After a long day, it’s easy to just order take-out. Our tips will help motivate you to cook out for a healthier, more cost-effective lifestyle.
Sitting down and cooking dinner offers countless benefits. You save money compared to eating out every night and you end up eating healthier. Plus, you get to hone your cooking skills.
Even so, after a long, busy day, it’s hard to remember all these benefits when a fully cooked meal is just a phone call away. To help win this battle against our wills, we’ve compiled our easiest tricks for motivating yourself to cook.
Build Your Cooking Skills
Sometimes, the biggest motivation killer isn’t our energy, but our skill level when it comes to cooking. Doing something you aren’t used to is always hard, and the learning curve of building your cooking skills isn’t always easy to overcome. If you’re new to cooking, the best way to hone your skills is to start with beginner recipes. For example:
- Casseroles
- Soups
- One-pot pasta dishes
- Tacos
- Oven-baked, marinated meat
The more you build your confidence, the less daunting the task of cooking will seem, and the easier it will be to find ways to motivate yourself to cook.
Find Recipes You Actually Enjoy
If you’re craving your favorite Indian restaurant, look up a flavorful curry recipe. Or if you want burgers, pick up some ground beef. Who says your own meals have to be boring?
Pro Tip
Cooking is an art, so don’t feel constrained by what the recipe says. If you prefer your local takeout place’s mac and cheese because it’s creamier than your recipe, add a little more cream and cheese. If you prefer the spice of your local Chinese restaurant’s chicken, add more chili powder.
Do Your Prep Work Ahead of Time
Some people are raring to go in the evening when they get home. Others are morning people. Some get a second wind at their lunch hour.
If you find you’re more motivated to cook at off-hours, try prepping your ingredients at that time. Brown your beef, chop your veggies, and mince your garlic. That way, when dinnertime rolls around, you’ll have less work to do. And you’ll be more motivated to finish the meal since you already started it.
Upgrade Your Kitchen
It’s hard to cook in a kitchen you hate. Take the time to make some simple upgrades to your kitchen, like replacing one or two appliances or reorganizing your spice rack. If you’re environmentally conscious, take steps to make your kitchen more eco-friendly. When the stage is set, you’ll love to cook there.
