Back in 2017, a story in the Harvard Business Review reported only 10 percent of Americans actually love cooking. Plus, those with chronic diseases, like diabetes, find it challenging to cook healthy meals. Yet, it’s hard to avoid cooking right now with restaurants closed, work-from-home assignments and shelter-in-place recommendations. Take this opportunity to find ways to enjoy cooking.
Play Your Favorite Music
Listening to your favorite tunes while you cook can help uplift your mood. Studies have shown music can also help reduce blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety in heart disease patients. So the next time you’re peeling potatoes, put on your favorite tunes.
Make Cooking a Family Event
Cooking as a family is a wonderful way to spend quality time. And right now, many of our kids are looking for things to do. Enlist their help in choosing recipes and making the dish.
Have mini food challenges. Who can plate the food in the fanciest way? Or what kind of meals can you make with something from the cupboard? What other ways can you think of to help make cooking a fun experience?
Read Through Recipes
Before you start, read through the recipe to make sure you have all the ingredients and understand the process. It may also be helpful to choose recipes that don’t require hard-to-find items due to grocery store shortages.
Then, prep your ingredients. Measuring out spices and ingredients at the beginning can help make sure you have the right amounts.
*If you’re a current BlueStar user, look for Meal-Planning and Grocery Shopping features in the app.
Cook Foods You Enjoy
Select recipes that highlight some of your favorite foods. You’ll look forward to the end result and be satisfied with your work. Cooking foods you enjoy can also help you eat intuitively.
Then, try cooking foods in different ways. Perhaps there was only Brussels Sprouts at the grocery store this week. Instead of roasting them, try shredding them and sauteing them.
Make Leftovers for Lunches
Many of us aren’t used to eating lunch at home every day of the week. So when planning and making dinner, make enough for lunchtime meals. Keep in mind some recipes and ingredients keep their freshness longer than others. Cook once, eat twice.
Ways to Enjoy Cooking
Even if you don’t fall in love with cooking, finding ways to enjoy the process may help reduce some stress around food. As well as help you and your family eat healthy during this crisis. Keep in mind, any cook will tell you that they have had lots of bad recipe experiments. It’s all part of the process.
