What do you eat? Why do you select it? Where do you get it?

Post Reply New Topic

I am a very picky eater. There are a lot of foods that I don't eat because they smell gross or taste gross, they have horrible textures, or they scare me(yes, I have irrational fears of some foods). When I go to grocery stores, even though I may look for a really long time, I almost always get the exact same few foods. I don't even walk down some of the aisles because the food in those aisles is completely disgusting.

But it seems that every time I find some type of food I like its manufacturer stops selling it soon after. And for the past few weeks I haven't even really liked a majority of the foods that I've eaten.

What foods do you normally eat?

Why do you select those foods? Are they really spicy, or bland, or do you really like the textures?

Where do you get them? Do you get them from a particular store or market, or from a restaurant, or somewhere else?

If the foods are things you prepare rather than prepackaged meals, would you please post the recipes?

I'm allergic to milk and its many forms--casein, lactic acid and whey, to name three--and my food shopping revolves around finding the few processed foods that are completely milk free. None are very tasty, and I know the heartbreak of finding a suitable food only to have it yanked from the shelves within a short period of time. (I do a lot of buying ahead.)

Right now I shop at Sav-A-Lot because I appreciate its small size and Sweetbay because they have great markdowns on meat. Sweetbay is owned by the Canadian concern Hannaford, which for some reason often leaves milk out of its store brand foods, bless 'em. I also browse the grocery section of closeout stores because I may find something exotic and unexpected and even tasty that I can eat.

I have no recipes:I just throw things together and hope, unjustifiably, for the best. I eat out very seldom, not knowing what I'm getting into.

i treat myself to a restaurant meal once a year, on my birthday, to treat myself. other than that, i stay home, and eat cheap stuff i find on sale at fred meyer, wally world and a local "shop n' hop" scratch-and-dent food store. canned tuna is the cheapest and healthiest protein i could find, and it costs me 50 cents per can, that is not bad. i take bulk quantities of precooked brown rice, oatmeal and couscous and use them as extenders for canned soup and canned chili and broth, it makes a meal out of 'em. i stock up on dehydrated veggies when i can find 'em. i drink lots of generic vegetable juice, and in general prefer generic over name-brand.

foods that i avoid because of their unpleasant textures/flavors, are olives, cucumbers, pimentos, mushrooms as well as anything raw. everything else becomes fodder for the tank.

There are a few foods that really creep me out. Canned mushrooms. Yeck! I can take fresh mushrooms in a salad, but slimey canned ones are disgusting.

Right now I am on a bit of an Indian cuisine kick. I'm already a vegetarian and at least for the past few weeks, I have been eating a mostly vegan diet and I am finding it works well for me.

I used to hate lentils, but lately most of the food I make involves lentils. I guess it's all in how you prepare them. Lentil and barley soup with carrots and onions and garlic is really great. Chickpeas and curry or toor dhal with vegies is also a really satisfying meal.

For breakfast I have oatmeal with cranberries and a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon, washed down with two cups of black coffee.

Here are a couple of recipes I have been making a lot lately. All benefit from the use of a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking of the legumes.

The following assumes you know how to use a pressure cooker without injuring yourself.

Also I use garlic and onions which makes these recipes not traditionally Indian, but I like them, so there!

Barley Lentil soup:

Cook 1/2 cup of barley and 1/2 cup of brown lentils together in a pressure cooker at high pressure (high heat) for about 25 minutes. Use enough water to cover the barley and lentils - perhaps two to three cups.

Meanwhile in a separate pot, saute a few cloves of chopped or sliced garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil. As they begin to brown, add one chopped onion. Add a teaspoon of ground cumin and a teaspoon of ground coriander. At about 4 sliced carrots. Add water to cover and let simmer as the barley and lentils cook. You can also add some vegetable bullion for flavor. Once the barley and lentils are done, add them to the cooked vegetables. Add salt to taste. This soup goes well with crispy bread. Also it tastes better once it has had a day to meld the flavors, but it's pretty darned good right off the stove.

Chickpeas in Curry:

There is a really good Indian grocery store near me so I have access to a better assortment of curry and other spices than most. You can order some of these through the internet if you are inclined.

Cook a cup of dried small brown chickpeas with two or three cups of water in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes to an hour. They will still be firm, but at least not rock hard when done. You can do with with regular chickpeas, but I particularly like the small brown ones. Those however are not usually stocked in a regular market.

In a separate pan or pot, saute a few cloves of chopped garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add a tablespoon of hot curry powder and a tablespoon of mild curry powder to the cooking garlic. If you like it spicy, now would be a good time to add some crushed red chillies. You might need to add a bit more oil or a splash of water so the cooking spices don't form a dry clumping mess.

Add one chopped onion and a few stalks of chopped celery. Allow this to simmer for a bit until the celery is tender. Once the chickpeas are ready, add them to the spices and vegetables. Let them simmer together for a bit to meld the flavors.

This dish goes well with rice, although I usually have it with quinoa.

My very untraditional version of Aloo Gobi:

Aloo Gobi is basically cauliflower and potatoes in curry. I prefer my version over the type I usually get in restaurants.

Chop a some new potatoes and some cauliflower into small chunks, perhaps 1 inch cubes or so. Chop an onion. Chop a lot of garlic. It's good to get the vegetable prep done first because you may not have time to chop the vegetables once the cooking gets under way.

In a large pan or wok (with a lid nearby) heat a few tablespoons of olive oil as hot as you can get it. Once the oil is very hot (you can test it by throwing in one cumin or mustard seed - if it pops like popcorn, the oil is ready) toss in a teaspoon or a bit more of both cumin seeds and brown mustard seeds. Carroway seeds work well too. These will begin to pop so have a lit near by to cover. Also they will burn very fast so you may need to pull the pan off the stove to reduce the heat until you can add the garlic and onions.

Add the garlic and saute it with the seeds for a minute or so. Add the onions and cook until they are tender. Add a tablespoon or hot or mild curry. You may need to add some more oil or some water to keep the spices flowing in a thick sauce. Add the potatoes and some water and cover with a lid. Let this steam of a bit. When the potatoes are semi-cooked (still a bit too firm, but not raw) add the cauliflower and water as needed. Stir to make sure the spices cook in with the vegies. Cover with the lid and let this steam for a bit, watching carefully that you don't cook them to mush. (I always end up over cooking so you'll just have to use your best judgement on how long to cook) Once the veggies are tender, add salt to taste. This goes well over rice.

Toor Dhal with veggies:

I use the toor dhal that comes in oil. I'm a little unsure as to cooking times since when I didn't rince off the oil, the dhal cooked in the pressure cooker very fast (It turned to mush when cooked for 15 minutes at high pressure) but when I soaked and rinced the dhal it was still a bit crunchy after cooking for almost 30 minutes.

Anyway, cook the toor dhal long enough. One cup dry toor dhal and a couple cups water. I actually like it cooked to mush as it makes a sort of sauce for the veggies. I have seen suggested cooking times of 7 minutes at high pressure. I have done 15 and 25. Beware that the dhal has skins that come off when cooked. These can look like bugs and can be a bit off putting at first. I thought my dhal was infested at first and I almost threw it away. When cooked with the veggies, the skins are no longer a problem.

Prepare the veggies: chop a few cloves of garlic. Chop an onion. Chop some fresh green beans into 1 1/2 to 2 inch sections. Chop a large zucchini or two smaller ones into fairly large cubes (maybe about 1 inch cubes) Do the same for some fresh tomatoes.

In a separate pot, heat some olive oil. Add some cumin powder, hot curry powder, garlic, turmeric, paprika, crushed red chilies, a couple of bay leaves. Saute for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook until tender. Add some water to make this a fairly thick spicy sauce. Add the green bend and cook until half tender. If you prefer them firm, add all the veggies at once. Let this simmer briefly, but not so long that the zucchini or tomatoes turn to mush. Add the cooked toor dhal. Salt to taste.

Obviously all of these recipes can be made with more or less spices depending upon your tastes. I recommend looking up "India Sweets and Spices" on the internet if you need to order some of the above ingredients. You can get many spices for 1/10 the cost than you would at your local grocery.

Oh my gosh ! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!

I thought I was the only one who thought this way! Yea! I mean...I feel your pain...

Anyways I will NOT allow my family to cook ANY type of the fish in the house because I am not allergic to it, but because of my autism and fear of it, it makes me physically sick...
There are so many other things, but I will tell you my everyday things
(Just be warned, I do NOT eat very healthy because I am also vegetarian and a runner, so I can work it off).

Breakfast, I sometimes don't eat, bananas are easy and good though before school (But I would eat hash-browns or pancakes if I had the time.)

Lunch, Nutella sand-which on whole-wheat/grain bread and an apple (the light-colored ones) Last year I ate cashews with chips a fiber one bar and raisins, and before I used to eat mashed potatoes (boxed) with ketchup, but my dad drove me away from it from not washing a few dishes enough and me experiencing *shudder* soapy potatoes. NOBODY should go through that. The taste still haunts me.

At home, I eat candy, I eat Near East Spanish rice, I eat vegetarian tortilla soup, oven-baked (haha or microwave) french fries, potatoes chips ( a LOT, because I LOVE salt), pasta (only a swirly store brand) pretzels, cashews, and whatever else sounds good with little artificial ingredients, requiring little effort, and being salty.

Oh, and because we both are SUPER picky, do you want to keep each other on food alerts?
We can tell of yummy recipies or brands...if we find them.
Just PM me if you find any in the future or anything, and I will do the same for you.

Hope this helps!! !
=)

Breakfast

Usually a cinnamon roll and flavored water. Sometimes a breakfast burrito but only sometimes.

Lunch

School food or whatever my mom packs me.

Snacks

Just about anything

Dinner

My parents are amazing cooks! They make Asian, Mexican, Italian just everything you can imagine.

Dessert

Once again parents are good cooks but I am the baker.

I'm not picky lol.

I'm far from a picky eater, but there's still a few things I don't like, like strong cheeses... Also canned mushrooms, they are great for sauce though...

Breakfast usually consists of a cup of coffee with a cigarette on the side. I rarely eat anything, only really when there's some offer on cereal on the store nearby.

Lunch is usually a sandwich from the school cantina along with a bottle of coke

dinner consists of whatever I can find at the store, it's usually something fast, but sometimes I make something that takes a long time to cook, like some really good pasta sauce or something like that.