Weâre at the final step of our c.a.r.e kit which is to eat well.
Itâs taken me years to nail down this âhealthy eatingâ thing. I went from feeling overwhelmed and despising the question âwhatâs for dinner?â to being able to pump out a delicious meal in no time with mostly pantry staples.
Here are the top tips that have helped me the most.
Grace
Are you an emotional eater?
Well, guess what - we all are. Life happens so the first thing - and one I come back to often - is to extend myself grace when my eating habits donât go so well one day, one week, or even for a season.
Developing ourselves will inevitably see both peaks and valleys. Embrace the journey knowing that the low points are all part of our work in getting better.
Theme nights
For years, Iâd buy my weekly groceries with some vague intentions to cook only to pack them in the fridge once I got home and have much of it go to waste.
So sad.
I learned that regular home cooks love to have theme nights. (Something I repelled for years because I donât want to be held to the same food just because it happens to be Tuesday, for example.)
But I surrendered and tried it out.
It was freaking brilliant.
It led me to easily bust out dinner on any night of the week, and seven years later, that practice still proves to help me pull together a yummy meal no matter whatâs in the pantry.
Since we love variety in this household I set a different theme for each weeknight and mastered 2-3 recipes that go with each theme. For instance:
Easy Mondays had me mostly reheating anything I made over the weekend or repurposing leftovers (either homemade or takeout leftovers).
Taco Tuesdays were anything Mexican. Bean dips were easy and nutrient-packed. They were made by heating refried beans (from a can) and adding fresh cilantro, chopped onion, lime juice, salsa, and hot sauce. Plus anything else we wanted to top it off with: shredded red cabbage and radish were often seen here. Weâd enjoy these with tortilla chips and it felt more like a snack than a meal. Which I love!
Italian Wednesdays called for pasta, of course! Either a classic marinara with fresh basil and lots of garlic (with other veg hidden and blended into the sauce); a pasta with olives, tons of parsley, dried chili flakes, and garlic; a luscious risotto with mushrooms and asparagus, or any other pasta that inspired me from the interwebs.
Asian Thursdays called for rice and veg. Probably my favorite cuisine - go figure. It could be a simple steamed rice with a side of sauteed veg and kimchi. Or fried rice with mushrooms, topped with fresh scallions and roasted sesame seeds. I also include all of Asia - the continent - in this themed night so Indian food is included too. đ¤¤
Fun Fridays call for party food. Nachos with black beans, vegan cheese sauce, fresh cilantro, and chilis? Yes, please! Or steamed rice, fresh lettuce and perilla leaves, sauteed tofu and mushrooms in a kalbi marinade, and kimchi.
This kind of party food makes me very, very happy. đ
Education
Eating well and prioritizing nourishment over easy, fast, yet possibly harmful takeout is done by consistently educating myself on the benefits of optimal nutrition. Sometimes Iâll read about the risks of the typical Western diet rich with meats, cheese, and ultra-processed foods because they used to be my favorites.
Without this constant reminder, I started to slip away from my healthy eating habits.
The great thing is that every week is an opportunity to start fresh and get back on track.
No stress!
Inspiration
Many plant based folks go to vegan recipes, cookbooks, and websites for inspiration but theyâve never inspired me the way bon appetit and Serious Eats do. Their highly-rated recipes are typically excellent and after a quick Google search and a little practice, itâs easy to swap out ingredients from these recipes with plant-based items and still have excellent-tasting meals!
I love to cook but I donât always love all the work it entails. Making sure Iâm consistently inspired alongside knowing the benefits of eating whole plant foods is how I keep this going and have kept it going for so long.
Practice
Ultimately, like all things in life, the more we practice, the better and faster we get.
For this yearâs Thanksgiving, I found myself signing up to cook most of the food and though each ticket (below) has multiple steps included, it was easy and I was in my therapeutic cooking flow.
All but the Ferrero Rochers that I didnât get to. I have the ingredients for it so I can save that fun for when the mood strikes!
I would not have been able to do all of this without years of practice. I took it one week at a time, one meal at a time.
Take a break
When it was time to stop whatever it is Iâm doing and get my butt into the kitchen to make dinner, I changed my mindset of this being âworkâ to being a break.
This small shift in perspective made all the difference!
Instead of begrudgingly cooking, I embraced taking a needed break and doing something relatively simple (compared to building out strategic plans, researching a new topic that may break my brain, or any other task for work).
Time to turn on some fun music, pour myself a drink (sparkling water or vino), and start to shift into cooking flow.
Homework đ
What are your favorite foods?
Write them down.
Yep, thatâs your homework. Trust me, itâs the start of something beautiful.
Until next time,
J xx
PS. Did you do last weekâs homework? (Scroll to the end of the post.) My good and bad lists had two very prominent things pop out at me - namely that I love the challenge of business-building (new or established) and that I need to work on an important relationship in my life. đŽâđ¨ And hire a cleaning lady. đ