tips for the dysautonomiac cook

[Pistol]

So - I love cooking but cannot stand at the stove, that means frying anything or cooking more than 1 item at a time are out. Although I am disabled from POTS I still call myself responsible for taking care of cooking and minor cleaning for my family. My best and most functional time is in the morning but dinner is in the pm - so here are a few tips for still being able to make great homemade meals:

Salads are the worst because there is so much prep involved. My husband does all the shopping so he brings home 2 different types of lettuce. I wash and cut them up and put each in a sealed plastic container in the fridge - they last 5-7 days and no more chopping! ( I also wash ALL veggies in one sitting so I can just grab what I need, saving a step. 

Meats get bought in bulk and my husband cuts everything up into chunks or slices, flattens the chicken breast, cuts up an chicken into pieces etc. Then we vacuum seal everything. When I need something I take it out as needed already prepared. ( the prep gets done on a good day and is often my only activity that day but it's worth it ).

Hamburger gets browned and drained in bulk then frozen in on pound helpings. Chili or spaghetti sauce are so much easier when that step is already done! - I also prepare meatballs in one big batch and freeze them ( 10 at a time ). 

Chicken can be pre-baked and frozen for tacos etc. 

I save all veggie scraps or meatscraps in freezer bags, even bones or chicken carcasses. When ready I make stocks in my instant pot, cool, strain and freeze in freezerbags in 2 cup helpings as well as ice cube trays - for gravies or recipes that require small amounts of stock. 

I find that many slow cooker recipes can be done with frozen meat.

If I am planning a recipe that calls for a lot of prep I cut everything up the day before, sitting at the table. 

When I bake bread I knead the dough while sitting on the floor - it requires less effort. 

That is all I can think of right now. If anyone has any tips for cooking despite POTS - please share!!!!!

[WinterSown]

Visit websites to learn how to cook for your freezer. I steam batches of mirepoix and portion it into half-cup amounts and freeze in baggies. I also keep cooked noodles or pasta, rice and oven-roasted potatoes in the freezer. I have cut up frozen meats ready to defrost and add to the pasta or a salad or to toss onto a sandwich. Something like a meatloaf can be prepped in less than ten minutes but it makes a lot of servings. I try to get a few meals out of what I am cooking. It's just me and Hubs but I still cook dishes that serve four or six so I can have leftovers. 

I bought a few of these used at Smile.Amazon--what a great treasury of freezer recipe books. I also have my benefactor set to Dysautonomia Information Network :-)

One of my faves is getting sale fruits and cutting for the freezer, placing on parchment in single-layer, well spaced pieces and freeze. After they freeze into a bag to use for smoothies. I can buy bags of frozen fruit and it's great but if I get a better price when I'm feeling energetic I've got smoothie chunks for a song. I just had a Banana Mango Apricot smoothie made with frozen chunks I prepped myself. YUM

 

[Potsie1990]

You know, I’m in the same boat. I try to do things as quickly as possible. When I’m ok, my husband is lucky to get fancy dinner plated like a 5 star restaurant. But when I’m having a flare up, I do whatever I can get on a paper plate lol

 

I live in Los Angeles and here we have free grocery delivery from Whole Foods through amazon prime now. I get all of my groceries delivered twice a week. So, I buy meat (for him) that’s pre cut so I don’t have to cut it (I don’t touch flesh and if I have to I wear gloves lol) I get frozen vegetables or fresh and I usually make one pan or one pot meals. I have a mini toaster oven that I roast things in, but I always make super easy, but visually impactful meals. Lol I made Côtelletes d’Agneau à la Provençale (fancy way to say Frenched rack of lamb with Provençal sauce) in 30 minutes and my husband literally thought I spent hours on it. Our friend, who is a Michelin starred chef by the way, actually thought I hired a chef for the evening. I posted the photo on my IG story and he couldn’t believe I had made it myself. Haha 😂 if they only knew! 

on bad weeks, Trader Joe’s is my life saver. They don’t have delivery but They have pre grilled chicken (not frozen, artificial grilled chicken!) Tikka Masala packs, fresh pasta packs, grass fed beef roasts etc ready to go. It’s microwaveable and it tastes like you cooked it yourself or from a restaurant. 

I try and get to Trader Joe’s when I’m feeling ok and I stock up and keep it in the freezer. 

Plating makes a huge difference too. For me, it takes the same effort to stack things on top of each other for a gourmet presentation and throw some garnish (I have garish already chopped and sealed in a plastic bag) than it does to place it side by side. 

 

Granted, it’s only us and two dogs so the human meals are smaller in quantity than a family with kids. 

But, I make full size meals (for him) and usually put half in the freezer. I’ve made a big batch of roasted fennel, endive and petit carrots roasted in butter, Chardonnay and pancetta and kept them in the freezer in individual portions so I can just pop it in the microwave or oven with the chosen protein for him.

Im High raw vegan-nutritarian so my meals are quite different. But, some nights I will eat all the same things just minus the meat. 

For myself, I keep the big plastic containers full of organic spinach and bags of frozen fruit for smoothies. I buy either the Trader Joe’s brand or Whole Foods 365 (their generic) and for us in our area, the prices are actually much cheaper than your regular grocery store. I keep whatever fresh fruit that is in season in bulk on the counters.

I cook homemade meal mixers for my dogs as well. Every Monday I make a huge batch for the week. I have two dogs that are over 100lbs. 

Its just one pot of a few pounds of grass fed ground beef (or whatever good ground meat WF has on sale), bag of frozen organic spinach, olive oil or coconut oil, dried herbs, and either rice or potatoes or oatmeal for their starch. I mix it with their holistic dry food. They get half dry and half of my homemade. It’s cheaper and healthier than canned food. My precious girl got cancer last October and beat it with her treatment and surgery. Our oncologist vet actually said her diet aided in her recovery and building her immune system back up quickly. Literally, you’d never know she had cancer. Same with my boy who broke his knee when he was 1 (he’s a clumsy one lol). He eats very well and he jumps and runs like he has a normal knee! And he has two screws in there!

When I can’t cook, I keep WF brand “365” pizza in the freezer for emergencies for him. It fits perfectly in the small toaster oven, tastes great, and when it’s ready, I sprinkle fresh parmesean, parsley and a quick drizzle of trader joe’s bottled balsamic glaze. Sometimes I’ll place a handful of arugula in the center and it looks like a gourmet pizza. 

My Toaster oven is a life saver. Lol I’m lucky in the sense I have two Viking ovens in the kitchen but I literally never use them. My $35 toaster oven from Walmart is my go to. Lol Easier to clean and it’s right on the counter top. Heats very quickly too. I cook cakes, desserts, etc in it. 

i have a mini George Foreman for when I need to grill something.

I have a counter height bar chair that I keep in the kitchen. I sit when I need to chop or cook something on the stove. 

Cooking is something I think I will always do myself. I don’t think I’ll ever hire someone to do that for my family, at least not in the immediate future. Some of our friends have chefs that come in a 1-2 times a week, or a maid that cooks for them. I have to know exactly how things are prepared, what’s in them. Maybe when (and if) I have kids I will consider that but as of now, not interested and unnecessary. We use Postmates or Door Dash (restaurant delivery) for our bad days and weekends

 

Im excited to see who else will share tips! I read articles from themighty.com and Pinterest and learn new things everyday. 

 

[kafie]

I don't have any recipes for you (my low-spoons cooking pretty much involves eating lunch meat out of the fridge)... well... except maybe rice bakes (I can't ever get rice right on the stovetop anyways and rice bakes are pretty much throw it all in a pan and bake for however long it takes to cook the rice - you can even use frozen veggies and meat in them and pretty much make anything that way).

But I thought I'd suggest that for times you feel up to cooking something that requires a lot of standing or watching over a frying pan/ect, maybe a stool?

We have a step stool in our kitchen that also doubles as a seat (so it doesn't take up much room and doesn't look weird in the kitchen), and I've used it for longer tasks when I can't handle standing for long periods. Got me through making deep fried mac n cheese... and that was quite the task but well worth it.

[WinterSown]

10 hours ago, kafie said:

I don't have any recipes for you (my low-spoons cooking pretty much involves eating lunch meat out of the fridge)... well... except maybe rice bakes (I can't ever get rice right on the stovetop anyways and rice bakes are pretty much throw it all in a pan and bake for however long it takes to cook the rice - you can even use frozen veggies and meat in them and pretty much make anything that way).

But I thought I'd suggest that for times you feel up to cooking something that requires a lot of standing or watching over a frying pan/ect, maybe a stool?

We have a step stool in our kitchen that also doubles as a seat (so it doesn't take up much room and doesn't look weird in the kitchen), and I've used it for longer tasks when I can't handle standing for long periods. Got me through making deep fried mac n cheese... and that was quite the task but well worth it.

I've been looking into buying a rolling stool for the kitchen. Drafting stools seem the best purpose so far.

I love baked rice, especially the crunchy edges. YUM. I just bought two fresh cod loins. Out of the freezer I'll need a bag each of mirepoix and pepper strips, from the fridge a handful of olives and half as many capers, some spice for the fish, and a can of stewed tomatoes from the cabinet to dump over it all, then into the oven at 400 for about thirty minutes. Takes five minutes prep and so good when it's done. It's nice over baked rice :-)
 

 

[Pistol]

I just found out that stew is a great thing to cook when you can't stand long: cut everything up ahead of cooking - rest - shake meat with flour in bag and brown ( while sitting ) - add onions and brown ( while sitting ) - add spices and liquid, cover, turn down the heat and - rest. After an hour or so - if brain fog let's you remember or else the smell reminds you - add more liquid and veggies, cover and rest. After 30 minutes ( you will remember if you set your alarm ) spice it up again and turn it off to cool. … If you remember - eat it while it is hot. If you don't - it will still be good the next morning. This is a very forgiving dish that can be accomplished with both POTS as well as brain fog from POTS. And if you have NCS on top of it ( like me ) - well, then you just have to keep getting up to finish it. ( It does not burn easily!!! ). Happy stewing!