I have a well-earned reputation for being something of a klutz girl. In the last decade, I've broken a toe, broken a foot (complete with sprained ankle), seriously strained a back muscle, and just recently, sprained my other ankle.
I think I'm making up for all the major injuries I didn't have when I was a kid.
It's been tough to cook this past week. Standing too much isn't good, getting back and forth from the stove to the fridge is tiring, and I can't stand on my tiptoes to reach dishes on high shelves.
I'm lucky enough to live in a city with grocery delivery (unsolicited plug, but seriously, Instacart is pretty awesome) so I didn't have to hobble through the store. I got easy and fast things to cook. Lots of eggs and frozen vegetables, fresh fruit (go anti-inflammatory antioxidants!), and sandwich stuff. Simple to fix, and just as important, easy to clean up.
What do you cook when you're not at your best? What's your comfort food for when you just can't manage being on your feet?
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Fun With Allergies
I've always been Allergy Girl. When I was little, it was milk and artificial colors/flavors. Now it's this weird list that includes soy and sesame, crab and chicken, and almonds and hazelnuts.
As it happens, I don't like crab and don't eat chicken. I mourn the loss of Nutella, and almonds show up in the most random places. Sesame is not in everything, but it's almost never included as an ingredient. Little harder to pick around, but it's rare that it prevents an entire meal. Soy, though - soy is tough.
Soy is in everything. It shows up in oil (and yes, I am allergic to the oil). It shows up as lecithin (an emulsifier). It shows up in flour and fryers and chocolate and tortillas and ice cream and those individual packs of instant oatmeal.
Some restaurants are wonderful. They check and double check, they take notes, they talk to the chef, and know their ingredients. Others are... less helpful. A frequent conversation goes something like this:
Hi - I'm allergic to soy.
Oh, we don't use soy at all.
Great, can you tell me what kind of oil you use?
We use vegetable oil.
Sigh.
Vegetable oil almost always refers a blend of oils which includes soybean oil. Shortening (Crisco, etc) includes soybean oil. And I always start with that question, because if they only use soy-based oils, there's generally nothing that's going to be safe for me to eat there.
I don't hold it against restaurants that use soy products. It's really hard not to, and it's certainly cheaper to use soy-based ingredients. I do hold it against restaurants that don't know their ingredients. I do have problems with restaurants that assume that I'm "not really allergic" or a little of it won't hurt me. I do have a problem with restaurants that don't check or tell me one thing on the phone and then another thing when I arrive at the restaurant.
One reason I cook and bake and can things is because I know exactly what goes into everything I make. Having allergies has made me a better, more creative cook. But I still love to eat out, and when I find a place that is safe for me to eat, I'm their most enthusiastic customer.
I'll be writing more about allergies, mostly about navigating the world of eating out and great finds of allergy-friendly restaurants. Let me know if you have good finds to share, tips for help in talking with restaurants, and any other good allergy advice.
As it happens, I don't like crab and don't eat chicken. I mourn the loss of Nutella, and almonds show up in the most random places. Sesame is not in everything, but it's almost never included as an ingredient. Little harder to pick around, but it's rare that it prevents an entire meal. Soy, though - soy is tough.
Soy is in everything. It shows up in oil (and yes, I am allergic to the oil). It shows up as lecithin (an emulsifier). It shows up in flour and fryers and chocolate and tortillas and ice cream and those individual packs of instant oatmeal.
Some restaurants are wonderful. They check and double check, they take notes, they talk to the chef, and know their ingredients. Others are... less helpful. A frequent conversation goes something like this:
Hi - I'm allergic to soy.
Oh, we don't use soy at all.
Great, can you tell me what kind of oil you use?
We use vegetable oil.
Sigh.
Vegetable oil almost always refers a blend of oils which includes soybean oil. Shortening (Crisco, etc) includes soybean oil. And I always start with that question, because if they only use soy-based oils, there's generally nothing that's going to be safe for me to eat there.
I don't hold it against restaurants that use soy products. It's really hard not to, and it's certainly cheaper to use soy-based ingredients. I do hold it against restaurants that don't know their ingredients. I do have problems with restaurants that assume that I'm "not really allergic" or a little of it won't hurt me. I do have a problem with restaurants that don't check or tell me one thing on the phone and then another thing when I arrive at the restaurant.
One reason I cook and bake and can things is because I know exactly what goes into everything I make. Having allergies has made me a better, more creative cook. But I still love to eat out, and when I find a place that is safe for me to eat, I'm their most enthusiastic customer.
I'll be writing more about allergies, mostly about navigating the world of eating out and great finds of allergy-friendly restaurants. Let me know if you have good finds to share, tips for help in talking with restaurants, and any other good allergy advice.
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