The Dietitian’s Husband Strikes Again, in the Kitchen!

It’s been about three years since I last hijacked my wife’s post so I felt that the time is right to tell you about my recent adventures in nutrition.

As a quick review, I followed my wife’s advice and lost 35 pounds (slowly and fitfully). I have now kept it off for several years (I’ve lost count). I did it without giving anything up, including dessert. I recognize that I have an unfair advantage…a wonderful dietitian wife who is an incredible cook. However, she is so good to me that I started feeling guilty. I used to soothe that guilt by occasionally taking her places, including out to dinner.

Then COVID hit. I thought, what could I do for her? Well, I knew her dirty secret is that though she is a great cook, she doesn’t like to cook. So, I decided I would, on a semi-regular basis (always once, sometimes twice a week), cook.

I can hear you now, “what’s the big deal?”

Well, think about it. Cook for a dietitian? Not as easy as you think. First of all, I am apparently incapable of following a recipe. All of my past efforts to do so have resulted in spectacular failures. “Cream the butter,” “fold in the topping,” what language are these people speaking? “Bring it slowly to a boil.” That’s not a cooking direction, it’s a description of me in the kitchen.

Well, then I thought of my recipes from my bachelor days. Let’s see, how about the triple-decker peanut butter, mayonnaise and cucumber sandwich? Then there was the can of Hormel chili poured over white rice followed by a tub of chocolate pudding. I could always have my favorite bachelor breakfast for dinner, Frosted Flakes drenched in heavy sweet cream. (Yes, these are actual meals I ate). I quickly recognized they would not be popular table fare in the Pell household.

As my pulse raced and my blood pressure rose with fear of failure, I settled down and remembered the basics of healthy meals that I was taught. My wife may be surprised by this as she seems shocked whenever I retain anything she says. It may be my habit of doing a crossword puzzle and watching television while we are having a conversation, but I’m not sure. Anyway, I do pay attention (mostly…sometimes) and I remember her suggestion to have a meal with lots of colors. Now that would be a good start, except I am colorblind (really). When my wife sends me to the grocery store for bananas I have to ask someone else to tell me which ones are green and which are yellow. (Guys are surprisingly helpful while women tend to give me a sad and knowing look).

I also remembered that a good rule of thumb is to divide a nine-inch plate into three sections with one quarter filled with a lean protein, one quarter a starch and the remaining half non-starchy vegetables.

Okay, that would mean cooking three different things and have them all done at the same time. Definitely beyond my skill set. Plus, that would be at least three pots to wash. Not in the guy playbook. I had to come up with a different plan.

And then it came to me…stir-fry! One frying pan, one pot (or rice-cooker) and everything cooks together. It’s the perfect meal for the guy who has to cook. (The perfect couple meal is still “reservations”). So, now I had a plan, how was I going to put it together? First, I looked in the fridge. We had half an onion, a green pepper, some yellow squash, a zucchini, celery and some mushrooms. Hmm…green, yellow, white, brown and whatever color you call celery (I think it is celery). Sounded like a lot of colors so I grabbed them all. We had a boneless chicken breast in the freezer, so I confiscated that for my protein. I put some brown rice in the rice cooker for my grain and I was all set. (Okay, originally I didn’t have a rice cooker, but I love rice and my wife bought one for me last year).

I chopped up all the vegetables and the chicken. I knew now I had to make the magic happen.

I knew I wanted a bit of an Asian taste so I tried to figure out what spices would go well together. I started off putting a little butter in the non-stick pan and threw in the vegetables. I used a small amount of salt, a generous amount of black pepper, a slight dust of garlic powder and a couple of shakes of powdered ginger to start and cooked the vegetables until they started to get soft. I threw in the chicken (spiced the same way). Then, when the chicken was about done, I added low sodium soy sauce (pretty generous amount). After it simmered a bit, I discovered some ginger-sesame salad dressing in the fridge and added it to make a sauce. I added a can of water chestnuts to give it a little crunch.

A small amount of Tupelo honey finished my creation. I doled out the rice, ladled the vegetables and chicken on top and served it to the wife. I held my breath.

She liked it! I was so encouraged, that I tried several other combinations of stir fries in the following weeks.

Most were actually successful. I started to call Sundays (the day I usually cook) “Stir fry Sunday.” Finally, however, my wife finally asked for something other than stir-fry. So now I am exploring new frontiers. I even cooked for friends once or twice. (She still doesn’t seem to really trust me with significant social occasions). I’ll never be a great chef, but I am proof that even someone as inept as me can prepare easy, healthy and delicious meals in a very short amount of time. Just follow my wife’s advice. Don’t take my word for it (I’m her husband for goodness sake), ask anyone who has worked with her.  You can learn more about eating healthy and what I’ve learned by Downloading her Free Nutrition Guide.

Oh, you may ask, “what do you do for dessert?” Good question. I buy it. After all, a man’s got to know his limitations.

Enjoy more guests posts from my husband Bob, below.

The Agony of the Diabetes Dietitian’s Husband
Return of the Dietitian’s Husband!