tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post2504345185361485670..comments2024-03-27T12:02:15.675-05:00Comments on PRACTICAL PARSIMONY: Declining QUALITY of DinnersLindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-14115051124420155862014-01-11T20:54:52.441-06:002014-01-11T20:54:52.441-06:00Jane,
He is really easy to please as long as there...Jane,<br />He is really easy to please as long as there is no canned soup on his chicken, no cheese anywhere except on a grilled cheese sandwich, no potato salad, no tuna salad, no pimiento and cheese, no tuna, no eggs, no bananas in anything, no breakfast for dinner, no bowls of canned soup. <---hates it all. (I do not eat canned soup either. Okay, maybe once a year.) Poor guy cannot cook at 60--his fault, I know. I was put out that I gave him cheese both meals and he did not like it. I thought I was improving his pizza and mashed potatoes. ???<br /><br />However, I can bake sweet potatoes every week, serve slaw every week, same with field peas. He is happy with a peanut butter sandwich for lunch--no jelly. <br /><br />He is diabetic and just started insulin after not needing it for years. I would bake chicken, cook blackeyed peas, sweet potatoes, turnip greens, slaw, and cornbread. He looked like he was in heaven. Often, we have chicken or turkey for six weeks with not a word from him. We both love turkey and chicken. <br /><br />All the stuff he won't eat is a trial, but I would like to not eat things I cannot stand. sigh <br /><br />He will gladly eat a salad anytime.<br /><br />It is funny that he will tell me about his "soup" he makes--Progresso, or some kind of nasty looking beef srew, canned tomatoes, canned potatoes, VegAll. He brags he can eat for a week on that and take it to work. I sort of gag. I think he just really appreciates a home cooked meal. He does so much for me that I like to at least feed him. <br /><br />We had a talk about what he should and should not eat so I would not kill him. He hesitantly told me that there were too many carbs and sort of told me what was what. He hesitated telling me because he did not want me to quit baking cornbread and having tasty food. He loves what I cook, but agreed less of what he should not have would be better. <br /><br />Thanks for the comment.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-85361592395184998892014-01-11T20:34:27.853-06:002014-01-11T20:34:27.853-06:00Bellen,
Impossible Pie? Got it. I did not think of...Bellen,<br />Impossible Pie? Got it. I did not think of bacon fat for the potatoes....next time. I put pepper, cheese, and extra butter. <br /><br />Usually, I can put together a stress-free, nutritious meal. Somehow, nothing was coming together. We both like cabbage, potatoes, onion, and carrots cooked together. Plus, we like store bought frozen field peas and Brussels sprouts for a quick meal, slaw and anything. I just hurt too much and was not "with it" on Friday. I have bunches of stuff dehydrated and frozen, just nothing was working for me. <br /><br />Bread is rarely on the menu for dinner. But, homemade bread would be a meal in itself. <br /><br />You have a good plan that sounds nutritious and easy. Now, you made me hungry...lol. Oh, I usually have the cooked portions of brown rice, all ready for a meal. <br /><br />But, we each ate 8 cherries!<br /><br />Thanks for the pie idea. Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-72348714111090096682014-01-11T19:32:53.338-06:002014-01-11T19:32:53.338-06:00Linda,
I am afraid my dinners would not pass m...Linda,<br /> I am afraid my dinners would not pass muster for your exbf. I do make the occasional nice dinner, but we have our share of dinners which are grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, "breakfast for dinner" of an omelet and pancakes, or a salad with blue cheese and dried cranberries and apples. I also make a quick meal of reconstituted canned tomato soup combined with one can of turkey chili to make chili soup served with fresh homemade bread. Most of our meals are not tremendous.JaneofVirginiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15320442534060401465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-35965905382139835892014-01-11T18:43:34.862-06:002014-01-11T18:43:34.862-06:00I am so sorry you are in such pain. Pain is exhau...I am so sorry you are in such pain. Pain is exhausting both physically and mentally.<br />Yes, I've served some not so healthy but oh so comforting dinners - canned tomato soup (way too much sodium) and grilled American cheese sandwiches (way too much fat) and take out pizza - too much fat & salt but gosh, it's good.<br />You can doctor boxed mashed potatoes by adding some bacon fat or cream cheese and black pepper. I think it's more the consistency than taste.<br />Not having any real physical problems, just being old, if I'm too tired to take care of a chix/turkey carcass I'll freeze it and make stock later. There always seems to be enough meat on it, after making the stock, to have at least one regular meal like chix/turkey with dumplings or over biscuits/toast. With the stock I make soup - lots of veggies especially those sprouting onion, limp carrots & celery and some meat, about 1/3 cup per serving. I keep a container in the freezer for those last spoonfuls of veggies, rice, potatoes, pasta, soup, tomato sauce, etc. Makes a great 'garbage soup' and it's never the same twice!<br />I freeze lots of single/double sized servings - baked meatloaf in muffin tins, preformed hamburgers, precooked ground meat for tacos, rice, mashed or baked potatoes, chopped green pepper and bags of equal parts of celery, onion & carrots for soup/casserole/side dish. <br /> I have a recipe for "Any Casserole" that lists the amount of protein, starch, liquid and veggies (chicken, rice, cream of mushroom soup, peas or ground beef, Macaroni, cheese sauce and topped with tomatoes and green peppers) that will work in about any combination, serve with fruit or salad. Searc for Impossible Pie both savory and sweet, they've been a life saver for me many times.<br /> I keep a jar of roasted red peppers in the frig and frozen broccoli, spinach & green beans at all times. Keep meals simple -protein, starch, veggie or fruit, bread/roll if you have it and maybe some pickles or olives as an extra.Bellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17249001827113998376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-4310289207036423972014-01-11T16:36:47.436-06:002014-01-11T16:36:47.436-06:00Janie,
Working in the yard hurts me so. I can do a...Janie,<br />Working in the yard hurts me so. I can do about one thing each day, and then I am done and exhausted with pain. <br /><br />I suppose half nutritious is better than a whole cake or something like that.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-35702016776563528942014-01-11T16:34:30.449-06:002014-01-11T16:34:30.449-06:00Jess,
For about three weeks I worried about how m...Jess, <br />For about three weeks I worried about how many pbj sandwiches I was eating. Then, I snapped out of it. <br /><br />I rarely freeze soup, but I need to get more single-serve meals in the freezer. I should have frozen some turkey for chicken/turkey dumplings. <br /><br />When I do too much, I suffer with severe pain. I don't drink, can barely get in and out of tub. Nothing the doctor will give me helps. He said he cannot give me much for pain because if he does, then he cannot control the pain after back surgery. Some days just resting and hoping for the best is the best it will get. Thanks for the comment.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-58934432098162925662014-01-11T16:29:28.640-06:002014-01-11T16:29:28.640-06:00Sue,
I am sure I am in better shape than you, jus...Sue, <br />I am sure I am in better shape than you, just don't have a sous chef and full use of hands. Sigh...pizzas are not so healthy but oh, so tasty. Then, the guilt sets in. Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-85000008039453593312014-01-11T16:14:07.275-06:002014-01-11T16:14:07.275-06:00Pain always exhausts me. I worked in my yard for a...Pain always exhausts me. I worked in my yard for a while this morning. My back hurts, so I'm especially tired. I've fixed lots of dinners that weren't nutritious, because sometimes cooking is beyond me.<br /><br />Love,<br />JanieJanie Junebughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10573607241326291404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-63416687906749034822014-01-11T14:51:53.573-06:002014-01-11T14:51:53.573-06:00I've eaten some unhealthy meals to keep the ma...I've eaten some unhealthy meals to keep the machine running; including peanut butter and jelly wrapped in a flour tortilla. <br /><br />Lately, I've been making healthy soups and dishes for the freezer. I place servings in freezer bags and pull them out for microwave preparation. <br /><br />Pain? Yeah, it is exhausting. I have occasional bouts, but it's never chronic. When it bothers me enough, I'll make a stiff alcoholic drink, take an Aleve, soak in the bath, go to bed and hope for the best. Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15969361446367636746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-90760016350559659442014-01-11T14:37:17.044-06:002014-01-11T14:37:17.044-06:00Over the past few years I have been able to tweak ...Over the past few years I have been able to tweak a monthly menu so that most meals are easy for me to prepare by myself. (There is always room for fine tuning, though.) My husband helps with food prep when a meal requires things I find hard to do like de-bone chicken, peel potatoes, wedge cabbage or halve a squash. When neither of us feels like cooking we'll pop a frozen pizza in the oven and of course it's tasty, but knowing how unhealthy it is really takes the shine off for me. Sue Frelickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13150735651127251014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-42351580586681600332014-01-11T10:41:07.847-06:002014-01-11T10:41:07.847-06:00Oh, please. Almost every casserole dinner in this...Oh, please. Almost every casserole dinner in this house lacks vegetables. If I have the fixings for salad, great, if not, I justify the meal by remembering that my kids can help themselves to carrots, celery, bananas (if we have them) applesauce and home canned grape and apple juice at any time.Meg B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07787702814280004076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-45845200531824483852014-01-11T04:28:52.130-06:002014-01-11T04:28:52.130-06:00Janet,
Oh, good for the lemon. I am going to go ge...Janet,<br />Oh, good for the lemon. I am going to go get some salad greens right now, at 4:30 am. It is pouring rain and the wind is threatening to finish off the house. Leftovers are okay, better than wasting them. Some days, to get my greens, I just put some on the plate, not even pretending they are a real salad. I just look for colors. Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-36026817239864775852014-01-11T03:52:05.891-06:002014-01-11T03:52:05.891-06:00EC,
I have a few, okay, a lot of days where I know...EC,<br />I have a few, okay, a lot of days where I know I slept but I do still feel exhausted. He does know it takes a toll on me. Cooking a whole meal once a week is about all I can handle. I do cook other times, but not a full meal. Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14991571309786149363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-16433820104995814602014-01-11T03:19:37.955-06:002014-01-11T03:19:37.955-06:00Yep. We had a similar dinner this evening. I bak...Yep. We had a similar dinner this evening. I baked a chicken in one of those contraptions and made gravy. We had an assortment of leftovers as sides. None of them fresh. I had scalloped potatoes, John ate rice. we both had peas and corn. I bought rolls but we forgot to eat them. I need to be more diligent about serving salad but so much of the time it just seems like a big pain in the rear end. Before winter is over we may both have scurvy! (naw...I served lemon with the fish a day or two ago) Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01024512934812657769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321084510373631678.post-56473391249965486332014-01-11T01:49:37.210-06:002014-01-11T01:49:37.210-06:00Pain is completely exhausting. On bad days, I get...Pain is completely exhausting. On bad days, I get up as tired as when I went to bed.<br />And on those days, any meal I cook is a bonus. Toast is sometimes an effort. I hope he realises just how much it costs you.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.com