Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Thanks for the comments. I think weekly planning is the key. And I will let each family member choose a meal - that will be interesting.

@dbcurrie - your questions are interesting... i just don't know if we're usign the best forum... but nonetheless I will try to answer you to the best of my ability.

In regards to the nutritional value... I am not certain. This was information given to me, and at the time my natural doctor explained it to me, it made sense, so I just integrated it into my life. But to be honest, I am not a nutritionist, so I have no hands-on knowledge on this data point.

the way I do it... I reheat something to eat it the next day. I try to avoid reheating in the microwave. But when I do reheat, I try to add something - more water to a soup, some extra veggies, a bit of milk to make a sauce creamy again, add spinach, etc. The rule of thumb... don't keep leftovers in the fridge for a 4-5 days and then just reheat it as is. I am trying to cook less to avoid having too much left.

never thought about the marinating... but that's pre-cooking, i guess. you're just preparing something to be cooked. I marinate tomatoes... but that only takes me about 1 hour and I eat them without cooking them. Coleslaw... you need to maybe make it the day before to have it wilt nicely in teh dressing. Eat it when it's ready... but I would not eat it after 2-3 days of being originally made...

I do freeze... I use frozen veggies and freeze berries to use them in smoothies, etc. What I do not do is, for example, make a lasagna and freeze it to eat 2 weeks from now when I am hungry but do not have the time to cook... but I have made tostones halfway, freeze them and then fry them finally right before eating...

I don;t know if this helps or leaves you with more questions... it's just something that I believe in and makes sense to me... don't know if it does to you too. I may be wrong, but when trying to live a natural-lifestyle as possible it works for me. If you still would like to discuss any further - email me at karmafreecooking{at}yahoo{dot}com.

@Madelyn, when you said, "loses most of its nutritional value," were you referring just to this change from satvic to rajasic properties which means the food would make you restless instead of calm -- or do you also mean that nutritional value as in calories, carbs, proteins, minerals, vitamins, fats, etc. also diminish to almost nothing 24 hours after being cooked?

You mentioned reheating...so if you cooked a food one day and didn't reheat it but ate it as-is the next day, is that still a problem? Is it the reheating or the ticking clock? Or both?

And when you talk about cooking, are you referring only to cooking as in heating the foods, or does cooking include marinating, macerating, grinding, mixing, etc. So, are lets say, pickled foods considered cooked? Is a salad considered "cooked" if it isn't heated? Not so much green salads, but say cole slaw or something like that?

How about freezing?

If you don't want to answer, that's fine. I'm just curious.

@dbcurrie - the 24-hour rule was advice given to me originally by my natural doctor. I trust him, so I never doubted the information.

I have also read that according to ancient ajurvedic medicine foods are classified into Tamasic, Rajasic and Satvic. Tamasic is the type of food that makes you lethargic and is considered harmful to both mind and body. Rajasic is the food that provoke restlessness and Satvic foods are those that are calming and lead to clarity of the mind. To increase our health and well-being we must consume as much satvic foods as possible and minimize the tamasic and rajasic. Tamasic are meat products, alcohol, drugs, eggs, etc. Rajasic are spices, coffee, tea, chocolate, mushrooms, dairy products, processed foods, flours, etc. Satvic are all fruits and vegetables, legumes, water.

I learned at a seminar that food that is over-cooked and that was cooked 24 hrs prior of being consumed falls into the rajasic category - because it's not as fresh as when it was just cooked. Usually one's diet should consist of mostly satvic with very little rajasic in it. So for that, I adopted as a rule to not eat any leftovers that are over 24 hrs of being originally cooked. This has forced me to learn to cook less quantities to allow as little left over as possible and I try to then add something fresh to the left-overs in order to "revive" them.

this is just something I have learned, believe in and follow. I share it as my POV. Nobody else needs to subscribe to the same idea. I have been known to eat my share of frozen foods from time to time and do not critize anyone who does. But in an ideal world, one in which our food can be our medicine as well as our nourishment... it's something to maybe consider...

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking