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Family Menu
Planning and Meal Preparation:
- Plan family menus for every day of the week and
shop once a week. Make menu planning a family affair.
- Ask the butcher to package meats in appropriate
serving sizes for your family or separate them before freezing.
- Buy pre-chopped, -diced, -sliced ingredients now available in supermarkets.
- Buy prepared items from the frozen food section, deli or bakery.
Add your own touches and fool everyone.
- Double recipes and freeze half for a busy or low
energy day. Some dishes are even better reheated. Mark containers with contents and dates. Rotate in the freezer
regularly.
Easy, Enjoyable Entertaining:
- Keep menus simple.
- Use tried and true dishes for guests. Save
the experimental recipes for the family.
- Include dishes that can be prepared early.
- Be organized; make a detailed list of your menu
and the tasks that need to be done. List tasks in the order they
should be completed. Start with the items that take the longest
time and/or can be done ahead. Remember to include
polishing silver or cleaning infrequently used dishes or glasses. Make a
separate list of housecleaning chores. Place the lists on the
refrigerator visible to your entire family and check off items as they
are completed.
- Invite your guests to bring a dish to share.
- Shop for groceries at least one day before
entertaining. Organize your grocery list to match the layout of
your market to save time and your feet, legs and back. Take
a family member to help with the shopping. Hint: feed a teenage
son first!
- Let your family/guests join you in the kitchen to
help while you visit. Ask for help setting the table.
- For large groups serve buffet style from kitchen
counters.
- Remember to request assistance with clean up.
The Right Tools:
Basic
Kitchen Essentials is a list of items required for general
cooking. See also
Basic
Kitchen Essentials in Pictures. Below are some additional tools to help ease the pain.
- Install roll out shelves in bottom cabinet shelves.
- Buy utensils from
OXO Good Grips.
- Use the best knives you can afford and keep them
sharp for safety and ease of cutting. Use the right knife for the job.
- Replace heavy ceramic or glass mixing bowl with an assortment of
stainless steel bowls. Place a kitchen towel under a bowl for
stability while stirring.
- Select heavy pans with handles on two sides to
balance the load when lifting.
- Keep a small food processor on the counter to use for
chopping ingredients rather than a full-size processor which can be heavy
when lifting off a kitchen shelf. (We bought a like-new $48 Cuisinart
Mini-Processor for $5 at a flea market.)
- Use bags such as Hefty One Zip for food storage.
Visit
Easy to Use on the Arthritis Foundation web site
for an list of products and aids. Also see
Aids for Arthritis,
ElderStore, Dynamic-Living.
Ready, Set, Cook:
- Follow doctor's orders regarding medications; take pain killers and/or anti-inflammatory
drugs at least one hour before starting to chop or cook.
- Start each day with a warm shower. Hold your hands under moderately hot running
water to loosen stiffness. Use cold packs to reduce swelling.
- Wear comfortable shoes and clothing.
- Sit on a stool or at the table whenever
possible.
- Practice being ambidextrous.
- Make cooking a family adventure. Include
even young children.
- Pace yourself. Chop and prepare
ingredients early, take a break and cook later.
- Wash food prep utensils, pots, pans, bowls as you
go and put them away immediately.
Information about the 100 Plus Arthritis
Diseases:
© 2007 Carleta S.
Vineys
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