(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Kitchen Table Kibitzing: Back to Basics [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-06-24

Good evening, Kibitzers! You know, when belinda ridgewood approached me about subbing tonight, I was very happy to say yes (and still am!). Then, the day arrived, and I realized I had no inspiration for a diary topic. I went back to look at what I wrote the last time I subbed for KTK, and it just made me kind of sad, because that was written when I was in a much better mental place. But it did give me a little inspiration for tonight.

Like many of you, I’m sure, I’m not doing all that well much of the time. The biggest reason is the reason we all aren’t doing well, and it’s not something in our immediate control. Unfortunately, over the past several months, I’ve used the daily barrage of shitty news as an excuse to stop caring. An overwhelming feeling that “nothing matters” has led me to stop taking care of myself the way I used to, which has only exacerbated the mental health issues (and hasn’t done many favors for my physical body, either).

The orange fuck in the White House is outside of my control. But the way I treat my body and mind is very much within my control, even if it hasn’t exactly felt that way. To that end, I’ve really been making an effort to get back “on track.” And by “on track,” I mean...on a track! Any track! Some kind of daily (preferably outdoor) exercise, some kind of consistent (and healthy) eating routine...you get the picture. Last week, I went back to my old favorite, the Mediterranean diet. Which really just means: lots of veggies, healthy fat (olive oil), lean meat and fish (in small amounts), and moderation in all things. I love the flavor profile, and it’s a great diet for my individual goals, which include reducing saturated fat and sugar intake. The BF, meanwhile, is big on eating meat for every meal, so our meal preps aren’t usually compatible. Last week, I made my meal preps separately, and the BF made his own high-protein meal preps. (He’s also been on a “fuck it” spree in recent months, but he’s working on it, too!)

This week, I could sense that the BF was going to say “fuck it” again. He’s been really busy with work, and I know him well enough to know that he was probably going to end up getting takeout if he didn’t get some help. So I volunteered to make meal preps for both of us. Not exactly “Mediterranean,” but they’re well-balanced. The BF is a fan of what he calls “Asian food.” By that, he really just means that it follows a simple formula: flavorful meat + rice + veggies. So I got to work on Sunday, and here are the fruits of my labor:

I made two meal preps, which will last us most of the week. The first meal prep I made is based on this recipe, which the author calls “Korean sticky beef meal prep.” I don’t know how Korean it is, it’s not very sticky, and I didn’t use beef (since I used beef in the other meal prep). The BF found the recipe. It’s not bad! It would probably be better with beef, but I used ground chicken. It’s very easy, which is what I really cared about.

Then, I made one of our favorite meal preps, this ground beef bulgogi from Youtube’s Aaron and Claire:

x YouTube Video

One day, I may enjoy spur-of-the-moment cooking again. But, until then, I’ll settle for boring meal preps that sustain us.

How have you been caring for yourself lately? As always, it’s an open thread!

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/24/2329913/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-Back-to-Basics?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/