Vegetarian Or Eating Healthy/oi Macrobiotic

[Sophia3]

Ok I know how to cook in steps easy foods to make, mix up flour parts of cookies/cakes and do the rest later.

But how do those living alone or cooking alone do it? I have a bar stool but it does not help due to feet too low. I'm too sore & arthritic to sit on floor.

I am talking cooking with whole grains, rice/millet. making EVERYTHING from scratch, and cooking healthy without STANDING so much. I am trying to go off potatoes/tomatoes & night shade vegetables. A vegan friend said in email his wife makes fake tomato sauce. Anybody seen this?

"You can make a fake tomato sauce out of cooked carrots with some beet, oregano, and other seasonings. It tastes pretty much like tomato sauce. It just takes a bit of time. I freeze some."

The fact it takes time, all whole food cooking takes time..making collard greens, mustard greens?! Heck I've never made those or parsnips. I still eat meat/fish but want to know how the heck folks cook healthy all the time when some days, you can't be UPRIGHT for long.

I can't remember if this has come up before but trying to stand/sit to cook healthy is not easy.

I know diet will not fix OI but I'd like to try going Nightshade free for three months and macrobiotic is suggested as well as salmon, mackerel. (Bought Mackerel today but never used it!)

[Noreen]

If you have a rolling desk chair, it would be handy in the kitchen to roll around - chopping vegs at the table, etc.

[MightyMouse]

I find the easiest way to make fish is to use foil or a cooking bag, or even cooking parchment. Put the fish in there with whatever veggies you want, and herbs/salt/pepper, etc. close the thing up, throw it in the oven, or on grill, or if you're really lazy like me (and using only the foil method) put it right on the burner if you like to live dangerously. You can also put it in a pan and cover it, but I don't like the clean up, so foil is my method of choice.

Parsnips, turnips, all that stuff, I either nuke till soft, or steam. You can puree so they taste like taters. You can also use cauliflower.

As for how to cook without crashing, let me know if you figure that one out. I eat a heck of a lot of cereal for meals for that very reason. (cereal that's gluten free, of course--and I throw in uncooked quionoa for some protein, along with nuts like pecan, walnut, pistachio).

I find the best source for inexpensive vegetarian ingredients is an Aisan, Indian or Pakistani grocery. The Indian place by me carries a huge assortment of various rices, beans, and veggies, along with spices that will never let me get bored.

Nina

[scarfgirl]

I always had to wait until I had a better than most kind of day. I learned to cook large quantities of food that I could freeze in small portions, since I never knew when I would next feel good enough to cook again.

I stayed veggie because cooking is SO much easier when you don't have to brown meat. Even now, that I've had to start eating meat again, I won't cook with it. Just too much trouble. Skipping on browning and not having to worry about sanitation when prepping makes it so much easier.

I would also set aside huge blocks of time for cooking, especially the prep part. I had a set up like you see on cooking shows, with all the bowls /w ingredients already measured out, just waiting to be dumped in at the right time. Because while I could take my time with prep and clean up, the actual cooking part you had to just get done with as soon as possible.

I also became an expert with SLOW cooking. No stir-fry, lots of casseroles and one dish meals. While they take longer, cooking wise, the actual effort is less, and the heat exposure is minimal.

I used to have a wonderful kitchen that I designed around my dysautonomia. Changed my life, at least in the kitchen. It's gone now, and I'm trying to figure out how the heck I can cook on an electric stove in the summer. I've been subsisting on microwaved TV dinners, and boy can my stomach tell the difference

[yogini]

Thanks for posting this. I have no helpful suggestions, but thinking of going vegetarian too...what are nightshade vegetables and why are they bad for you?

[Sophia3]

Thanks for the responses. I just find washing, cleaning veggies so exhausting. Our table is at opposite end of kitchen & no where near my counters/working areas. So rolling chair would make me dizzy to go so far! ha.

I do the casserole thing or slow cooker..but just need to think how that works with veggies I am unfamiliar with..also wanting to avoid yeast ..which I never bake with & try to avoid breads...except with pizza I eat too much.

Night shade diets being less inflammatory is debateable. Some use it as an agenda to sell books of course. But some DO benefit. So it's just food so why not try. Just HUGE change for me so doing it in baby steps then once committed will try & stay on for three months. Here is a link explaining it a bit along with other foods to avoid..which I already knew it's just STANDING time & all..wears me out.

http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedi...iinflamfood.htm