This advice from a friend has really helped lessen the guilt I feel about not having cooking skills. I just imagine I'm like a twenty-something bachelor living alone instead of a hm..hang on, I kind of fit in that category but I'm female instead of male."Baked Beans are not a meal.
Toast is not a meal.
Baked beans AND toast?
That's a meal."
Some "meals" I can make without falling asleep or losing strength in my limbs and/or neck...
Baked Beans and Toast
The good thing is that it doesn't really matter in which order I do things.
- Put beans in bowl
- Put bread in toaster
- Microwave beans for 1-2 minutes
- Toast bread until it pops up
- Combine beans and toast (and cheese if available)
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Baked beans and toast?
That's a meal.
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EasyMac Macaroni Cheese
Reading the directions overwhelms me but luckily I can count to 4. I just have to remember what the numbers relate to. The whole time I'm making it I keep counting through from 1 to 4 and I normally check the packet to make sure I have the numbers assigned to the right steps. I'm writing this not to highlight how demented I am at cooking but because maybe it will help me figure out why I find it so difficult.
- 1 put macaroni in bowl
- 2/3 of a cup of cold water in bowl
- 4 minutes in the microwave
- put cheese in bowl (I can do that bit without a number because without it I would have Macaroni Water instead of Macaroni Cheese)
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| Macaroni and Cheese? That's a meal. |
2 Minute Noodles
Again, the directions seem backwards and they confuse me so I find it easier to think about what I need to do - cover noodles in water and heat.
- Unlike the EasyMac, this one requires boiling water so I put the kettle on first. Most of the time. Sometimes I forget and have to do it after I've opened the noodle packet.
- Put noodles in bowl.
- Cover noodles in water (this avoids the hassle of having to measure a particular amount)
- Put noodles in microwave (sometimes I forget how long to put them in for until I remember they're called 2 minute noodles and I praise myself for being such a genius)
- Tip noodles into a strainer then back into the bowl.
- Add Hoisin Sauce.
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| Noodles and Hoisin Sauce? That's a meal. |
Toastie
I found out recently that spreading butter on frozen bread works better than spreading butter on fresh bread so I don't even need to have fresh bread or defrost frozen bread. UPDATE: My friend read this and excitedly said "Yeah, I discovered that too." I had to tell her that she was the one who told me.
- Switch sandwich press on to heat up
- Butter pieces of bread
- Slice pieces of tomato
- Put bread in sandwich press - butter side down
- Add tomato and cheese
- Top with bread - butter side up
- Toast in sandwich press
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Toastie with Cheese and Tomato?
That's a meal.
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The next one is a bit of a stretch but at least it's green.
Mixed Lettuce
I had used the last of a tomato to make a toastie and at some point I chomped through the remainder of a cucumber so the only fresh food I had was a bag of lettuce. Fancy lettuce though. I also had half a lemon. I'm still convinced that the other half was used to make a salad dressing. I should really ask my friend how she did that but I had a go because I was feeling adventurous.
- Cut the crusty edge off the lemon.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the bag of lettuce leaves.
- Add some pepper. For the record, I added too much pepper.
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Mixed Lettuce and Salad Dressing?
That's a meal.
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I may have taken the "a AND b equals a meal" theory a little too far with the lettuce but it's certainly a better choice than not eating.
That's a summary of where I'm at. When I say "I can't cook" or "I don't know how to cook" or "I'm too tired to cook" I actually mean "If I'm not too fatigued I can combine a couple of simple things and follow a couple of simple steps".
