I hate the kitchen!

[Angie V]

Hi, I just started whole 30 last night at midnight! I am a night nurse... I wonder if I can get any practical help on how to maneuver through this successfully without all this prep work. I absolutely hate being in the kitchen. I do not like to prepare or cook. I do it obviously, with a family of 5 but I always go for minimal effort meals.

 

My husband used to do all the cooking when he stayed home with our children, but they are older and he is back at work, so that's out. 

 

We are super busy with homework, cub scouts, sports, band. I work full time, as does my husband. 

 

I am ready to jump into this (being compliant) thing, but really need some guidance. Making my own mayo, ranch, and clarifying butter sounds awful!!!!  Not to mention, I'm a really simple girl, I had no idea what half of these foods, fats, etc... were until reading this program. I've never shopped or dined at most of the places mentioned. 

 

What I really need is someone to help me make it simple. We fly by the seat of our pants most days and I don't really see that changing. I need to be able to run into my local grocery store and pick up the things I need to make dinner, not make special trips to specialty stores. I also need to know on those nights we are on the go, where can I stop and grab something and still stay compliant. The options are slim, I have a bbq place, wendy's, subway, taco bell, kfc. There is no paleo quick restaurant on the corner. Preparing ahead of time just doesn't work out for me, I'm not that person. "Go here, order that" would be really helpful!

 

 

One more issue I am looking for help on is vegetables. I have eaten like a child most of my life, now 37 years. I am on board with the "we don't care" if you don't like them, eat them anyway! I know I am a grown up. My issue is mostly texture. I just can't get past the "bite." I really want to eat them. I like the flavors. I usually either hide vegetables in my food (spinach in spaghetti) or stick to the ones I can handle. That list is short; carrots, cucumbers, green beans, corn, peas, beans. This is not going to work for whole 30. How do I get over the texture(it doesn't make a difference if it's raw or cooked), so that I can fill my plate with vegetables and eat them?

 

I know I sound like a whiner, and most of you are thinking suck it up and do it. I know myself and I will fail at this if I do not make it simple and effortless. I really do want it, if someone can help me.

 

 

[Tom Denham]

I would say suspend efforts to complete a Whole30 now. You sound like you are a long way from being ready to put 30 compliant days in a row together. It is virtually impossible to run into a fast food restaurant when you are "busy" and buy compliant foods for you and your family. You can eat out occasionally, but you can't possibly make it eating out often. You don't have to cook complex recipes or make your own clarified butter, but you need a variety of good recipes, some experience cooking, and a refrigerator and pantry full of the right stuff if you are going to do this successfully. If you had a lot of time on your hands, you could learn as you go, but if you are busy, you are going to have to work your way up to what it takes to complete a Whole30. 

 

I suggest getting a copy of It Starts With Food and becoming familiar with the recipe/cooking section of the book. Practice making those meals. As you practice, you will learn to get meals ready faster. As your skill level improves, you will find that cooking every day is not impossible even when you are busy. But don't try to go from 0 to 50 on the fly. You may need several months of practice to build up your abilities. 

 

Maybe some other people can talk with you about the texture issues you mention. I don't have any experience with that and can't offer much help. 

[Angie V]

Thanks, I did buy the book and read it in two days. I did look at the recipes and plan to try some of them.  There are many ingredients that are foreign to me, and I'm still working out the vegetables. 

[Tallulah Wolf-Angel]

A crock pot can help reduce time in the kitchen. How old are your kids? Can they help at all, chopping veggies, forming hamburger patties? You can do a Whole30 eating very basic foods--no need for fancy recipes, or clarifying butter. Hard boil a bunch of eggs. Open a can of salmon. Roast stuff in the oven. I was shocked how easy it is to roast a whole chicken, or cook bacon in the oven. Oven roasted veggies are also easy and yummy--maybe you would like the texture better if they are roasted. You can roast sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onion, broccoli, rutabaga, just about anything. Just chop them up, spritz with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt, and stick them in the oven on a cookie sheet. 

[Vian]

Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan has an excellent section in the front about how to setup you kitchen for an endeavor like this, as well as her quick one-pot meal she calls a "Hot Plate". Basically, she cooks up meat and steam-sautes veggies on the weekends and keeps them separate. Then on busy weeknights, just throw cooked protein, lightly cooked veggies, seasonings and fat in a skillet, heat through, eat. She has a section with several protein-veg-seasoning combo ideas that are some of her favorites to get you started.

[mtnerak]

Here is the link to Melissa Joulwan's post about how she does her kitchen.

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/01/14/paleo-kitchen-the-method-behind-my-madness/

 

As soon as I get home from grocery shopping I put my fresh fruits and veggies next to the kitchen sink.  Then I can wash and prep them, before I put them away in the fridge.  It makes putting a salad together, or making meals go much faster.  

 

Also look at NomNomPaleo's blog, she works nights and does a lot of posts on what she does to still be able to put dinner on the table for her family.  

[Mom2A&M]

I would suggest looking into "once a month cooking" . Perhaps you can find one weekend to mass cook and freeze several meals at one time. I believe you can google whole30 once a month meals and get multiple options. Also, puréed soups are an easy way to get veggies in without any texture issue (no chewing required), and they travel well in a thermos. Your local grocery store has everything you need; eggs, meat, veggies, avocado, olives etc. This is a program for change, so something has to give. I like Tom's idea of small changes first. Maybe make one night a week stay home and cook a new paleo recipe night.

[namtrag]

Make lots of compliant soups and crock pot meals on a Sunday afternoon, so even though you are in the kitchen for quite a while, you get lots of meals out of the way for the week.  You can freeze them in containers for when you plan to eat them.  Boil one or two dozen eggs and peel them for quick meals or snacks for the following week.  We frequently cut up the boiled eggs into slices and add a half a sliced avocado for a pretty quick breakfast.

 

For example, what happened on our Sunday (my wonderful wife does the cooking, I help with the chopping an cleanup).  We made a big pot of chili with ground beef, cut up butternut squash, shredded carrots, shredded zuchini, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  We also made a big pot of buffalo chicken soup with chicken breast, cauliflower rice, celery, carrots and lots of good spices and hot sauce in the mix. These two things will give us supper and lunches for 2 days.  We also boiled a bunch of eggs.  Another thing you can do is to fry up a bunch of chicken breasts or thighs in coconut oil, and package them with microwaved veggies, and a handful of nuts into tupperware containers.  This is pretty easy, and I don't think it has to be a complicated fancy recipe to be compliant!!

 

We also cook a bunch of sweet potatoes in the microwave, and then we have them in the fridge for part of the week.  We either eat them with supper, or cut them into medallions and sautee them with our fried eggs for a pretty easy breakfast.We just decided that the 2-3 hours of time on Sunday spent cooking really makes the week go easier.

 

We also cook a bunch of sweet potatoes in the microwave, and then we have them in the fridge for part of the week.  We either eat them with supper, or cut them into medallions and sautee them with our fried eggs for a pretty easy breakfast.

[Carlaccini]

I travel quite a bit for work.  Most of my away from home gig allows me to stay at my mom's house.  But generally they will be 12 hour days.  So when I get home I'm pretty much like a bear looking for food in my mouth within 15 - 30 minutes. 

 

There are a lot of good ideas of making soups and freezing them for meals in the future.  These are great.  You want a recipe that requires a *little* prep work.  I'm afraid it's almost next to impossible to eat proper whole 30 style without some prep work.  But there is such a thing as minimize the prep work.

 

2 things I always have in the fridge - browned, seasoned cooked brown meat, and cooked seasoned chicken thighs.  Both have minimum prep time.  Browned seasoned meat in a pan requires chopping of one onion, saute it in fat, until onions are tender, add ground meat, then season (liberally!) with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.    From this you can make a variety of dishes from a disassembled taco salad to stir frys.  Or just eat directly from the pan. (see Well Fed's hot plates ideas)

 

Chicken thighs are even easier - Line a tray with parchment paper.  Lie the thighs out smooth side down (if they are skinless), skin side down if they are with skin and then season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika.  Turn them over, and season them on the other side the same way.  Pop into an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees and cook for roughly half an hour.

 

Frozen veggies always save the day if I'm looking to cut corners in the kitchen.  Throw some in a bowl with a bit of water and microwave for 2 minutes. If they are still not done then I add another 30 seconds. When they are done, drain, season with salt and pepper, drizzle some olive oil over them and you have your side of veggies to go along with the chicken or meat.

 

This is just striking me as I am writing this - is there a reason why you don't like cooking?  Is it because you lack the confidence?  Is it because you hate the clean up?  Do you hate the smell of onions? Do you hate chopping and prepping everything?  Is it the time it takes to do cooking that takes you away from other things?  Usually there is one of element of cooking that discourages from staying away. 

 

If you are able to pinpoint what you *hate* about the kitchen maybe the people here can make some helpful recommendations.  Just a thought.

[nikki5577]

There are a lot of great ideas here to get you started, but a good thing to remember is that doing your Whole30 isn't just about eating all the right foods and just getting through the 30 days. It's about getting away from some of those unhealthy habits that lead to bad eating and poor health. The need to plan, prep, and cook most of your meals really makes you aware of what you are putting in your body and how certain foods make you feel - never mind reading every label and being the most annoying customer in the restaurant and how that makes you more accountable for your food choices.

 

There are ways to make it easier, but there is really no way to "order out" you Whole30 experience. 

[Angie V]

thanks for all the advice, I work weekend nights so an all day cook-a-thon on the weekends is not an option. I can perhaps get my husband on board as he actually likes this cooking stuff. The weekdays are too full with kids activities, appointments and cleaning up what they've messed up on the weekends. 

 

Carlaccini, there are several things I hate about the kitchen. I have some weird sensory issues I've never been able to shake. One being touching raw meat. I only buy skinless, boneless for that reason. I know it's mental but it really creates a visceral response, then I can't eat it. Another is definitely the mess. I don't like messing up the kitchen, I feel it never gets clean enough. It just bothers me and then I get OCD about cleaning it. Then there is that I just truly don't enjoy cooking. I get no satisfaction from the fact that I have created this dish. Even if it's something super yummy. I'd rather clean the bathrooms, honestly! 

 

I know this program is about change as someone mentioned, I want to change the food I eat. I do not however want to change the fact that I don't like to cook, prepare food. It's 2014! There has to be a way.

[Angie V]

I don't want to order out the whole experience, I will cook. I would just like to buy things already made to throw in to create dinner. Mayonaise, butter, ranch, bbq sauce, It's those steps that I'm looking to circumvent. It would also be nice to have a couple of go to's for spur of the moment outings on those really busy days that I didn't think about getting the crock pot out, and now it's 5pm! That's all I'm asking for. 

[GFChris]

I don't want to order out the whole experience, I will cook. I would just like to buy things already made to throw in to create dinner. Mayonaise, butter, ranch, bbq sauce, It's those steps that I'm looking to circumvent. It would also be nice to have a couple of go to's for spur of the moment outings on those really busy days that I didn't think about getting the crock pot out, and now it's 5pm! That's all I'm asking for. 

The reality is, most things you want to circumvent are near-impossible to find compliant store-bought.  So, your options are either to forego them for 30 days, learn to make them, or delegate the making of them to someone else in your household.

 

Once you get the hang of mayo, it takes less than 5 minutes to make. Clarifying butter, there are many tricks in the forum to make it easy. For example, some folks put the butter in a baking pan, put it in the oven at low heat for an hour until it separates, and then strain. (Or you could buy ghee.) You can make ranch dressing from homemade mayo. Also many recipes for compliant BBQ sauce are available (one even in ISWF).

 

I sense you feel overwhelmed. Don't try a bunch of new recipes all at once, or incorporate these new ingredients simultaneously. One step at a time, one meal at a time.

For me, spur of the moment means always having canned salmon or chicken on hand, as well as sweet potatoes, celery and homemade mayo.  That's a meal - I can whip up a salmon or chicken salad and pop a sweet potato in the microwave, and top it with mayo. Done and yum. 

The other thing I wonder: why do you want to do a Whole30?  What are your goals? Are those strong enough to motivate you to take on some cooking tasks you are trying to circumvent?

[missmary]

I do not however want to change the fact that I don't like to cook, prepare food.

 

I hope this doesn't come across as not supportive, but this statement makes no sense to me.

 

If it is possible to change the fact that you don't like doing something--to get to the point where you actually like doing something that will exponentially improve your health why on earth would you not want to do it?

 

Whether this is good or bad may depend on your point of view, but doing the whole30 DOES REQUIRE a shift in how you were thinking about food and food preparation before. There isn't a quick fix easy answer that is as healthy as real whole food, and eating the good stuff takes some prep. Yes, you can get into a groove where it seems easier, but it will never be as easy as fast food seemed before. It is worth it. If you can find opportunities to enjoy it, even better.

[puppypower]

I know this program is about change as someone mentioned, I want to change the food I eat. I do not however want to change the fact that I don't like to cook, prepare food. It's 2014! There has to be a way.

 

Those two things - 1) the food you eat, and 2) whether or not you cook/prepare your own food - are related.

 

no effort + inexpensive + nutritious = not possible

 

You can have any 2 out of the 3, but you can't have all 3. A little food math:

 

no effort + inexpensive = junk food or take out

no effort + nutritious = personal chef or PreMade Paleo

inexpensive + nutritious = prepare your own meals

 

It's up to you to decide which two of those things are the most important to you...

[GLC1968]

I don't like to cook either.  I used to hate being in the kitchen and messing it up, too.  But after I learned how incredible I could feel (and how free of food obsession I could be), it was a easy choice.  I now cook...a lot.  Some days I actually enjoy being in the kitchen (not many, but sometimes!)  My favorite appliance is the oven because it's easy to cook large quantities (ie, less overall cooking), it's easy to clean and it doesn't stink up the house or mess up the rest of the kitchen.  I'm now literally saving money for a double oven upgrade...me...the non-cook! 

 

I've found my own short-cuts and ways to do the things I need to do so that my husband and I can eat this way.  I have a few local restaurants where there is at least one meal I know that I can eat and remain compliant.  I have a few 'staples' that I order off amazon to stock my pantry because they are not easy to find locally.  

 

But the kicker is that I've been doing this for almost 3 years now.  Of course I've got some things figured out.  You will too if you give it time.

 

Tom's suggestion to start on a few meals here and there and NOT do an entire Whole30 right out of the gate is a good one.  I was 'paleo' for 9 or 10 months before I attempted my first Whole30.  Seriously.  Cut the biggies out first (grains, dairy, soy/legumes, sugar, artificial sweeteners) and see how that goes.  Eliminating those things will likely make a HUGE difference in how you feel and it still leaves the window open to use convenience foods when necessary (salads at Wendy's, etc).  Once you've got a routine around that, then work on the other items to 'take it to the next level' by removing seed oils, all added sweeteners, guar gum, etc and getting your meals to match the meal template (which is where those veggies will come in).

[tiva]

Angie, I hear you about cooking. I actually love to cook now, but in high school I had to do all the cooking for our family of 7, and it felt like a burden. But the experience did teach me how to cook quickly and efficiently (food for 7 in 30 minutes each night!). Here are some tips for very quick, easy, compliant meals that work for me when I get home late and I'm tired. I think in terms of blocks that I can have ready in the fridge and then assemble quickly to make a balanced, tasty, 5 minute meal

1. Protein Block: cook ahead so it's ready to microwave. Cooking simple proteins only takes 5 minutes--really!

a. ground beef--as other posters said, cook some ahead of time and season well. Then in a pinch you have the basis of a quick meal in 30 seconds in a microwave

b. if you can't find a compliant naked rotisserie chicken (I can't locally, alas, but Whole Foods does carry them), then buy a bunch of boneless, skinless chicken parts and poach them until done. Cool, shred or slice, then keep in the fridge tightly covered. This takes only 5  minutes, and if you use broth for the poaching, they actually taste quite lovely. They'll keep in the fridge all week.

c. plus cans of tuna and salmon if you like them. I don't, but lots of people do

d. scrambled eggs! These just take a minute, and with salsa and guacamole, they're nice

 

2. Veggie block

ZERO EFFORT

a. Plain frozen veggies are a complete lifesaver for me. They have more nutrition than "fresh" produce that's been hanging out on trucks and in shops, and they are already prepared and cooked. All they need is a couple minutes in the microwave, or in a skillet with some olive oil. My partner is an organic farmer, but there are still plenty of times when I don't want to hassle with going out to the fields, harvesting, shaking off the dirt outside, washing and filling the sink with more dirt, trimming, chopping, cooking, cleaning up, taking scraps to the chickens. The answer? Frozen veggies! 

c. Tiny, easy, often pre-washed veggies: I adore the mini-colored peppers you can buy in bags now, and those tiny little cucumbers, and tiny little snow peas. And celery and baby carrots. They  are either pre-washed, or else they wash in a moment and don't need elaborate chopping, etc.

d. pre-washed greens and salads are also on the table as soon as you open the package

 

MINIMAL EFFORT

a. Cabbage: this only takes a moment to wash and slice thinly, then you saute it in plenty of coconut oil or olive oil. In 2 minutes it's really yummy.

b. my favorites are actually roasted veggies--if you microwave prewashed baby carrots, washed sweet potatoes, acorn squash, beets, mushrooms, asparagus spears, onions, and your other favorite veggies, then chop them, then coat them with lots of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt, then roast them at 450 until caramelized, they are awesome. I roast 3 pans on SUnday and then eat them all week. This does take some time to prep, so skip this idea if you really don't want to do prep. Or ask your partner to roast a bunch of trays of veggies. Roasted veggies become slightly sweet and entirely delicious. 

 

3. Sauce/spice/fat block: Without these, proteins + veggies aren't too thrilling. 

a. Guacamole from walmart and other stores:  homemade guacamole is tastiest, but if the avocados aren't ripe or you don't have the energy, you can now buy packs of compliant guacamole from almost any shop. All it has it avocados, lemon, and chili pepper. It's surprisingly good.

b. Salsa: many salsas are fine, and they add lots of flavor. Just make sure you add some fat. Some chopped nuts are often good and quick.

c. Salad dressing: mix together a vinegar you love with good extra virgin olive oil. Takes 20 seconds and it's ready. It hardens in the fridge, alas, so it doesn't store so well.

d. I adore homemade aioli (garlic mayo) and homemade tahini sauce, and each really does just take a minute in the food processor. They add so much instant flavor to any pile of veggies and protein, and with them in the fridge,  along with protein cooked already and frozen veggies, you really can have a meal ready in 3 minutes.

[wheresanita]

Greetings!

 

There is a lot of good advice here. I agree that it is really important to figure out why you want to do the W30. If your 'why' is compelling enough you will find a way. What I can tell you is that the fact that you work night shift makes things exponentially more difficult. I did my first W30 while working nights. I have a super-supportive husband who loves to cook and we have no children...and it was still a real struggle. Tom D may be right that this is not the time for a W30 for you. Perhaps try 14 days with no take out/restaurant food and see how that goes!  There was just an article on the blog about baby stepping vs diving in..maybe your current context calls for baby stepping.

 

Ok, so if you decide to pursue the W30 I will be so bold as to offer you some advice on staying on plan while working night shift. When you pack your food for work, bring twice as much as you think you'll need. I am an RN and around 4am I would get a terrible case of the "I'm way too tired and want to go to sleep but can't so I guess I'll just eat" munchies. I wasn't always able to stay true to the meal template but nibbling on carrots and almonds was a far better option than graham crackers and peanut butter from our lounge or Poptarts from the vending machines. In a perfect world every time you eat it would fit the template but we all have our own contexts and difficulties and sometimes carrots and almonds at 4am is a victory! 

 

I hope you find an approach that works for you and your family..and understand that any changes - even small changes - towards a healthier lifestyle will have positive long term benefits.

 

Be well!

[littleg]

I have no kids, so take this advice with a grain of salt (or a shaker).  Your family's life - as it is scheduled - are the activities meaningful and family-enhancing?  Do the kids get dropped off at X,Y,Z or are you and/or your husband coaching, involved, etc?  What are your kids doing at home?  Can any of the activities be cut?  Are your kids spending lots of time on their phones and computers?  Teaching kids about the joys of cooking and eating REAL food is a worthwhile way to spend time as a family, in my opinion.  If your kids are old enough you have 3 sous chefs  Things that older kids might be involved with:

 

- wash and chop a big tupperware of veggies for the week - peppers, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes 

- wash and poke holes in a few pounds of sweet potatoes to roast for the week - kids can do that and line a pan with aluminum foil (saves on clean up) and you can put them in the oven

- Boil eggs

- Make a breakfast casserole from ground sausage, chopped veggies and a bunch of eggs

 

There are quite a few paleo/kid cookbooks out there - spend some time as a family going through them and finding ideas and ways to involve the kids to show them there is more to food than going to McDonald's.

 

There are a couple of food bloggers out there in the paleo world who are 16, 17 years old - creating amazing recipes.  Maybe one of your kids will turn out to have a passion for cooking and coming up with meal plans and recipes!  

 

I think if you asked someone from 1920 how much time they spent doing food prep you would find it is probably less than the typical W30 person spends cooking.  We have just come so far from the idea that eating real food takes time that it now seems unreasonable to ask someone to cook for a family from scratch.  I understand that a family of 5 has time constraints that I know nothing about - but I also know families of 4,5,6 that have home cooked meals every day.  So it can be done.  I do a lot of my cooking at 6 AM.  Seems weird, but I'm sleeping better and so I'm up.  What else would I do at that time after 8 hours of sleep?  I don't need to lie in bed any more.  What I used to do was cruise around Facebook (I removed myself from FB) and marksdailyapple (a paleo website).  Now, in the morning I don't touch my computer.  I do the crossword or I cook.  I don't watch TV (no cable - by choice).  These things seem crazy to the people in my world (nursing school and the hospital where I work).  But it was just a choice I made.  I *decided* to put my health first.  I 100% totally and completely believe in paleo and that is why I do it.  I'm sure you show up for your shift on time each night.  It matters to you, so you do it.  You have to be in that same mental place for the W30 I think.  You have to believe enough in what it stands for (its different than just doing weight watchers for 30 days) in order to make the changes in your life to support a W30.  

 

Best of luck with whatever you decide

[Carlaccini]

Angie - I get the sensory isues about meat - I really do.  And I live with a clean freak - so although I do not understand the actual hangups about it (I like neat and tidy, but I'm a little more laid back) parts of me gets it as I have to be just as clean as the clean freak when I cook.

 

But keep in mind a kitchen was made so you can cook in it - just sayin

 

I like cooking well enough(although I'm more of a baker by heart) I hate touching all forms of raw meat (ground, chicken, fish - you name it).  I have adapted the "suck it up buttercup" approach but that still doesn't stop from being grossed out some days.  I tend to use forks for picking up chicken (thighs or breasts), and tongs for various other meats.  You know - minimize contact if I can.  As for the ground meat situation - I will touch it if I "have" to, but generally my boyfriend will take care of that for me if I ask him sweetly.  I did get up the guts once to make pate with chicken livers - but I will probably not do that ever again unless I wear gloves. I liked the pate well enough (once I put the oogginess of the prep of it aside in my brain) But try to be patient with yourself here.  It is afterall a learning experience.

 

And of course if you have someone who actually likes cooking - that will be a big help.