The world of cooking is vast and glorious, but what if your skills are limited? No worries, just start where you are and capitalize on the skills that you do have.
But I’m No Chef
When I speak to people about cooking healthy meals most often I receive sighs and slumped shoulders and a muttering, “I don’t really know how to cook…” I find that for many people cooking is a dark hairy monster that instills feelings of dread, anxiety and inadequacy. But here’s the good news! You don’t have to be a Master Chef to prepare healthy food for yourself. It is quite possible to get by with a few simple cooking techniques
[bctt tweet=”here’s the good news! You don’t have to be a Master Chef to prepare healthy food for yourself”]
and work them to your advantage.
Start with No Cooking
Let’s say the thought of putting a flame under a pan is not lighting your own fire, here are some ways you can “cook” cold.
- Embrace the Salad: Before you roll your eyes, let’s get past the idea that salad has to be a bowl of leaves. Some of my most popular salads are chopped veggies, seeds and perhaps some grains that sparkle with a delicious dressing. Think of adding texture and color with tomatoes, orange peppers, radishes, avocado, beans, nuts and seeds. All of these ingredients offer a bounty of antioxidants, fiber, excellent fats and more protein than you might think. Pick up a rotisserie chicken and add that in. At my market you can purchase fish and they will steam it right there for you at no extra charge. I often have a cold poached salmon that I flake into my bowl. Look for pre-made rice, quinoa or other grains in your freezer section and add them in too.
A Good Cooking Basic: Steaming
- Steaming is one of those cooking methods that are practically fool proof. Start with a large pot with at least 2″ of water in it. You can purchase a steamer basket, or you can use a colander or sieve, and nestle that on top. Simply get that water boiling, add what you want to steam into the basket and place a lid on top. Steaming is a gentle cooking method and it’s wonderful for preparing fish, shrimp and tofu, along with veggies. It’s nearly impossible to over-steam something. As you go along it’s also easy to simply lift the lid and check on how things are going. Need more time? Just set that lid back and give it a few more minutes. The one main concern? Just make sure you don’t run out of water. Most meats will steam in about 10 minutes (depending on the thickness) and veggies take anywhere from 1-4 minutes (depending on the density). Steaming is also one of the healthiest cooking methods as vitamins are retained better than with dry heat. My one word of advice- make sure you have a delicious sauce or dressing to top your bright colored meal and you will look like a star.
Feel like you’re ready for more?
Nothing would make me happier than to assist you in feeling more confident in your kitchen.
I am presently working on a series of cooking lessons that I will be rolling out very soon. My mission is to teach you easy, reliable cooking methods that you can incorporate into your life realistically. Sounds great right?
One of the biggest hurdles with cooking is just in the learning and developing confidence. I have years of cooking experience in restaurants and catering companies, but I learned my expertise from the ground up and as a lay person, just like you. So no fancy schmancy language or techniques, just you and me in the kitchen together. Even if you have some cooking experience there is sure to be some tricks and ideas you may not have known of to make healthy cooking easier and more enjoyable for you.
Be sure to sign up for the mailing list so you don’t miss out on a single lesson. Every time I post a new method it will be sent right to you. And please don’t worry, I will never blast your inbox with junk and noise. I promise you good, clean posts that are chock full of information that you can use.
Looking forward to it- Here’s to your health-
