Cooking at home is much healthier and so much cheaper than going out to eat all the time, and thanks to a certain national pandemic going out to eat can be a bit of a hassle these days. But hey, we get it, even though restaurants don’t have as much seating or in-house availability, curbside pick-up and delivery is a thing now more than ever, which ultimately makes cooking at home seem so much less appealing. Especially after a long day at work, it is so tempting to just pick up our phones, place an order, and wait for it to be dropped off. But in our humble opinion, the benefits of cooking at home outweigh any reason to go out or order in. Don’t get us wrong, we still treat ourselves, but it’s hard to beat a fresh home-cooked meal. If preparing and eating food at home happens to be your new year’s resolution going into 2022, but you know it’s going to be a struggle, we’re here to help! Let’s take a look at a few ways you can motivate yourself to be your own chef.
Plan Ahead
Choose one day a week to sit down, consider what you have planned for the week and how meals may fall on those days, then decide what you’ll be eating, and construct your shopping list. This way when you go to the store, you’ll have an idea of what you need, and as you go through each day you know what needs to be done food-prep wise once you get home. If you’re an avid eater-outer, plan your meals similar to how you would choose where or what to eat out. For instance, if you’ve never missed a taco Tuesday, then plan on making street tacos that night, or if your idea of a perfect Friday night is pasta and wine, then plan on making your own and nab a bottle of your favorite wine. It’s that simple!
Start Easy
(image via: serious eats)
As you’re on the lookout for recipes, whether you’re checking out cookbooks or scrolling Pinterest, opt for keywords such as “one pot”, “one pan”, “sheet pan”, or “weeknight”; these keywords will not disappoint. Soon you’ll have a ton of recipes that only require one dish or only take about 30 minutes from prep to finish to create. Then once you’ve mastered recipes like this, you can start challenging yourself.
Embrace Grocery Delivery and/or Pick Up
There are so many grocery stores now offering delivery or pick-up, and we are BIG supporters of this! The grocery store can be stressful, it gets hot, everyone is just kind of in the way the whole time, so if you have the option to say “screw it”, you will receive nothing from us except a high-five. Have your groceries delivered to your door and brought to you with just a few taps of your iPhone screen.
Make What You’re Craving
(image via: food)
Hungry for some rich, creamy macaroni and cheese? Or maybe a nice steak? Pasta cooked perfectly al dente? Get to it! There are a ton of copycat recipes out there so if you’re hungry for something from a specific restaurant, chances are, you’ll be able to find a recipe for it! If you aren’t that picky, the internet can be a beautiful place with a ton of information (recipes, we’re talking about recipes) on cooking what you’re craving.
Pre-made Sauces Are a Beautiful Thing
Don’t think for a second that you have to make everything from scratch because you absolutely do not! There are a ton of delicious bottled sauces out there that are guaranteed to amp up your dishes; give them a try!
Make it Fun!
Stop rolling your eyes, you’ll learn to love cooking! Don’t think of cooking as a stressful thing you have to do at the end of every day, instead, treat it as something relaxing you get to do after work. Light a candle, pour yourself a glass of wine, kick your shoes off, and turn on your favorite playlist or binge-worthy show and get to it!
(image via: food navigator)