{"id":748,"date":"2014-01-06T09:03:25","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T16:03:25","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2017-01-18T15:39:27","modified_gmt":"2017-01-18T22:39:27","slug":"5-baby-steps-to-cooking-healthy-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/articles\/5-baby-steps-to-cooking-healthy-food\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Baby Steps to Cooking Healthy Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

The weirdest gift I ever received was one of the most influential in my life.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

A vacuum sealer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Wilson and I did not have kids yet, but he was still in the military and deployed.\u00a0 Thus, I lived alone.\u00a0 And my sister bought me a vacuum sealer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhat am I supposed to do with it?\u201d I asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou are supposed to start cooking,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt doesn\u2019t cook things, it seals them.\u201d\u00a0 I retorted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cDuh, Toad.\u00a0 <don’t ask–it’s what she calls me>… You are supposed to start cooking real food.\u00a0 Healthy food.\u00a0 Enough for more than one person.\u00a0 You eat some, you freeze some.\u00a0 Over time, you can kiss the frozen section of the grocery store goodbye\u2014but not literally.\u00a0 The produce guy gets mad when he has to clean your lipstick off the glass. Ask me how I know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Slowly, over time, I started really eating.\u00a0 And slowly, over time, I started to get better.\u00a0 I had been sick, very sick.\u00a0 That was a big part of my Frozen Section Excuse actually, too sick to do much of anything.\u00a0 Too sick to care.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Frozen<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Step 1<\/span><\/p>\n

I started by cooking one real meal a week.<\/strong>\u00a0 Not spaghetti night, not a hotdog, a real and delicious balanced meal.\u00a0 I worked full time and so I made this my Saturday evening routine.\u00a0 Although I grew up in a home with delicious, homecooked meals, I also grew up \u00a0left to my own junk food devices<\/a> too, so I had a lot to learn. \u00a0I did cook for hubby, but living alone?<\/span><\/p>\n

Cooking for one is a lonely thing; many-a-meal I ate standing over the kitchen sink, refusing to sit at a table by myself.\u00a0 Lest you think that a nourished lifestyle comes easy to this girl, let me tell you about rock-bottom.\u00a0 I distinctly remember eating cold peas out of the can.\u00a0 Over the Sink.\u00a0 For Dinner.<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0If you currently live on things that come in packages or cans or are from the frozen section; if you just open it and heat, then try this: Set aside one night a week to cook a real, balanced, healthy meal.\u00a0 Use a cloth napkin, a real plate, and even sit down to eat it.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Grandmother's<\/span><\/p>\n

You will feel more human.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 Do not cut the recipe in half to serve one; double it!\u00a0 Use vacuum sealing bags<\/a> to make your own \u201ct.v. dinners\u201d for other days.\u00a0 Label the package with its contents and date, and you can drop the whole thing into a saucepan of boiling water, or (if this is where you are in life) even microwave it.\u00a0 If you do live alone, you should put 3 of each meal away into the freezer.\u00a0 Give this a month (a variety of 4 real meals) and you now have some choices when you open that freezer.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You now have food to take for lunch at work, too, so that you can cut back on eating out.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0Step 2<\/span><\/p>\n

Soups & Stews.<\/strong>\u00a0 This will kickstart Step 1.\u00a0 The reason I suggest starting with soups and stews is because they really are forgiving.\u00a0 If you are not a great cook and tend to spill the cayenne, don\u2019t worry\u2014just add more broth and make a bigger pot of soup.\u00a0 If it is bland or the flavor is off, experiment until you like it.\u00a0 Do not worry about fancy<\/em>. There is something wholly comforting about the unassuming nature of soup. \u00a0This is also the best way to experiment with foods that might be new to your system.\u00a0 When I realized I needed to cut white flours<\/a> out of my diet I started experimenting with grains that were completely new to me\u2014quinoa, barley, teff, and spelt.\u00a0 A handful of anything will fill a soup nicely, and your tummy.\u00a0 If you are really just that bad at cooking, I mean, so bad your dog paws at his nose when offered, consider investing in some great spice mixes (like Chili Seasoning, Mexican Seasoning<\/a>, or Italian Seasoning<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Soup<\/a>
Soup Night: Your Food Storage pops with flavor in this recipe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0(Don’t even like soup? You haven’t tried any of these recipes, then….seriously):<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 To freeze your extra soup:<\/strong> put a serving size into a bowl and place it into the freezer, uncovered.\u00a0 In a few hours, pull it out of the freezer.\u00a0 Turn the bowl upside down under the faucet.\u00a0 With your hand on it to catch your soup-cube, run warm water over the bowl.\u00a0 It will pop out and is ready for the vacuum sealer!\u00a0 Then, to warm it up, you can either warm it in a saucepan or the bag itself<\/a>.\u00a0 You are now combining the convenience of the frozen section of the grocery store with proper nutrition and homecooked meals!
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Step 3<\/span><\/p>\n

Find something you enjoy in the kitchen.<\/strong>\u00a0 Or find a happy distraction.<\/strong>\u00a0 Let me say this another way.\u00a0 I hated cooking meals because it felt like a lonely task with too much cleanup.\u00a0 But I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Prairie Home Companion every Saturday night; I would get lost in the tales of Lake Woebegone, and you know what\u2014this woman was getting stronger just by getting into the kitchen and making real food.\u00a0 Cleanup was enjoyable when I was laughing at the stories and singing along to the goofy songs.\u00a0 So although meal prep and cleanup are still\u2014to this day\u2014not my fave, I have found a way to redeem that time with something educational, distracting, or just plain fun.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kitchen<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0This was also the period in life when I discovered that I love baking!\u00a0 Getting into the kitchen to bake, for me, is completely different than a meal.\u00a0 During those lonely single days, I started baking breads and treats using real food ingredients.\u00a0 This helped my health tremendously because I cut out all white flours from the store.\u00a0 I saw my blood sugar stabilize and my energy come back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Seeing results serves as its own motivator, too.\u00a0 No matter how much I hate washing dishes, I love being healthy.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 4<\/span><\/p>\n

Always carry something to eat. <\/strong>\u00a0The pressure to \u201cgrab a bite\u201d was strong in my life.\u00a0 The blood sugar problem was a legitimate excuse often, too. And yes, I was that crazy lady that oscillated between hitting the side of the vending machine and whispering sweet nothings to it in great desperation. \u00a0 But once I started baking, I had things like oatmeal bars and homemade cookies that I could seal in snack portions.\u00a0 I would drop a snack into my bag before leaving the house, always glad that I did.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Homemade<\/span><\/a>An easy, take-along snack! <\/span><\/a><\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Step 5<\/span><\/p>\n

Replenish ingredients with healthy alternatives<\/strong>.\u00a0 Some people quit white sugar cold turkey.\u00a0 I did not.\u00a0 But I did begin to replace the empty bags with ingredients I could feel better about.\u00a0 For instance, the sucanat <\/a>replaced the brown sugar.\u00a0 The wheat and grain mill<\/a> replaced store bought flours.\u00a0 The cacao nibs <\/a>replaced the palm oil <\/a>& preservative-laden stuff I had been eating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>One at a time.
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 It took time for me.\u00a0 Then I noticed a peculiar thing.\u00a0 Even though I saw many of these items as costing more than their junk food counterparts, I found they lasted a bit longer.\u00a0 It was because a real brownie made with real ingredients really satisfies.\u00a0 I no longer crept into the kitchen at 11pm to finish them off!\u00a0 I also found that buying in bulk<\/a> meant I was saving a considerable amount of money than the typical last-minute run to the grocery store.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"Bulk<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

A Head Start<\/span><\/p>\n

You read this blog.\u00a0 You have a plan.\u00a0 Give yourself some grace.\u00a0 Do not compare yourself to some food blogger (who probably still dips into the occasional jar of Nutella in front of her computer screen when no one will find out <cough>).\u00a0 Just take a step.\u00a0 A single step.\u00a0 And then tomorrow, take another.\u00a0 You will look back on this moment as the start of something good, the start of a healthier and more nourished you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One step at a time,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Chaya<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Photo Credits:
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Frozen Section: Fire At Will [Photography]<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p>\n

Grandmother’s Spoon: Tassike.ee – Marju Randmer<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p>\n

kitchen radio: Justin Snow<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Proviso:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing in this blog constitutes medical or legal advice.\u00a0 You should consult your own physician before making any dietary changes.\u00a0 Statements in this blog may or may not be congruent with current USDA or FDA guidance.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The weirdest gift I ever received was one of the most influential in my life.\u00a0 A vacuum sealer.\u00a0 \u00a0Wilson and I did not have kids yet, but he was still in the military and deployed.\u00a0 Thus, I lived alone.\u00a0 And my sister bought me a vacuum sealer.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWhat am I supposed to do with it?\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[229,19,297],"tags":[529,493],"yst_prominent_words":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/grandmothers-spoon.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Fvks-c4","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}