Find the Gap: helping busy people make real food fit
- smazmarriott
- Sep 19
- 5 min read
I read a line on social media this week that stopped me mid-scroll:
“Stop trying to bring your kids up in the world you grew up in –
it doesn’t exist anymore.”
So true! I often hark back to the simpler times but even with my best efforts of board games (or bored games), long “fun” walks and crafty explosions, my kids still gravitate towards the quick hits.
Our days used to be more linear. We had a calmer and more predictable rhythm to live by, and our eating patterns were no exception.
Today we stack. Work, school, clubs, homework, commuting, fitness, life admin… all crammed together in a bid to keep up. And when the day runs hot, food often becomes another pressure point that we need to cram in.
Some of us grab the shortcut - the packet meal that winks from the shelf, promising nourishment in five minutes. Others push hard in the opposite direction, chasing “perfect” home-cooked dinners and ending up stressed, exhausted and burnt out.
I’m not here to scold the shortcut or preach perfection. I’m here to help find a middle ground that actually works.
My job as a nutrition coach is to help people weave healthier habits into messy, real lives. It’s not about quick fixes. Quotes and Instagram-ready plates might spark motivation, but living those pictures takes something more practical: a method we can lean on even during the busiest days.
That’s where I come in. Forget willpower - it doesn't last - instead try finding the gaps...
A Gap is a small, repeatable window in your day where you can get something done. The key is spotting these 'micro opportunities' of time and being ready to use them. Just 5–20 minutes is often all it takes to ease the pressure of mealtimes and bring back a little calm, routine, and nourishment. I'm looking at these gaps through a meal prep lens, but they can be used for exercise or any other 'extra' you're trying to squeeze in.
When minutes matter
Micro gaps (4–10 mins): chop cucumber and carrots; drain a tin of beans; load a tray-bake; portion fruit and yoghurt; mix up cottage cheese & egg muffins.
Short gaps (10–20 mins): boil eggs; assemble overnight oats; slow-cooker chop-and-go; fill lunchbox pots with yoghurt and frozen berries.
Stacking gaps (prep + life): slow cooker on low while you’re out, tray-bake in the oven during bath time, defrost chicken overnight, roast veg while helping with homework.
The 3-step Gap method
Take time to map your day honestly: red (chaos), amber (possible), green (calm).
Pick two gaps you can trust each day and own them! These might shift across the week - life runs on weekly rhythms, not daily ones, so be prepared for Monday's gaps to differ from Tuesday's...
Examples: 0615-0630 before morning chaos; 08:10–08:20 after the school run; 21:00–21:15 before bed.
Assign a tiny job to each gap so it becomes automatic - a habit over time (think autopilot)
Morning gap → load the slow cooker or pack fruit/veg pots.
Evening gap → soak oats; roast a tray of veg; marinate chicken.
Gap ideas for different kinds of days
Out all day & commuters
Morning (7–10 mins): slow-cooker chilli—tinned tomatoes, 2 tins of beans, frozen onions/peppers, spices.
Evening (hands-off): shove a pre-chopped tray-bake in as you walk through the door.
Weekend (15 mins): portion nuts, fruit and crudités for grab-and-go. Batch-make savoury lunchbox muffins and fridge.
Working from home
11:50 (8 mins): toss soup ingredients in the pressure cooker; blitz and pot for tomorrow.
Tea break (5 mins): boil 6 eggs, cool and fridge; Peel carrots and dice; add smoked paprika to chickpeas and roast while taking your next call.
Shift workers
Pre-shift (12 mins): pack a protein + plants box (beans, chopped veg, olive oil + lemon).
Post-shift (unattended): jacket potatoes go in as you shower; toppings live ready in the fridge. Pre-prepare ‘assembly food’ for the next day’s lunchbox.
Solo-parent evenings
Morning (6 mins): take chicken out of the freezer and marinate chicken in a zip bag/tub.
Bath time: tray-bake in the oven; dinner arrives as pyjamas go on.
Afterschool club night
Morning – (15 mins) pre-make simple dinner whilst kids eat breakfast: pasta & veggie sauce; macaroni cheese (add frozen veg where possible); Lentil Dhal.
Pre-pick-up: prepare the snacks (10 mins) – Small wraps with grated cheese and carrot; fruit, nut and yoghurt pots.
Food Assembly Ideas:
We’re not chefs, but we can put ingredients together and bake them.
Tray-bake: 1 protein (chicken thighs, tofu, or beans) + 2–3 veg (carrots, peppers, onions, courgette) + olive oil + salt + one spice blend. Roast at 190°C for 25–30 mins.
Slow-cooker: 2 tins tomatoes + 2 tins beans/lentils + frozen onions/peppers + spice blend. Cook on low for 6–8 hours.
Pasta ‘plus-2’: cook pasta; warm passata with garlic; stir in two plants (frozen peas + spinach are the easiest) + one protein (tuna or chickpeas).
Create a wrap bar: wholemeal wraps + houmous + grated carrot + shredded lettuce + cooked chicken/beans + yoghurt-lemon drizzle.
Egg, veg & cottage cheese muffins: bake 12; refrigerate for quick breakfasts and lunchboxes all week.
Micro-prep that pays off (10 minutes, tops)
Prep a veg box: carrots, cucumber, peppers + a tub of houmous.
Protein box: boiled eggs or cooked lentils/chickpeas (tinned, rinsed).
Carb box: roasted potatoes or cooked grains.
Flavour jar: olive oil + lemon + Dijon + pinch of honey/salt—your own house dressing.
Bettering packets for unavoidable UPF nights
Add plants to the main (peas into tortellini; peppers on pizza; crated veg slaw with nuggets).
Dilute the sachet (use half; top up with passata or yoghurt).
Choose wholegrain when you can (wraps, pasta, pitta).
Default side dishes: salad + roasted veg + fruit + live yoghurt.
Real life hasn’t slowed down so real food has to fit.
Finding the Gap is one of the simple tactics I use to help clients carve out time for food prep. Time is the biggest barrier we face. Some days will only allow for a quick nod to whole foods; others might stretch to something more ambitious. It all depends on your rhythm — and where those gaps are hiding.
We’re not aiming for perfection, just tiny, repeatable actions that add up: calmer evenings, satisfied bodies, and — for families — children who gradually learn to enjoy the food that truly nourishes them back. When we cultivate habits things happen automatically, and the benefits of good habits are there to be felt every day.
If you’d like support in spotting your own gaps and shaping food prep around your busy life, I’d love to help. It’s a personal, nuanced process for each of us.
Sarah x
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