Hi all,
I've been on this subreddit for a few months and a common thing I see is that people are struggling to switch to cooking real food when reducing UPF intake as it can be seen as time consuming and laborious. I have been cooking since I was a teenager out of necessity as my parents both worked full time and often long hours. I have a busy job and live in a city so I've picked up a few strategies to make my life easier. I am cooking for 2 with no kids for reference, obviously for those with bigger families this may not be so easy!

1. Stocks and broths

Stock cubes and premade cartons of stock are a common form of UPF and although I still use them occasionally, I have found an easy and more tasty solution. I keep a reusable ziplock bag in my freezer, everytime I cook I keep the odds, ends and scraps of vegetables and herbs. Same with any sad looking veg I won't be able to use. I try to buy bone in chicken if possible, I also save the bones and add them to the bag. Once it's full, add it to a big pot of boiling water for a few hours while I go about my business at home. Drain and freeze in leftover yogurt containers.

1. Bread

No knead bread! 500g flour, 350g water, 10g salt and half a packet of instant yeast. Mix and leave it in the fridge until it's doubled in size and I have time to cook it. Whack it in a casserole pot with a lid and it's done in 30mins. Normally I will do the prep in empty time like waiting for the kettle or the microwave so it doesn't really take any time out of the day. Loaf tin is an even easier method.

1. Quick veg prep

A big game changer has been a mini food processo mini chopper (along with a good knife). Whack carrot, onion and celery in and you have the base for Italian soups and ragu. Put some chickpeas in from a tin and you have hummus. It will cut 10 mins of dicing into 2. I use the ninja chopper but there are many others, often they come as an attachment with immersion blenders.

1. Prepare double of everything.

So you're making pasta or rice? Double it - egg fried rice and pasta salad the next day. You're making chicken? On a Sunday get the whole chicken and cook it. Keep it in the fridge and you've got wraps, curries, sandwiches. I make double of every dinner (or more) and keep it for lunch then next day or turn the leftovers into something else. This is even easier, and especially easy if you bulk out your meals with beans which take very minimal effort and are cheap.

1. Soup Trays

This has to be one of the easiest things I've found. You can also prepare in the oven at the same time as the bread to save on electricity costs. Whack a load of veg on a tray, doesn't even have to be chopped as long as the sizes are pretty small. I normally use tomato halves, carrots, onions and garlic. Cover in fat of choice, whatever herbs and spices you like and bake for 30mins. Then you literally just need to blend it with the defrosted stock and you're good to go! I make big batches, just chop a bit extra for my dinner and pop it in the oven while I eat. It's also a great way to use up the random stuff in the fridge.
I would appreciate if anyone else has any tips to leave them below! I will add more in the comments if I can think of anything.

Let me start by apologizing for any format errors as I'm on mobile.
I have a recipe for a creamy white wine chicken pot pie filling that I used to make often when I lived with my parents. My problem is that it calls for whole milk....and my boyfriend is allergic to dairy.
What is the closest type of non dairy milk I could use as a substitute?

Hey just thought I'd share this home remedy (not to replace Metamucil+Colace) for constipation. I've always kept leftover bones from any meat I cook in the freezer for making stock. Generally I separate pork/beef/lamb bones in one container and chicken in another so I can make two different stocks. I accumulate these pretty quick because I buy all my chicken bone-in and tend to eat a lot of beef/pork ribs.
Anyway, homemade stock I have always found to be an ideal laxative and that's certainly holding true post-fistulotomy (had my surgery this past Friday and first BM this morning). Whether that's just drinking it straight, or if you sub it in for water when cooking white rice it has the same effect. Not to mention bone broth has a ton of minerals/collagen that I expect is good for the healing process.
I think you have to make it homemade, the stuff you'd buy in a store (unless you buy it frozen from a butcher that makes it) is going to be so extensively filtered/strained that you lose a lot of suspended proteins that cause it to be a laxative. Those same suspended proteins is what causes bone broth to spoil very quickly so you need to be careful in prep to be food safe.
Instructions: - fill a stock pot with as much bones as you've got (I've got a big stock pot and fill it to the brim) and some whole peppercorns
- cover with cold water and bring to a boil, skimming foam that collects on the surface continually (about an hour)
- once it hits boil, immediately reduce to the lowest simmer you can
- simmer for as long as you can (I go for about 10 hours, longer would be better and you definitely wouldn't want to go much shorter) adding water as needed to keep the bones covered. I pour in boiling water from a kettle so that I don't have to turn the heat up on the stock pot to get it back to a simmer
- in the final hour, add a couple onions, head of garlic sliced in half, couple carrots, couple pieces of celery, parsley if you've got it and continue simmering
- strain out the solids through a mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth
- put it back on the heat and reduce by half
- take off the heat and add a bunch of ice to cool it rapidly. This is key. You do NOT want to let the stock sit out to cool, nor can you just throw it in the fridge. The stock will stay in the bacterial growth zone for way too long if you don't ice it down (which is why you reduce it first since you'll be diluting with ice) and with all the suspended proteins in it it's like the best ever environment for bacteria to grow in. Add enough ice to get it chilled.
- once you've cooled it down with ice, put it in a large container in the fridge overnight.
- the next day, skim any accumulated fat off the top and then you can portion the stock into individual containers to throw in the freezer. I keep used plastic containers for this whether thats yogurt containers or ones from takeout food.
- stock will only last a couple days in the fridge once unthawed but personally I wouldn't risk that. I take it straight from the freezer, rehheat and use immeadiately.
Good luck and happy pooping

I deliver for Instacart, and only shop at Costco. I figured I'd share the most common purchases, not including the staples like produce, meat & dairy

1. Kirkland water
2. Summ egg rolls
3. Bibigo dumplings
4. Panda chocolate wafers
5. Kirkland granola bars
6. String cheese
7. Chicken pot pie
8. Dill pickle salad
9. Kirkland tortilla chips
10. Activia yogurt
11. Hummus
12. Kirkland coffee pods

How many of these are on your list??
**adding Bubly. That stuff sells like crazy

When we go into battle.. customers will piss you off. They will demand to be serviced. They will order 3 buckets at a time. Though I walk into the valley of the shadow of death, I have no fear. For f*k these customers and may they all burn in hll. Amen.
I don’t understand these people who eat so much fried chicken and so often. The store I work at currently, the customers are SO entitled. Go into the back to work on something, and you hear people yell “HeLLoooooo??!!?”. They don’t even give you 5 seconds to walk out there. You end up going out front and they don’t even know what they want…. or expect you to walk them through everything. “I want chicken”. Okay… what kind of chicken? “The regular”…… or “Can I get a pound of pastrami”. If they ask for Primo pepper chicken I just give them Dietz brand.. if they ask for mesquite turkey and I don’t have one open I give them any turkey and just put the mesquite label on. Look at me funny? I’ll add a few dollars to the price. Come in late? That’s a $2 fee. Be rude to me? $3-$5 fee. No one’s ever noticed and if they do I’d just say I printed the wrong tag let me change it. I save all the bad unsellable pierces for the rude customers. Oh you wanted 2 fresh buckets and you were rude? I’ll pick out the smallest pieces. Then there’s people who get mad we run out of chicken and they have to wait. It’s not my fault people come by and buy 2 or 3 or 4 buckets at a time, but that doesn’t stop them from snitching. This lady complained TWICE the other day and left her number. I’m sorry but I signed that he’s number up for scam/spam messages. What exactly is the mentality you have to have to mess/jeopardize with somebody’s job/livelihood? Like is it really that big of a deal? This lady last Monday came in saying we never had hot pot pies. I told her I’m sorry but we do have cold ones that you just need to heat up. “Well I don’t want to heat them up”. Well okay you f***ing b*ch, was just trying to help. That’s exactly why I don’t try and be “nice”. Customers like that are exactly why I don’t bend over backwards and give a fake smiley attitude. Whatever attitude you come to me with is the one I give back I really dgaf anymore…
Rant over. Good luck ladies and gents.
Anyone else need to rant?

Hello I'm Kate marsh and I'm here to give you the rules for the Blake's house. I'm not going to relive my experience by telling y'all what happened but this I guess is my way of helping who ever finds them self there. So here goes nothing.
Rule 1: as you drive it should be a trailer if not then circle around until it is then pull into the drive way.
Rule 2: the key will be underneath the first step of the stairs. After getting it unlock the door and enter. You may feel a weird presence there but don't worry that's normal.
Rule 3: there should be 3 to 4 cats 1 orange 2 or 3 gray cats. They stay in the house except for one that comes in and out she has a pink collar and is light gray. If not in the house make sure it's her when she wants in.
Rule 4: to identify the right cat look at there teeth,eyes,fur color and there size. (Kate here Sense I'm recounting my story there's no picture but if y'all ever find y'all selfs here then y'all will see and better identify the cats)
Rule 5: there is no attic door. Sense our house is a trailer if you see a attic door make sure it's closed if not hurry and hold it close for 15 seconds then close your eyes and say "there's no attic door" 5 times then open your eyes it should be gone. If it's for some reason still there then go and hide in the cats room for 15 minutes then go back to doing the chores.
Rule 6: your chores. You need to feed the cats, make sure they have water, clean there litter boxes (yes 2 of them), vacuum the house, dust the house and make sure everything is "normal"
Rule 7: when going into the parents room make sure you cut the light on before the door shut if you don't just exit the room fast, close the door behind you and wait 15 seconds and try again. If the bed is inmade make it up. The pillows go light to dark and should face either outwards or inwards. Then clean the litter box in there.
Rule 8: make sure there's a crystal in each room of the house if not go back into the parents room a d grab a crystal form the box and place on the crystal holder in the room. If a crystal have turned black and glowing dark smash it with a hammer and replace it and burn the smashed one in the fire place mounted in the wall in the living room.
Rule 9: when I tearing the cat room make sure they haven't pulled out anything form the closest. It's a storage room aswell and they tend to mess with the stuff.
Rule 10: after finishing with the second litter box in the playroom take the bag outside go around back and dumb the stuff into the water hole. Me and the wife been needing to fill it and been using there "stuff" to do it with. Then throw the bag into the trash and head back inside.
Rule 11: there food labeled in the fridge for you to eat or cook. When using the stove make sure it's not smoking. If it start to turn it off and clean it. Then try again. It you fail to clean it make sure the fire is normal if not see rule 12.
Rule 12: fire colors. If the fire is green that's ok it won't hurt you and will actually boost the vitamins and proteins of your meal. If the fire is blue or will make it stay cold and even frost your meal. If the fire red it will cook faster and may even burn Thur the pot or pan. If the fire is yellow or orange it's will act like regular fire. If the fire is clear then get the fire extinguisher and put it out. It may or may not summon the spirit of the anime if your using meat. If the fires black then just leave the house there's no hope for it or our cats.
Rule 13: after eating make sure to put your dishes in the dish water. If the dish washer expands I yo the wall and looks like a mini galaxy underwater is on the other side close the door and wait 30 minutes. If it just expands a few feet then close the door and wait 5 minutes. If normal then just use it regularly (the cascade is on the counter).
Rule 14: if you need a break sit in the recliner. If you feel your being watched just ignore it. If you see a what looks like a flash light shining on the reflection of the TV ignore it. If the room suddenly gets cold just rap your self with one of the blankets on the back of the couch. Of you start to feel scared and or shake try and remain calm and breathe in and out and think of happy stuff the effects will only last around 10 minutes then get back to working.
Rule 15: make sure the vacuum the cat room, the hallway, the living room, the kitchen, the second hallway and the parents room, it should be normal but dobt try to vacuum the rugs cause there get sucked in like a cartoon but if you accidentally do suck one up it's ok it'll just come out your pay.
Rule 16: the kids room. Do.not.go.into.there.room if you hear breathing ignore it. If you hear rattling ignore it. If you hear banging. Ignored it. If you hear faint sounds like a TV on just ignore it. It's not really and not important.
Rule 17: remember to feed and water the cats. There food is in a box with a twist on lid on the kitchen it most twist off left is it twist off right then close it back and go on to giving them water.
Rule 18: there water. Making sure it's not a weird color. If it's blood change it. If it's cyan it's fine its just more purified. If it's yellow it's piss. Change it. If it's briwn take it it's not what you think. It's chocolate just put it in the fridge and replace there bowl (the other blows are on the counter in the kitchen as well). If the water black then dumb it outside in the water hole and toss the bowl in aswell and make sure your hands are clean of the stuff.
Rule 19: make sure each window is showing the same weather if not close each one for 15 seconds and keep trying till they do. Even if it's the wrong weather it only matters that there the same.
The last rule. Rule 20: after leaving the monster will be send by mail if done everything correctly you will receive 700$ and a thank you card. Make sure it's us that returbed home that night if not then I hope you stay say and dint meet another clone. Of you have dreams of our house go seak a thipist just tell them "you house sat for the Blake's" there give you medicine to stop the dreams. If you go back and see our house is gone it's ok we were never hear. If your house start acting like ours did move out and forget your things it's our new house now and we're sorry. With this you are prepared for your job hopefully you enjoy and follow the rules.

Let's face it, rainy days can be a lazy time even on the best plans. But don't fear, fellow redditors! I am here to give you creative and wonderful ideas. So, you can transform a gloomy day into a cozy and enjoyable one. This guide is here to bring you the perfect picks to make your rainy day as a wonderful and a funny one.

Rainy day cozy activities for you

• Reading books- Find most attractive books that you love and they will be nice friends for you in rainy time. you can choose audiobooks, podcasts to make your rainy day as a wonderful one with a hot coffee.
• Movies and shows- Choose the rainy day comedies, comfort movies, TV shoes, and more to spend your rainy day joyfully.
• Games and puzzles- You can choose board games, card games, word puzzles, logic puzzles, family games, educational games, fun puzzle games for kids, and more to spend the rainy days in a funny way with much happy.
• Indoor activities - Try out indoor games, making new recipes, painting, drawing, origami, model building, playing musical instruments, and more. That will be a great experience for you with the cold climate.
• Comfort Food Delights- You can take the help of your mother or grandmother and make delicious meals to spend a cozy rainy day. You can make rainy day comfort foods. I usually make chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, chili, lentil soup,mac and cheese, spaghetti, chicken pot pie, shepherd's pie, and tuna noodle casserole. Actually, they are perfect for rainy day comfort foods.
• Self care- You can have a warm bath, putting a face mask, and more to refresh you. That will be a great chance for you to improve your appearance.

So, these are my rainy day activities for families to have a funny and enjoyable time during a long rainy day. Share Your Perfect Picks! In the comments, tell us about your favorite things to do in a rainy day. It will add more value to this guide.

I really need help figuring out why I'm still gaining weight. I'm gonna add a bit of backstory so that all the details are there. I apologize in advance it's been a whole journey.
I (25F, 300lb) have a heart issue which has caused me to get inactive over the years. Heartrate > 110bpm usually around 115bpm. Around 160-180 when walking or standing. It's likely POTS according to my doctors, but they aren't completely sure and I've been fighting for years to try to get an answer and I just can't afford to try to chase it down. They've told me that even if that is what it is there is nothing they can do that isn't already being addressed.
In high school when I was 15-17 I used to be very anorexic. I tried to solve the issue on my own- eventually led to binge eating disorder but I'm currently trying to work on that (I'm on medication for it). I'm not perfect but it's a process.
I also used to eat nothing but junk food. This is likely do to my ARFID, I've had this issue my entire life, it has been a huge process.
So I have slowly over the past two years been changing my diet and getting medical help for issues with my body. (When I can afford it anyways, I'm American, health care is expensive).
Changes I've made:

• Lowered the amount of calories. I try to keep myself at 1200-1300 but most days I go over that and it ends up being 1700.
• Swapped all drinks for water. I will have one soda maybe every two weeks but even that is rare. (I used to drink 4-5 sodas a day and zero water. I now drink 3-4, 16oz bottles of water. I have to mix 1 of them with electrolytes though. I'm supposed to consume a lot of salt.)
• Cut back significantly on pasta and have attempted to eliminate other carbs. (I used to eat pasta or bread everyday, I'm trying to reduce that to once a week but currently it's at 2-3x). I replaced the pasta with baked chicken or a pork chop.
• CPAP Machine for severe sleep apnea - Apparently I used to have 450 AHI. I was told that besides the obvious fixes for not being able to breathe while sleeping, it would also help with weight loss. That has not been my experience.
• Cut back on junk food, or replaced it with healthier alternatives. EX: Almonds, cucumbers or carrots instead of chips. Smoothies with veggies like spinach and kale usually mixed with banana or peanut butter instead of sweets. (I limit the smoothies to 1/2 cup per day. Most days I don't even have any). I also chew gum when I'm giving cravings, I've noticed half the time I'm not hungry. Just need something to chew on.
• Exercising - I used to be completely sedentary because of the heartrate and chest pain issues I have. The issue now is that on top of that, I also have been deconditioned so I'm going from nothing to just something a few minutes a day. It doesn't always happen though, doing too much in one day can and does leave me unable to get out of bed. Currently I live up three flights of stairs so I usually use those, or VR exercise (boxing, beat saber), also I bought an infinity hoop but I can't keep it going so it's not very helpful. Sometimes I try to walk around my building but with my heartrate so high, I have to be careful about being able to make it back up the stairs. I am in the process of moving, and my new apartment will have a gym and a pool. So I'm hoping with it being more accessible I will be able to increase exercise even more.

Results:
When I started this, I was 23-24 and weighed 253lbs. I am 25- turning 26 in three months. I weigh 301lbs.
I can not figure out why I continue to gain weight despite eating less and exercising more. at the very least, I'd expect it to be stabilized but that isn't the case. It makes me demotivated and exhausted. I really don't want to get weight loss surgery. It can cause long term health issues and I honestly just can't handle anymore on top of what I already have. Also I want to be able to do this for myself.
My goal is currently to get back to 250 but my extreme long term goal is to get to 150. I'd be satisfied with 200.
I'd appreciate any advice. Tell me what I'm doing wrong please. I know I'm not moving very fast, and that I could be doing more extreme changes but I'm trying to build habits that aren't going to go away, It's very hard for me to keep a routine so this has taken me a long time and with zero results I'm just ready to give up.

I put a whole chicken in my instant pot and then into the oven to broil.
I have the bones left and the innards.
Thinking about making a broth with the bones. Maybe throw in the innards too?
Or doing something else?

The amount of my brother's habits I have to accomodate to is insane. I can't put food in the fridge most the time (and considering it's almost summer, it's far too hot to be leaving food out of the fridge. Im going to end up with spiilt food.) I have to find hiding spaces for food all the fuckin time.
If I don't hide food he'll eat it all or shove his hands in it. My brother has terrible hygiene. His hands are touching his private parts all day and he never washes his hands. Food is basically as good as trash after he gets to it.
I can't have a drink, because he'll try take it out of my hands. Even though he's had 4 bottles of sports drink and i just wanted a glass of juice..
I can't eat without being stared at because he wants to have it. Even though he basically eats everything he can find (except greens because they look too healthy to him).
I can't cook or bake without having to have eyes at the back of my head. Is he gonna try eat raw chicken out the pot again? Is he even gonna let my cake cool down? Can I drain boiling pasta water in the sink without someone sneaking up on me?
I am currently setting an alarm for dawn so I can bake my other brother's birthday cake in peace. I don't know how I'm going to refrigerate it though because it's tres leches. I could make a different cake but tres leches is favourite. Food is never about us. Something so normal isn't about us. Maybe on our birthdays we deserve any damn cake we like.
Update: I made the cake and the asshole shoved his dirty hands in it. Just fuckin had enough of dealing with dumb shit like this.
Also update: I got told off by my dad instead for being upset about it. And my brother faces no consequences as usual

I am what you might call the “Iron Chef” of ground beef. Nothing amps up a good taco, sloppy joe, chili, creme brulee, or carbonara then perfectly browned ground beef.
I also boil a mean pot of water.
Normally I am also a master of choosing pre-made sauces, with recipes on the back that I can hand down for generations as an heirloom, but recently Reddit has called to my attention that by having cooked with nonstick cookware at any point in my existence, I am bound to die a grisly death at any moment.
So I have decided to upgrade my cookware to go with these amazing recipes, such that six generations from now, my descendents can admire their pots and pans while reading the back of a tattered photocopy of a McCormick spice packet.
I thought about a LeCreuset signature 12 piece cast iron set, but decided it was too pedestrian and the French made me feel effeminate. The responsiveness of an All-Clad 5-ply copper core bonded 14 piece set is also tempting, or even the graphite core, but also not exotic enough, especially if I decide to branch out into ground pork or ground chicken.
Has anyone had any experience commissioning exotic cookware sets, such as platinum, titanium, molybdenum, or uranium? Any insight appreciated.

Before I got an instant pot , I cooked meat in smaller portions to where I would just put the meat drippings in a plastic bag and threw it away.
With the instant pot , I cook 5-6 lbs of chicken breast at a time , and this generates a lot of drippings .
I only start with a quarter to half cup of water , but the drippings that come out fill almost half the entire pot .
Because of this , I don’t know how to dispose this. It’s also too much to use for other things , like gravy , and too much to freeze.
What is the best way to dispose ?
Can I just pour this down the drain? I know in general you are not supposed to pour drippings , but this is all from boneless , skinless chicken breast so it should be very little fat content , which is the main issue with pouring drippings down the drain