I don't particularly enjoy cooking, but I realised when our sons were little that it was better to spend more time in meal preparation, with real ingredients, than to buy pre-processed or ready-made food that was, too often, filled with colourings, sweeteners, preservatives and other potentially toxic additives.
However I'm married to an omnivore who becomes quite depressed if he doesn't eat meat at least two or three times per week. So we tend to eat chicken once or twice a week, fish once, and vegetarian foods at other times.
Where possible we buy free-range; however Cyprus has a mid-range style of chicken which is not quite free range, but a great deal better than battery farming.
When my older son was about 14, he decided to become vegetarian. He had not eaten pork since he was six and saw the film 'Babe', and he had never much liked meat anyway. His decision encouraged me to start using recipes based on beans and lentils for protein. There are many health benefits to legumes so I try to include them in our main meals at least a couple of times per week.
Our younger son suffered 'glue ear' as a child, which was no better in his teen years, so he experimented with going dairy-free when he was about 16. This was so successful in reducing the problem that he's remained dairy-free ever since. My husband also moved to being dairy-free, for the same reason, a few years later. This is why I learned how to make nut and oat milk, as the packaged alternatives are quite expensive. Many of the recipes on this site are dairy-free, or have dairy-free adaptations listed.
As for me, I suffered from migraines for many years until I was persuaded by an online acquaintance to write down everything I ate and look for links. I had established many some previously that the artificial sweetener aspartame was a strong migraine trigger, and more recently that the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) was another. I never knowingly used either, but they sometimes come in the most innocuous looking products.
When my older son was about 14, he decided to become vegetarian. He had not eaten pork since he was six and saw the film 'Babe', and he had never much liked meat anyway. His decision encouraged me to start using recipes based on beans and lentils for protein. There are many health benefits to legumes so I try to include them in our main meals at least a couple of times per week.
Our younger son suffered 'glue ear' as a child, which was no better in his teen years, so he experimented with going dairy-free when he was about 16. This was so successful in reducing the problem that he's remained dairy-free ever since. My husband also moved to being dairy-free, for the same reason, a few years later. This is why I learned how to make nut and oat milk, as the packaged alternatives are quite expensive. Many of the recipes on this site are dairy-free, or have dairy-free adaptations listed.
As for me, I suffered from migraines for many years until I was persuaded by an online acquaintance to write down everything I ate and look for links. I had established many some previously that the artificial sweetener aspartame was a strong migraine trigger, and more recently that the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) was another. I never knowingly used either, but they sometimes come in the most innocuous looking products.
With a food diary, I realised that my migraines were also triggered by nitrites (found in processed meats, along with MSG), preservatives such as sodium benzoate (found in many cordials and other non-natural drinks), and MSG-related additives such as soy protein isolate, maltodextrin and - to my horror! - yeast extract. Giving up Marmite was very difficult for me, but the difference it made was incredible.
I have thus, in the past twenty years or so, started to make my own chutneys, soups, and even tomato ketchup. Initially this was to ensure they were additive-free. When I realised how much better they taste than even the best ready-made products, I didn't look back.
The recipes on this site, therefore, are not truly 'random', although the organisation of the site and upload frequency is. You won't find any shellfish or offal recipes here (I refuse to eat either), nor anything containing artificial sweeteners, colourings, or MSG. I use basic ingredients that should be easily available in most of the world; if not, I usually suggest alternatives.
I have thus, in the past twenty years or so, started to make my own chutneys, soups, and even tomato ketchup. Initially this was to ensure they were additive-free. When I realised how much better they taste than even the best ready-made products, I didn't look back.
The recipes on this site, therefore, are not truly 'random', although the organisation of the site and upload frequency is. You won't find any shellfish or offal recipes here (I refuse to eat either), nor anything containing artificial sweeteners, colourings, or MSG. I use basic ingredients that should be easily available in most of the world; if not, I usually suggest alternatives.
My recipes are not low-fat or low-cholesterol or low-calorie, or any of those depressing things that feature in so many people's lives. But we do use a lot of fruit and vegetables; not as a chore or because they're 'good for us', but because we enjoy them.
Feel free to use the 'comments' section to ask any questions or make suggestions.
Feel free to use the 'comments' section to ask any questions or make suggestions.
No comments:
Post a Comment