My life as a CarePartner can be very busy as I try to keep up with the needs of our home and provide care for my husband. I have found that many of my tasks have had to be modified, adapted to fit my current schedule and my current capacity. One great example is cooking for us. I just don’t have the energy nor the time to create masterpieces in the kitchen. Instead I am relying more on tried and true simple dishes that fill our stomachs and don’t stress me out in the process. I do not make things that take more than 20 to 30 minutes of prep and clean-up.

There is one recipe that I wanted to share because it is a great example of simplicity. It has 3 ingredients, 1 pound of Italian sausage, 1 large russet potato and 1 large bell pepper. I spend no more than 10 minutes chopping the vegetables and sautéing the meat in my electric skillet. I add about ¼ cup of water before leaving it all to simmer on it’s own for another 20 minutes. You can serve it with a crusty bread if you’d like but we usually just have it without. I don’t know where I found this recipe originally, but have been making it for decades and the best thing is that my husband loves it.

I have found ways to simplify many of my household chores. I no longer vacuum, I have a robot that does that for me. I no longer do my sheets and bedding, our in-home provider does it once a week. I have someone else who does most of my yardwork, I kept a bit for myself simply to give me the chance to play in the dirt. My point is, as my husband’s symptoms progress, it doesn’t make sense for me to try to do everything. Simplifying wherever I can gives me the time and energy to devote to his care. And that is always my first priority.