Hello hello! So I’m trying to broaden my culinary horizon right now, things have gotten a bit stale since I have a mild case of ARFID and tend to fall back on safe foods (protein bars, fruit pureés, burritos) when I don’t keep an eye on my diet. Ideally I’m looking for something that’s healthy and reqires little prep. And it should be obtainable in Germany. But if the title speaks to you in any other way I’m interested to hear your thoughts anyway.
Since you’re talking about Germany: Tofu has been unfairly demonized here (maybe because it can serve as a meat substitute).
It is a great source of nutrients and protein. It can be prepared in many different ways. It is environmentally friendly, can be conveniently stored and has a relatively long shelf life.
Wer nie im Bette aß weiß nicht wie Krümel piekenTake vegetable. Saute with olive oil, a little salt, and some seasoning. Vegetables taste amazing and people just don’t eat enough of them, and I think it’s because they don’t cook them right.
Piggybacking this comment because similar:
Chop up some veggies (I like zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and maybe carrots), toss them in olive oil, salt, some seasoning, and an acid like lemon juice or wine (or a little balsamic vinegar if you want that vibe), then throw it into a lubed pan and into a preheated oven until roasted to your liking (probably like 15-20 minutes at 400°F).
I like this method because it’s largely passive, so this can happen while you deal with some other part of your meal. Sauce, meat, rice, whatever. Plus it’s pretty hard to fuck up unless you forget to use a timer lol.
My bed, normally, with a rare nap on the couch. Why would anyone sleep on food?
Due to disability I practically live in my bed. I often sleep on nuts, noodles, peas and rice. Once I slept on a chicken nugget.
You just had me look up the idiom to make sure I got it right 😅
Let me rephrase in accordance with the definition that came up: Which important or impressive food items are people not paying enough attention to?
My partner says tomato paste, not that it is slept on but that most people use it incorrectly. She also thinks people should use more cilantro but she is a fiend for cilantro so take that with a grain of salt. In my opinon people don’t eat enough seitan, that shit is gas and very healthy. Most people seem to view it as a meat substitute but I think that takes away from how fantastic it is as an ingredient in its own right.
Hard boiled eggs, super food, very portable, easy to throw in a backpack or lunch box. Available in most convenience stores
It’s good that you’re looking to expand your food repertoire
If you’re dealing with arfid though you should consider a desensitization protocol to help deal with sensory or phobic response driving the arfid. What this looks like varies because it depends on what drives your arfid: is it a fear of aversive reaction, is it sensory, disinterest, etc.
That said building on what you have can be helpful. Changing the burritos slightly - change the protein, add a new vegetable, add guacamole, etc. try a new flavor of protein bar, etc.
If you’re looking for something in the healthy/low prep side of things I tend to make one big meal on sundays for the week and portion it out. It takes about 30-60 minutes depending on what I make. Japanese curry, various pastas, salads, soups, etc. how healthy these are varies. I am vegan so they tend to be a little bit better than the typical recipe you’d see online but some are still not the most healthy (Japanese curry for example is fairly high in fat but portioned correctly with rice is still filling and a reasonable amount of calories)
Get a rice cooker with a timer. Aside from steaming rice to perfection it can also make perfect omelets, al dente pasta, soups(no raw chicken! Not hot enough) I replaced my old gas stove for this and a microwave to effectively reduce my energy bill. So slowcooker + microwave for sauces and garlic infused bread you can make very diverse combos of 15 minute meals. I am on a lean meat and vegetarian diet.
Also a cool hobby is fermenting and preserving. Like making your own jam from leftover fruits.
cottage-cheese pizza flats: Ingredients: 400 g cottage cheese, 3 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, salt-pepper-oregano to taste, 150 g wheat flour, 120 g ham, 60 g grated cheese, plus any extra filling you like.
Scoop one tablespoon each flat on a bakingsheet
Bake 15–25 minutes at 200 °C with top-and-bottom heat on the middle rack.
Since you’re in germany the “lets do pizza” spice is pretty good for this.
Brining chicken for salads! I eat a salad every day for lunch, which sounds boring. But if you brine your chicken breasts in a salt solution for about an hour before baking, it gives you amazing salad chicken, like you’d get in a restaurant. Just pat dry, brush with olive oil, season with your vibe of the week, and bake for like 45 minutes. Then you can mix up what else you put on your salad greens - different nuts, cheeses, veggies, dried and fresh fruits, etc. I also eat pretty seasonally/locally so salads change with the seasons. But in general, brining meat is a game changing kitchen hack that few people take the time to do.
