Hello friends,
For those of you who know me, you know that I enjoy making healthy, nourishing meals for myself and my family. However, this certainly was not always the case. When I moved to NYC 15 years ago my kitchen cabinets were literally an extension of my clothes closet, because I had a microscopic apartment and I never cooked, like NEVER.
Fast forward 15 years and I’m still by no means a gourmet chef. While my husband is a much better chef turning out elegant, refined meals that I gladly enjoy, I too can now hold my own in the kitchen, cooking delicious nourishing meals – and have fun doing it.
How did I make the transition from girl who stored high heels in her oven (yes, really) to one who always has a basket of onions, garlic and ginger on her counter and spirulina in the fridge? Because I saw that in order to really take control of my health, I had to get cooking. Today I want to share with you four simple tips and resources to help you get comfortable in the kitchen!
But first, why is home cooking such an important step to obtaining optimal health? Well, first off because when you cook you know what is going into your food. I am a huge advocate of whole, natural and unprocessed foods. So often when we dine out, order in or buy packaged foods they are laden with extra salt, fat and sugar to enhance the flavor. Even when you make special requests at a restaurant, you can’t always be certain what is in your food.
And don’t get me wrong here, I LOVE dining in restaurants (my husband is a restaurateur for goodness sake and there is something lovely about someone else cooking AND cleaning for you!). But truly, for optimal health the majority of your meals should come from your kitchen. There is no better way to empower yourself towards better health. But how do you even start if you are someone that primarily eats out or orders in? Here are four tips that I’ll share with you;
- Stock your fridge,
- Start small,
- Find sources of inspiration, and
- Don’t be afraid to fail.
First, in order to eat at home you have to have food at home so this means a trip to the grocery store or placing an online order. What do you fill your cart with? Whole, real foods and as few packaged products as possible. I work extensively with coaching clients on what to eat, but I’ll share some quick tips that you can implement immediately. First, shop the perimeter of the store (i.e. your cart should be mostly produce, eat the rainbow!). The rest of your cart should be whole grains (read, not Wonder bread); protein like meat, fish, chicken; dairy (but watch out for sugar laden yogurt) and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and butter (yes, I said butter!).
Once you have a full fridge and pantry, my second tip is to start small. This is my general guideline in health and in life. You have to crawl before you can walk. Reframe what it means to cook. As you foray into the kitchen, you don’t have to make elaborate meals. Making a bowl of fruit with a side of Greek yogurt for breakfast or a big green salad with delicious extra virgin olive oil and vinegar totally counts.
I suggest that you pick a mealtime that seems less daunting to you, breakfast and lunch often seem easier to a lot of beginners, and commit to making that one meal a homemade one for 2 days. Starting on the weekend is probably ideal as you likely have more time then. Plan your meals ahead so you aren’t in a pinch when you get ravenous and commit to making it happen.
But how do you commit to making it happen if you don’t even know what to make? Well, for many things you can keep it really simple and may not even need a recipe, depending on your current comfort level in the kitchen. For breakfast, you can have a fruit bowl of your favorite fruits (berries are particularly wonderful for their antioxidants) or a soft boiled egg served with sliced avocado, tomatoes, salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. For lunch, a salad using your favorite green plus extras like avocado, tomato, pumpkin seeds, cucumbers, hard boiled egg etc., with salt & pepper and drizzled with olive oil is a great place to start.
But you don’t need to do it alone! If you need more guidance or just some inspiration there are so many great resources to check out (including, of course!, my blog and my Instagram account where I share real-time inspiration). But I gain lots of inspiration from the professionals and some of my favorite recipe books that include straight forward recipes are: Nothing Fancy and Dining In by Alison Roman and Go With Your Gut by Robyn Youkilis. Over on Instagram Forks Over Knives is an excellent source for plant based recipes and I also love walderwellness for her beautiful, easy to make recipes.
Finally, once you have a full fridge, made the commitment to cook two meals, and have the inspiration – the final tip is; don’t be afraid to fail! Truly, get in the kitchen and roll up your sleeves. It won’t always be beautiful, but you can feel confident that you are making your health a priority by getting in the kitchen. As you become comfortable you’ll begin to experiment more, making recipes your own and perhaps someday, not even needing recipes! I promise, if I can learn to make healthy, delicious meals – so can you.
I’d love to hear from you what you are cooking in your kitchen! Please comment below and help inspire others.
If you need more support and inspiration, I’d love to work with you personally to create a customized plan to get you comfortable in the kitchen. Click here to book a free, 50-minute session to start on your journey to wellness.
Yours in wellness,
Mandy