My son made these amazing waffles while I baked some plums.
Everybody assumes I love to cook. Let’s set the record straight. I don’t enjoy cooking. In fact, most of the time I dislike it. Whenever I tell people I don’t like to cook, I get one of two responses: “But you are an amazing cook!” or “But you are a Nutritional Consultant”.
Just Because
Just because I work in the field of nutrition, doesn’t mean I like to cook. There are a lot of people in my field who love to cook, and they are the ones writing recipe blogs, and creating cookbooks, or offering cooking classes. That’s not me. I love the clinical aspect and working with complex cases.
Are you like me and don’t like cooking? Read on!
I Cook To Nourish
Just because I don’t like to cook, it doesn’t mean I don’t do it. One of the most important ways for me to nurture my family is to nourish them. The great thing is that there are simple ways to nourish them that don’t require complicated meals. Keep It Simple is my motto.
I make sure the produce I buy is as fresh as possible and that it’s organic, and that the meats and eggs I get are free-range or pasture raised animals. Fish is always wild. Good quality ingredients mean good quality meals (usually – it’s not fool proof). That is the reason people tell me I’m a good cook. It’s hard to go wrong with good quality ingredients. I also save time by getting a grocery delivery once a week. I still like to visit farmers’ markets and health food stores every week, but by getting a delivery once a week it reduces the number of trips I have to make each week and saves time.
Once I have the ingredients, then I do my best to create one-pot meals. Sometimes the pot is my crock-pot, sometimes it’s a big roasting pan, sometimes it’s a saucepan or frying pan. Whatever my cooking method, the meal has animal protein, lots of vegetables and some healthy fat in it. Then I might add a salad, or raw or steamed veggies on the side.
I Get Help
It took me a while to feel comfortable asking for help in the kitchen, but as my work-life got busier it became a necessity. My husband doesn’t like to cook either, so even though he offered to help, it wouldn’t have been a good long-term solution.
I ended up doing 3 things:
- I hired a personal chef to help out. I wanted someone who could put together Gut-Healthy meals, and who would also have culinary skills that were better than mine, so that we would have some amazing meals in addition to my good ones. I found Callie of Callieflower Nutrition. She comes in and does some dinner preparation, as well as prepares something to go into my kids’ lunches: fish cakes, frittata, muffins or veggie fritters. Her dinners include mouthwatering marinated meats, ferments, soups and ground meat dishes where she hides liver and other offal. She also preps vegetables, so that they are ready for me to throw in the oven or steamer at dinner. Callie works in 3 hour sessions, and it’s amazing how much she gets done in that time. I’m pretty sure she still has some openings in her schedule, so if the idea of having some professional help appeals to you, contact her.
- I involved my oldest son. My son loves to bake, and plans to make it his career. He’ll make any Paleo baking recipe I ask him to. In fact, he just tried cassava flour waffles. On Fridays he sometimes makes nut or coconut flour pizza crusts! If you have kids, find ways they can help, even it it’s just washing the vegetables, or putting something in the oven that you prepared in advance.
- Even though my husband doesn’t like to cook, he does a great job of scrounging for leftovers and putting lunches out. He also washes the dishes – always.
If you need help in the kitchen ask your spouse, partner or kids what they would enjoy taking on, and when during the week they can help. Everyone in your household should have a role in preparing the food they eat.
Other Options
Cook in bulk. I always make huge batches of soup, cook a big roast or make a large batch of whatever it is I’m making. I try to make enough dinner to feed my family of 5, provide leftovers for lunch, and still have some leftovers to put in the freezer or eat later in the week. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s a great strategy, because it lightens my cooking load on other days.
Maybe hiring someone to help out isn’t an option for you. Instead try connecting with family members, people at your church or friends, and see if they can help out. Maybe a meal exchange can be organized, maybe someone is retired and looking for something to keep them busy. You won’t know until you ask.
I Don’t Cook Because I’m a Nutritional Consultant
I don’t cook because I work in the field of nutrition. I cook to nourish myself and my family. I don’t really enjoy it, but a bit of help and advanced planning goes a long way towards making it manageable.
What tip can you share that make cooking easier for you?
Who will you ask for help? Send that person an email right now!
Happy, Healthy Eating!
Tracey