Make Cooking Fun Again
Let me start by saying that you don’t have to cook if you don’t want to. If you’re solidly in the “I abhor the kitchen and have no desire to learn how to cook anything” camp, then feel free to move on with your life. I’m not trying to convert people here.
However, if you’re more the “I feel like I should cook more, but I don’t know how” or “I want to learn to cook, but it feels overwhelming” type, then I’m here to help.
You can have all kinds of fun in the kitchen!
There are some benefits to cooking at home. Obviously, it can be a money saver, you have greater control over what’s in your food, and, my personal favorite, you get to eat whatever you want.
You’re not even limited by a menu! You can have literally anything you want! All that’s required is a little dream in your heart, a quick internet search for a recipe, and a trip to the grocery, and your wildest culinary dreams are within your reach.
My girls making Shamrock Shakes many years ago, in a rare moment of cooperation.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t enjoy hours sweating in the kitchen, and I’m down with a nice dinner out as much as the next gal, but something about being able to make whatever I want using the ingredients I choose and pushing the limits of how much cheese any particular dish can tolerate brings joy to my heart.
Even if you’re never going to want to spend hours in the kitchen whipping up gourmet meals, learning to cook even a few things you love will enhance your relationship with food and may even empower and inspire you in surprising ways.
Here are a few tips for making cooking fun again:
Only do it when you feel like it. There’s nothing worse than forcing yourself to roast a squash or simmer some chicken thighs when you really don’t want to (trust me!). Give yourself permission to chuck the chicken in the freezer and microwave a burrito or order carryout if you’re just not feeling the cooking vibe. You want to avoid making it a chore you’re forcing yourself to do at the end of a long day.
Don’t judge yourself (or anyone else) for not cooking. There’s no morality involved here. I’m sure you’ve heard a million messages about how much “better” it is to cook than eat out, but all we need to worry about here is making cooking FUN again. It’s not fun when you feel like you should do it to be a more responsible person.
Cook things you really want. Yes, I support everyone eating a variety of physically supportive nutritionally-dense foods. AND, you should enjoy what you eat. SO, if a salad sounds like the perfect thing for you that day, go crazy. But if cheese fries are more the vibe, make them fantastic and enjoy every bite. The more freedom you give yourself with these choices, the more you will genuinely want a variety of foods that support your body. You may have to just trust me on this one, too.
Put your preferences at the top of the list. I know most of us are not living in some utopia where we are only cooking for ourselves and don’t need to worry about feeding a partner or kids. It can be very challenging to please a bunch of people at mealtimes, but remember that your goal here is to enjoy cooking. Make choices based on what you feel like making and eating, and let the other people in your house fold in. Throw some chicken nuggets in the oven for the picky eaters, if necessary, while you put the finishing touches on your shrimp with garlic cream sauce.
Don’t overthink it. There are a bajillion recipes online, and it can be hard to know where to start. Just think about what sounds good to you, and find a recipe that is pretty simple or uses ingredients you already have. And don’t forget, you’re allowed to do whatever you want. If it calls for beef but you have chicken, make a quick swap! If there’s an ingredient listed you don’t like, leave it out. If nachos are all you want in the world, throw some together with what you have on hand and see how they turn out. Relax and have fun with it, and don’t sweat the not-so-successful dishes.
You may find that cooking for yourself and expressing your creativity through food is a gentle and effective way to reconnect with your body and round out your self-care. But if not, most good restaurants deliver!
My youngest has always loved to cook, even when I was willing to do it for her!
