Okay, okay, I know. Some of you are like “Of course you are picky, you are vegan!!” But the truth is, I am willing to eat almost everything in the plant-based world. I am even eating ginger now a little bit (something I have always hated). The only food I really don’t like is cilantro/coriander, but I am willing to pick it out of my food if I can.
But pour oil on my food? Gross! Use iodized salt? Nah! Vegetable smoothie with ice? Wha?
I appreciate the suggestions that people have been giving me, and your gentle nudges have made me realize that I need a total diet makeover. I mean, I “hear” from the ambient noise that is the media that fats and sweets and salts are bad for you and should be used sparingly. But it turns out that you actually need some of those things – like iodized salt so you don’t get a goiter. So my healthy diet – while still healthier than the average American diet – is lacking in some of the things it probably should have, especially in the fats category.
What I need is not a new dish I can add to my current diet. What I need is a new way to cook and prepare food that is less processed, includes greater variety of grains and beans/legumes, is higher in protein, includes more yellow and green vegetables, and contains some essential supplements needed for a vegan diet (like B12 from nutritional yeast and omega-3 fatty acids from walnuts, flax, and algae).
This isn’t just a diet modification, it’s a lifestyle change – I need to spend more time cooking (an increase from zero minutes a week), and I need to learn how to freeze foods (as opposed to the Weisman family tradition: “the freezer is the place that food goes to die”). And I need to buy some decent glass or pyrex containers to freeze and microwave stuff in, because reheating stuff in plastic containers is gross. Kelly had this idea a year ago that we spend Sunday afternoons cooking for the week. We may need to try that out.
I know Suya used to do that. Does anyone else cook for the week, or cook to freeze a meal? Do you bake 2 casseroles instead of one and freeze one? Do you freeze the whole thing together, or do you cut it into servings? Or is your freezer a purgatory between edible food and the garbage?
February 12, 2008 at 2:12 pm
We like to make some massive casserole/lasagna thing on some given day of the week (I think it’s actually rarely weekends, since we tend to overschedule those) and that’s our (reheated) hot dinner for the week — broken up with easy things like tacos, progresso soup, take-out on other nights. Pyrex is teh awesome.
But I don’t make things I can’t eat in a week. If it goes in the freezer, it’s essentially in a morgue.
Also, best snack in the world? Walnuts + raisins.
February 13, 2008 at 7:04 am
with my work schedule i definitely cook in quantity and then eat it (reheated) for several nights. my family is all about the freezer — my mom, her sisters, and my grandmother all have a full size freezer in the basement in addition to the normal fridge/freezer combo. you can freeze a lot of things you would not realize for time saving (such as chopped onion) if that makes things easier. if you want more beans, i recommend lentils — cheap, tasty, and can be made in many different ways. for my vegetable quota i often pack a salad (and other things) for lunch. when it is the only option in front of you and you are hungry, you are happy to dig in. vary the toppings for longer amusement.
i could say more, but this comment is already getting way to long. talk to you sometime soon!
February 17, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Over the past few weeks, I’ve started making Sunday my cooking day – and it literally takes me ALL day. Although, my problem is that I’m always eager to try new recipes (too many), so I end up making a lot more than we need for the week. A portion of most recipes will end up in the freezer, which is very handy for weeks I’m not able to spare a cooking day. Luckily, I’ve been able to remember what is in each frozen container, but as my freezer fills up I may have to start labeling soon!
I agree with Stacey regarding legumes. Lentils are great, I especially like red lentils. Black-eyed peas are really yummy too – I like to mash them up with some salt and oil for a really simple snack. I was really bummed when Whole Foods didn’t have any dried black-eye peas this weekend, only the canned stuff
February 20, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Devika V. Suri is going to help give you advice. She can talk about nutrition for a long, long time.