I never imagined I'd be preparing meals for a special diet, especially a diet that allows for no cheating ever. Ed's diet requires consideration for every meal and every snack. No longer can we leave for the day without making a plan for what Ed will eat.
And yes, some days I hate it. But I've been doing it long enough that it has become much easier. While it takes time to prepare special food for Ed, it isn't difficult. It has become a natural part of life. Ed is quick to show gratefulness and I'm glad to do it for him.
I know there are many people who are on a special diet for medical reasons. Here are some tips that have worked for me.
1. Make a list of favorite meals: snacks, breakfasts, side dishes, lunches, dinners, desserts, travel food, etc. When you find something that works well, or when you adapt a recipe, write it down immediately. I often think I'll remember it later, but I never do. Flipping through these notes in future weeks is a tremendous help. I love that Ed is willing to try new things, yet he doesn't mind repeating the same foods again and again if they are favorites.
2. Use your freezer. This should be number one. If I have food in the freezer I'm never helpless; I will always have something to feed Ed.
Most of the recipes I make for Ed are individual servings to make sure the ratios are exactly correct, but I can still make multiples. For example, if I'm making chicken soup, I line up a few dishes and make three, one for now and two for the freezer. If I do that several times a week, I always have a variety of main dishes in the freezer for him to pack in his lunch or for an evening that I didn't have time to make a meal for Ed. Also about one afternoon a week I try to stock up on baked things such as crackers, muffins, or cookies. These recipes usually make numerous servings and are easy to freeze.
3. Keep your pantry stocked with food that is compatible with the diet. Nothing derails a diet like being hungry for a snack and not have anything that you can eat. Ed has showed extreme discipline for his diet, but I do what I can to make it easy for him by having nuts and keto chocolate on hand.
4. Find a cookbook or website that supplies recipes that exactly fit your diet. I think there is a cookbook (or a hundred cookbooks) for every diet known to man. You can adapt favorite recipes for your diet, but you'll save time and frustration if you find a cookbook that exactly fits your needs. Many cookbook authors have websites so you can try out their recipes and find a good fit before you invest in a cookbook that you may not use. Or maybe the website will be all you need.
For Ed's keto diet, I found that there are countless websites with keto recipes, but most are for weight loss or body building and rarely are they suitable for Ed's version of the diet. I found The Keto Cookbook was perfect. It was written for children with epilepsy who are controlling seizures with the ketogenic diet so it is super strict the right ratios for Ed. I use this cookbook daily.
5. Invest in some helpful tools and products that make you diet more doable. Of course this will vary with your diet needs.
For Ed's diet I found that small glass containers with plastic lids made by Pyrex or Anchor were so useful I've purchased several packs. I can use them in the oven, microwave, or freezer. I use the two-cup size for meals and the one-cup for desserts. I also like mini silicone spatulas for scraping out oil and silicone cupcake molds for making single servings of cookies, brownies, and, of course, muffins. But more than any other tool I use the My Weight kitchen scale. I have had this scale for years, but in the last months I use it several times a day to measure grams easily without losing food in a measuring cup.
Sometimes it is the little things. Ed was thrilled to find spiced mayonnaise. Since he eats so much mayo it is nice to have some Chipotle mayo for a change. I have found chia seeds make an easy keto pudding. Xanthum gum was a recent find that makes it possible for me to make gravies and chowders without flour or cornstarch. Your list of products will vary depending on your goals, but when you find something that works, celebrate. And stock up.
Do you have any hints for cooking a special diet? Some of you have been doing this for many years.
This post contains affiliate links. Your Amazon purchase through my links, though it adds no extra cost to you, has allowed me to buy many of Ed's special diet products at no cost. Thank you.
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