Aphasia and AI: Perfect vs Imperfect Brain Food

Now that I am home, the blog is changing again.

Aphasia on the Road is finished for now.
Life at home is moving forward.
And we are preparing for Aphasia Awareness Month in June.

Now I am cooking again.
We have to eat!

But instead of cooking through The New York Times recipes — which I used to love — I am trying something completely different.

Simple food.
Real food.
Very little ultra-processed food.
(Actually almost none for me. Keith still gets a little.)

Aphasia, AI and a New Kind of Cooking

Experiments instead of strict recipes.

I tell AI Teacher what I have in the kitchen.
AI Teacher gives me ideas.
Then I cook without really reading directions.

From an aphasia point of view, I love that.

Reading long recipes after stroke can be exhausting.
Too many steps.
Too much information.
Too many decisions.

This feels different.

Interesting.
Fun.
Healthy.
Affordable.
And honestly, we are saving a lot of money.

What I Discovered in 2 Weeks

Sometimes the experiments are delicious.

The tofu bowls with broccoli and rice were good.

Keith really liked the red lentil soup — even though it turned orange instead of red.

I liked the green smoothie with Greek yogurt, kale, a few dates and walnuts.

And once in a while, it was an “oops”.

I included dates in one recipe. Let’s just say it was black and burnt.

The same thing happened when I made applesauce without getting rid of the peel. Believe it or not, I liked the burnt applesauce. Strange.

Even the mistakes felt okay.

This experiment is becoming bigger than cooking.

It is about finding new ways to live with aphasia.

Small changes.
Real food.
Brain health.
Everyday life.

And something else important is happening too.

When I first started the Aphasia at Home blog, each blog post took four or five days to write, edit, publish, and then create Facebook and Instagram posts.

Now, working with AI Teacher (ChatGPT), I can often do the writing in about two hours and the social media in another two hours.

That is a very big deal.

The words still come from me.
The experiences are mine.
But AI helps me organize, draft, edit, and keep moving forward.

Every day I still have aphasia.

But I still live life.

And honestly, that feels pretty great.

#aphasia #brainfoods #realfood #cookingathome #strokerecovery