Re: Implementing some Structure

June 26, 2010

I'm not sure that we can tell you what to eat. That's definitely up to you and

your tastes and your needs.

As for the cooking, I have a good friend who also hates cooking for many of the

same reasons you have said, too messy, too much work, too difficult to figure

out how to time different dishes so that they finished all at the same time,

etc. While it's obviously possible to truly hate cooking, I think many people

who think they hate cooking only hate it because they feel like they're bad of

it and so they avoid it, which doesn't allow them to build the skill to become

better, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. My personal belief (and this

is just me), is that when you are relying primarily on prepared foods, which is

what most people who don't like to cook, do, that it's more difficult to eat

nutritiously. I have, over the years, convinced my friend to gradually venture

into the kitchen more often. I have given her really simple cookbooks and we

have even taking cooking classes together. She is cooking more now and is

actually enjoying it. So, I would just suggest to not give up on cooking all

together. Like many things, it's something that becomes more enjoyable when you

develop some of the basic skills to do it, but you have to give yourself the

opportunity to develop those skills.

That said, I am also single, so I understand the difficulty of cooking for one.

I actually enjoy cooking, but rarely have the time to do it during the week

because of my job. I cook one meal on the weekends that I can eat the leftovers

during the week and then fill in with assorted things that need little or no

preparation. Since you don't enjoy cooking, I would recommend getting a slow

cooker. They're super cheap and available everywhere. You can get a perfectly

fine one for about $30 (probably less on sale) at any Target or Walmart. You

can cook just about anything in them and they take very little effort and zero

cooking skill. All you really have to be able to do is occasionally chop some

vegetables. That's about it. Other than that, you just toss the ingredients in

the cooker, then turn it on and walk away and it does all the work. You can

even put stuff in the cooker in the morning before you go to work and come home

to a hot meal. They're excellent. There are a lot of good slow cooker

cookbooks out there and plenty of recipes available online. Give it a try. I

think you'll be surprised and pleased by the results.

As for the rest, I tend to keep a number of things onhand to make easy meals the

rest of the week when I don't have time to cook. Here's a list of stuff that

comes to mind.

Supermarket roast chicken

Salad bar fixings

Whole wheat Tortillas

Trader Joe's frozen cubed pork for tacos

Cheese

Salsa

Bread

Soups (canned or prepared by the deli)

Frozen fruit

Juice

Here are some of the things I do with these that take zero cooking skill

- Salad fixings are used obviously, to have salad with zero prep. Just toss

together and add dressing. I add my own meats, cheese, or nuts to the veggies

to make it more filling.

-Chicken can be eaten as is and is good for numerous meals throughout the week.

You can also use it for sandwiches or in tacos, soups, or salads

-I love tacos, so that's a frequent go to meal. The TJs frozen pork is great.

I can take out just enough for one or two tacos, nuke for 30 seconds and it's

ready to go. Dump it on a tortilla, then add shredded cheese, shredded cabbage

(from your salad bar fixings), and salsa, and you've got a meal in like 2

minutes.

- Cheese is also just good on toast as a quick snack

- Frozen fruit and juice is used for smoothies. I find that I prefer frozen

fruit (get it in the pie section at the market) over ice cubes because it makes

the smoothie slushy without watering it down like ice does and it doesn't go

bad. 1 cup of juice plus 1 cup of frozen fruit equals a really filling

smoothie. Sometimes I add yogurt. You do need a good blender, though.

- Soups are great. Just dump in a pot and heat. Ready in minutes. Sometimes

I'll have it with a slice of toast. Canned soups are fine, though I tend to

prefer the freshly made soups from my local deli as they have more vegetables

and taste fresher.

Those are just a few ideas. I hope that's helpful.

Josie >)

>

> I have question about IE. I really struggle with organization & some

non-hyperactivity ADD issues. I do not believe in deprivation. I have given up

dieting. However, it seems very apparent that I need to put more structure into

my intuitive eating lifestyle.

>

> For example, I do not enjoy cooking. I live by myself. Cleaning up messes and

the organization that is involved is very overwhelming for me. I have become

much better about stocking my home with foods that I enjoy.

>

> Do you have any suggestions that would help me organize my eating in terms of

what to eat, having that on hand, preparing it, and when to eat? I still

struggle with finding physical hunger, so I am working on eating every 3-4 hours

and stopping when I am satisfied.

>

> Organization is huge issue that I am tackling. Structure is what I am looking

for. By structure, I definitely do not mean depriving myself of the foods I

love. I am definitely over that!

> Blessings!

>

June 26, 2010