Mentally Healthy Foods
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kshama2001 wrote: »
Oh, yes, I have unsweetened chocolate. But Baker's is I believe 16 squares in 4 oz now, and Hershey's is 8, so my issue is with the conversion. And if by "chocolate" she meant unsweetened, which I'm sure she did due to the amount of sugar.
Another fun thing about old recipes is that they never list the oven temperature, so I assume she meant 350 degrees F.
I wish I could help. I only bake bread and rolls. I don't think cookies matter too much on temp and the recipe calls for 5-10 minutes which is a crazy spread. Anywhere from 350 to 400 should do the trick I think.
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"mentally healthy" I thought you were talking about...fish. brain food. you are talking about food that uplifts the soul. ok . that's a good thing. I would not kick the rules and regs to the curb but I would include them...most definitely.4
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mutantspicy wrote: »LMAO. Grilled Cheese is the only good thing you mention in this thread and it has to be with tomato soup or it doesn't count. Everything else you mention is either gross or heartburn city. Baseball Park Nachos .. GAG!
One of my favourite sayings is "Don't yuck someone else's yum."
Crapping on someone's nostalgic meals is pretty rude and unnecessary. Everyone is entitled to enjoy different foods, let's all be kind.25 -
Red pepper jelly with cream cheese on Ritz crackers is always comforting because it reminds me of my Grandpa. He and I were the only ones that liked it, so it was 'our' thing when I was little.
As an adult I found a recipe for it and canned a bunch so we got to enjoy it together again, for awhile.
Swedish pancakes. Roast goose with sweet and sour cabbage and dumplings.
Mmmm....mental health memory comfort food. Just thinking about it makes me happy.8 -
I'm a firm believer (to the point that I'm probably annoying about it) in the idea that "health" isn't just about the physical. It's okay, even good, to prioritize our mental health, and anything that causes joy is good (at least in moderation, if necessary).
When I'm sick, I want god-awful, nutritionally-deficient white bread toast with melted butter and Sprite. I can think of a bunch of goods ways to make it more nutritious (toasted Ezekiel bread with mashed avocado and sparkling water with lemon/lime slices, for example), but the nutrient-dense version doesn't make me feel like my mom is taking care of me. That mental/emotional boost is good for me.17 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I love those old recipe cards (especially when they have food stains!). and anything I find with my mom’s handwriting on it. It kind of makes me sad that my kids won’t really have that familiarity with my handwriting.
Speaking of, one of my nostalgia recipes is this freezer cheesecake my mom used to make for my birthday. Graham cracker crust, and a filling that when I found the recipe had an ingredient I had to look up - Millnot. Also powdered lemon jello and cream cheese. A very unique texture - I never knew till I was an adult that most cheesecakes are baked!
I just had to google milnot. I think I would probably like the freezer cheesecake. I find the 'real' thing too sweet and rich for me.
Something I didn't learn until adulthood was that steaks are actually good if ordered medium rare.
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@carvedtones I imagine many of us have holiday type food memories. Cinnamon rolls are one of mine.
@kam26001 If costo polish dogs float your boat then great.
@raymax4 PB and pickle is an interesting pairing. Was that something your mom or dad did or just a personal preference?0 -
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@carvedtones I imagine many of us have holiday type food memories. Cinnamon rolls are one of mine.
@kam26001 If costo polish dogs float your boat then great.
@raymax4 PB and pickle is an interesting pairing. Was that something your mom or dad did or just a personal preference?
I don't really have any mentally healthy foods that remind me of good times but I *have* tried a pb & pickle sandwich! I read a series of books by Sue Grafton and that's something the main character would eat. It's pretty darned good.0 -
@Healthyhunny231567 Movie snacks. Definitely. I am a longtime raisinnettes fan.
@corinasue1143 Exactly. How can that NOT be good for you? This is and the BLT is kind of reminding me that we did not have much bacon in my house growing up.All the mouth can taste is sweet/salty/bitter. All the nuance we are getting from our sniffer.
I believe you missed sour and the new umami discovery.
@AnvilHead I was trying to take it beyond just comfort foods. I don't necessarily need a trip down memory lane I just enjoy it from time to time.
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@Cbean08 Foods that reconnect us with people we lost are very powerful imo. Celebrating the life of a loved one even with a simple jam is exactly what I am talking about. Thanks for sharing.
@ahoy_m8 That is not exactly what I had in mind but it is a great tip. There are foods that naturally elevate our moods without memory attachment.
@mbaker566 I like any pasta when I am feeling low. Chips and salsa remind me of some really nice parties.
@urloved33 I had a feeling a few people would mistake the intent of my thread.
@toxikon Thanks.
@Kadoober Sounds like you are definitely in my camp. One of the other reasons I wanted to start this thread is because I see some people here afraid of food and that makes me sad. Or they eat something they told themselves was a off-limits and they get angry. Food is life.
@AliceDark My illness toast memory is cinnamon sugar toast. It was actually one of the very few ways my father showed me compassion so I have mixed emotions on that one. But it is the same way I have to have sweet tea when I am ill and for some reason I like it even though I hate sweet tea in other contexts. The brain is funny.
@cyberberry I know but if you cut the cheesecake with jello it is not going to be as sweet or rich.
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Red pepper jelly with cream cheese on Ritz crackers is always comforting because it reminds me of my Grandpa. He and I were the only ones that liked it, so it was 'our' thing when I was little.
Are you sure? Speaking as a grandmother now, my grandkids and I have things that we love, that is, they love it and I love the way they look and
Act when we share it. Maybe you loved those crackers and grandpa loved you!4 -
There’s some science behind it.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-babble/201501/smells-ring-bells-how-smell-triggers-memories-and-emotions
I suggest if you go for emotionally evocative foods that you decide ahead of time what your portion will be and fully immerse yourself in the feelings and the memory.
Otherwise you may eat mindlessly, one after the other, trying to repeat the experience.
It makes sense and good advice for those of us that enjoy mental time travel.
My next example is something I will never eat again:
Boiled spinach from the frozen box or the can. I liked Popeye as much as the next kid but spinach cooked that way would only bring back negative emotions. Is is good for me nutritionally? Sure. Does it represent an otherwise fairly obedient child taking bite after nasty gagging bite for 45 minutes after the meal was over? You betcha. I like raw spinach and I like barely wilted spinach but even if I have outgrown the aversion to boiled it will not ever be on my plate again
OMG! This. My mom used to make us eat boiled spinach and boiled beet leaves with vinegar it was so gross to me as a kid. It took forever for me to try spinach again, and now its my absolute favorite green. But yeah I eat it raw in salads or mixed into soups or lentil stews or baked in casseroles. But never again will I boil a can of spinach and eat it as side dish. Its makes my skin crawl to even think about it.
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I don't really have any mentally healthy foods that remind me of good times but I *have* tried a pb & pickle sandwich! I read a series of books by Sue Grafton and that's something the main character would eat. It's pretty darned good.
I wouldn't be so sure. If you read a series of books that you enjoyed and mimicked the main character that binds you to the experience when you eat the pb & pickle. Plus, it is never too late to create more.
When I eat chili I think of Columbo. I have loved that show for years and years. It is not exactly the same as transporting me back in time but I don't discount the positive feeling I get.
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My mom lives near me and is a good cook. We're both single so she gives me portions of food when she cooks. My favorite is her homemade chicken noodle soup - soooo good. Served with crescent rolls + saltines. She also does excellent spaghetti + meatballs, lasagna, chili... I had one of her meals for lunch today. It was chicken breast on top of dried beef, in a sauce made of cream of mushroom soup + milk, with bacon on top. Served over white rice. She would count it as "healthy" because it's chicken
Oh BTW - my mom has always been a healthy weight, even with the wonderful cooking mentioned above. Moderation in all things!5 -
I'm not big on Pizza Hut, but the little snack bar area of my local Target sells these Pizza Hut personal pan pepperoni & cheese pizzas that take me straight back to the 80s and the "Book It!" reading program, where you turned in book reports and eventually got a coupon for a free personal pan pizza. I swear they look and taste identical. Such a good memory.9
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theres foods that make me think of people, sure. pretty sure we all have them. some i eat, some i dont lol
grandma- stuffed bell peppers. i loved them as a kid and she would make them for me all the time
papa- any baked goods (and really its where my love of baking came from) - but especially banana split cake. and i havent made that since he passed 3 years ago. i need to. my fiance would really like that. maybe next weekend when hes home....
my mom- spaghetti. i hate spaghetti to this day.
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Shake 'N Bake pork chops are comfort food for me that remind me of my Sunday dinners at my grandparents' house. My grandmother always made them with roasted carrots and potatoes and now I do the same. With a side of applesauce, of course.2
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I'm a firm believer (to the point that I'm probably annoying about it) in the idea that "health" isn't just about the physical. It's okay, even good, to prioritize our mental health, and anything that causes joy is good (at least in moderation, if necessary).
When I'm sick, I want god-awful, nutritionally-deficient white bread toast with melted butter and Sprite. I can think of a bunch of goods ways to make it more nutritious (toasted Ezekiel bread with mashed avocado and sparkling water with lemon/lime slices, for example), but the nutrient-dense version doesn't make me feel like my mom is taking care of me. That mental/emotional boost is good for me.
I always want toast when I'm sick too. Gluten free bread just doesn't cut it.
I've settled, after years of looking for something, for gluten free pretzels. Bland and salty. Ginger ale was the soda we always had when we were sick, so those two things are my feeling awful go-to's.4 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'm a firm believer (to the point that I'm probably annoying about it) in the idea that "health" isn't just about the physical. It's okay, even good, to prioritize our mental health, and anything that causes joy is good (at least in moderation, if necessary).
When I'm sick, I want god-awful, nutritionally-deficient white bread toast with melted butter and Sprite. I can think of a bunch of goods ways to make it more nutritious (toasted Ezekiel bread with mashed avocado and sparkling water with lemon/lime slices, for example), but the nutrient-dense version doesn't make me feel like my mom is taking care of me. That mental/emotional boost is good for me.
I always want toast when I'm sick too. Gluten free bread just doesn't cut it.
I've settled, after years of looking for something, for gluten free pretzels. Bland and salty. Ginger ale was the soda we always had when we were sick, so those two things are my feeling awful go-to's.
Ginger ale and poached egg on toast were my mother's go to when I was sick. And when I was home from school because I was sick, my grandfather always walked up to our house and brought me Wrigley's spearmint gum. He swore it could cure the world of any disease known to man. I don't see it around much anymore, but when I do it always makes me smile.4 -
When I was growing up, we would occasionally have scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and homemade biscuits for dinner. What made it special (besides breakfast for dinner!) was that mom and dad would bring home 8-10 different flavors of jelly for the biscuits - everything from grape to guava! Those were incredible nights.
Going with the smells theme, one grandfather always smoked cigars and to this day, I cannot smell a cigar without thinking of him. My other grandfather had a fireplace and always kept a fire going during the winter when we were visiting - that small always triggers memories of him and those visits.3 -
seltzermint555 wrote: »I'm not big on Pizza Hut, but the little snack bar area of my local Target sells these Pizza Hut personal pan pepperoni & cheese pizzas that take me straight back to the 80s and the "Book It!" reading program, where you turned in book reports and eventually got a coupon for a free personal pan pizza. I swear they look and taste identical. Such a good memory.
Yes but unless they have the tabletop arcade game, it just doesn't cut it...
Related note - I also am of the same generation and remember my mom having to get after me to put my book away at the table at Pizza Hut since that's pretty much all I wanted to do was keep reading. It helped that our Pizza Hut was right across the street from the library so we would often go cash in on the summer reading program perks at the library, get new books, go to pizza hut, cash in my book it certificates, and enjoy my personal pan pizza and kick my brother's butt at Ms Pacman and Galaga.
BEST DAYS EVER.5 -
@girlwithcurls2 Another vote for PB&Pickle. I may have to try this.
@corinasue1143 I love that you are passing along nice food memories to your grandchildren.
@mutantspicy So we agree that a traditionally healthy food might not be mentally healthy. I mean it has to work both ways, right?sunfastrose wrote: »My mom lives near me and is a good cook. We're both single so she gives me portions of food when she cooks. My favorite is her homemade chicken noodle soup - soooo good. Served with crescent rolls + saltines. She also does excellent spaghetti + meatballs, lasagna, chili... I had one of her meals for lunch today. It was chicken breast on top of dried beef, in a sauce made of cream of mushroom soup + milk, with bacon on top. Served over white rice. She would count it as "healthy" because it's chicken
Oh BTW - my mom has always been a healthy weight, even with the wonderful cooking mentioned above. Moderation in all things!
Make sure you get the recipes. I love her definition of healthy.
I don't fix food I learned from my mother she fixes food she has learned from me.0 -
seltzermint555 wrote: »I'm not big on Pizza Hut, but the little snack bar area of my local Target sells these Pizza Hut personal pan pepperoni & cheese pizzas that take me straight back to the 80s and the "Book It!" reading program, where you turned in book reports and eventually got a coupon for a free personal pan pizza. I swear they look and taste identical. Such a good memory.
@WinoGelato has a similar memory so this reply is for her too.
I love this memory because it is so unexpected. I don't have a specific food but the librarian at my high school would let me eat my lunch in the library (shocking I know) because I was such an avid reader, not to mention I was a charismatic devil that got away with all kinds of things.2 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »theres foods that make me think of people, sure. pretty sure we all have them. some i eat, some i dont lol
grandma- stuffed bell peppers. i loved them as a kid and she would make them for me all the time
papa- any baked goods (and really its where my love of baking came from) - but especially banana split cake. and i havent made that since he passed 3 years ago. i need to. my fiance would really like that. maybe next weekend when hes home....
my mom- spaghetti. i hate spaghetti to this day.
If I have inspired you to fix the cake I am happy. If you were going to do it anyway I am still happy. Enjoy celebrating his life!0 -
@DamienAngelica Shake N Bake was not a phenomenon that was I aware of until early married life. I can see why that meal is comforting.
@GottaBurnEmAll and @lporter229 Ginger ale is always in my food first aid kit. My egg on toast dish is a fried egg over easy.
@ccrdragon I read the first line of your reply and thought, "what, no gravy?" But then I saw the jelly party part and thought that was probably really fun. If you ever visit I will make a withdrawal from my humidor. I enjoy a cigar on occasion and I smoke a pipe on occasion too.
I think I am caught up now.
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Waffles, using my dad's recipe. On nights when my mom would work late my dad would cook, and when I had a bad day and he was cooking he would make me waffles for dinner.
Now I make them sometimes when I've had a bad day and my husband, who's very much a "breakfast food is for mornings ONLY" kind of guy, will be on his own for dinner.3 -
Movie theater popcorn reminds me of trips to the circus and whatever new blockbuster movie came out with my huge extended family as a kid. Even most of my date nights, single or now married, involved the movies. Great times. I still must have popcorn at every movie or event.2
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Cosmic brownies make me feel like a child again. Asking my grandma if I could pick something out of the "snack drawer" in her old country house. Heck, she still has a snack drawer in her new house. She asked me to let her dog out after work and to eat something if I needed.
Opened the snack drawer..
and there was a Cosmic brownie waiting for adult me
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