Jump-Start Your Cooking Diva

Sometimes I’ll look at the clock nearing the afternoon and have that twinge of “ugh, I don’t wanna cook!!!”  I get this feeling when I:  a) don’t plan in advance what I’m making, b) don’t have the meat thawed, or c) got out of the routine of cooking.

A lot of Americans do not cook.  I grew up with a lot of friends whose moms never cooked.  That may help explain why obesity is so high in the United States.  When my husband and I started a family, we sat down and came up with a list of family goals.  Two of our goals were to save money and eat healthy.  Cooking at home is compatible with both. 

I’m not a pro at cooking or anything of that nature, but once you cook for a while, you start to figure out how to combine ingredients to alter recipes to your family’s liking.  I could NEVER do this when I started off, but trust me, the more you cook the more it will feel natural to you.

I’m not a gourmet cook either.  I simply follow recipes.  And with the Internet (something my mom and grandmothers didn’t have at their disposal), you can find TONS of recipes online.  Literally everything you could imagine.  I started my own collection of recipes—check it out!

For all of you moms who would like to cook for your family but don’t know how to get started, here’s a few tips:

• Plan Ahead.  If you could at least plan a week in advance (especially if you work outside of the home), you will find that a little planning will go a long ways.  You won’t have to sit around watching the clock
• Keep basic ingredients in the house.  This includes the meat.  I like to go to Costco and get a big pack of chicken breasts.  They are individually wrapped (I think 2 lbs in each pack).  Having to go back and forth to the grocery store can be very discouraging for a novice cook…especially when you’re already busy.  If you plan ahead you’ll be able to figure out what ingredients you need and you’ll have them on hand.
• If you have time, do some prep work before dinner time.  If you can chop vegetables or anything that won’t spoil ahead of time, do it.  You’ll shave time off meal preparation and make your life easier.  Here’s a trick:  if you’re going to be cooking up ground beef, make more and freeze a part of it to use in a meal later.  Or, you could prepare two meals at the same time and freeze one for later.  These little time-savers are invaluable. 
• Pick recipes you feel comfortable with.  For a beginner, it can be daunting to cook when you don’t feel comfortable in the kitchen.  That is why it’s important to pick a few easy recipes as your staple meals to get you started.  It is really helpful to ask people (like your mom or grandma) for the recipes to their classic dishes.  In my family a lot of the women haven’t written down recipes, so I’ve gone to them and asked questions, writing it down myself. 
• Find new recipes.  I made it a personal goal to find one recipe a day (see my 365 Recipe Challenge).  I simply print the recipes and put them in a binder.  For some reason cooking is easier when I have a lot of ideas at my fingertips. 
• Clean as you go.  Better yet, if there is anybody in your household who can help with the clean-up, solicit their help.  But if you are flying solo with the dishes, try to clean-up as you work.  It will make everything much easier.  There is nothing worse than cooking a great meal and then seeing

I think what you’ll find, once you get into your own cooking groove, is that cooking can actually be relaxing.  Put the baby in the bouncer, turn up a little music, and enjoy creating fun and healthy meals for your family that will save money.  Try it and let me know how it goes.