merryb wrote:
> Sorry for being bitchy, but yes, you are lazy for the most part. I
> can tell by your posts that you have the capability and knowledge to
> cook smarter, but your restrictions and catering to others is
> retarding you.

Perhaps you would enjoy being disabled and then having others label you as
lazy. But I don't think so!

I don't really happen to enjoy the prepping of stuff. Like cutting up and
peeling. Some people do. Angela does. I do enjoy cooking. But I also
can't stand up for very long at a time. My legs get weak. And that's not
lazy! I used to work in retail and was sometimes on my feet for 12 hours at
a time with few breaks. I also used to marathons of cookie baking and candy
making. Again, on my feet for very long stretches. I was told that being
on my feet like that for so long is partially responsible for the venous
insufficiency that I now have which is only one part of why I am disabled.

So if I can get something cut up and cleaned and it is cheaper or about the
same price as stuff that isn't, that's what I'm going to do. If it is
something that my family will eat, that's what I'm gonna buy. I don't care
how many people here tell me to slice my own apples. My family likes the
ones from Costco and *only* those because they like the size of the packages
which are larger than what I can get elsewhere.

I spend a good deal of time each week in meal planning. I don't have to
plan so much for myself. I can make myself a pot of beans once in a while
and make sure that I have some canned ones in the stockpile. I always have
raw veggies onhand. So I'm set. But my daughter and husband prefer more
variety in their diet. And they rarely eat the same things. So I do have
to plan to make sure that I have food for them and that I am not creating
too much waste. Some waste is going to be inevitable, especially with
things like lettuce. Yes, I know there are things like wilted lettuce, but
we don't like it.

I am making tacos tomorrow so that I won't waste the lettuce that I bought
for burgers. And those burgers were purchased already cooked. Not because
I am lazy but because I wanted to try them. And as it turns out, husband
LOVES them! This is the brand but it doesn't look like they have all
portions of the website working yet.

http://www.verdefarms.com/

On Wed. I will make the kale and bacon with the recipe that I got here.
That will be accompanied by a ham steak and scalloped potatoes for husband.
The potatoes will be from a box. Yes, I can make my own but... It is far
cheaper to do the boxed, plus I only need enough for him for two meals and
he doesn't mind them.

Thursday will be pot roast and there will likely be enough of that for
Friday as well.

Not sure what Angela will be eating on those days but I have plenty of food
for her. Could be that she will have tacos again.

You say that I could cook "smarter". I have no clue what you mean by that.
I cook in a way that my family likes. For one thing, I have a husband who
wants food the second he comes in the door. And we never know when that
might be. So... One of two things has to happen. Either I have to have
options that I can fix in a matter of minutes, like the hamburger. Or it
has to be something that will keep or can be reheated quickly. We are not a
family that sits down at the table together. We all have differing
schedules and differing diets. We did used to do that when Angela was
younger. But we don't do it now and I would suspect that the great majority
of families with older kids don't do that either. I know I didn't sit down
with my family for dinner most of the time when I was that age. I just had
too much else going on.

As for catering to others, it is something I like to do, if they are
appreciative of it. One person I can think of who was very appreciative
like that was my FIL and also one of his friends who owned a restaurant. I
was not disabled in those days and I could be on my feet for long periods of
time. I would make them whatever they wanted and his friend would give me
verbal instructions for making various Italian foods that I otherwise might
never have made.

If I am making a meal for someone who is cantankerous and is going to
complain no matter what I do, then I am going to put the minimum amount of
effort into whatever I fix for them. I will make sure that they get a
balanced meal but it is not going to be anything fancy and I am not going to
search high and low for any special ingredients to put into it.

In my mind there is no one way to do things. I do things the way that I can
and I try to find ways that work for me. You are free to do the same. I
just don't understand how you and some others here can be so judgemental
like you are. To me, being like that would be a very tortured and painful
existance. Live and let live!