Cooking can be fun (obviously!), but also a chore (for sure!!!). It all depends on the time you have available for the task. As many of you can guess, I love to cook and bake– it is definitely the highlight of my day and being able to cook and bake as a profession is a dream come true for me! But when my husband and I are racing around with our kids to bring them here and there and our schedules feel like they are on a collision course, it’s amazing any of us eat at all! Thank goodness for my amazing in-laws.
When I was little, I moved to Connecticut from Israel. My parents did not have any family in the US and they both worked full time jobs (not the 9-5 kind but the extra work after-hours kind!). I’m not really sure how they did it. Really, I’m not sure how my mother did it! On many occasions, it seemed as if she was single parenting since my father was of a different ‘era’ and definitely had more traditional expectations. Long after my parents separated and I was an adult, my mother used to chuckle about how she used to take my father’s shirts that needed a new button and hide them away in a corner of the closet where no one would find them (with the intention that its wearer would forget that he every had that shirt!). It was after those stories that I fully understood why my mother threw away the iron after her divorce was finalized! It’s also why I never really learned how to iron!
Having had my incredible mother as a role model, I am definitely of a different era– the kind where life partners/wives and husbands/wives and wives/husbands and husbands/roommates, and so on share the household domestic duties and child-rearing. My husband is remarkable and so involved to the point where I find that I am complaining that he is vacuuming at the wrong times! I should definitely count my blessings (since vacuuming is not my favorite chore…)!!!
But no matter what type of family you have and what your schedule is and what type of support you can count on, the simple answer is always PREP!!! Over the years, with my own family but also with the many clients that I have worked with, I have found that preparation in meal planning is essential for sanity. Whether you have children or just a busy schedule of seemingly spontaneous obligations, preparation is the only way to reduce stress related to eating.
Check out the link below to read an article that I wrote about simple strategies for meal planning:
Article Link: Healthy Meal Planning for a Busy Schedule
And remember, we all need some inspiration in the kitchen at various times! In addition to preparation, taking cooking classes can be really helpful and fun as well. If you are local to Connecticut, check out my upcoming cooking classes and events. If you are not local or are looking for more resources and ideas in the kitchen, visit my blog for many fun cooking videos!