If you ever said, “I’d like to cook more of my own food, but I just don’t have the time,” this message is for you. You DO have the time. But it takes a little forethought and planning.
Step one is setting aside one afternoon or evening a week for cooking. I know you might be tempted to say you can’t squeeze out that much time in your busy schedule. If that’s the case, you better make sure your affairs are in order, your will up to date and your bills all paid. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will, except the funeral director.
I suggest the best day for most people is Sunday afternoon. That gives you time to do your shopping, run other errands, have a social life and still be able to have good homemade meals all through the week.
I suggest doing your grocery shopping either Saturday or Sunday morning. You don’t want that fresh food sitting around too long when you get home. That leads to you throwing away lots of rotted food. That’s not only waste of money, it’s a waste of a valuable resource.
Step two is knowing what you need to be healthy. That means knowing your medical condition and what your body needs. And that means a trip to the doctor and, I suggest, a nutritionist or dietician. They will help you put together an eating plan you can use as a guideline for your meals and your grocery list.
Step three is to get moving. Exercise will improve your mood and give you a little larger margin for being able to eat more of the foods you like that may not be that good for you.
Step four can be done during the week. Nearly every grocery store puts out a weekly ad with what’s on sale. You can look through this and circle items of interest while you watch TV or doing some other activity at home. Then when you see what’s available, you can look up recipes that use these ingredients and make a shopping list. This is why making a meal plan is so important. You need to make sure you make some good meals that can be made into leftovers or frozen for later.
I’ve heard it many times: “It’s so hard to cook for one.” So don’t! That’s step five. Make enough for several meals. Many dishes taste better after a day or two. Put them into containers that can go into the microwave. That way you have a good healthy meal ready in just a few minutes.
