Glad to hear about the balancing out, Stasher.Stasher wrote:I've been playing some catch up following a six week nightmare. We had a family crisis involving emergency life saving operations and several days in ICU, but everything is now evening out.
Totally agree - as a family, we're dealing with inoperable terminal cancer, and it's noticeable that the comfort foods - whether they're a bit of chocolate, a lot of carb, or a dram of scotch or rum, are really, really important. When you haven't slept and you're on call, you need that to get you through. Am horrified at how much more I eat than the rest of my family, though and I'm not overweight, eitherSo the preps have taken a bit of a bashing what with no time to to go shopping or anything in between hospital visits, livestock and work. The main prep related item of note to come out of this is that when people are in an emotional and distressed state what is craved is comfort food, and large amounts of it!
Going through your highlights, these are the ones I'd put in myself:
1. variety was shopped for, not quantity - that left us with no eggs one day, for the invalid or for us Shopping not done by a prepper. And if I'd put my spoke in, there'd have been nowhere to store it anyway - the whole house (a normal 3 bed semi) is overwhelmed with everyday items and clothes for those of us taking part in the caring, plus bulky medical equipment.
2. making a shopping list that everyone has access to was crucial - waterproof plastic bags, a particular cream, a hearing aid battery, a particular food, whatever.
3. biscuits, god yes, totally agree that biscuits are a lifesaver. For the carers and to enable the invalid to swallow tablets, before the liquid medications were prescribed.
4. quickest food - I'd say rice, actually, with either some cashew nuts (cooked) or cheese (grated, on the side) or tins of meat chopped up and fried quickly. With frozen veg.
5. little bits of tastiness for the invalid - stuff that looks really consumerist and that I never normally look at - shop-made trifles or jelly or yogurt or creme caramel. Jelly is easy enough to make at home, yes, but home nursing, seeing to medical and family visits as well, is utterly exhausting. Even with two of us full time, there wasn't the time to make stuff like that.
6. writing down the recommendations from the medical people about the few things that weren't available on prescription.