Here’s How to Make Cooking More Fun

If you don’t love cooking, or find yourself in a rut maybe I can help to make it more fun for you?

Here are some “fun” cooking tips.

Fun Cooking Tip #1

Check out new recipes.

Sometimes just seeing the beautiful food photos and reading the recipe can spark some inspiration and fun in your kitchen.

You can head to your local bookshop. Or look up your favourite nutritionists, chefs, bakers, and other online foodies. Maybe do a quick search on Google or Pinterest to see thousands of new ideas.

Perhaps you have some ingredients in your fridge that are just waiting to be eaten.

Pro Tip: Searching through recipes can be so much fun and inspiring, and can also end up taking a lot longer than planned. So, consider setting your timer when you start browsing. The last thing you want is to take too much time looking, that you don’t leave enough time for cooking.

Fun Cooking Tip #2

Make grocery shopping fun and inspiring.

When you’re at the grocery shop, try something that you haven’t had in a while. Is there a seasonal fruit or vegetable you haven’t had for months? What about a childhood favourite? Did you come across something totally delicious at a restaurant or get-together lately?

Or, browse around the shop looking for something you haven’t had before; something that is completely new to you. Be adventurous and fun. Then you can go to tip #1 to find new and inspiring recipes when you get home.

Fun Cooking Tip #3

Keep it simple!

Sometimes when I see a great food picture, I immediately get inspired to make it. But if I look at the ingredients or instructions and they’re too long, I stop. While there are times when I’m inspired and dive into a new great recipe; when I’m not all that inspired, I need to keep things simple.

A few ways to keep things simple are to:

• Search for recipes with 10 or fewer ingredients, and five or fewer instructions;
• Search for recipes that can be made in one pot or pan;
• Buy ingredients that are ready to cook with (pre-washed salad greens, diced squashes, frozen vegetables, etc.)

Fun Cooking Tip #4

Put on some music and invite someone to join you.

Do you have kids that need to learn the critical life skill of cooking? Perhaps your partner would love to join you? What about having a “cooking party” where everyone brings something and pitches in on the process?

Fun Cooking Tip #5

If none of the other tips work for you, invest in some kitchen swag!

Having proper kitchen tools makes cooking so much easier and faster. When is the last time you sharpened your (our bought yourself a new) knife? Could dicing carrots with a dull knife be draining the fun from cooking? Or is blending a smoothie with a rubbish blender, leaving it too chunky to enjoy, making you feel less excited to try new smoothie recipes? I know it does for me.

Conclusion

You know that cooking is key to healthy eating. And, yes, it does get boring from time to time.

Try one (or all) of my fun cooking tips to inspire you to get over to your kitchen and cook yourself some great dishes.

You already know your health will thank you.

Recipe (simple and fun): One Skillet Frittata

Serves 4

• 8 eggs
• ¼ cup almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 tsp olive oil, extra virgin
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into thin coins
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 dash herbs and spice to taste (parsley, sage, paprika, turmeric, etc.)
• 1 dash salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.

Whisk together eggs and almond milk.

Heat an ovenproof skillet (e.g. cast iron) on the stove with the olive oil.

To the hot skillet add garlic, spinach, and zucchini. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the zucchini starts to soften.

Add the tomatoes, herbs, spices, salt, and pepper.

Pour in the eggs.

Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, until eggs are set.

Serve & enjoy!

Tip: Feel free to substitute your veggies and use what you have on-hand. Try diced pepper instead of tomatoes, or chopped kale instead of spinach. Have fun with this!

Thanks for reading and keep well,

Tara

Are you excited for more support, ideas, and inspiration?

We live in a stressful world where everyone is stressed about everything. It is human nature to resist stress and try to avoid it. We try all sorts of things to do that, but what so many of us don’t realize is that all we have to do is take a deep breath. Deep breathing is our body’s mechanism of relieving stress easily, naturally, and cheaply. Here are some breathing techniques that you can practice to relieve stress.

Equal Breathing

Our body is all about balance. Therefore, it can benefit from balanced breathing as well. Practice equal breathing by inhaling to the count of four, then exhaling to the count of four. With practice, you may be able to count to six or even eight on equal breaths. Equal breathing helps reduce stress and increase focus.

Equal breathing is useful anytime but is most beneficial as you prepare for sleep. It will help clear your mind of the stressful thoughts that are preventing you from falling asleep easily.

Abdominal Breathing

This breathing exercise is performed by placing one hand on your chest and other on your belly. Take a deep breath and make sure your diaphragm inflates, not your chest. This inflation should be enough to make your lungs stretch. Try to achieve six to ten deep breaths over the course of one minute and repeat this activity for ten minutes. Abdominal breathing will instantly reduce your heart rate and blood pressure.

Progressive Relaxation

Progressive relaxation helps in alleviating the tension from your whole body. Start by closing your eyes. Focusing on each group of muscles, alternately contract and release them for two to three seconds. Follow the order of muscle groups. For example, if you start with your toes, work your way up progressively through your feet, legs, etc. until you reach your heart. Maintain deep and slow breaths.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

This breathing practice is popular among yogis. According to them, this method of breathing will balance the left and right sides of the brain. Start by sitting in a comfortable yet meditative position. Close your right nostril by putting your right thumb over it. Take a deep breath from your left nostril. When you reach the peak of the breath, close your left nostril with your right ring finger. Remove your thumb from the right side of your nose and exhale through the right nostril. Repeat this process for a while and you will soon feel awake and focused. Because of this, avoid practicing this technique at night, when you are trying to calm yourself for sleep.

Skull Shining Breath

As the name suggests, this technique will make you more active and keep lethargy at bay. Using this breathing exercise, you can warm your body and wake up your brain. Therefore, it is recommended at the start of the day. Start with a slow, long inhale followed by a quick, powerful exhale using your lower belly. As you become comfortable with this practice, you can increase your pace.

Here is a short video from Dr. Andrew Weil showing you one of his very effective breathing techniques called 4-7-8.

Thanks for reading and keep well,

Tara

Are you excited for more support, ideas, and inspiration?