Good morning to you all!
My thirteenth blog on the fourteenth of February.
Wishing you all a week full of love and friendship.
As most of you know I like to keep busy. I am a little hyper and do have quite a bit of energy. However, I get bored easily and do not like to spend hours in the kitchen on a daily basis. I do enjoy preparing food when we entertain and that’s interesting, fun and very rewarding.
Suffice to say, the day to day food prep is very tedious and I do tire of making it, often. It’s slightly better as this plant-based eating is new and exciting. However, this whole food making thing is so very time consuming and there are so many other things I would like to be doing: tidying my cupboard… not, sorting out my present cupboard… only sometimes, socialising…definitely, exercising… because it’s important, planning holidays… always, lying in the sun… that’s my Lunch Hour and spending time with my nearest and dearest… of course!!!
For me, it’s not the cooking that is the issue, it’s the flipping prepping. It’s getting that or those recipe/s together, then looking in the pantry and the fridge to see what I don’t have, and, of course there is always that elusive ingredient that is core to the recipe, that is missing. Then it’s the making the list, doing the As most if you know, I like to keep busy. I am a little hyper and do have quite a bit of energy. shopping and then so often, having to go to more than one store for that strange ingredient that you actually have never heard of. Then it’s returning home, unpacking, and then, only then, can you start preparing the meal. By which stage, you are exhausted, ready for a nap and you have lost complete interest in the whole thing.
Sound familiar?
However, that could be a thing of the past.
I have realized now, after much reading and investigating, that the preparation of nourishing, whole and real food does not have to be expensive or difficult to make. It can be easy, not at all fussy or complicated, and quite quick to prepare. Also, once you get into the habit (that word again) it can become routine and part of your everyday life.
It’s actually all about organisation, focus and consistency, and just for the record, I struggle with all three, the latter I mentioned in my last blog. Anyway, it is getting better. So how can we make this easier?
So, the plan is to start the process on a Saturday when I start looking through my many recipe books. Then I earmark the potential meals for the week. It’s mainly dinners that I want to plan for, but I also look out for some interesting lighter lunches too.
I have a look at our diary and see when we may have dinners or lunches out for the week ahead. Obviously, these may change, but generally we have a good idea of what’s happening for the weekday nights ahead of time. I then know how many dinners I need to plan. I then check my pantry and fridge and assess what I need to buy. I make a list, paying particular attention to the fresh stuff required. One does not want to get to Thursday night, having purchased the salad stuff on Sunday only to find a limp lettuce and soggy tomatoes awaiting you.
Generally, it’s a good idea to do as much of the shopping for the meals ahead on Sunday with your list. You can then stick the meal plan onto your fridge, so you know exactly what you are eating for the week. If you are able, it’s awesome to get the fresh stuff on the day it’s required, but this is not necessary. I know there are lots of you who do not have the time to shop during the week.
Once you have returned home with the shopping and have packed it away, you can look at your meal plan. Often you can do some of the chopping of veg or fruit over the weekend and then put them into airtight containers. I also find that if I know that I am going to be using a marinade, or sauce or dressing. I like to make them over the weekend.
Once the week comes, you will find that the whole dinner making thing is so much easier and quicker. Also, often, leftovers can be used the next day for lunch. I usually don’t dress my evening salad and keep the avo separate, so the salad remains fresh for lunch the following day.
Also, use cooking methods that are easy and healthy. Steaming as many of your veg as possible is first prize in order to get maximum nutrient value from them. However roasting and grilling are also great. Try to get into the habit of eating veg almost undercooked if possible. Raw is the very best if that’s possible. My favourite recent acquisition is the air fryer, and we use it at almost every evening meal. Also make sure that you have kitchen equipment on hand that helps you to be more efficient, like a food processor to slice and dice, a nutri bullet for those sauces and humus and measuring cups for quantities.
If you find some time during the day, you can also get the meal going. If you are privileged enough to have a helper, be it a housekeeper or an enthusiastic husband, son, daughter or friend, enlist them in a duty or two to make the whole process more manageable, less time consuming and much more fun.
Keep things simple. Think fresh ingredients jazzed up with fresh herbs, condiments and spices. I love sprinkling herbs onto my meals and am slowly getting my herb garden going although I am not a gardener in any size, shape or form. Curry powders are great on all sorts of things, not just meat. We seldom add salt to our meals, but recently I have really found that Himalayan salt adds such amazing flavour to what otherwise might be a bland meal. Fresh lemon juice is a must. I have a fab hand lemon squeezer and I use it all the time. Dijon mustard and tahini have become my substitution for mayo. They are not quite the same, but they are getting there. Changing my taste buds a tablespoon at a time. Cape herbs and spices have fantastic rubs and of course Robertson’s, with their veg spice, potato spice and so much more. Just check the ingredients Don’t want those additives or preservatives where possible. Pesto just rocks and is so easy to make. I have also started making my own hummus often and I eat this with so much.
So, honestly, this has started working for me more than some of the time. We do go out a lot, so it makes it easier. Repetition definitely helps, and Rich, my husband, is on board, and very helpful.
I am also starting to develop and refine a checklist and some simple meal plans. I am also learning about the sourcing of the freshest, most nutritious fruit and veg and meat and grains. So, let me know if I can help you.
Hope this all helps!
My twelfth tip.
I am realizing more and more the importance of getting good quality sleep on a nightly basis, whenever possible. Sleep is a vital, often neglected component of every person’s health and wellbeing and enables our body to be ready for the next day. Aim to get at least seven hours of quality sleep a night. Have a look at the many free apps that can help you measure your sleep and sleep quality. It’s great to get quantitative about this vital aspect of your life. Happy Zzzz!