10 ways I feel like Julia Child while living with chronic illness

/ simplywendi
food healthy wood table

Photo by Angele J on Pexels.com

 

My husband actually came up with this title, probably because he wanted to see just how creative I could be………..or maybe because he secretly wishes I was related to Ms. Child  and some of her cooking genes were in my DNA.  Nope………..and add a chronic illness or three…….cooking is not something I usually enjoy.

So, my friends, the bar for me to feel like a gourmet chef is set really low –

  1.  There is food in the fridge that can be eaten without any cooking at all – yogurt, salad mix, fruit, cut up veggies – hey isn’t eating raw all the rage?!
  2.   There are fruits and veggies on the counter that can be eaten just as they are – bonus points if they are in multiple colors – I know vegan is in!
  3. There are vegetables that can be eaten after being heated up in the microwave – my kids are starting to love sweet potatoes – at least this is what I choose to believe!
  4.   There are still freezer meals  available if you are able to reach deep enough into the chest freezer without losing your balance.
  5.   My pantry has items that can be eaten just by being heated up in the microwave – a can of soup and a can of veggies – hey,  mix those together and I am pretty sure it would taste good enough to try it again.
  6.  There is something cooking in the crockpot.
  7.  There are enough leftovers from the day before to feed everyone another meal!
  8.  I actually cut up fruit and veggies to eat with a meal.
  9.   I prepared something edible with more than three ingredients.
  10.   I have the energy to eat the food once I have prepared it!

 

And there you have it my friends………… if any of those 10 things are happening, I feel like I am rockin’ it in the meal prep department.

 

41 thoughts on “10 ways I feel like Julia Child while living with chronic illness”

  3. I can sooo relate! I try not to over do it in other areas of the home, to have maybe enough energy to get something quick going for lunch and dinner. And while some folks may like their little ones home for the summer – living with chronic pain can make making daily lunches very difficult. I’m so glad you’ve found ways around this! It’s what we must do to survive – daily. And also be able to feed our families! 😌💛

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      • Awe, I’m sure. Thank you Wendi! It’s insane how even just standing for a couple minutes in front of the stove just gets my legs feeling so weak, my back, and it’s just down hill from there. Many will find it hard to understand but it’s definitely something I need to always take into consideration when meal planning for the family – the standing time that it will require. 😣

        Liked by 1 person

      • I completely understand Ana……….the longer I stand the weaker and more ill I begin I become. I am so sorry you experience this too. I have a chair in the kitchen so I can sit when I need to. (please forgive me for this very late response……..it went into spam)

        Liked by 1 person

      • It’s ok! Yes, that’s exactly it, the longer I stand, the higher the chances of me feeling like I’m going to fall. I’ve thought of that! Nice to know I’m not the only one needing a chair in the kitchen! I need one, I don’t cook like I used to, feeling like it had to be a mini thanksgiving feast all year round. But the small things I am able to do or warm up, get my legs feeling so weak. Need. A. Chair. 😊

        Liked by 1 person

      • Yes! That’s a great way to see thing. Don’t over complicate things. As my mother would tell us when we’d ask what she had made, she’d say, you’ll eat if you’re hungry. Otherwise, well, 🤷🏽‍♀️ Haha! I see that now to be true.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. In my recent depression I lived off of yogurt with granola, and cans of ravioli. Cooking was out of the question. Even when stable I struggle with finding the motivation to cook. Living alone makes it seem like such a waste to dirty so many dishes and I make a mess of the kitchen. I occasionally order food boxes like HelloFresh and that motivates me to cook a “real” meal and I enjoy all the fresh colorful produce. Grocery shopping used to be such a chore for me until I found a way around going to the store http://sibple.com/how-i-simplified-grocery-shopping/

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    • thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I am so sorry you are experiencing this trouble, extra burdens always makes tasks of daily living so much more difficult. I will check out the link, thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Hi………I am so sorry it has taken me so long to respond to you, for some reason your comment ended up in my spam folder. Some of the foods that I make and put in the freezer are meatloaves, meatballs, different types of burritos for my family, quiche, muffins and fried rice. I keep my foods very simple so my recipes are easy………any of these sound like something you would like to eat, I would be happy to share how I make them.

        Liked by 1 person

      • OK………I typed out the entire thing and it some how got deleted……..so, hopefully I will remember everything, sorry about that.

        With burritos I put combinations of stuff depending on who I am making them for – the ingredients I use to mix and match are: organic ground beef, organic shredded chicken, black beans, rice, organic shredded cheese, cilantro, salsa, chives. If using meat, I cook it with anti-inflammatory spices such as sage, turmeric and rosemary. Make sure not to add the spices over steaming food as the water gets into the containers and creates mold……..causing more problems then what you are trying to correct by using them. Also……..mold will be in almost all old spices unless kept in the freezer. Add ingredients that you want, wrap them up, let them fully cool and place into freezer bags. I also make cheese and egg……sometimes other stuff is added in, for quick breakfasts for those who eat these.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. I miss the old days of cooking. Julia Child was fun to watch and especially Justin Wilson. They didn’t need to be trained for what they did, the food and stories were a part of them. Food Network ain’t got nothing on them!

    Liked by 1 person

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