I used to love to cook, and as time passes more and more I have become SUPER adverse to it and I have no idea why. Even the idea of say, making oatmeal on the stove or a pack of instant Ramen is too much for me. I do plan on trying to make myself do it and try to form a habit of it but for now I’ve only been buying pre made/take out food and it’s super expensive. How do yall hack this so that you buy groceries you’ll actually eat??

Some info:

I don’t have a microwave

I’m not super food restrictive

I’m a brat and only like fresh veggies (not precut or frozen), usually organic

I try to avoid preservatives but I do like chicken nuggies/tots/frozen pizzas, but I really want to try and stick to a healthier veg filled diet

An example of something that isn’t overwhelming for me to make are protein shakes: put powder, kefir, water, PB&J in a jar, shake it, drink it.

Any advice is super appreciated 🙏

  • HerrFalcor
    1•1 year ago

    Weird advice but what worked for me is making it harder or gameifying it a bit. It was easier when I wasn’t working and had more time but less money. I have MCAS along for the ride with autism so I flip between what foods(and environmental triggers)I have allergic reactions to. I developed a pretty severe aversion to eating because of the puking and pooping. I needed something to make me eat more than cook.

    I do fortunately have the privilege of space for good gardens and a decent little kitchen. And my autistic mum often found 6 children overwhelming so I started cooking at 7 years old.

    The one that really worked the best was focusing on how far you can ‘from scratch’. Great way to learn about making sauces. Adding in the aspect of a time challenge makes you think about shortcuts and how to get to a desired flavor in a different way than the recipe calls for. Making different kinds of pasta is fun. Or wanting donuts so you learn to make donuts.

    I have space for gardens and I’ve found making meals that come to me through a 3 month project(or 3 years for my thyme) is a good incentive to use the products of my labor and then actually eat the thing too. I’m not going to let 9 tomato plants go to waste and I’m going to make something delicious too. I grew my own onions, tomatoes, oregano etc and made some awesome pasta sauce that took 25 minutes, 3 days, 4 months or 2 years to make depending on how you split it.

    Getting a little deeper into the process also adds in a data collection and manipulation layer than can tweak my brain in a fun way. Kitchen scale, precise temps, durations, shopping lists, costs etc etc.