Everyday Systems

Finally got to enjoy a chocolate chip muffin from the batch I made my kids this week! I count them as an S because they are definitely dangerous for me! Afterwards, I thought, I want a grilled cheese sandwich! Cooked it up and it wasn't so great....the 'american cheese', that we always buy and have always had in the house, well, it was kind of sweet. Isn't that wierd? Have you found on S days that foods you thought would be so great suddenly just didn't do it for you? What a strange phenomenon. Or was I just full from the muffin?

I think a lot of us have gotten a lot more selective about food since starting No-S. Processed foods, especially sweets, aren't very good anyway, but you don't notice it so much until you eat them less often.

Many of us bake our own now. Anything we make is certain to be tastier and better than nearly anything we can buy.

I absolutely love to bake and am so happy to know that I can still do that. When I was doing low-carb I just couldn't believe I could never bake (eat) chocolate chip cookies, etc., again. And if I bake something for my kids/hubbie on N days, I am actually okay waiting until the weekend for mine. Another reason No-S is so great! (Bear with me, I'm in the throws of 'new love' with No-S!)

ITA! One of the best things about this new eating plan is that I can continue my life long love of good food! I love to bake and I cook almost everything from scratch. Now with No S I don't have to give that up, I just intentionally define when and how much I will enjoy. I'm in the drivers seat and I'm loving it!

Another added bonus is I've noticed I can enjoy watching Food Network shows again without guilt! LOL

You must be pretty cook bakers or not around some of the awesome bakeries and such we have around here. Also, I still can't be trusted not to eat too much of the dough or batter. Believe me, I've tried. Maybe next year. I've actually given up most baking just because it's so easy to find good stuff.

I concentrated years ago on learning to cook a greater variety of grains and vegetables. This summer, I want to spend some time learning to make some of my own sauces.

But along the lines of the original question, yes, some things don't taste as good and some taste even better! Like oranges that can taste like candy!

Ah yes, home baked goodies.

I had to give up baking because I would spend all week planning my baking for S Days....and then...yes, I would scrape the batter, eat warm stuff as it came out of the oven, even out the slices if you know what I mean. It was just too much. I even tried giving it away, but I still ate too much. I was even making my own artisan bread...the smell of baked bread would just overpower me. Freezing didn't help either...microwaves are very good at thawing.

So I had to establish an out of house rule to keep S Days from totally derailing me. But we are all different. I just can't have the "crack" in the house!

oolala53 wrote:You must be pretty cook bakers or not around some of the awesome bakeries and such we have around here. Also, I still can't be trusted not to eat too much of the dough or batter. Believe me, I've tried. Maybe next year. I've actually given up most baking just because it's so easy to find good stuff.

I concentrated years ago on learning to cook a greater variety of grains and vegetables. This summer, I want to spend some time learning to make some of my own sauces.

But along the lines of the original question, yes, some things don't taste as good and some taste even better! Like oranges that can taste like candy!

I'm a pretty good cook, and an okay baker, but we don't have many decent bakeries around here. And they're so expensive! I have a hard time justifying spending $3.50 for a cupcake when the ingredients cost me far less.

I'm a single and I've learned to cut recipes, even baking recipes, down to size. Small Batch Baking was a great help. There's also Small Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers. I don't own a microwave, so I can't thaw things quickly. Besides, I was always disappointed when I did thaw things in the microwave.

I quit baking too! With only the two of us here, a cake or pie was just too much of a temptation (I hate to throw food away) and the freezer was always full of too many goodies that would call to me late at night.
and...back to the main point..yes, foods do taste different to me. There is no way I could eat a bar of milk chocolate anymore! It is sooo sweet to me! I now prefer applesauce on pancakes and in hot cereals. I took a sip of my hubby's "sweet iced tea" McD's and had to immediately have a swallow of black coffee..yuck!

Tex, I hope I don't ever have to completely give up baking! It's early days for me right now on No-S and I may go a little overboard on weekends at first, but I am already learning that too much will leave me feeling sick!

Wosnes, I'll have to check out those books - never heard of small batch baking! But I have two teenagers and a husband who can eat what is left at the end of the weekend!

I'm actually baking -- and cooking -- more than ever.

Mamamia, you certainly don't have to give up baking if it is something you enjoy! Like Wosnes, I find that I'm cooking and baking more than ever. In fact, I baked 2 goodies for S day breakfasts and treats just this weekend. If I've made more than can be eaten, I either freeze baked goods for a later date -- do this all the time! -- or send goodies in with DH to take into work.

Happy baking!!!

Actually, I re-connected to my enjoyment of baking after finding No-S. Which is a nice bonus.

Partly because I've gotten much pickier about my treats, and homemade is generally better than store-bought.

Partly because I don't worry so much about over-eating. I mostly don't. It does happen, but not like it used to, and it's just not such a guilt trip when it does. (Mark it and move on...)

mamamia wrote:a grilled cheese sandwich! Cooked it up and it wasn't so great....the 'american cheese', that we always buy and have always had in the house, well, it was kind of sweet. Isn't that wierd?

Congratulations on your success!

I've consciously started to buy better quality, stronger flavoured cheese (eg good, artisan cheddar) instead of cheaper pre-packed cheeses. I enjoy it more, and a smaller amount is more satisfying because of the intense flavour. The cheese is more expensive, but less is needed.

Two areas of comment: cheese..yum! I was on the Cabot cheese site.. and discovered that the more a cheese is aged, the lower the lactose count! I have lactose issues, and it did seem to me that aged cheeses were something I could eat without distress. i agree..a good cheese is worth it's price. I love mixing cheeses on a toasted cheese .. double yum!
Baking: I was thinking about why I really quit baking and came to the realization that I never liked to bake! I did it because it was the thing to do when I was growing up and then..I thought, as a mom, I had to bake! And I did.. My sons both enjoy cooking and baking so ..maybe my "sacrifice" did some good! I never realized how freeing my saying, "I don't bake." has been to me! No one expects me to bring desserts to anything.. if I'm having a dinner party, someone offers to bring dessert and says, "..because I know you don't bake anymore.." Can't believe I never thought about this before!

As for cheese, yes, I think NO-S is definitely going to raise my standards....

Granny G, your post made me laugh because I used to think I was supposed to like cooking (baking's a different story) and the truth is I don't really. I took up knitting last year and realized I enjoyed that in a way I never enjoyed cooking!

Truth be told, I'm not sure I really like cooking or baking. I do, however, like to eat, and I like to eat good, high quality food. I'm not one of those people who goes to the kitchen to fiddle around and have fun. I'm one of those people who goes to the kitchen to make a meal. I don't cook or bake for fun; both are a means to an end.

I don't cook anything fancy, nor do I bake anything fancy. I don't spend my time decorating cakes or cookies. There are people who like to do that, are talented at doing that and possibly get paid to do that. They can do that.

I will say that I get tremendous satisfaction from baking my own bread. In addition to everything else, it tastes better than most store bought bread and it's significantly cheaper.