Hey good looking, whatcha got cooking?  We are going to be talking about cooking and meal time preparation today.  I know you are wondering what Merely Me makes for dinner.  Reservations of course!  Bah-dum-bum.  Seriously folks I want to get a discussion started about kitchen tips for those of us who have Multiple Sclerosis.  It can be difficult to prepare meals when you have this disease.  I find that I am Miss Fumble Fingers in the kitchen or else I am doing things like pouring orange juice in my cereal.  It is quite the culinary adventure to cook when you have MS.

What I am going to do is to present some hypothetical problems we all may share when trying to prepare a meal and offer some solutions and links to handy gadgets to make your life easier. 

Hypothetical problem # 1:  I get tired when trying to cook because I am going from one place to another trying to find things I need.

Solution:  It is time to get organized!  A lot of energy can be wasted when you are hunting and gathering in your own kitchen.  Stream line the process by getting everything you need from a certain cupboard or pantry shelf at once.  Place those items together on your counter.  Try not to waste energy by duplicating steps back to retrieve items from the same places. 

Organize your kitchen so that it makes the most sense for you.  Which items do you use the most?  Have those items stored in a central location closest to where you cook.  Have similar items grouped together.  For example I have a baking center on wheels where I store most items needed for baking including cake and muffin pans, baking mixes, flours, sprinkles, etc. 

Have your most used spices in a spice rack easy for you to see and reach.  Don't have your most used spices mixed up with the spices and seasonings you rarely use. 

Get rid of things in your kitchen you are not using.  Those things are getting in the way of you finding the things you do need. 

Sometimes convenience is worth the expense. For example the bags of pre-cut lettuce for salads can save you the time and energy of finding the items and prepping. It may save time in the end to make your own prepackaged baking mixes.  While you have all your baking ingredients out make large baggies of the dry ingredients needed for muffins, cakes, or cookies and tape the recipe onto the bag.  Store them in your pantry until you are ready to use them.

Recruit one of your family members to be your sous chef.  Have this person cut and prepare needed items such as sliced up veggies for a stew or salad. 

Hypothetical Problem # 2:    I can't open jars any more.

Solution:  I hadn't realized how many devices there now are to help with this problem.  I have no stock in the items I suggest here.  I have found good consumer reports on these or else I saw them recommended on either MS or arthritis sites.