SCD time, energy & brain savers

[Guest guest]

Originally posted in May 2006

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All Hail Donna, SCD Queen!

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i buy chicken breasts on the bone and de bone them as needed. i learned an idea

from jody G. to boil chicken and then store in freezer in packages for quick

start for meals. you can also pre marinade them before freezing or even better

marinade, grill and freeze.

freeze everything in single layer on a baking sheet. combine after frozen in zip

lock. this way you can take out just what you need and they wont be stuck

together.

for mixed nut flour flatbread i bake it as the recipe says then lift off baking

sheet (and put down again) freeze this way and then can combine in plastic

freezer bag. when i need one i take out what i need and pop in toaster. it thaws

and crisps it. making it less soft. i make a sandwich after it cools because if

you dont it will get mushy when you try to seal it in a bag or container to go

to school.

same for left over pancakes - freeze in single layer and pop in toaster to

reheat.

when i make pancakes i actually take 1/2 of the pancake and fold it over on to

itself while cooking. let this set and then do this again. this way i have a

thicker pancakes and my kids really like it soft and gooey on the inside. so

they are more like packets of pancake with the insides having some spots that

are like a pudding inside..

i organize recipes like this --- have one binder for main meals and there are

looseleaf dividers labelled, chicken, pork, fish, miscellaneous, veal, turkey.

another binder is for sauces, marinades and dressings and dips. they are divided

into sweet sauces, cooking sauces, and dips/dressings. i have another binder

with deserts and breakfast foods - the dividers are candy, cookies, cakes,

miscellaneous deserts, muffin/bread, pancakes. and last binder is divided into

veggie recipes, fruit recipes, soups, and drinks. i make all these binders

different colors. i use a 3 hole punch for pages but often just shove it into

the slot between the binders.

on a day when i am unmotivated to cook or extra motivated to cook i go through

the recipes for some new or easy ideas that sound good. i then make a small pile

of them behind a recipebook acrylic protector (meant to put your book behind

it). then i make out my shopping list.

sometimes i make a list of my easiest recipe ideas that i can make fast and

make sure i have the ingredients in the house almost all the time. these should

be standard items for my shopping list.

after you have been on the diet for a while and there are more foods

to choose from or some raw veggies and fruits it is much easier.

a salad can be made by a child.

cookies can be made by a child.

i have invited a friend over to peel and core apples or pears and

then freeze them in jars in freezer.

i save all glass jars from my non scd foods that i have bought (or from nut

butters). i then use them when i make a batch of ketchup, or tomato sauce, or

apple sauce, or mayo, or dressings, or apple butter, or pumpkin at halloween

time, whatever i make a bulk amount of .

i use address labels from office store to label the contents. sometimes i cant

get it off completely so if this bothers you dont use these. i pre made

somelabels that say . . .. EVIL - not safe for SCDieters. that way their is no

mistakes made in fridge for spouse feeding the kids or kids helping themselves.

any time you are having grilled chicken or burgers, make double and

under cook the batch to store in freezer. anytime you are making a

pot of stew with veggies, this can be doubled and 1/2 stored in

freezer.

you should never make a recipe like the ketchup or tomato sauce in a

small batch. you can make this and freeze it in glass jars that you

have saved.

to buy good foods at good prices, trader joes, or www.unitedbuyingclubs.com for

food coops, or organic meat farm or if you dont buy organic even a wholesaler

meat supplier (we have one near by). some places if you buy by the case you get

a 10% discount. ask you never know. resently an employee at the health food

store that i shop in came up to me to tell me about a supplement discount for

some select frequent buyers. and some health food stores will order for you

what ever you want if you take the whole case even if they dont normally sell

it.

in the beginning i couldnt fathom letting my kids run out of

anything they expected to have. now they have been on the diet for

2 yrs and they would rather have me have some free time and

sometimes go without. i truly think they understand that i cant do

both. my kids are 9 & 11 yrs old. i am sure this is harder for a

younger child new to the diet. i used to try to make lots of

interesting variety for them. now i sometimes pick recipes that are

quicker and boring and i choose to do other things with my extra

time.

buy frozen berries. these can be used for many ideas. the simplest is smoothies

or cooked for easier digestability and to thaw for breakfast. if you need to

cook . . . i put in 350 oven in bread pan for 30 minues. they get less mushy

than if i use a pot. we top our pancakes with them in the morning.

when you buy bananas buy tons. . . when they go too dark you can peel and

freeze in single layer. after frozen you can combine in container.

for popsicles ( i bought a mold at supermarket) i use one banans from freezer

or fresh (very ripe of course) and left of pineapple juice from dole can (in own

juice of course) and left over berry juice from frozen berries.

when you can use nut flours and make muffins you can

whip up a few batches and freeze them.

any time you make a batch of cookies and the food processor is

already dirty and all ingredients are out, make another batch of

dough and keep in freezer. then you have almost no work to whip up

the next batch of cookies. same thing for pizza dough. and cookie cutter

recipe also works as slice and bake if you freeze a log of it .

i try to organize my cooking so that if something has to cook on

stove for a while like kethcup or spaghetti sauce that i will be in

the kitchen for a while anyway.

sometimes i will do my chopping or shredding for a recipe that i

plan to continue the next day, making the next days meal easier.

i try to always plan the meals for the next day so i am never in a last minute

panic to make dinner and have no plans.

i try to use the food processor for similar things to be made in

same day, so i dont have to wash it in between (or maybe a quick

rinse is good enough). same thing for bowls or pots. (of course i

would do a good cleaning when i finally know i am not using it

again).

all dirty dishes are immediately soaked in hot water and therefore

really easy to clean. interestingly i have a theory that the sugars

and starches are the things that make pots and pans and plates hard

to clean. (that is for the non SCD foods of course!)

i used to make almond yogurt at least 2 times a week. now i have

powdered acidophilus for them and it seems to work as well.

when coring apples or pears, use a metal melon baller. you waste

less and it is fast.

i have saved lids to large containers of nuts from costcos. they are

about 4 inches wide. these are my spoon rests. i use one for a while

and then treat myself to a clean one from the drawer.

i try not to cook so much in one day that i have no energy left to

clean up. i try to determine as i go just how much i can actually do

without being miserable.

shred a big block of cheese from costcos and put in zip lock with air in bag.

lay flat in freezer so that it doesnt turn into a bulky shape to store. take out

what you need for a recipe and can use frozen in most cases.

any failure should be either frozen or dried in low oven (200) or dehydrator, or

baked in baking pan. they could be turned into perhaps your next favorite

recipe.

when you buy a winter squash ( acorn, pumpkin, butternut) you can peel and

deseed and put i freezer in chunks . when you want to cook with it you can take

out a chunk , thaw and squeeze out liquid (it will be soft) and puree in food

processor. i dont know if it works the same as cooked pureed but i use it the

same way. you might need to add water or diluted OJ to puree it.

donna