How To Motivate Yourself To Cook More
Admittedly, ordering meals sounds convenient, especially if you’re busy. However, cooking your meals can be beneficial for many reasons. Research suggests that people who prepare their meals from scratch have a healthier diet than those who order meals. Moreover, getting ingredients can be cheaper than buying a single meal, causing you to save more in the long run. You can also customise your meals to suit your taste, preferences, and dietary needs. Perhaps, you want to start cooking your meals but don’t feel motivated enough. In this case, here are some helpful strategies you can leverage.
Related: “Ultimate Travel Guide to Vietnam”
Fill your pantry with core ingredients
Sometimes, going to the grocery store every time you decide to cook can be frustrating. To avoid this, consider filling your pantry with core ingredients. You can quickly make a meal out of core ingredients, so keep this in mind. And they don’t have to be complicated; these food items are often basic but essential. Experts recommend always having these six main ingredients in your pantry: granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, pepper, salt, and olive oil. You also want to stock up on canned goods, which are budget-friendly, sustainable, and convenient.
Therefore, fill your cabinets with canned chicken and beef sauces or broth, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, a jar of marinara sauce, tuna, canned beans, frozen vegetables, and so on. You also want to purchase starchy goods like rice, lentils, dried bread crumbs, and pasta. Protein (beef, eggs, chicken, pork, fish, etc.), butter, spices, cheese, and so on should be present in your kitchen. You can also check out this list for more core ingredients you should have.
Prioritise meal prepping
Admittedly, you may not have the luxury to cook a meal from scratch daily, especially after a long working day. Therefore, consider prepping your meals when you have free time. This way, you can escape the stress of thinking of what to eat last minute. It’s also easier to avoid the temptation of eating out each time you’re stressed. Meal prepping is also an efficient weight control strategy, as you can determine what portions and ingredients you’d use.
You can begin by creating a meal plan and your grocery list. As a tip, set at least an hour weekly to do this, and put it on your schedule to ensure consistency. Consequently, consider planning at least three meals weekly to prevent repetition and eventual boredom. You can go through your pantry and select meals based on whatever you have.
Invite people over
Indeed, having guests around can be a great motivation to cook. Not only is it more affordable than ordering takeout, but it’s a great way to display your cooking skills. Therefore, consider inviting your relatives or friends to dinner if you haven’t already. Since you’ll be cooking for people with varying meal preferences, you can prepare something everyone will enjoy, such as pasta, instant pot chilli, pizza, and so on.
You can also consider meals appealing to vegans and meat lovers to prevent the stress of cooking two dishes. You can make it more exciting by cooking themed meals or making it a buffet, so keep this in mind.
Cook your favourite meals
You don’t have to stick to meals you don’t particularly enjoy, as this can be counterproductive. It may demotivate you to cook, causing you to purchase your favourite meals online. Fortunately, you can avoid this by cooking meals you enjoy. You can write a list of meals you picture eating without getting tired and draft your grocery list based on them. If you don’t know how to cook your favourite meals, consider learning how to.
Fortunately, several recipe books and cooking masterclasses can equip you with the knowledge and skill to prepare these dishes. However, it’s worth noting that practice makes perfect, so don’t give up if you don’t get it on the first try. Keep cooking until you master them.
Choose easy meals
If your favourite dishes are quite elaborate, you may not have the time to prepare them regularly. This makes it essential to have some quick and easy meal recipes. For instance, you can prepare an instant pot chicken marinara or broccoli pesto pasta for dinner. Lemon chicken, baked salmon with salad, instant pot mac and cheese, and crock-pot chicken taco meat can work well as dinner dishes. Alternatively, you can try baking this challah bread recipe to spice up your breakfast menu, so feel free to consider this.
Cooking your meals can be exciting and cost-effective. Hopefully, you’ll consider these strategies to increase your motivation for preparing nutritious meals.
