to speak on the matter. It's as simple as, that is how those schedules work, end of story.

Yes, getting up earlier is a valid idea, but if you have a life outside of work, sleep is valuable. And, I hate to break it to ya'll but getting up 'five minutes earlier' is lousy advice. If you're eating a meal in five minutes, you must be inhaling your food. Plus, five minutes in the MORNING will not be beneficial through the rest of the day.

Personally, I recommend smoothies, or packing premade sandwiches/wraps/English muffins and the like that you can make at home, in advance and grab on your way out the door. Pack a lunch bag that stays cool and add in a freezer pack to keep perishables cold. Smoothies can also sometimes be made in advance, depending on the recipe. Snacks like pretzels or other things you can pack in a cup with a lid and set in your cupholder are also a good idea. And you could also get some reusable/washable toothpicks to stick into cut-up sandwich pieces to have bite-sized food so you can place the container in your passenger seat/console and just pluck one up, take a bite, and put the pick back into the container. This way you aren't constantly holding something in your hands. Another idea for colder weather would be the drinkable soups that Cambell's sells if you have a way of heating them up before hitting the road. I was allowed to use clients' microwaves, but I'm not sure what the regulations are at your job.

Yes, safety is very important. But we have to do the best we can with what we have and the fact of the matter that I think most people are missing here is, jobs are not required to give you a break. Especially jobs like that.

Hope you can figure something out, I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be when working that kind of schedule.

kshama2001 · July 2019

boozybookworm wrote: »

Guys, come on. You've got valid concerns, but she wasn't asking to be mothered. Eating and driving are FAR from the worst thing you could do while driving. @olivebegonia1 I'm not sure what field you are working in, but just from the schedule alone, I'm guessing it could be something along the lines of what I was doing several years ago which was a form of in-home care/transportation for people with developmental disabilities.

To all saying, she needs to speak with her boss? GTFO of here with that schtick. Unless you've worked that field, and done what she is doing, you have no right to speak on the matter. It's as simple as, that is how those schedules work, end of story.

[snip]

Eh, I've always been a "push back when employers want me to break the rules/law" type of person, going back to when I was in the military. She thinks talking to her boss is futile? First, I bet she doesn't have a boss who hates everyone not a white male from Texas. Second, chain of command. Eventually she'd get to someone who says "Of course we don't want you doing a 30 minute route in 20 minutes."

Annie_01 · July 2019

kshama2001 wrote: »

boozybookworm wrote: »

Guys, come on. You've got valid concerns, but she wasn't asking to be mothered. Eating and driving are FAR from the worst thing you could do while driving. @olivebegonia1 I'm not sure what field you are working in, but just from the schedule alone, I'm guessing it could be something along the lines of what I was doing several years ago which was a form of in-home care/transportation for people with developmental disabilities.

To all saying, she needs to speak with her boss? GTFO of here with that schtick. Unless you've worked that field, and done what she is doing, you have no right to speak on the matter. It's as simple as, that is how those schedules work, end of story.

[snip]

Eh, I've always been a "push back when employers want me to break the rules/law" type of person, going back to when I was in the military. She thinks talking to her boss is futile? First, I bet she doesn't have a boss who hates everyone not a white male from Texas. Second, chain of command. Eventually she'd get to someone who says "Of course we don't want you doing a 30 minute route in 20 minutes."

I promise you there are some good, kind and caring white males in Texas.

aokoye · July 2019

boozybookworm wrote: »

To all saying, she needs to speak with her boss? GTFO of here with that schtick. Unless you've worked that field, and done what she is doing, you have no right to speak on the matter. It's as simple as, that is how those schedules work, end of story.

You know who are really important in the world? Whistleblowers.

Danp · July 2019

boozybookworm wrote: »

Eating and driving are FAR from the worst thing you could do while driving.

I'm sure that will be of great comfort to the family/friends of the person she injures or kills because she was distracted while driving. I'm sure they'll be relieved that there are far worse things she could have been doing.

Driving while distracted can be deadly dangerous, as bad as driving drunk and the OP is planning to engage in this risky behaviour and tempting fate every day. Are you really surprised that people are speaking out against it?

BarbaraHelen2013 · July 2019

Slight suspicion that the one person posting above that driving whilst eating is just fine and also defending every stance the OP took, is actually the OP on another account or a friend who has been directed to post in her defence. New account, her first post, coming in strong and with no other messages on any other topic?

Might be an idea to just let this thread lapse! 😉

MelanieCN77 · July 2019

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

Slight suspicion that the one person posting above that driving whilst eating is just fine and also defending every stance the OP took, is actually the OP on another account or a friend who has been directed to post in her defence. New account, her first post, coming in strong and with no other messages on any other topic?

Might be an idea to just let this thread lapse! 😉

If there isn't, there should be a forum rule about this. I keep getting jailed for calling out obvious spammers. Sock puppets are incredibly disruptive and actively unhelpful in any forum.

Healthy One Handed Meals!

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