Is washing dishes stopping you from preparing food?

     Many people are reluctant to cook or prepare food because of the dirty dishes that will result. Some people are very busy and don't have time for another task, and other people find that they continuously put off washing the dishes, and the dishes just pile up. Here are a few tips. 

• Use disposable cutlery and containers for packing your food for lunch or work
• prepare one-pot or one-pan meals to limit the amount of dishes you need to wash
• Cook in disposable pans and throw them away when you are done cooking
• Line washable pans with parchment paper to limit the mess and make washing them easier
• When you use pots or pans, immediately soak them in the sink to make cleaning them easier when you do get around to it
• fill a dish basin with soapy water and add your dirty dishes and silverware to it after eating so they can soak and make washing them easier

Executive function and nutrition

    Meal planning can be a challenge for people with executive function issues. Executive function is a set of mental skills that help us to plan, focus, remember, and organize. It involves the ability to control our thoughts and actions in order to achieve our goals. When we have difficulty with executive function, it can be hard to make decisions, stay focused, and follow through on tasks. This can make meal planning a daunting task.

Here are some tips for meal planning for people with executive function issues:

• Simplify your meals. The simpler your meals are, the easier they will be to plan and prepare. Choose recipes that have few ingredients and steps.
• Plan ahead. Try to plan your meals for the week in advance. This will help you to stay on track and avoid making last-minute decisions.
• Use a meal planner. There are many different meal planning tools available, both online and in print. A meal planner can help you to keep track of your recipes, ingredients, and grocery lists.
• Delegate tasks. If you have family members or friends who are willing to help, delegate some of the meal planning tasks to them. This could include grocery shopping, cooking, or cleaning up.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you are struggling with meal planning, don't be afraid to ask for help from a friend, family member, or professional. There are many resources available to help you.

It is important to remember that everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Experiment with different strategies and find what works best for you. With a little effort, you can meal plan successfully even if you have executive function issues.

Is Soup Healthy?

                There is a health aura around soup. Often, when foods have a health aura, people are under the impression that there is no such thing as too much. Here are a few points to keep in mind to help you understand how soup can fit into your eating habits.

• Canned soups tend to be very high in sodium
• Homemade soups are often high in sodium—especially when powdered soup bases or soup bouillon cubes are used
• Flavoring your soup with herbs and spices and going light on the salt will yield a lower sodium soup
• Potato soup, butternut squash soup, bean/legume soup, and other soups with a starchy vegetable as the base will be higher in carbohydrates and have more calories than a soup made from only non-starchy vegetables
• A soup with beans, chickpeas, or other legumes will often be more filling, as it has a lot of fiber and some protein
• A soup that is only a broth will have close to zero calories, but it will not keep you satiated for long
• Cream soups can be high in calories because of the fat content of the butter and cream in them
• Adding croutons adds calories from carbohydrates and fat
• A soup that contains protein, vegetables, and a carbohydrate can be a full meal

                In the comments section, let me know what questions you have about nutrition for soups. 

What to do With Yogurt

• Mix in some frozen fruit (they get nice and juicy as they defrost)
• Spoon over oatmeal instead of adding milk
• Chop in your favorite fresh fruit or add fresh berries (mango, banana, strawberries, blueberries…)
• Add in ¼ cup nuts or seeds
• Use as base for a creamy salad dressing or dip
• Mix in fruit and freeze for a yummy cold treat
• Add to mac and cheese instead of adding extra cheese to add creaminess
• Use thick yogurt instead of cream cheese in frosting
• Add to a smoothie
• Swirl in a spoonful of nut butter
• Use instead of mayonnaise in egg salad or tuna fish
• Add ¼ cup raisins, dried cranberries, or your favorite dried fruit
• Sprinkle with some cinnamon or coconut flakes
• Serve with dry cereal such as Cheerios, Chex, or Grapenuts
• Add ½ cup dry oats and 1 cup milk and leave in fridge overnight for overnight oats
• Stir in some jelly or jam
• Drizzle with honey, syrup, or some sugar
• Add some applesauce or fruit compote
• Serve over warm pureed butternut squash
• Use as a spread on toast
• Eat it plain

My Yogurt Adventure

                I did it! I successfully prepared homemade yogurt. (See my post from last wee about my yogurt plan.) Props to my parents for allowing this adventure to happen in their home with their milk. They did not have yogurt to use as a starter, so shout out to YT and family for sharing with me a spoonful of Stonyfield Organic plain yogurt.

                This is what I did:

1. Find a thermometer. I had one, and then discovered that the battery was dead. Replaced the battery.
2. Pour 12oz Pride of the Farm lowfat milk into top of double boiler.
   
3. Heat milk to 180⁰F. Keep checking temperature with thermometer until it is just right.
4. Keep milk on lowest flame to maintain the milk at that temperature for about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let set milk pot in ice bath until temperature is 115⁰F. Keep checking temperature with thermometer until it is just right.
   
6. Add a bit of the milk to the spoonful of yogurt that is in a bowl at room temperature.
   
   
7. Transfer warm milk to insulated hot cup.
   
8. Pour the milk-yogurt starter mixture in.
9. Seal cup and put it in hot water bath. The water was about 125⁰F.
   
10. Wrap in towels to keep it insulated. 
    
11. Over the next 3 hours, I checked the temperature of the water bath twice and added more hot water to bring the temperature back up to 125⁰F. After that, I just let it sit undisturbed overnight.
12. After a total of 16 hours, I opened up the incubated milk.
    
13. I secured a thin rag over the top of a container and strained the yogurt through it for about 1 hour. I was left with some whey in the container. 
    

                I would definitely call this a success! The flavor was not too tart as I feared it would be after reading so much ahead of time. It did not taste like any yogurt I had eaten before, but it definitely tasted like yogurt! There was a slightly grainy texture to it, which from my reading may have to do with heating the milk too rapidly or moving the yogurt too much while it incubates. I will try to heat it slower next time and then leave it to peacefully incubate.

                 Anyone else want to try this? 

My Yogurt Plan

I have been reading up on yogurt. That is, making yogurt at home. I enjoy yogurt as part of my breakfast every day, and I was wondering if there was a cheaper way to have yogurt. I saw an advertisement for a yogurt maker, and a whole new world that I never knew existed was opened to me! My first though was to purchase a yogurt maker. Many different companies make them, and they are at a few different price points. Then, as my research progressed, I discovered that yogurt makers do not actually make your yogurt for you. Most of them are merely a warming device. They maintain the yogurt at a constant temperature to promote the growth of the bacteria that have been added to the previously heated milk. My further reading led me to discover that there are other methods of incubating yogurt that do not involve a special device. And besides, where would I store it??

Disclaimer: I have not made yogurt yet. It is on my agenda though. Perhaps it will work. Perhaps it will require some tweaking before I get it right. This is my plan: I will use my second, not yet used, crockpot to incubate my yogurt. I might have to try it a few times until I can get the temperature settings correct. But I am getting ahead of myself. Do you want to know how it is done? Well, I will tell you.

1. Heat 2 quarts milk to 180⁰ F and maintain milk at this temperature for about 5 minutes (I plan to use a thermometer)
2. Cool milk to 110-115⁰ F (again, I’ll need the thermometer)
3. Pour about 1 cup of milk into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of yogurt that contain live active cultures, and gently mix
4. Pour yogurt-milk mixture back into milk
5. Incubate milk at 110-115 ⁰ F for 8-24 hours (I think this might be the hardest part) Once this time is up, the milk should have thickened into yogurt
6. Now put in in the fridge to cool
7. Eat!! (the best part hopefully)

From my extensive reading, there are some issues that can come up. Sometimes, the milk does not thicken into yogurt. This can happen if the yogurt with the bacteria is added before the milk cools to 110-115⁰ F, because the bacteria will be killed from heat at higher temperatures. It can also remain liquidy if the yogurt cools below temperature while incubating, because the bacteria need that warm temperature to multiply. It also seems that homemade yogurt is typically thinner than the store bought varieties, as sometimes companies add thickeners. This can be remedied by straining the yogurt through a cheese cloth or stirring in powdered milk to the milk while heating.

So this is my proposal to myself: Brendel, make some yogurt! It might take some experimenting until I get good yogurt. I will keep you updated. Also, I still owe you my margarine-less sugar cookie recipe…I haven’t forgotten!

If any of you have made yogurt before, please let me know your experiences and any tips you have.

Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

                Happy post-Thanksgiving! Many people struggle with healthy eating on holidays. Often, they decide that it’s a holiday and they will just enjoy it. That usually means eating many foods in larger quantities. As a dietitian, I wonder what to advise my patients on this topic. Should I just say, “it’s a holiday, it does not happen often, just enjoy?” Or, should I encourage my patients to continue to make healthy choices every day?

                Somehow, a holiday is not just one day. The holiday has become holiday season, and the holiday treats are eaten for weeks in advance of the actual special day. It ends up becoming a challenge during the entire month… But in truth, it is the same challenge the whole year. We are always inundated with treats, snacks, and yummy food. It is hard to stay away from tempting food when it is right in front of us.

                Here are some strategies on making healthy choices all year round...but especially when the holidays are here.

• Don’t buy it! If it’s not in your house, you won’t eat it
• Stock up on healthy foods
• Check out restaurant menus before you dine, and see if you can find some healthier choices; some places post their nutrition facts online
• Split your restaurant meal with someone
• Share your plate of dessert
• Plan ahead and choose the treats that you’d like to eat rather than tasting some of everything
• Start your day with a healthy breakfast; saving your calories for a big meal usually does not work
• Choose water, flavored water, and flavored seltzer rather than soda
• Don’t stop your healthy routines such as exercise
• Bring a healthy dish to a potluck

In the comments below, please share your healthy eating strategies for the holiday season.