Hello curious and active seniors! In this issue:

• Rediscovering the peace and joy of cooking

• Recipes from a pandemic experience

• Bonus recipes to try cooking solo

Rediscovering the peace and joy of cooking

Food is love

Preparing a meal for yourself is a form of self-love. At first, it may seem like the farthest thing from it, but I can attest that it can be a fulfilling journey. I embarked on my own several years ago, and it led me to a place of discovery and calm.

I am lucky. I have always liked to cook and watch my family and friends enjoy what I prepared. It was my love language. But this passion came to an abrupt halt in early 2020. 

The pandemic arrived along with my mother’s diagnosis of early-stage Lewy body dementia. I constantly worried about her safety and health. How would I go grocery shopping for both of us without getting sick? Would there be a sufficient food supply? Could I get her to a doctor? Would my daughter be okay living on her own? So many questions. So much stress.

Then out of nowhere, I had an “aha” moment about two weeks into isolation. It hit me that my alone time was an opportunity to reclaim at least some of the balance that the pandemic had taken away. It was an idea that ultimately kept me occupied, productive…and miraculously, somewhat sane.

I first ordained my kitchen as a sacred space. It would be where I relaxed, nourished myself, and expressed my creativity through cooking. 

Working from home was another positive change. My productivity went through the roof, giving me the energy to be a more responsive caregiver and efficient cook. My ulterior motive was to ensure my mother benefited from both.

The next best thing to happen was running out of bread. The store shelves were bare, but much to my relief, I had flour and yeast at home. With that, I went to work baking for my family and myself.

This was incredibly therapeutic. Between the tactile joy of kneading and braiding the dough and inhaling the heavenly aromas that lingered, my senses were indulged. The amount of time and effort involved also helped me think differently about waste, like using any leftover bread to make torn croutons for soup and salads. I froze leftover beans and veggies for future soups or stews. Nothing was left in my refrigerator to die; the scraps that couldn’t be used were composted. 

I also started journaling my bakes with my trusty iPhone and sharing them on social media.

• Challah

• White bread (NYT subscription required)

• Pita

• Flour tortillas

• Braided croissant loaf

• Chocolate babka

Soon, my friends were asking me to remember them the next time I baked. Although they were kidding-not-kidding, I obliged as supplies allowed and became an ad hoc boulangerie, working masked in my now deeply sanitized kitchen. But this took away from my time to prepare meals, and restaurant delivery was just too expensive to use on a regular basis. 

A thirst for knowledge 

In my aloneness, I found my curiosity about nutrition was insatiable. It hit me that if there were ever a time to be conscientious about the food I was eating, this was it.

As a writer, I'm accustomed to researching many topics. So I went to Google Scholar to search for articles to quench my thirst for knowledge. I felt overwhelmed by how much information there was to absorb. 

Lo and behold, the Internet's magical algorithms went to work. An ad popped up on a page for an online certification program in nutrition at Cornell University. The next thing I knew, I was starting the program. I hadn't been in college for decades, so it was intimidating at first when I saw how scientific the courses were. Yet, I quickly learned to appreciate how amazing our bodies are at keeping us healthy, and how poor nutrition could turn our bodies against us very quickly.

After receiving my certificate, I enrolled in another program at Cornell on plant-based nutrition. This was led by T. Colin Campbell, one of the scientists who authored “The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health.” Its premise was that a plant-based diet promised superior benefits.

This, too, was an eye-opening learning experience, although I had no desire to be a vegan. What it did do for me, though, was give me insights into how to make meals healthier and satiety last longer.

As a post-note, I have continued my nutritional studies at Cornell, delving deeper into our metabolic systems, obesity, and solutions. I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, but my knowledge guides me in making good decisions.

Putting my knowledge to work

I decided to come up with an easy, nutritious game plan that included preparing and freezing meals in individual portions. Most of the baking had to be relegated to a hobby.

Given the scarcity of supplies during the pandemic (and my lack of desire to go to the store), I placed a large order on Amazon and with other vendors. Within days, boxes arrived on my front porch, filled with:

• Dried beans of every description, plus rice, pasta, and canned tomatoes (whole, diced, crushed, and paste). I’m still trying to use up some of these.

• An assortment of Better Than Bouillon flavors, dried chili peppers, and mushrooms. Did I mention individual bottles of shelf-stable milk?

• Yeast and flour from a hidden restaurant supply source, both nearly impossible to find otherwise. 

• Deliveries from Imperfect Foods for misshapen, inexpensive fresh produce. 

• Frozen chicken, beef, and pork from a local source. I received a huge pork shoulder and immediately made pulled pork in my Instant Pot that fed me and my family for months.

I also turned my laundry room into a hydroponic “farm” where I grew lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. I grew potatoes outside.

And with that, I started preparing soups, stews, and chilis. Everything was frozen in flattened single-serve silicone bags to save storage space. My freezer became a frigid filing cabinet of heat-and-serve food. It was so convenient that I still do it today.

• Corn chowder

• Chili

• Thai meatball (NYT subscription required)

• Gazpacho

I then had the idea to create frozen “TV” dinners for my mother by preparing double portions of just about everything I made. That way, should I get sick or the weather was bad, she had complete meals in her freezer. There was my favorite meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes and peas. Chicken a la King using the leftovers from a rotisserie chicken. I also made homemade ravioli with my favorite kitchen hack: using store-bought fresh lasagna noodles. Just top it with Rao’s marinara, and voila! 

Dinner is served. Bon appétit!

Additional reading

The Rounds, a grocery and recycling service with sustainability at its core.

The Solo Spoon focuses on cooking basics, like tips on scaling down recipes.

One Dish Kitchen offers recipes, advice, and tips for cooking for one or two.

What are you making with yourself today?