autisticrecipes

[autisticrecipes]

People with low spoons, someone just recommended this cookbook to me, so I thought I'd pass it on.

I always look at cookbooks for people who have no energy/time to do elaborate meal preparations, and roll my eyes. Like, you want me to stay on my feet for long enough to prepare 15 different ingredients from scratch, and use 5 different pots and pans, when I have chronic fatigue and no dishwasher?

These people seem to get it, though. It's very simple in places. It's basically the cookbook for people who think, 'I'm really bored of those same five low-spoons meals I eat, but I can't think of anything else to cook that won't exhaust me'. And it's free!

[autisticrecipes]

#yeah this is why I started getting hellofresh meal kits again (plus I got a big discount on them) #cooking (and honestly planning and prep too) used to be a big special interest of mine back during the pandemic #when I either wasn't employed or was employed doing something that took very little brainpower #but now it's no longer lockdown and I have a job that requires more brainpower #it's so much easier to have three meals a week that are already taken care of that either me or my gf can make #and then shopping wise I only have to take care of 4 meals (depending on what we already have) #and executive function wise it's easier to plan and just make a meal kit and distribute the cooking between us #I will say that personally wrt freezing things #if they're things that need to be unfrozen before using (e.g. Most meats) #I need to plan and set reminders for when I'm going to use them and need to take them out of the freezer #otherwise they'll just stay there #think I've got some fish in the freezer that's been there like 2 years 🤢 #(I'm also bad at clearing out my freezer) #adhd #autism tag #thought this belonged here too

[autisticrecipes]

[ID: link to Ruby Tandoh's Instagram post about her cookbook 'Cook As You Are', with an illustration from the book showing a brown-skinned person with a walking stick cooking on the hob, with various foodstuffs on the countertop around them)

Ruby Tandoh (of Great British Bake Off fame) has written a cookbook which has several features for accessibility, including:

- breaking things down into manageable steps

- lots of substitutions (for making a recipe low-prep, vegan/vegetarian, or in case you haven't got particular ingredients in the house) and how these will affect the dish

- a dedicated low-prep section for if you're low on time or energy, especially if you're disabled or chronically ill

- a reference chart to guide you to recipes that suit your needs

- an easy-read version if you struggle with reading, attention or complex instructions

- an ebook version optimised for screen readers, with alt text image descriptions so you can still benefit from the beautiful illustrations (they're probably a lot better than my ID above!)

- speaking of illustrations, the book is also beautifully illustrated, rather than being accompanied by professional-look photos, so that users aren't intimidated/disappointed about their home-cooked food not matching up to the glossy professional food photography of most cookbooks (personally I can actually find photos quite useful in knowing what the recipe is supposed to look like, but I still think it's a good feature)

This isn't an ad lol but I think it could be really useful for people following this blog because it does a lot of the stuff I set out to do with this blog (and some more besides). Ruby's post goes into more detail about these accessibility features and more, if you follow the Instagram link.

Also, here's the link for various purchase options (it comes out on 7th October in the UK and Autumn 2022 in the US, there's also an option for worldwide shipping) if you like the sound of it and don't want to go searching on Instagram or Google to find it:

#actuallyautistic #actuallyadhd #accessibility #chronic illness #actually disabled #autistic recipes #autistic resources #Ruby Tandoh #gbbo #Great British Bake Off #Great British baking show #cook as you are #Instagram

[autisticrecipes]

I'm sorry I haven't posted any recipes recently or made many posts here at all. I got a new job, and life is stressful and it just kind of slipped my mind lol.

Would anyone be interested/find it useful if I made meal planning posts? I realise that's something a lot of autistics/adhders can struggle with and I'm fairly good at it (I think) and it's something that I could probably do easier than the recipe posts!

#actuallyautistic #actually autistic #actuallyadhd #actually adhd #meal planning

[autisticrecipes]

this was gonna be reblog of smth else, but decide make own post instead

so. "picky eating" not just autism thing, but eating disorder call ARFID, & also can relate to trauma experience w food (like choke, food illness, etc). it can mean neophobia, fear of try any new. "picky eat" would be can eat that food, just won't - ARFID is can't even think eat that food, even in face of starving would still not be able. it is real issue & can mean malnutritent (sp??) & do needs address, esp in children

donot force anyone (child, yourself, or otherwise) eat unsafe stuff, but need be able introduce things esp for sake of health. here's what personal tend do:

prepare small portion of new food, maybe on own, maybe alongside familiar food. don't feel obligate eat new food just yet, but let sit on plate for bit. poke it, sniff it, test texture between teeth, whatever feel like do. if alongside familiar, try one bite of both together, see how changes texture, taste, if better than expect. if you want after this, or was prepare alone in firstplace, try take bite of just new food alone. don't judge self if you hate, if you need spit out, or if get overwhelm.

you can always take these steps over course of days or even weeks, but maybe set limit so donot feel force, & recognise if a food remain unsafe. is not bad thing have safe/unsafe foods, but is good to be able introduce things - even if they not become longterm safe. introduce foods is skill, one which ARFID try make hard as posible - pls don't be ashame if still takes awhile! the goal is to just be able, not lightning quick or perfect

quick edit: hope it goes w/o saying aswell, if doing this for someone else, they should be aware beforehand & not just sprung as suprise, or else may cause distress that make even more difficult

#food #arfid #could be useful to some of my followers?

[autisticrecipes]

Honestly making cheese sauce *in the pan with the onions* changed my life. So much less annoying than making it in a whole separate pan. Thanks mum for that life hack.

You know what else changed my life? Garlicky cheese sauce. If you're doing the all in one onion pan thing, you just add the garlic for a minute once the onions are finished cooking. If you're making it separate or not using onions for some reason, just cook the crushed garlic off first in the pan you're making the cheese sauce in before adding the butter, flour and milk (and cheese obvs!). Soooooo much tastier than regular boring cheese sauce

#reblogging this here in case it's useful for anyone #at some point I will get back to posting actual content here I promise #just been going through a bit of a burnout this December especially cooking wise #cooking tip #cooking tips #cooking hacks #garlic #cheese sauce

[autisticrecipes]

Protip: use the water to rinse the sauce from the measuring cup and deposit the water+sauce rinse directly into the cooker.

#recipe #recipes #pasta #I haven't watched this btw but sounds like it could be useful

[autisticrecipes]

I have ADD and dancer, while also being allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and soy. I also run into the problem of forgetting to eat and finding something quick is almost impossible for me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!❤️

Quick snacks and meals to grab/make that take little energy:

Yogurt cups/tubes. Put the tubes in the freezer for a icy snack.

Yogurt and fruits, berries, honey, oats, wherever.

Fruit snacks are fun to eat after meals as a ‘lil dessert.

English muffins and butter/jam.

Oatmeal can be made in the microwave, and you can just add brown sugar or whatever else you want. If you can’t be bothered to add stuff, I suggest those already prepared packets.

Popsicles! Easy to make or cheap to buy.

Canned chili ontop of some rice, veggies, hot dog.

Fruit that comes in its own peel like oranges, apples, bananas, kiwi, peaches and plums.

Scrambled eggs, toss in some spinach for veggies.

Buy a large melon and cut it up into cubes before you plan on eating it so you wont have to go through that process when your hungry.

Buy a loaf of french bread then just tear little chunks off instead of going through cutting it every time you want some.

Half of an avocado with lemon juice in the middle is fun to eat with a spoon.

Canned soup! Just microwave it or heat it up in a pot.

Microwavable burritos, enchilada and tamales. I would defiantly check for soy before buying any of those though.

Tuna pasta! There are so many ways to make it.

Bagel and creme cheese or meat and cheese.

Prepare a thing of taco meat then just mix it in with whatever you have on hand when convenient, like avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, rice, whatever.

Cucumber salad can be made in advances and keep for a long time!

Microwaved sweet potatoes.

Make muffins early in the week to have a muffin snack throughout.

#adhd #food #snacks #allergy friendly

[autisticrecipes]

 I made a list of 100 healthy grab and go snacks that take no energy to prepare. I know a lot of you struggle with eating healthy, remembering to eat, and preparing foods so I thought this could be helpful. Feel free to add on more!

Keep reading

#adhd #food #snacks #shopping

[autisticrecipes]

 Here’s a list of 100 shelf stable snacks since people with ADHD tend to forget about the food they bought, and also have issue remembering how long ago they bough things, which can lead to a lot of food spoilage. Not all of these are the healthiest but eating something is better then nothing.

Keep reading

#adhd #snacks #food #shopping

[autisticrecipes]

Your blog is very helpful for me. Thank you

No worries, you're welcome! I'm glad you find it helpful!

#thetruemlerm #asks

[autisticrecipes]

meal planning with adhd

are you an adult who has to make your own food? do you find planning meals to be one of the hardest parts of adulting? do you find yourself going to the grocery store and coming back with barely anything useful because you didn’t have a plan? then i may have something you can try!

**TL;DR: make a meal rotation! choose healthy but realistic options, and have easy alternate meals for the days when you CAN’T bring yourself to make whatever is next in rotation. make the rotation long enough that you won’t get bored of the meals. periodically include “something new” to push yourself outside your comfort zone.**

what is a meal rotation? it’s just a list of meals that you go through sequentially.

the main draw of meal rotations is that you don’t have to THINK. you are told what to make every day - this removes the executive functioning barrier to planning meals. it helps with groceries - you use the list to determine what groceries to buy, so then you always have the right ingredients available for the meals you have planned.

i’ve come up with a few extra ideas to make meal rotations work better for adhders or anyone else with executive functioning difficulties. use what works for you, and disregard what doesn’t!

#1. have easy alternates. sometimes your brain won’t let you make whatever is next in rotation, even if you bought all of the ingredients for it on your last grocery run. maybe you just don’t have time. that’s ok! alternates are quick, easy meals you can usually make with whatever you have lying around. my go-tos are nachos, french toast, and canned fish, but i have a whole bunch on my alternates list. alternates don’t have to be super healthy - boxed mac & cheese is fine if it gets the job done. alternates can also be fast food or delivery.

#2. make meal ideas realistic. include meals that you enjoy and that aren’t too much work for you on an average day. don’t include meals you don’t like or you know will be way too much work, because these are huge executive barriers.

#3. make meal ideas healthy. if you write “pasta with vegetables” instead of just “pasta”, you’ll be way more likely to eat vegetables - that’s just how our brains work. try including meals (that you enjoy) that incorporate vegetables and protein in them.

#4. have extra lists. easy ways to get extra calories if you find your meal hasn’t filled you up. (hopefully this will let you choose something healthier than half a pack of oreos.) easy ways to get extra protein if you struggle with that, or extra vegetables if your meal didn’t have any. whatever you need ideas for, make an extra list. these don’t have to be rotations, you can just pick whatever you want from them.

#5. make the rotation long enough that you won’t get bored. i get bored of eating the same thing over and over and it makes me not want to eat. make it long enough that that doesn’t happen.

#6. include “something new” at least once in the rotation. this is again to keep you from getting bored. i personally follow a bunch of food blogs, and i save recipes that look good so when i get to “something new” i have stuff to pick from. sometimes cooking new things goes horribly wrong, but sometimes it goes great and you can add a new meal to your rotation!

#7. don’t continue to the next meal in rotation if you still have leftovers. i like to make meals in big batches that will last me 2-3 days. i’ll eat the same thing until it’s done before moving on to the next meal - otherwise my leftovers will go bad.

#8. mix up the order. if you’ve been through the rotation a few times and the order is starting to get too familiar/boring, change it up. also, try to space out similar meals - e.g. don’t put 5 rice-based meals in a row.

#9. if you have favourites, you can include them twice!

as a final note i encourage everyone to check out this book called Cooking is Terrible by Misha Fletcher. it has lots of ideas for easy, mostly healthy meals that you can make in 10-15 minutes, and the writing style is witty and hilarious. not sponsored or anything, i just like this book! (it’s only $5+!)

if you struggle with executive functioning and also do meal rotation, feel free to add your strategies! 

#executive dysfunction #Cooking #Adhd #Meal prep #cooking tips #some useful advice hear

[autisticrecipes]

Easy and yummy spaghetti

Ingredients add however much you want it will still taste good

Ground turkey or beef or chicken

Canned tomatoes any type

Italian seasoning

Salt

Noodles

Instructions

Boil noodles until done

Cook meat on a pan until fully cooked then add Italian seasoning, salt, and canned tomatoes. Cook until it’s hot

Put noodles on a plate or bowl and scoop the meat sauce on and enjoy. It’s easy to make and dosnt take much time or spoons to make.

Note: this is the first time writing down a recipe since I keep them in my memory and amounts are all by heart

Thank you so much for submitting this, this seems like a really straightforward tasty recipe to follow! I'll just add a few tips of my own if that's OK!

- noodle/pasta amounts - if you want to weigh them (plenty of people do it by eye but you can end up having way more or less than you need), I'd say anywhere between 75g and 100g per person

- make sure to salt the water you boil the pasta in! A good sprinkling of salt, it should taste salty if you have a taste of it

- you can (should?) add a little bit of oil to the pan to cook the ground/minced meat but only a little as it tends to be quite fatty (at least beef mince does)

- probably obvious, but you'll know the meat is cooked when it's coloured all over (beef will go brown, chicken/turkey will be more white-ish). It's really important to cook ground/minced meat through!

#autistic recipes #recipes #noodles #pasta #actuallyautistic #submission #cooking tip #cooking tips #meat

[autisticrecipes]

oh my GOD this blog is a godsend i literally just saw your bio and top posts and i was like "holy heck where have you been all my life??" thank you so much for existing

Aww bless you, thanks for this lovely ask!

To everyone following, I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while! I finished my dissertation (woo!) but then executive dysfunction etc hit so I've not been able to focus on this blog for a while. Hopefully will try and get back to it this week or next!

#asks #ritsu-in-a-maid-dress

[autisticrecipes]

Apologies that this blog hasn't been very active for a few weeks! I'm in the last two weeks of my MA dissertation at the moment so I've been pretty busy, but once that's submitted I've got some ideas about what to post and I'll answer the asks that I've got as soon as possible! Please feel free to keep sending asks/submissions, it just might take a little while to get around to them so sorry for the wait!

#possibly I might get something done this weekend but I'm not going to promise that

[autisticrecipes]

This might be useful to some of my followers, especially on those recipe blogs which are usually a mass of ads and pictures

If you guys have ADD/ADHD, autism, OCD, or something else that affects your ability to concentrate, I highly recommend the chrome extension Mercury Reader. You just open whatever link you're using, then click on the MR icon (it should look like a rocket) and it'll simplify the page so that it's in a focus-friendly layout. Instead of having random pictures and word boxes all over the screen, it'll be in a vertical format with nothing to distract you so you can focus on what's important. You can also adjust the text size (small, medium, large), font (serif, sans), and theme (light, dark). And the best part is, it's completely free! It's honestly one of the best things I've ever downloaded.

This is an article without the extension. See that messy format, and how the actual article content only takes up a fraction of the page? It's no wonder it took me 7 hours to write that paper.

The same article, this time with Mercury. The user-friendly settings are at the top, and the rest of the article is formatted vertically down the middle with no free-roaming pictures or words. How nice.

#accessibility #accessibility tools

[autisticrecipes]

I'm a chemist, but I really suck at baking. All of my co-workers always tease me about it because "baking is just chemistry in the kitchen!" and they're all good at baking. I struggle even with box mixes. Do you have any basic baking tips for doing box mixes?

Hi there! I'm sorry your coworkers tease you for not being able to bake!

It may be 'chemistry in the kitchen' but there's many differences between a science lab and a home kitchen that can make baking a lot harder - like I said in a previous post, nobody has a perfectly sterilised kitchen with identical, perfectly tested equipment - you're always going to have something different from the equipment (or ingredients!) that the person writing the recipe had.

Unfortunately I don't have much experience with box mixes. A quick Google says that that the 'holy grail of box mix hacks' is to 'Add an extra egg, swap oil for butter, and replace water with milk.'

That's from this website, which has some other possible hacks, although obvious disclaimer that I haven't tried any!

Do any followers have any tips on making box mixes?

#box mixes #cooking tips #baking