Food help... please! Recovering from an eating disorder - need to learn how to cook!

taka

Can anyone help me please????

I'm in the process of recovering from an eating disorder which has unfortunately made me scared of my Kitchen for a long, long while. I'm getting better to the point where I can now be in there for long enough to cook something and I really want to try and do this again. I've been living on ready meals and the like for the last few months and I now feel confident enough doing this but I'm getting really bored of tastless, boring food which isn't exactly good for me or my wallet. I'd like to start cooking properly but am completely overwhelmed to know where to start

I'm veggie (no meat, fish or poultry).

I have done a store cupboard/freezer inventory... its a bit random...

chopped tomatoes - 12 cans :rotfl:
chickpeas - 3 cans
penne pasta - 500g bag
pesto - 2 jars
jam - 1/2 jar
lemon curd - 1/3 jar
porridge oats - 3/4 bag

tortellini (frozen) - 500g
pitta bread (frozen) - 1 pack of 6
tofu (frozen) - 1 small pack
mixed veg (frozen - peas, carrots, green beans) - 1 bag
sliced peppers (frozen) - 1 bag
carrots (frozen - cubed) - 1 bag
wholemeal bread (frozen) - 1/2 loaf
cheese (frozen) - small bag of grated cheddar
misc (frozen) berries
thai sweet chilli sauce - 1/2 bottle - its quite hot rather than sweet!:eek:

I do have some herbs/spices/salt/pepper but they are from the dark ages - only the dried lemongrass was bought in the last 3 years (bought a month ago as it was reduced to 5p :rolleyes: ) Are these still useable or should I start again?

I have had a look at the recipe indexed links but feel very, very overwhelmed by it! I work full time (and live alone) so I would like to build up a range of frozen (or fridgeable stuff to last a few days) so I have meals almost ready to heat/eat when I get home as this is a time I find actually cooking something really difficult.

I have an oven (no working grill though), stick blender with mini chopper and whisk attachments, microwave, misc pots and pans, bowls, knives, chopping boards, wooden spoons, garlic crusher etc. I also have a few cooking books - most recently bought Delia's How to cook books 1 and 2 (£1 each from a charity shop :j ) as I don't even know the basics. I have access to a Sainsburys 10 mins walk away, Tesco 10 mins on the bus away and pass a small Lidl and Iceland on my way to/from work.

Can anyone

a) point me in the direction of very basic, quick, beginners level, freezable, veggie food I can batch cook at the weekend?

b) What store cupboard things do I need buy that would help me with this?

c) would something like a slow cooker be a good idea?

d) does anyone know any good websites with portion size info so I can get a balanced diet of the right amounts of protein, carbs, fats etc and know how much a portion of things should be?

Thanks for reading this loooooooooong post! :T Any help is greatfully received!! Thank-you! :beer:

Browntoa

As a Veggie you may want to hunt down Sainsbury's own brand Soya Mince , good foundation to make veggie Lasagne/Spag Bol/Chilli/shepherds pies. Just track down standard recipes for the above and replace meat item with soya. I use bisto and marmite to give it a meatier taste.I then batch freeze leftovers.

Pink.

Hi taka,

I'm glad to hear you're recovering and hopefully the Old Stylers will be able to help.

This thread has lots of lovely vegetarian recipes: Easy, cheap Vegetarian recipes?

These threads may help too:

OS Vegetarians??

Vegetarian food budgeting ANY TIPS?

Vegetarian Food

Cooking for the freezer - vegetarian

Gingham's Vegetarian Meal Planner

Gingham's vegetarian meal planner - SUMMER

Gingham's vegetarian menu planner SPRING

Husband gone Vegetarian... I need Ideas?!?!

A vegetarian meal planner, please

Vegetarian OSers

For storecupboard items this thread might be useful: Storecupboard Essentials

A slow cooker might help as it means you will have to spend less time preparing and cooking food. Have a look here and for info on portion sizes this thread may be useful: Portion Sizes !!!

I hope I haven't overloaded you with too many links.

Good luck!

Pink

taka

Browntoa wrote: »

As a Veggie you may want to hunt down Sainsbury's own brand Soya Mince , good foundation to make veggie Lasagne/Spag Bol/Chilli/shepherds pies. Just track down standard recipes for the above and replace meat item with soya. I use bisto and marmite to give it a meatier taste.I then batch freeze leftovers.

Thanks for that! Is that a fresh or frozen item? If its frozen is it ok to cook and refreeze it?

lainz

Hi Taka

Welcome on board. A quick and easy dish (left over from students days!) is tinned toms/passatta, herbs, whatever veg is lurking with either pasta, rice, couscous, potatoes etc.

If you do pasta, boil the pasta (you can also cook the veg )and drain add all other stuff - stir for a couple of mins and serve. You can add pulses and beans as well as the veg for protein as you're veggie, grate some cheese for some extra cals, my veggie friend chops up veggie sausage on this.

Basically it's the basis of an accompaniment or main meal.

With the tofu, chop it and leave it for a few hours with some of the sweet chilli sauce. You can do a stir fry, add some of the frozen veg and peppers to a frying pan or wok with splash of water, let bubble away for 5 mins, add the tofu and sweet chilli and cook for another 5 mins. I use chow mein noodles from Lidls and when I start pour boiling water over them and cover, before I serve, drain them and put them in the stir fry so they get coated in sauce - nom nom

Curry is a variation on the above, add either some bought curry sauce or curry paste with toms/passata. All of these are quick and easy (and sometimes just one pan!) I'm not veggie so I add ham, tuna etc, but chickpeas work really well in most dishes.

To start, have a think about what you would like to eat each evening and then pick one new thing to try that week. Oh and how could I forget jacket potatoes, 10 mins nuked in the microwave (but they aren't crunchy), beans and cheese, or the tomato sauce concoction!

Hope that helps, all I can suggest is that you give it ago - we all have our culinery disasters :rotfl: , so don't lose faith if you don't get something exactly right.

greenbee

Hi Taka

Congratulations on getting to grips with your problems and being so determined to overdome them.

The best place to start is to think of the kind of things you like to eat, as that will make the process a whole lot easier.

As far as nutrition goes, when you're working out portions, try for about 100g of protein - eggs, cheese, tofu or soya. On the plate, about two thirds should be vegetables, and a third carb & protein. With protein, the quality of the protein is what's important, not necessarily the quantities. Tofu is a very good source of protein. I mix the silken variety into soups, pasta sauces, ratatouille etc. You have the benefits of protein without having a heavy meal.

When I don't have much energy for cooking, I try to stick to something like this:

Breakfast - Fruit Juice with either porridge with fruit or muesli with yoghurt & fruit. I make my own yogurt, and in the winter, buy fruit to stew and freeze in small portions, so I can have a variety. I take a pot out of the freezer every couple of days. As I get up early and go to the gym during the week, I can make the muesli/yogurt/fruit up the night before, take it with me and eat it after my workout

Lunch - pasta salad (mixture of any of the following - beansprouts, lettuce, tomato, avocado, radishes, cucumber, apple, celery, peppers) with either egg, cottage cheese, flavoured hard tofu (pesto or red tofu are easily available via health food shops), sunflower & pumpkin seeds. I grow the beansprouts myself, so I always have some kind of fresh green salad veg.

Snacks - fruit, almonds (a handful of almonds is full of minerals)

The following suppers are usually made in bulk and then kept in portions in the freezer for days when I can't be bothered to coook:

• homemade soup & roll (I currently have spinach and tomato in the freezer)
• Ratatouille (freezes beautifully - I use aubergine, courgette, onion, peppers, tomato, tofu) with goats cheese & rice or quinoa (high protein, so great for veggies). You can also put the ratatouille (if dry) on pastry, crumble goats cheese on top, fold the pastry round it and bake it en croute (great for guests!)
• Spinach & ricotta lasagne (I make the tomato sauce with tofu)
• Tomato & tofu pasta sauce (and a supply of fresh pasta to liven it up with)

Hope these ideas are helpful, and good luck.

bertiebots

As one of those people who reads something and can then forget within half an hour... I would recommend you search out some old cooking books at charity shops. I say older books because they tend to use basic ingredients rather than more "hard to find" items. And often have sections on how to prepare food that can apply to every day. I have a fantastic step by step guide from m&s from the 70s and despite its rather naff appearance is fantastic for reference and has photos to show you how. I like to return to things and double check until I am confident and if you are a novice cook this is a fantastic way to teach yourself.
Obviously the os'rs are always here to help too...well done btw!

Millie2008_2

Hello

and well done for being in recovery, I know how hard it is

Are you receiving any treatment at all? I was thinking of some dietetic support and maybe some OT to work through your kitchen fears

Big hugs

Mills xx

mumoftwo

Well done Taka and welcome to Old Style. How about a Spanish omelette (sp?) Easy and quick to make after work, can throw in whatever you have, peppers, leftover potato, cut up, some peas, what ever you have and like.

Just take it one day at a time, like the others, always cook big portions so you can freeze a few portions and that will cut down on the time and effort for other nights when you don't feel up to cooking a big meal.

taka

Thank-you so much to everyone who has replied!! I'm getting really excited about this now!!

Yes I'm getting treatment and am a huge amount better than I was. As to dietetic support - I'm on a waiting list to see a specialist dietitian associated with where I get treatment but the waiting list is ridiculious - looks likes months . The joys of the NHS :rolleyes: . I'm kind of hoping to be on the way to more normal eating before then!

Stephen_Leak

Welcome to the madhouse. By the time this lot have finished, you will be able to give the dietitian advice on healthy eating!

SPANISH OMELETTE

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1 potato
½ an onion
2 eggs
Ground pepper to taste
100ml of water
1 tablespoon of olive oil

METHOD

Peel the potato and chop it into 1cm (½ inch) cubes. Peel the onion, cut it in half, chop one half into tiny pieces and save the other half.

Break the eggs into a bowl and pick out any bits of shell. Mix up the eggs. Season with the pepper.

Put the water into a saucepan on a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Add the potato. Cook for about 5 minutes, checking that they do not fall apart. Drain the potato in a sieve or colander.

Put the oil in a frying pan on a moderate heat. Add the onion and potato. Fry the onion and potato, stirring to stop them sticking. When they are golden add the eggs.

Turn the heat down really low. Cover the pan. Leave it for 10 minutes.*

After about 5 minutes, turn the grill on to a medium heat.

Uncover the pan. Put it under the preheated medium grill for a couple of minutes until the top is brown.

Cut into triangular pieces.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

An authentic Spanish omelette uses just onion and potato. However, omelettes are a good way of using up leftovers. Cheese, mushrooms, peas, sweet peppers and tomatoes all work well.

* Yes, 10 minutes. It wasn’t a typing error. The low heat stops the egg sticking and the long, slow cooking makes the egg fluff up.