A Kitchen’s Secret To Living Well

The key to thriving in any residence begins, first and foremost, in the kitchen with Kitchen Secrets!

Secrets To Selective Diners

SELECTIVE DINERS! Few pairs share identical preferences in… well, Anything. Dining often becomes a potential battleground, especially as we age; our meat preparation preferences, whether we consume meat or not, seafood versus unappealing fish, dietary restrictions, to use sugar or not.

Yet, typically, in a household, the individual responsible for most of the cooking will tend to favor food they enjoy. Quite unfair to their partner or family.

My Culinary Space

Within my household, I am the culinary artist. I create all of the dishes, by preference (I adore it!). Yet, I AM the selective diner! Why? I was raised on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, which I cherish.

I can whip up nearly anything imaginable, well, excluding insects or Rocky Mountain Oysters (bull testicles).

Insight With Age

I have journeyed extensively and resided in Brazil for three years, savoring the most incredible cuisine. So why am I now selective? AGE… I am entering my seventh decade of life.

A couple of years back, I contracted an intestinal bacterium, a parasite, from consuming raw oysters. Good grief, I have relished them my entire life. The repercussions were MISERABLE!

In the course of eliminating it, I began to explore literature on aging and our digestive systems. Ugh. Every single aspect seems to resist aging. Inflammation was described as the primary contributor to most diseases or physical issues encountered later in life.

Dietary Choices

During a discussion with a rather young nutritionist about how ‘ideal’ my dietary habits were; organic, preparing everything from scratch, seldom frying, no preservatives, and so forth, she recommended a book I may want to check out. A diet.

Not a diet for weight reduction, or any of the countless trendy eating practices prevalent today, but an in-depth comprehension of how drastically our blood type impacts our body’s responses to food.

Nourish According to Your Blood Type

Nourish According to Your Blood Type was the title of the book. She remarked it was well-liked in the early 70s but diminished in popularity when the Atkins diet emerged. The young nutritionist likely wasn’t even born when this book was published, yet her depth of knowledge astonished me.

Thriving

Thriving simply implies being well. I don’t engage in diets, and I wouldn’t advocate this diet to around 90% of you who are reading this blog entry.

Why? Two reasons: It significantly altered my entire body, its functions, and how I feel, and… it is nearly impossible to adhere to unless you prepare most of your dishes at home.

How is that for a paradox! Needless to say, I AM NOW THE SELECTIVE DINER in our household! I haven’t deviated from this (holidays are the outlier), for many years and I feel Fantastic!

My partner. He is British, spent 30 years of his life in Hong Kong, grew up in East Africa, and possesses a cast-iron stomach! The man could consume shoe leather, thrive, and never feel ill! So, you wonder, did I compel him to eat my way since I handle all the cooking? No. Gradually, I discovered methods to navigate the kitchen, preparing what I need and what he enjoys, with minimal effort on my part.

Innovative Approaches to Thriving

In this new year, I considered trying something slightly different to simplify meal preparation at the end of the day: Meal Prepping. My partner adores all types of meat and very little seafood. He has a fondness for carbs and seeks them in every meal, even though he would never confess. Thus, I experimented with something fresh, and it succeeded!

I roasted both a beef rump and a leg of lamb over the weekend. I prepared a small quantity (2 cups each) of rice, mashed potatoes, and pasta.

I organized various types of vegetables, diced the leftover meats into cubes and was able to create eight delightful hot meals, precisely as my partner would prefer and

It required me merely one hour and thirty minutes:

• A cottage pie, featuring beef, peas, carrots, a wine-based gravy and garlic mashed potatoes

• Black beans (Brazilian style), beef, jalapeños, tomatoes, mushrooms, and garnished with cheesy rice

• Lamb, green beans, cauliflower simmered in a harissa and tomato sauce, topped with pasta and sheep cheese.

• Lamb or beef, garlic, onion and potato broth (from preparing the mashed potatoes), combined with a variety of cruciferous vegetables for a substantial soup

All are now nestled in distinct baking dishes, securely wrapped and stacked in the freezer, granting me the freedom to prepare my selective meals while being assured that something delicious is already available for my husband.

Culinary Secrets

As for my diet? I belong to the B-Blood type. I have always enjoyed the foods I can consume, have accepted (without grumbling), the items I should avoid, and have delighted in discovering how to enjoy the things I cherish by simply using alternative ingredients in my preparations.

For instance, bread. I ADORE, ADORE, ADORE bread, but wheat is off the table. Not gluten, simply wheat, thus I learned to create the most delightful breads with spelt, which is a gluten, just not processed wheat. I would assert that numerous individuals who do not suffer from celiac disease but still follow a gluten-free lifestyle would be perfectly fine consuming spelt. Here is my SPELT BREAD.

Innovating in the kitchen can certainly enhance our health AND joy. Just consult my husband! For an elaborate recipe for any or all of these dishes, simply inquire and I would be thrilled to share it with you!