Cooking solutions

I love to cook. Especially today, my mom will be here for a visit in an hour or so and I’d love to be able to create some beautiful food for her, as I have in the past. Unfortunately, I can’t.

Not that I’m perfect when I do cook. Yesterday, I cooked some garnet yams (a great thing to cook extras and have for meals and snacks). Unfortunately, I mistook our unlabeled container of cayenne pepper for cinnamon, rendering the yams a compost item. So don’t do that. That was a confession, not a tip.

Often the thing that keeps me from cooking is leg pain (as it is today). Anyone with fibro knows what it’s like to rely on a family member to bring food or order delivery, or make something as fast and easily as possible and then go sit down, quick.

I’ve decided to order a bar stool for cooking times. Here’s the one I’m looking at:

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Kelford-Backless-Swivel-Stool/8134727/product.html?refccid=S2AGIYSF5RJKEZKFQL4GSEH5KM&searchidx=20

Also, isn’t it a bugger to know how to shop? To know when will we be able to prepare something, when? We do have to keep healthy food in the house. I’m not a fan of frozen dinners, although I have used them in the past. If that works for you, that’s great. What I’m doing now is going to a store with healthy, freshly made sides and mains. The protein mains sometimes are often overcooked for me. So I get (or ask my husband to get) healthy, tasty sides, buy a fresh protein, and quickly season and cook a the protein. If the selection is behind a deli case, I try it first to make sure I like it. I often adjust seasonings at home, but that’s quick. My favorite bought side right now is diced yellow beets with hazelnuts, feta, and mint.

Also of course, there is delivery/takeout. Once in a while I’ll get an all-out meaty and cheesy pizza. And that’s fine, once in a while. But even with pizza, we can get healthier by ordering it with thin crust, veggies with or without meat, and topped with arugula or other greens. Still yum! My favorite right now is from Vincente’s in Portland, OR: Spinachi et Formaggio ~ garlic and olive oil base, spinach, feta, Roma tomatoes, and Fontina. I have them add their organic lamb sausage. OMG that sounds good! Might order it tonight!

What are some of your solutions to eating healthfully and beautifully, without killing yourself to get there? Or to do anything else more easily?