Aphasia Cooking: Real Food, Brain Food and Saving Money

The Cost of Brain Food 🍎

Aphasia Cooking. Real Life. Real Money.

Today is probably my last cooking blog for a while.

Next month I will focus more on aphasia and Aphasia Awareness Month.

Then later this summer I want to move toward something I am calling:
“Everyday Brain.”

There is a lot to talk about there:
fatigue
sleep
organization
accessibility
brain health
daily life
and probably Aphasia and AI too.

But today I want to talk about something surprising:

Money.

I am honestly amazed how much money we are saving cooking this way.

I have not carefully tracked every dollar.
I have not written everything down.
But for fun, I estimated our food spending over the last three weeks.

About:
$160 at Trader Joe’s

Plus:

about $100–140 for smaller grocery trips:
fruit
milk
sale items
extra vegetables

That means we probably spent:
about $300 total for three weeks.

That is amazing for us.

About $100 a week.

Before this, I think we probably spent at least $200 a week.
Maybe more.

So why are we saving so much money?

1. We are using food already in the house

Instead of starting with a recipe,
I start with:
“What do we already have?”

Then I ask AI Teacher for ideas.

That completely changed the way I cook.

Less waste.
Less stress.
Less buying random ingredients for one recipe.

2. We buy things on sale

Nothing fancy there.

But now I actually use what we buy.

3. Beans, chickpeas, protein and fiber

We have been trying to eat at least one bean-based meal each week.

Beans are:
inexpensive
high in protein
high in fiber
and surprisingly filling.

I also discovered I really like chickpeas mixed with Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Honestly?
I was shocked how good it tastes.

4. Some things cost more — and I decided that is OK

I now use more extra virgin olive oil.
I especially like olive oil from a single country instead of global blends.

It costs more.
But because other things are cheaper,
I think it is worth it.

Same with:
local Guilford honey from the farmers market

and loose teas made by small companies in Connecticut and Texas.

Those things make me happy.

And honestly?
I feel like I earned the right.

What does this have to do with aphasia?

I am actually not completely sure.

But I think part of it is this:

After stroke and aphasia,
long complicated recipes became exhausting.

Too much reading.
Too many steps.
Too many decisions.

This new way feels different.

Simpler.
More creative.
More flexible.
And somehow more connected to real life.

For the future,
I want to start tracking food spending more officially.

And every now and then,
I will probably return to cooking blogs.

But for now,
I want to live cooking life —
not just write about it.

I will still share interesting ideas on Facebook and Instagram.
But now I am moving into a new season.

And honestly,
that is the great thing about blogging.

I can do what I want.

It is not a job.

I am retired.

It is interesting.
Important.
And fun.

And it makes me happy.”