Welcome to another year in this already tumultuous decade! Whether you are looking forward to starting your 2023 resolutions or not, make sure to keep yourself well fed. If your goals are to make cook more, find some new spots in the Springs or eat healthier, there is a sure-fire way to approach every goal you set.
‘Everyone can cook’
Eating out is becoming increasingly expensive, even if the restaurant has a drive-thru, so cooking at home is a more affordable option for many people. Here are a few simple steps to get you started on your 2023 home cooking ventures:
First, gauge your cooking experience. It’s easy to come across a recipe that looks amazing and eligible for a weeknight meal. However, if you are a beginner, some recipes may need you to have more experience before you attempt them. Therefore, look out for a difficulty level or time limit on the recipe you’re researching. When finding a recipe, some websites or cookbooks will list a difficulty level at the top, or at least a time limit.
It becomes increasingly frustrating when you attempt multiple recipes only to find out they didn’t go as planned because of their difficulty level or time limit. Believe me, spending hours in the kitchen to find a near-inedible meal is beyond frustrating, so remember to recognize your experience in the kitchen before attempting a recipe.
Second, plan your meals. Meal planning is vital to an organized kitchen and organized home chef. To stick to your resolutions, make sure you find your favorite websites/cookbooks, create an airtight grocery list, budget and plan for when to eat out. Also, eat your leftovers. Planning your meals alleviates the stress of cooking and makes you cook the food you’ve bought, rather than wasting it.
Third, have fun in the kitchen! I’ve often found that people are averse to cooking because it becomes more of a chore rather than something that can be fun and relaxing. To change your attitude towards cooking, try to listen to your favorite music, invite your friends, roommates and family to cook with you and/or taste the food while cooking.
Out on the town
If a resolution of yours is to try new foods, our Cheyenne Mountain-shadowed city has a lot to offer. Make a list of the types of food you want to try, research highly rated restaurants serving that type of food and read reviews from local newspapers or yours truly!
Like I said, eating out is becoming increasingly expensive, but if you’re hellbent on trying new food, try to invite friends, roommates or family to go with you and share the experience. Plan when you will eat out so that you don’t bust the budget for next week’s meals. Impromptu meals are the ones that tend to break the bank the most.
“Why are you eating the stem first?”
Whether or not you got the reference (“The Office”), trying to eat healthier is often scary and uncomfortable for most, especially when you really crave your favorite foods. I’m not trying to advocate that anyone should diet for their resolution, but rather to help you eat healthier if that is your 2023 goal. Dieting is a loaded term, and I think it’s often better to try to adopt new habits by eating better foods than starving yourself. Eating better can be enjoyable.
In order to start eating heathier, I find it best to do research that fits your goals best, especially if your end goal is to lose weight. However, eating better doesn’t necessarily mean changing your figure. If your goal is simply to eat healthier foods, there are a few websites and a lot of cookbooks out there. My favorite happens to be Healthyish.
Healthyish has a carefree approach to eating better, in that it helps you find new foods and substitutes, like plant-based meals, that can be better than the food it substitutes. It helps change your habits, so you crave foods that are better for you and for the planet.
Finally, I would recommend that you reinterpret every meal. Perhaps you see breakfast as more of a light meal that is accompanied by a smoothie or overnight oats. Lunch could stay the same, with the classics like soup or salad. Dinner could become a feast of plant-based delights that don’t leave you wanting more. Maybe you even finish your day with some dark chocolate or fruit-based dessert.
With all these tips and tricks, I hope that approaching your food-related resolutions becomes enjoyable and exciting, rather than daunting, because food is not just one thing.
