Cooking has always given me a sense of control and accomplishment. In fact I used cooking to destress a lot in college. Insert me laughing at my former self for being stressed in college when my main concern was usually where I was going to party and what should I wear. Ah to be 22 again! Wait, back to cooking. Now I know a fair amount of people that live in fear of their kitchen. Cooking gives them immediate anxiety. They aren't sure where to start or find recipes they actually like with ingredients they've heard of before. Well I'm here to help those of you who fit that description! Cooking doesn't have to be complex or fancy. It can be as easy or hard as you make it. And like any other activity, having the right tools makes all the difference in the world!
Here are a few of my favorite products and links where to buy them: (I'm not affiliated or sponsored by any of these, I just love and use these things regularly!)
Kitchenaid mixer- game changer and not just for baking! There are loads of options now for additional accessories including the ice cream maker that I received as a gift from my family for Christmas. A gift that included their requests for the flavors of ice cream they would like me to make. God bless them! :) https://tinyurl.com/y924ynvr
Ninja blender- Worth. Every. Single. Penny! Get one like I've linked with the smoothie cups. We use this thing as a blender/chopper/food processor/mixer/doeseverythingbecauseitisawesome machine. This blender puts all other blenders to shame! https://tinyurl.com/y9rmzn6o
4 sided cookie sheets- I use these almost daily! Yes, they're cookie sheets and you can use them for the obvious choice, however I use these mostly for my sheet pan meals. I put all my veggies and meat on this one magical pan and roast them in the oven and wah-la, dinner on only 1 pan to cleanup! It's fantastic for making my favorite balsamic salmon recipe as well that I'll share soon. https://tinyurl.com/yac7nddj
Food scale- When you start to get serious about your nutrition you're going to want to actually measure and see how much 4 ounces really is! You'd be surprised how much you may be eating and therefore consuming considerably more calories than you thought! My husband and I have become pretty diligent about weighing our food and it really helped me, since I'm a visual learner, learn how much weighing your food matters. https://tinyurl.com/y9cksshf
Once you put your fears on the back burner, get a game plan for something you want to cook and set your goals small at first. Try something simple like roasting veggies on a pan in the oven! Turn your oven on to 375 degrees F, get out one of those awesome cookie sheets, drizzle olive oil everywhere. On the pan. Not on the counter top or anywhere. Just drizzle the olive oil on the pan. Now, clean your veggies of choice! Wash them, carefully, with water, from the faucet, in the kitchen sink. Dry your veggies so they aren't soaking wet when you put them on top of that beautifully drizzled pan you did. Great job so far! Ok now hang in there because this is the fun part. Pick your seasonings. Choose wisely my friend. There are lots of prepared seasonings that include a ridiculous amount of salt. Don't go for those! Add the small amount of pink Himalayan sea salt that you want and then generously add the other seasonings you've chosen. Don't freak out at the options. I like just keeping things simple and adding some fresh minced garlic and chopped onions to my veggies and then season it all with pepper and turmeric for some added antioxidant benefits. Then just shove that pan in the oven and bake it until it looks like you want to eat it! (roughly 10-15 minutes should be fine)
It's that easy! And it's worth the challenge to try to cook for you or your family. If you have kids like me, I think it's important they see and learn how much effort you're putting into feeding their bodies with healthy and nourishing foods. My daughter has recently really taken an interest in learning what's in her food and cooking things she likes to eat. It was a really proud mom moment! Those are few and far between so I'm going to hold onto that one for a bit.
Years and years ago my husband bought me a subscription to Tone It Up. It has been the most beneficial gift over the years and again, they aren't paying me however they can if they want! Once you subscribe and pay the fee, you get tons and tons and tons and tons of recipes. And anytime they come out with new recipes, which is usually 3-4 times a year, you get those too! This was something that really sparked my willingness to try new things and find those ingredients in the grocery store that I've never heard of. They also gave me the strength to try frozen cauliflower in my morning smoothies. It's fantastic and I highly recommend you try it! No, I'm not kidding. It makes it super creamy and you're getting your veggies in! You'll see lots of their recipes in here that I love in future posts.
For now, go make your kitchen a safe space! Breathe! You can do this!!! Cook for your future!
XOXO
Ashley
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