I am the proud owner of a COVID 10…and I blame Pampered Chef, KitchenAid, and Bridget!

A COVID 10 is like a Freshman 15, you know, when kids go off to university and gain weight. Only this is aided and abetted by a global pandemic rather than being away from home for the first time.

Spices and Plant-Based Eating

Over the course of the past year, Bridget and I have been cooking a lot of delicious meals and snacks.  While we have used healthy ingredients with lots of veggies and other good stuff, I have found mindful eating to be more of a challenge because they taste so darn good (hence the reason that Bridget shares the blame)!

We have been experimenting with way more spices than either of us was used to pre-pandemic.  Over the past couple of years, I have been cooking from the Looneyspoons collection, and especially the most recent book, Yum and Yummer, by Greta Podleski.  

I love the flavours in her recipes, and I still use some of them regularly, but I feel like the recipes in Dr. Will Bulsiewicz’s Fiber Fueled have taken us to a whole new level.  We also often consult websites like Delish Knowledge and Ambitious Kitchen; they have truly mastered the art of spicing food – who knew you could make recipes with tablespoons full of a couple of different spices that would blend together in such a yummy way?

It has been a year of new toys in the kitchen as well and those toys have also contributed to my COVID 10.

Pampered Chef

I love Pampered Chef; it’s a bit of a problem really!  I love all the small gadgets and tools; the garlic mincer and microplaner, the scrapers and juicers…and the knives…and this year I have branched out into the bigger toys.  You know, the Quick Cooker and the Cooking Blender and the Air Fryer.  

We have made delicious soups and bowls with the Quick Cooker, mousse and dips with the Cooking Blender and all kinds of delicious tofu in the Air Fryer; to name just a few of the dishes created with each.

KitchenAid

Bridget has been trying for years to convince me that we should get a KitchenAid stand mixer.  Judging by the delicious pasta, breads, cookies, rolls and pretzels being enjoyed since it arrived earlier this month, I have to admit that she was right.  

(Also, owning this product may result in my having to change COVID 10 to COVID 15!)

I Love Cooking

In a year of being at home much more than usual, cooking has become even more of a passion.  I have always loved time spent in the kitchen, but I feel like this year I have come way outside of my comfort zone and experimented with different recipes, flavours and kitchen toys.  Indian and Thai food have become regulars in the repertoire and, while Mexican and Italian were always a part of it, they have been taken to the next tasty level too!  

We have become great fans of tofu and all the different ways it can be enjoyed.  We have learned to cook with lentils, chickpeas and beans way more than ever before.  It seems that learning to cook without chicken has been a journey of new flavours!

So, I’m not really worried about the COVID 10; I will adjust to these delicious menus and return to mindful eating…you know, eating slowly and stopping when I’m full (see From 22 to 12).  

COVID 10 doesn’t have to be a permanent thing, just another step in the dance.