10 Ways to Enjoy Cooking at Home

Since it’s the start of the New Year I wanted to share ways to enjoy cooking AT HOME!  I bet people are trying to cook more, whether to save money or eat healthier, tis the season for home cooking!

I feel like I’m a professional at creating meals at home.  Not in a chef way, more like an efficient-working-mom-professional-with-anxiety-but-actually-no-kids kind of way.  I rarely eat out, not because I can’t or want to be healthier or am trying to save money – I LOVE eating at home.  I love the ingredients I use, knowing their quality & flavor.  I love making exactly what I want, knowing every single ingredient in it with no side of random human hair.  Or whatever.

I’m not a genius chef or cook.  I’m not a person who wants to follow specific instructions for food.  I never want cooking to be work.  No complicated recipes or math equations.  Over time, I got the hang of it & can now fully enjoy cooking all my meals in my own kitchen.  {Wafiq’s been spoiled with this gift too & after every meal out of the house I can tell he misses our home-cooked meals – that literally brings the most joy to my ego, I have no words.}

Want to enjoy cooking from home a little more? Here’s a list of 10 ideas to get you there.

10 Ways to Enjoy Cooking at Home:

1. Research your ingredients:

   If you spend time selecting every ingredient you purchase, you’ll be excited to use them.  Don’t grab the first or cheapest things you see when you’re at the grocery store – Read the ingredients, make sure you understand all of them, check out the flavors, and give something new a try.

2. Spend money on appliances: 

   If you spend money on a few quality pans & cooking appliances, you’ll enjoy using them more.  Of course because of the investment, but also because quality does make a difference in the cooking experience!  I’ve been using this cast iron pan for almost everything & I’m obsessed – (HERE).  And I recently bought this blender & omg it’s been life-changing.

3. Start SUPER simple:

   And I’m talking suuuuuper simple.  This is my number 1 rule.  Don’t complicate things.  Want the easiest starting place?  Buy a whole chicken, spread olive oil on it, dump on the salt & pepper, throw it in the oven!  Slice up some potatoes and throw them in some boiling water.  SIMPLE is the way to go 90% of the time or you’ll quickly burn out.  I create recipes that are max 4 ingredients, every single day and have yet to get bored.  Pick 1 day a week where you try a more challenging recipe, but that’s it.

4. Eat at Home:

   Sounds obvious considering the title of this post, but don’t let your brain consider eating out & you won’t.  You have to mentally be in your kitchen.

5. Prep your ingredients:

   If you’re cooking with onions, chop the whole onion.  Use whatever you need for the recipe & put the rest in a glass jar so you can use it in your recipe tomorrow or throw on top of a salad.

6. Be confident:

   OMG another number 1 (can I do that?).  Never doubt the recipe or result, just keep fucking moving through it.  I always tell Wafiq I never know what I’m doing until the end.  It’s always edible.  99.9% of the time it’s going to taste GREAT & no one will know where you went wrong, so don’t stress over ANYTHING through the entire process.  Stress will quickly make you quit eating at home.

7. Experiment:

   If you have extra basil from another recipe?  Throw it in your salad.   Extra chickpeas from the hummus?  Throw it in the curry… If you like certain ingredients, throw them in whatever you’re cooking.  {Holy smokes I’m making you a chef & you can barely tell.}

8. Clean & organize your cabinets: 

   MAJOR.  THROW OUT ALL YOUR OLD SHIT.  Then, organize.  Put the ingredients you have in bags, in your old glass jars to seal them better & look prettier.  Make every single cabinet, clean & organized.

9. Try something new: 

   Buy a new ingredient!  Try a different olive oil or style of recipe. Absolutely get out of your comfort zone, even if it’s only one tiny thing.

10. Practice LOVE: 

    My acupuncture doc confirms cooking with love makes a difference in the quality of a meal, which is why eating at home is ideal.  I believe it.  Don’t stress when you cook, just enjoy it, have FUN, keep moving, and love the process.  I promise you’ll start obsessing over your yummy meals.

These tips will help if you keep trying – TRUST ME!  I actually want to try eating out more often this year, I need to gain some confidence in my body & the restaurant industry.  I know that sounds like a dumb goal, but we’re all at different parts of our journey so I thought I would throw in a little perspective.

Name ONE reason to eat at home below, so we can be motivated that way!

Have a great weekend, talk soon!

be thoughtful

Xx

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