Home cooking is more common today due to the stay at home orders in place. Although cooking is therapeutic for some, for others, it can be daunting. If cooking is stressful for you, here are three habits you can adopt to minimize the time you spend in the kitchen.
Batch cook meals. When you prepare a meal, cook additional servings to save in the fridge or freezer. Stews, cooked grains, soups, casseroles, and chilis are examples of meals that store well in the freezer. If you don’t want to eat the same food several days in a row, you can freeze leftovers for a busy or sick day. You can also turn leftovers into new dishes to achieve variety and save time cooking from scratch. For example, you can use leftover spaghetti sauce to make chili. Check out these links for starters: 37 Recipes That Freeze Well and 18 Ways to Transform Leftovers Into New Meals.
Plan meals. Before you grocery shop, plan meals for the week to ensure you have the necessary ingredients when cooking. Determine what you could batch cook or prep and get additional ingredients appropriately. Consider frozen meals or ingredients you already have to determine how you could save time creating meals.
Reframe cooking. To help alleviate the mental stress of preparing more meals at home, consider the benefits. For example, home cooking allows you to make your meals healthier or tailored to an existing health condition because you control ingredients like food additives, fat, salt, and sugar. Studies show that home cooking alleviates obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, two diseases that increase cancer risk. Also, families save money when they cook more meals at home. As a parent, cooking models positive behavior and can be an engaging family activity with older kids. In summary, replace the negative thoughts and feelings of home cooking with its positive gains.
Bebe Wilkinson is the owner of Succeed LLC. She is a Lifestyle Medicine Coach and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.
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