Monday 15 March 2021

An old hand in need of a new one


In trying to come to terms with my sore hands and lack of energy with my fibromyalgia, I have come up with some new tricks to help in cooking meals.

I have gleaned all the catalogued convenience foods available online and I have found some things that I don't have to peel or chop.

Getting my meat already diced and my vegetables pre-cut and peeled is more expensive, but if it means that we can still enjoy nutritious meals, then so be it.

My freezer has diced onions, pumpkin pieces, diced carrots, broccoli and florets of cauliflower as well as pre-cut chicken, stewing steak that has been diced and diced bell peppers. I no longer peel and chop and mash potatoes, but I use the frozen potato with butter added. It is worth the expense.

I have a jar of minced garlic so that I don't have to peel the cloves. Our pantry has spaghetti, penne and rice that cooks in the microwave in 90 seconds. I use that because I no longer can hold the colander to drain it. Our fruit is canned as I can't peel apples or oranges.

I keep our butter in a dish in the pantry because I cannot hold the knife to cut through hard butter or to scrape it. My diet lemonades now come in bottles because I cannot manage the pull rings and my tomato sauce is in an easy pour container for the same reason.

I am grateful for anything which will save my hands, like my electric can opener and my dryer as I no longer can hang washing out to dry. You don't realise how hard pegging something on is until your hands are too weak to push on the pegs.

But one simply has to go on and like all good Sacrificial Home Keepers, and I do. It just takes a bit more planning and a lot of research to keep at it when you are an old hand in need of new ones.



5 comments:

  1. Glynis, arthritis is such a challenging condition to learn to live with. Thank goodness for the possibility of being able to purchase healthy food that is already cut/sliced/diced. That must be a blessing for you!

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  2. It is so convenient for me. Especially as I can't grasp things now. Thanks for taking tea with me today, Jeanne!

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  3. I have the same issues here as well. I recently bought a can open that is battery operated just set it on top of the can turn button on and it cuts around making a lid that is not sharp. I have gone to instant mashed potatoes. I buy frozen pre cut peppers, onions, etc. I buy premade pudding, pre made cookie dough. I cannot use a cookie scoop anymore I discovered. Pre bagged salad. Very blessed to have access to these things. Love Kelly

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    1. I think I might have to buy a can opener like that. After telling you that I am grateful for ring pull cans, I find that I can't always do that either. I buy pre washed and bagged salad too. Thank goodness for these conveniences which for us are necessities... thanks for having a cuppa with me today, Kelly

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