Ambassador Guest Blog: Cooking Tips & Tricks (Just in Time for the Holidays)

Barbara Ochoa is an animal lover and skilled home chef who lives in California. She loves to spend time with her husband and adult children on their farm and stay active in her community. She and two of her children live with myotonic dystrophy (DM) and her experience as patient and caretaker has made her a passionate advocate for those living with neuromuscular disease. 

What’s for dinner? Those three simple words can bring so much dread. Before the onset of my symptoms and my myotonic dystrophy diagnosis, I always cooked a main course and at least two side dishes. As my disease progresses, that’s not realistic anymore. But we still need to eat, so I have had to adapt how I cook and prepare meals.

It’s been almost 8 years since my diagnosis and, as with many neuromuscular diseases, eating and swallowing have become increasingly complex. I have had to adjust and change not only how I prepare food but also the kind of food that we eat. I hope I can offer you some tips and tricks.

Planning ahead and the power of the Instant Pot

My dinner book! I put tabs in for our old favorites and also for new recipes I want to try. When I’m stuck for dinner ideas I go through and pick things from it.

Let’s start with some simple goals, shall we? A useful goal is to know how many meals you want to make for the week. I also love giving my week a bit of a plan to make meal ideas easier. In my family, we do Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, and Italian Wednesday. Thursday is usually leftovers or something simple like grilled cheese with ricotta cheese and spinach. We have a fantastic farmers’ market on Friday, so I usually just get some fresh vegetables and snacks for dinner.

My go-to appliance is an Instant Pot. This has made cooking so simple and quick. You can literally make anything in that pressure cooker in such a short amount of time. With meat, it helps make it soft and tender for easier chewing and swallowing. Soups are an absolute must, and there are so many phenomenal recipes online. It’s taken soup to a new level since my Grandma’s cooking days!

I find foods with gravy or that are cooked in a sauce much easier to eat. I try to incorporate sauce as often as possible when making chicken or meat.

Stews and chilis are also easy meals you can whip up quickly with a pressure cooker. With chili, you don’t even need to add any meat if you don’t want to. You can opt for extra canned beans (packed with protein) and a can of diced roasted tomatoes.

Another great hack is to double the recipe when you cook and then freeze some for when you’re too tired or not feeling well enough to make a meal.

Hidden veggies, smoothies, and power breakfasts

I love vegetables, but the only way I can eat them now is to cook them. Again, the pressure cooker makes this simple and quick! You can also broil them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Keep them in an airtight container and they will be good for a few days. I like to keep things as healthy as possible, so don’t be afraid to throw in vegetables anyplace you can! Try adding some extra vegetables to soups or even pasta sauce. Carrots and zucchini can be easily added to almost any dish, and the flavor isn’t changed enough to even notice them.

Homemade bagels easy and quick ! You’ll never want to go back to store bought ones again!

You can also put some vegetables in a smoothie. I like a base of coconut water, frozen pineapple, bananas, and spinach. I always add a little chia seed, too. With a quality, high-powered blender, you don’t know it’s in there, and it has so many health benefits.

Frozen vegetables and some types of fruit are sometimes the best options because they last much longer. Even if I’m not up for cooking them right away, they retain more nutrients when frozen and don’t spoil as fast as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Breakfast is essential, so don’t skip it! Add cottage cheese or Greek yogurt to your eggs before cooking. Whisk them well or use a blender and then scramble to cook. I also like just Greek yogurt with honey and fresh fruit.

If you enjoy oatmeal, overnight oats can be made with only a mason jar and any type of milk you prefer. Recipes for this are all over the internet, too. You can make a few on Sunday for the week.

Holiday hosting hacks

So now, let’s talk about the holidays and some prepping that will save you time and energy! Mashed potatoes can be made up to two days ahead of time. Keep them refrigerated and warm them up in the microwave the day you are ready to use them. Buy already chopped and ready-to-go vegetables to make. There are so many different options to add for a festive vegetable casserole, or just roast or steam them.

Sweet potatoes are healthy and easy to prep for holiday cooking. You can bake them whole the day before, leave them a bit on the undone side, dice them up the day of, put them on a cooking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up, and broil them with butter.

Our kids at my son’s wedding.

You can also plan appetizers that are quick and easy to do! I love charcuterie boards. Simple, easy, and delicious.

You can make any combination you like. Add cheese, fresh fruit, nuts, crackers, and sliced meat. I prefer salami and pepperoni. I usually add green grapes for a festive look. Another easy crowd please is a chili charcuterie board. One big pot of chili and all the fixings arranged on a board or large plate! I go for cornbread muffins, corn chips, onions, sour cream, and of course, cheese! You could add jalapenos and canned corn to the board as well.

I hope this has offered you some ideas to help you plan and prepare meals for your table – whether it is a quiet Monday night dinner or a happy holiday gathering!