Bring Back the Joy of Cooking Home-Made Meals: 10 Steps

Below are tips from Vegetarian Organic Life to help bring back the joy of cooking home-made meals, despite our busy lives.

"It’s time to get re-acquainted with our kitchens, with fresh ingredients and the joy of cooking meals made from scratch with loved ones. It's time to stop viewing meal preparation as only a means to satisfy the requirement of eating, but as part of the joy and pleasure we take in food, in nurturing our bodies and minds, and in each other's company around our dinner table.With practice, a few organizational skills and time-saving tips, eating home-cooked meals can be easier, cheaper, healthier and immeasurably more rewarding than conventional modern fare. Healthy food can be prepared from scratch very quickly. The secret is to develop an attainable strategy, and plan accordingly. Here are 10 steps to fast, easy and healthy homemade meals:

1. Plan weekly menus.
Keep it simple and think SLOW (foods that are Seasonal, Local, Organic and Whole). On your first weekly day off, early in the morning, look up recipes in cookbooks or online and use them to plan a menu for five or seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The idea is to create several weekly menus to re-use in the future.

2. Eat more plant foods.
It’s quicker, easier, cheaper and healthier. Your eating plan should include plenty of leafy greens, colorful vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, tempeh, tofu, seitan. If you must animal protein or animal products such as dairy and eggs, eat only free-range, grass fed meat raised without cruelty and free of hormones and antibiotics. Fish eaters, stick to wild fish and those lower in mercury. The more organic and local, the better.

3. Create a shopping list.
Built it according to the menu and recipes but be sure to check your pantry and refrigerator to see what you already have on hand. Take this opportunity to clean out your refrigerator and pantry and re-organize.

4. Create a master shopping list.
Over time, maintain a list of all items you ever buy using categories according to the store sections you shop at (i.e. vegetables, fruit, refrigerated, bulk foods, cleaning, frozen, baking, etc.) If you shop at more than one place or store, break down the list further per location or do a list for each store (i.e. Farmer’s market, Co-op, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, etc.). The list is a “living document” that you should add to and cut from regularly.

5. Go shopping early in the morning.
Beat the crowds. And the old rule of thumb still applies: Eat before you leave -- never shop hungry.

6. Buy only what is on your shopping list.
Stay away from packaged foods and always read labels carefully. Don’t forget to shop at Farmers’ Markets if you have access to one.

7. As soon as you return from shopping, put things away.
Place the menu on a visible area and plan what you’ll be cooking later that day or the next day. The objective is to prepare items that take a long time to make or are more involved in preparing such as soaking beans, cooking beans, brown rice, making sauces or dressings, etc.

8. Plan on leftovers.
Plan on making sufficient amounts of items that are popular with the family so you have leftovers for lunch the next day. They can be warmed up as a snack or used as ingredients to create a quick and easy second meal.

9. Centralize food information.
Keep the menus and shopping list visible in the kitchen for easy access and reference for everyone in the family to see.

10. Do it together!
Cooking and setting the table should be a team effort -- everyone at home helps. Play music, talk about the food you're preparing, and enjoy each other's company.

Planning ahead and getting organized is key to making these time-saving techniques worth while and pleasing. Eating homemade meals is nourishing to your body, your health, your soul and your loved ones. And you’ll reap the benefits by looking and feeling healthier, younger and more relaxed and energetic. Let’s celebrate family unity with wholesome home-cooked meals around the dinner table, bon appetite!"