I spent last weekend in Carmel California with my sister and my dad. We explored Big Sur, ate at many incredible little restaurants and spent time walking along the beach with teas in hand. If you ever have the opportunity to get to Carmel, I highly recommend it.
Spending a few days eating out so much and seeing how busy all the restaurants were got me thinking about how common it is for people to eat out most of their meals and how this can 
make our relationship with food less healthy and our relationship with our bodies more destructive.
I have no problem with eating out and believe that we can have lots of wonderful moments while out at a lovely restaurant enjoying a meal. What I am interested in, however, is a person starting to actually get acquainted with his/her food, what is in it and how it is made. I am interested in people learning to invest in themselves and their relationship with their bodies by getting back in their kitchen and connecting with the food they eat.
You don’t have to love to cook to cook yourself meals you enjoy and that make you feel good. Plus, it doesn’t have to take forever. In fact some of the meals you may love most can take under 30 minutes from start to finish. I think learning to cook for yourself or to really use your kitchen can be a skill that helps you as you work on your journey to wellness. Not only does it usually make your body feel well but it also is a great way to invest in yourself and your well being.
If you are someone who eats out most of your meals then start small by aiming to cook only a few meals at home this week. If you cook at home regularly but find cooking anxiety provoking or a chore, then try to make a night of it where you try to make something different without any time restraints or expectations outside of having fun and trying something new (it’s usually best to do this on a night you don’t work!). Either way, take back your kitchen by getting in there and learning to make foods that you love. It really can be a beautiful way to take care of yourself and feed your soul.
Tell me, what are you going to learn to cook this week? Write it in the comment section below and give us all some inspiration!
I find cooking to be like art, I love all the colors and making each plate a creative master piece, yet I only ever enter the kitchen under duress… but your entry comes at a funny time it’s my first week back at work and I had to cook dinner for the house so I took full advantage of having the afternoon to tackle this task and it was a total hit I did char grilled eggplant, zucchini , yellow and orange peppers and tomatoes over a red quinoa salad, with a fresh mint an thyme dressing and a sweet potato, leek, black beans cumin coriander soup (from scratch)…it was such a hit they were still eating it the next day when I came in. On Saturday I took on a baking challenge…chocolate fresh mint ricotta cupcakes, (with rice flour and toasted chopped walnuts) instead of white flour…with a ricotta, vanilla mint frosting. They were gone in 15 min. But what was best was how much I actually loved making them and being in the kitchen again, it’s funny how easy we can forget when all our time is spent delaying entering the kitchen.