TIPS FOR EATING FROM HOME: PT 1
Good morning, everyone!
Going with our post from yesterday, regarding how to mend your relationship with time and empower yourself in the process, we want to share with you some alterations you can make to your daily life to make eating from home simple. Once you simplify the process, it becomes easier to make your health a priority!
The beauty about eating from home 90-95% of the time is that when you do decide to go out every now and then, you can confidently know that a special occasion won't undo your progress.
TIPS FOR EATING FROM HOME
+ HAVE A SCHEDULE +
Coordinate with your loved ones and see what would be the best day of the week to dedicate to going grocery shopping, and stick with it each week.
+ BATCHES & VARIETY +
Find recipes you wouldn't mind eating several times during a week, and try making a batch of it!
We've found we love making a big pot of lentils or vegetable soup, and a big pot of quinoa/rice/sweet potatoes one night a week could provide our dinner for the entire week! You can jazz it up differently each night if you leave the batch legumes unseasoned. We love alternating curry and cinnamon, cumin and lime, and rosemary and lemon!
You can also top your masterpiece differently each time you eat it: avocado, hemp seeds, pepitas, roasted tomatoes, a drizzle of maple and chili powder? You name it!
**You can also use your batched food to throw on top of a salad. I highly recommend this!**
+ STOCK UP WITH BULK DRY FOODS +
SERIOUSLY!
It can be hard to dedicate a hefty chunk of change to a superfood powder (like maca or hemp), but usually these foods provide insane benefits and last longer than you think.
Adversely, buying bulk dry goods (like flours, legumes, grains, nuts) is usually WAY CHEAPER than buying the packaged version. Think about it: those companies have to make that pretty packaging money somewhere, don't they?! Exactly. Get rid of the packaging, save money and awhole lot of waste.
I also recommend buying in bulk to reduce waste if you want to buy just a little bit of something for a recipe instead of buying a whole container and letting it sit in your pantry for years. We all know that allspice sitting in your pantry. You can buy spices in bulk too, and they're usually fresher!
If you always have these things stocked at home, you have NO EXCUSE not to try a new recipe!
+ STOCK UP WITH CANNED/JARRED GOODS +
When you eat at home, you have to fight off begging little cuties from scratching your knees and stealing your chickpeas.
This is for those of you who aren't too keen on the idea of cooking beans. It can be kind of tricky, and if not done correctly, can cause digestive distress. I HIGHLY recommend always keeping canned garbanzo and black beans in your pantry.
PLEASE PLEASE make sure your beans are organic and the cans are BPA-free. Buying organic canned beans is one of the simplest and inexpensive changes you can make toward a healthier lifestyle.
If possible, always go for a glass containerover a can. If you purchase a glass jar of olives, you also just purchased a perfect sized storage container for that homemade salad dressing you're going to make in a few months (once those olives are long gone).
SERIOUSLY, DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR JARS. ONCE YOU START COOKING AT HOME, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED THEM!
+ WHEN IN DOUBT...PACK YOUR LUNCH +
OMG THIS ONE IS HUGE.
This was probably the hardest for me to make a priority. I hated being picked on for always having a healthy snack with me or bringing my lunch somewhere, that my priority could easily become avoiding the awkwardness over eating healthily.
I finally got over that a couple of years ago, and decided to bring healthy dishes on every road-trip, tour, family dinner, holiday, weird shift at work, you name it. Despite relentless teasing from my father-in-law on these occasions (love you Boyd, but I'll never forget you constantly teasing me that there was "actually meat in the hummus"), it began feeling normal and natural. It's also given me an opportunity to be open with those curious about a healthier lifestyle.
If you're going to be at work for longer than 4 hours, PLEASE BRING FOOD. I don't care what it is, I don't care if you end up not eating it. You need to have a healthy option with you in case your stomach starts growling! Food = F U E L.
+ LEARN BASIC KITCHEN PREP/COOKING TECHNIQUES +
Personally, I've been working at restaurants since I could work, and I also have always been into cooking. I can confidently say that I am the unicorn in my age group. It's completely normal to be in your 20s/30s and not know how to evenly dice an onion or peel a potato.
Learn these simple methods by watching youtube videos on kitchen basics and get to cooking!
+ NO MEAL TOO SMALL! +
You can find a way to keep even your favorite t r e a t s like coffee, ice cream, and even latte making at home!
Honestly, investing in our Breville Barista Express has already paid for itself. Going to get coffee with someone can run you up $10 each time. That's $300 a month if you want to go everyday! We paid $389 for our refurbished on on eBay (value $1000)! It paid for itself in 39 days!
Tip: INVEST IN QUALITY CHOCOLATE. High in antioxidants and minerals, keep the percentage above 70! Skip the Snickers!
what do you find hardest about eating at home?
**Let us know in the comments!**