Who Needs More than Cooking for exercise?

I'll check it out!

Yes, my household has long term used a bread machine to make wholemeal loaves. 

(I have some problems with some of the ingredients which can creep into a supermarket loaf ingredients list - therefore, the bread machine affords me a good solution).

Cinnabar_wing said:

(I also love the bread machine for making the dough, that's it's main function for us.)

Me too, I don't like the shape of loaves it produces or the hole in the base. This is a great book, '100 bread Machine Recipes' At the moment, this is £2.79 at Awesome Books and they're offering 20% for new customers. It includes pizza dough, naan, sweet loaves and many baker's shop favourites.

DormouseAtRest_25 said:

Moulinex Classic manual vegetable mill

Oh, that's the sort of thing I was seeking. Thank you!

I used to have one of those that I used for making baby food.

Ann :) said:

Part of it is also needing something consistent. I have had a lot of uncertainty in my life for past years, lots of moving around and lots of stress and many changes and the daily bike ride was the one thing that was predictable and consistent no matter where I wen

I completely relate to this. Before my accident last year I ran an allotment and two gardens. Now, I've had to give up the allotment and my fitness has gone right down. I have stiff joints and find gardening hard, doing a fraction of what I did before. Yes, you get used to, and look forward to, doing the 'things you've always done' and that hives off a great deal of stress. So I know where you and FitMisfit  are coming from. It's regular routines that keep us from getting over stressed in hard times, even simple things like chores and cooking.

I can relate- my exercise routine is not ‘insane’ and I can’t do as much as I would like due to joint issues but I am very attached to what I can do. I love the outdoors and hiking and running which I sadly can’t do at the moment. Exercise helped me release stress but after I got injured and couldn’t move freely I held on to what I could do rigidly. I ride my bike every day for same distance (sadly can’t do more because of my knee) and no matter the weather etc. It can make travelling hard and it is stressful when the weather is bad. I so wish I could move freely again which would help make me more flexible with this. Part of it is also needing something consistent. I have had a lot of uncertainty in my life for past years, lots of moving around and lots of stress and many changes and the daily bike ride was the one thing that was predictable and consistent no matter where I went. I have been stuck in other routines before which were destructive (not exercise related though) but it took ages to change them as I was stuck and so scared of change even though I was suffering. It is possible to change though and it can be better- I can’t describe what triggered the changes - it’s complex, sometimes you need to be in a safer space, or reach rock bottom or external things happen but it takes time to be ready for it. I then tended to change things suddenly but that’s me

Could you maybe get some convenient options that can make cooking slightly easier? I have always found that the UK is great at providing such options- I’m thinking of ready chopped vegetable mixes or things like microwave rice or grains and ready grilled chicken, pitas, wraps, sauces/ dips etc. It becomes more of a meal assembly rather than cooking. M and S has some pretty good options for this though it’s much more expensive and most supermarkets have these kinds of products. I don’t face exactly the same challenges as you do but I do struggle with food due to digestive issues and ARFID and making cooking as easy as possible can really help. For a time I was so overwhelmed I even relied a lot on healthy range ready meals for a while before transitioning into cooking again. I do know how to cook from scratch (it was a passion as a kid and I cooked a lot with my mum) but I just don’t have the peace for long cooking anymore and everything I make has to be done in 10-15 minutes. I find it much harder since I left the UK as there are less convenient options available

I have a small stainless steel Moulinex Classic manual vegetable mill (Moulin À Légumes) - with 3 feet to rest in a bowl / saucepan, a ling handle, different sized discs and a hand crank - which I use for smooth vegetable purée - potato with celeriac is a favourite:

www.ebay.co.uk/.../366279803903

Ha ha I sort of had the image of cleaning my garlic crusher and how I hate doing it in my mind when I posted.

I always wait fo the steam to go off potatoes too.

Bread machines are just so brilliant.

I feel like that about spiralizers too, I mean why? 

I don't mash enough potatoes to need a press.

Honestly I think some people mostly make people, are just really into gadgets, my ex was like that, he asked me if I wanted a knitting machine to save me doing it by hand? He couldn't get his head around the idea that not only did I not want a knitting machine, but that I enjoyed knitting by hand.

I don't use a garlic crusher either, just chop it up as it is quick and doesn't take long. If it's something like a pizza sauce, I'll crush it with the flat of the blade to release the oils and it's easier to pull it out before spreading. (I also love the bread machine for making the dough, that's it's main function for us.)

I do like our potato ricer, it's really handy and makes a nice fluffy mash! They do need a fair bit of strength though, and easiest to clean if you don't let it dry in (straight into a pan of water). But I also find if I cook the potatoes, drain them and let them steam dry long enough in the aga, I can just use a masher or even beat them with a wooden spoon. 

Marianne72 said:

Anyone else of my years [73] experience this? Or does this happen for younger people too?

I’m in my 60s but I sympathise with you because cooking exhausts me, although it has always been that way.

I cook out of necessity but I don’t cook dishes that require much preparation or those that have multiple stages throughout the cooking process because that sort of organisation exhausts me. From spring through to autumn I eat mostly salads because they are easy to prepare even though they can have lots of different ingredients. I batch cook chicken breast strips in the air fryer for the salads and they last over a few days. Sometimes I have salmon or pasta with a tomato based sauce and a tin of anchovies.

Since beginning resistance based exercises with weights and exercise bands last year I have found my joints are less troublesome and I feel stronger and less likely to tire physically. Adding that into my exercise regime has increased my energy levels so I think the difficulty with cooking complicated dishes is more to do with executive functioning. I’m highly organised in many aspects of my life while things like cooking complicated dishes leave me struggling and exhausted.

Occasionally I buy M&S Nutrient Dense Tandoori Chicken which is fresh, not a processed food and it doesn’t have preservatives or fillers. It’s expensive but not more expensive than a carry out and it just needs three minutes 40 seconds in the microwave to heat it up.

TheCatWoman said:

Ohh go on, disrupt things, I dare you!

OK - men invent things they don't use therefore they often don't clean well. [Wait for fallout]/

TheCatWoman said:

I do like my potato ricer

I haven't got the strength to use one at present but the problem with a standard masher is that you still get large bits. There ought to be some kind of press, like an apple presser. Maybe a female cook will invent one [again, wait for fallout..]

Ohh go on, disrupt things, I dare you!

I can't be doing with garlic crushers either, I always seem to end up with a bit of skin over the holes thats glued itself in.

I do like my potato ricer though, that can be quite a good work out too. Most of my kitchen stuff is quite basic, 4 ordinary saucepans, a big casserole, a chefs pan, a wok and some glass dishes and mixing bowls. I do have a preserving pan, a sugar thermometer and a jam funnel, but then I do a lot of preserving., I have a food processor too. But I hardly use a microwave, I defrost stuff in it and warm plates, I don't know how to cook anything in it, even heating up peas. Nor do I use an airfryer, they don't do the sorts of foods I use one for, like onion bhaji's and pakoras.

A lot of kitchen gadgets take a long time to clean. Invented by those who never use them. I won't say men or it might cause disruption ! 

Being vegetarian, lactose intolerant and with a few other intolerances and dislikes, ready meals aren't an option for me, nor are takeaways or eating out.

I don't like washing up the garlic crusher!

Great information DormouseAtRest_25 but why don’t you use a garlic crusher?

I think I read somewhere that to crush the garlic and leave it a couple of minutes before use releases something that makes it better for us.