Practical Stuff: Kitchen Appliances That I LOVE!! (Gift Ideas?!)

Ok!  so as promised here are the kitchen appliances that I just can't live without now that I've started down this Esselstyn/ Vegan Road! 

Three Kitchen Appliances I Love:

I've never cooked so much in my life so these little machines really make a HUGE difference time-wise for me AND my husband (The Happy Nurse).  The Happy Nurse is actually the one who advocated for us getting the rice cooker AND the 3-in-1 Slow Cooker awesomeness!  Of COURSE the appliances he recommended turn out to be the most helpful items of all! And he says he isn't a good cook--HA!  Sure he isn't....Mr. Expert on Kitchen Equiment!:-)

First we have the "Aroma" Rice Cooker.  It was $35 on Amazon and pretty much the best tool for us in the kitchen until the 3-in-1 Slow Cooker came along and nudged it out of the top spot!  The reason why this rice cooker is amazing is because basically it enables us to cook without being in the kitchen.  You fill it up with a grain and water.  Then you push the butten: "Cook" and leave it alone!  The cooker determines the cook time & off it goes--then it "dings" when its done! I love this thing AND love that it was cheap!  It cooks quinoa and all sorts of grains (including rice of course) perfectly!   I have to admit that I was a rice burner prior to using this (mostly because I would get distracted and forget to pull the pot off the stove at a certain point!) No longer!

Next we have the 3-in-1 Slow Cooker!  This was an incredible find of my husbands at Walmart one day.  Only $36 and is AMAZING!  We can cook three different soups/stews AT THE SAME TIME! (in this picture we have Barley Soup, 12 Bean Soup and Aztec Corn Soup!) You can set each pot to low/high/off.  This is our favorite kitchen appliance.  Love love love! 

My Cuisinart Food Processor! I have one because my Mom has had one since before I was born (she used it to make us homemade baby food!) and I have this particular model because my wonderful stepsister (a total foodie & kitchen expert & blogger for that matter) helped me figure out what to buy!  I love this thing--nothing like a food processor to make things easier!  Its the most expensive of my kitchen tools (it was painful to shell out the $135 it cost even though it was on sale at Amazon) but it really has been worth the investment.  I have the Cuisinart DLC-2009CHB Prep 9-Cup Food Processor in Brushed Stainless. It was top-rated in Consumer Reports & I can see why!  

Coming Up:

• BOOK REVIEW:  "29 Gifts!"
• Best of the Blogsphere for THIS week!
• What the Happy Nurse & I are Making for Christmas Dinner (x 2 houses!)

NEXT WEEK from December 19-December 25th: 

• ITS THE HOLIDAY HAPPINESS MARATHON!!!  Doctors, Nurses & Patients Share Special Medical Moments That Will Warm Your Heart During the Holiday Chaos!

Coming Up After the Holidays:

• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Medical System Tuesday: Tip #10 For The Best Hospital Care:  Try Not to Be Alone! ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~
• Treating Pain with Food--more thoughts

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

Cooking in Bulk Example: Recipes from The Happy Herbivore

To demonstrate how my husband & I bulk cook to save time, money & maintain/continue weight loss (general system explained in my last post), I picked recipes from The Happy Herbivore, one of my favorite recipe blogs that is rapidly becoming quite famous (the chef Lindsay Nixon's Vegan Thanksgiving recipes were in the New York Times this past week!).  


Lindsay Nixon (The Happy Herbivore) has a new cookbook coming out in December (I posted on her current one here) & has some 1200 calorie meal plans on her website (complete with grocery lists!) that you can subscribe to with a donation--just an FYI (**I do not know her and have no reason to promote her!**).  


On her blog (where I selected these recipes from) her recipe page is one of the easiest to navigate because it has PICTURES!  And as we know (as I ramble on...), a picture is worth a thousand words! 


Ok enough of the continued enthusiastic endorsement--here we go! Check out my Happy Nurse hubby in action!

Cooking in Bulk Week #1:  Recipes from The Happy Herbivore (this is basically a typed up version of my own notes--I print out all the recipes and have them on hand in the kitchen)

 {1} In the Pantry:  We had Chickpeas, Black Beans and Quinoa--all uncooked, the beans were dry

 {2} Online recipe search:  I picked the following recipes for this week from The Happy Herbivore blog:

From Chickpeas:

1) Chickpea Tacos

need: chili powder, onion powder & taco shells {blue corn?}
2) Chana Palak Masala (one of my fav Indian dishes in general)

need small onion

From Black Beans:

1)  Mexican Stuffed Peppers

need 2 whole green peppers, cornmeal, chili powder (already need chili powder for chickpea recipe)
2)  Quick Black Bean Burger

need onion powder {already need it for chickpea}

Black Beans & Quinoa:

1) Aztec Corn Salad

need 1 fresh tomato

Black Beans, Chickpeas & Quinoa:

1) Hippie Loaf (So my funny husband has said we need to call this something else:-)) oh my former meat and potatoes man!)

need mushrooms, ketchup

Treat!:

1) Lasagna Rolls

need gluten-free lasagna noodles, extra-firm tofu, vegan parmasan, marinara sauce

 Other
1)  Mashed Potatoes
2)  Brown Gravy
Ok, then I made the following grocery list based on what I didn't have in the pantry:

{3}  GROCERY LIST:

Chili powder

onion powder

cornmeal

taco shells (blue corn ones?)

gluten-free lasagna noodles, 

fat-free vegan mayo

ketchup 

marinara sauce

small onion

2 whole green peppers

1 fresh tomato

mushrooms, 

extra-firm tofu, 

vegan parmasan

   {4} I made the following strategy--Work from the top to the bottom of the tasks--focus on one task at a time so you don't get overwhelmed!!!  Basically I write this out on a piece of paper and we stick it to the fridge for reference

PRE-COOK: 1) We eat dried beans because they are cheaper, so we soak them overnight, rinse them a TON (to avoid GI side effects J) & start them cooking in our crockpot in the early AM before cooking in the afternoon	BELOW IS THE STUFF GOING ON WHILE YOU DO THE MAIN TASKS ON THE LEFT
CHOP etc        1)   peel 7 garlic cloves & mince (mince in groups of 2 and separate for the different recipes)         2)   dice small onion        3)   squeeze 1 lemon to juice, 1 lime to juice        4)   cut peppers into “boats”        5)   shred lettuce        6)   dice tomatoes        7)   wash & chop potatoes into quarters        8)   mince one carrot        9)   mince 2 celery stalks      10)    chop mushrooms	START RIGHT BEFORE CHOPPING:      1)   Thaw 4 cups frozen spinach       2)   Thaw 1 cup corn       3)   Preheat oven to 375
MIX:       1)   make taco seasoning mix (click on link to mix on Happy Herbivore’s recipe for chickpea tacos)          2)   mix tamari/juice/taco seasoning & put chickpeas in       3)   mix condiments and spices for BB burger       4)     mash black beans separate into 2 bowls (½ for burgers, ½ for Hippie Loaf)       5)   Mix filling for lasagna rolls before spinach completely thaws	START RIGHT BEFORE MIXING—occasionally check on these things while mixing:        1)   Potatoes boiling        2)   Quinoa cooking (we use a rice cooker—so easy andcheap!)        3)   Lasagna cooking (set timer for this one)        4)   Sautee onion & garlic (turn off after done)
ASSEMBLE OVEN ITEMS: (do each ONE at a time to avoid errors, use prepped materials)     1)   Black Bean burgers:  mix, put on cookie sheet, put in oven, timer to 14 mins     2)   Chickpea Tacos: toss in sauce to make sure all coated, put in oven, add 8 mins to timer when BB burgers timer is done     3)   Mexican Peppers:  Mix Stuffed Peppers & put in oven (same time as chickpea tacos, so just look in on them then)     4)   Mix Hippie Loaf & put in pan and oven—add 25 mins to timer when it is done for Tacos
ASSEMBLE STOVE ITEMS (while oven is baking)     1)   Make Chana Palak Masala     2)   Assemble Lasagna Rolls & cook     3)   Mix Gravy & cook     4)   Mix Mashed Potatoes & whip in food processor
TUPPERWARE:     1)   Take everything out of ovens & off stoves to cool      2)   Set out Tupperware to fill kitchen table (BPA-FREE please, healthier, at Target & Walmart, etc)      3)   Put portions of each item in Tupperware      4)   Put in fridge & some in freezer for next week depending on how much you eat!
DONE!!!!!!! (no more cooking for week!  This process should take 2-3 hours—you get faster the more you do this & if you have help in the kitchen)

A few money & time saving tips:

-Call stores ahead of time for uncommon ingredients so you don't have to run all over the place only to discover that it isn't there!

-If you have time price the list ahead of time--we don't do this every week, but we do live on a VERY tight budget (med school loansssss) and operate with the "Envelope System"--more on that later--so we need to really think about how much things are going to cost before we get to the store.

-Try to pick recipes that have a lot of your current staples in them--that way you maximize your purchases from before.

Coming Soon!:

• PAIN: How to Heal with Food (Part 2)
• How To Get The BEST Medical Care: Tips to Patients from a Doc
• SuperImmunity Foods for KIDS (Calling All PARENTS!)
• RECIPES & Ideas: Snacks!  YUMMY & Portable Plant-Based Snack Food--all sugar-free, gluten-free & without adding oil or fat!!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

COOKING IN BULK TIPS: How to Create a "Cooking Strategy!"

Ok, so in my last post I talked about how you can save time, money and insanity by bulk cooking your food, i.e. cooking on one day to prepare your food for an entire week! 


Anyways, here is the awesome cooking strategy that my husband and I honed after much trial and error in the last year.  It is extremely helpful now we are working the plant-strong Esselstyn diet which relies a lot on homemade foods!


I hope that this helps all of you!  Let me know in the comments if you have any ideas to streamline my process, or please share your own strategies!!  Calling all my busy people out there!!  Let's rock this thing!


STRATEGY FOR COOKING IN BULK!


1) Figure out what you have in your kitchen pantry already (this is the save a lot of money step)


2) Find recipes that list those pantry items as a main ingredient (once again, saving money)
    -Pick SIMPLE recipes (when you are cooking several things at once, don't complicate things any further getting too "gourmet" on you!)
    -Find recipes that you are actually excited to try to eat!  (don't just pick recipes that fit your on-hand ingredients--if you aren't looking forward to eating it, don't cook it!)
    -Double check to make sure that your family will like the recipes you want to make (if my husband doesn't want to eat them, then the whole purpose of the mass cook is lost).
   -Pick enough recipes for variety--we found if we pick only 4 we lose interest at leftovers x2--our magic number is about 7-8 dishes now


3) Make a grocery list


4) Make a Plan of Attack :-): Take a sheet of paper and break down the tasks listed in all the recipes as follows:
    -Long pre-cook items that can slow cook the night before (i.e. beans, grains, etc)
    -Chopping & juicing (veggies, fruits)
   - Mixing (spices, sauces, etc)
   -Assemble
   -Cook (and in what--a pan, the oven, etc)


5) Divide up the tasks between the chefs {try to get your family involved--my friend uses my strategy and has her two young kids do things like mix the sauces and carefully chop veggies (thats the older kid!)}


6) Grocery Shop (quickly only by list)


7)  Cook


8) Pack & Tupperware


Ok--so this sounds a little complicated (mostly because of step #4!)  It does feel that way at first, but the more you do it, the quicker you will get!  And the best reward is to have 7+ new meals ready after 2-4 hours of work! 


See my next scheduled Post for the specific cooking strategy for this week using The Happy Herbivore's recipes!  Feel free to use it yourself because the recipes are YUMMMMMM!!!:-)

Next time:   Cooking in Bulk Example:  A Week of Recipes from The Happy Herbivore

Coming Soon:

• PAIN: How to Heal with Food (Part 2)
• How To Get The BEST Medical Care: Tips to Patients from a Doc
• SuperImmunity Foods for KIDS (Calling All PARENTS!)
• RECIPES & Ideas: Snacks!  YUMMY & Portable Plant-Based Snack Food--all sugar-free, gluten-free & without adding oil or fat!!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

The Power of Planning Ahead: Why We Cook Once A Week :-)

One of the key things that I've found to maintaining and continuing my weight loss (aside from my 12 step compulsive eating recovery program work) is planning.  


Planning the food I'm going to eat tomorrow.  
Planning extra food to take "just in case" I get tied up at work past 6pm (um, wait one sec... that's pretty much every day!).  
Planning our grocery list each week.
Planning our cooking strategy. 


Yes, thats right folks, I said "cooking strategy!"  


In our house, we usually cook once a week.  Yes, that is what I said.  We usually cook only once a week--and sometimes that food lasts into the next week (a two-week bonus!).  And that miracle only happens with a cooking strategy.


Before you roll your eyes and think I'm nuts (oh wait, that may have happened already :-)) let me tell you that spending 2-4 hours on one day each week researching recipes, making a grocery list based on the recipes, writing up a plan for how to do our "bulk cook" and then executing that plan by cooking & tupperwaring to our hearts content saves us from:

• HOURS and HOURS of obsessing about what food we are going to eat (letting my disease of compulsive overeating have a field day scanning my mind for goodies) or
• frantically throwing something together at the end of a long day or
• feeling hunger pangs start about 1/2 way through the afternoon because we didn't it a solid lunch or
• spending tons of money on take-out!  

I'm not going to lie, sometimes its a painful exercise in organizational discipline (especially at first).  But cooking on one day of the week to prepare all your meals for the week is AMAZING and quick.  It is also very very smart if you are a busy person.  I wish I could say it was my idea, but its not.  It is actually my Mom's!  


When we were growing up, my Mom was a working single parent but she didn't want any of us kids to not get the nutritious meals we needed.  So ONCE A MONTH she took one of her weekends off and spent it doing a massive grocery shop, a massive cook and a massive tupperware freeze!!  And, bam!  We had delicious, nutritious meals for the whole month that she could heat up when she got home from work each day!  She got the plan out of a book called (very originally:-)) "Once-a-Month Cooking"


Of course, when I looked up "Once-A-Month Cooking" for my husband and I last year, it was filled with recipes from the 70's/80's that were sooooooo not vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free or anti-inflammatory :-)  But the strategy it presents is awesome!  


Next post I'll share with you our "Bulk Cook Plan" for this week (that we worked on over last weekend!)   My plan for the coming weeks is to devote a week to a set of recipes all from ONE of my favorite bloggers online!  That way you can all get the recipes online and see our strategy if you want to try it yourself!  Sound complicated?  Its not.


Check out my next post and I'll tell you all about it!  This week, all the recipes are from The Happy Herbivore (and let me tell you--I just finished one of her chickpea tacos from this week's plan and all I can say is YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!)

Next time:  Cooking in BULK Tip:  Week #1 

Coming Soon:

• PAIN: How to Heal with Food (Part 2)
• How To Get The BEST Medical Care: Tips to Patients from a Doc

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.