Sunday Cooking

On bullet 12 in the list of 27 from my last post, I mentioned that we've changed our eating style. You could call it Paleo, but, for me, it's stricter than that. Most importantly, no added sugar, dairy or gluten. My sister also eats this way, and her sons to some extent as well (she has 2 sets of twin boys). Her younger sons go to college here in Worcester, so I do some cooking for them as it's hard to eat cleanly out of a school cafeteria.

On Sundays, there's a whole mess of cooking done here. The goal is to cook 3 dinners for my nephews along with smoothies for them for 2 breakfasts. We cook enough so that we also get 3 meals out of it and my sister gets some as well. Today's menu is:

• Chicken breasts with garlic, fresh basil and sliced tomatoes over zucchini noodles (aka zoodles) and diced tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and garlic.
• Corned beef and cabbage (Skip is 100% Irish and there's no getting away from a boiled dinner around St. Patty's day) -- though it will be hard to find corned beef that isn't full of nitrates and nitrites. Skip insists this must include rutabaga turnip, most definitely not a favorite of mine. 
• Curried chicken and coconut soup. 

I'll also do up some extra vegies as separate dishes for my sister and me. I've been on a rainbow chard kick lately, so likely some of that. Also, I'll do something roasted like parsnips or sweet potatoes. Or green beans, or whatever I can find at Trader Joe's in the organic section. 

Finally, I'll cook up some chicken breasts so I can make chicken salad for Skip and her aide HM for dinner on Wednesday, since I'll be heading to Foxwoods for the day. 

Speaking of HM, she's here all day with us on Sundays to take care of Skip and help with all the cooking. She really enjoys cooking with me and I with her. It's always more fun to cook when you have company, especially company that will wash the dishes!

It's funny how much I enjoy cooking now. I used to hate it. In the early days of our life together, Skip worked for a time as a chef in gourmet shops and a restaurant. Fortunately for me, she was willing to cook at home as well, so I got to avoid cooking. As her mobility and dexterity declined, she lost her ability to stand in front a hot stove and cooking either landed at my feet or we got takeout. So, I did a little cooking unhappily and we ate a lot of takeout. 

Now, as a retiree, I have a lot more time so I don't resent spending it in the kitchen. And, I find that cooking is a real creative pleasure. I get to have control over what I eat, can be creative and try out lots of new dishes, and, when I'm done, there's an excellent meal to enjoy.