How to eat well at home, even when life is crazy
Things change ALL.THE.TIME. Unanticipated changes, (honestly, most of them are, amirite?), loss of control and maybe even faith in the future, can throw us for a loop. That’s why it’s so important to know how to rely on yourself. How build the routines and create the safe spaces that will nourish your body, your head and your heart.
Regardless of where you’re living or what you do each day, I think it’s fair to say that we all experience a lot of firsts as we go through our lives. Some are eagerly anticipated, but so many (most?) are unexpected. As for counting up the new experiences that have outlasted their welcome, I’d think you’d agree -- there’s nothing to be gained by counting the tally there. Unless you’re playing scrabble or hockey, keeping score isn’t very productive.
Instead, I’d like to invite you to grab a mug of whatever warms you up and read on with me here to learn what helps me hang on when life serves up more change than I’d bargained for.
It should come as no surprise that for me, my happy space is in my kitchen. This is a place where I can create warmth and nourish myself and others, be it in person, or virtually. The bonds around the table are strong and leaning in to those is a great source of comfort and energy at any time. In person or not, preparing and sharing food is both a welcome distraction and a way to feel connected to those in my life, whether in person or from a distance.
As life shifts and changes you can find yourself with extra time on your hands, empty chairs, around the table, or limits to your usual distractions. The changes can take a toll on all of us.
Understanding how to feed yourself is more important than ever.
The foods we eat can have a profound impact on our physical and mental health, including our energy levels, how well we sleep, our mood, our ability to manage stress, our immunity and our mental focus.
Feeding yourself well isn’t about becoming a gourmet cook or eating perfectly all the time (whatever that is).
It’s not about becoming an expert in nutrients, balancing macros or following the latest diet trend. It’s about focusing on whole, real foods, finding simple ways to support yourself with a variety of foods and knowing how to adjust when your options are limited.
Learning what you can do to play an active role in your nutrition is a fantastic way to start feeling in control of your environment and your plate. Knowing how to confidently prepare your own food and navigate your kitchen can help reduce your stress and build resilience, with the added bonus of breaking up the monotony of take-out meals or cereal for dinner again (unless you really like cereal).
To help you get going I’ve created this Nourished at Home Guide.
A starting point for the new cook, or a simple refresh for anyone who finds themselves cooking more often and for more people, this guide is, full of easy, no cook snacks, go-to lists of foods to have on hand to build flavour and nutrition into your meals and a cheat sheet on your best bets to stock a limited pantry. All the key tools and ingredients that you can carry with you to any kitchen big or small.
Before shaking your head and saying “no more changes!”, please wait! I hear you!
You may feel like now is not the time to change up your food game, or to add anything else to your plate (pun completely intended). You might be thinking that you can’t make changes anyways, because you don’t have the right tools, no one will like what you cook and you really don’t have the time or energy for anything new. You might not even like cooking!
And that’s all completely OK. I’ll hold the plate for you while you get started. You don’t have to be an instant expert or do everything all at once.
I want to show you how you can make a difference - to how you feel, your energy level, your sleep, and how much you enjoy eating, whoever is with you at your table - by just starting with a few simple changes.
No throwing away the take-out menus required. I invite you to download my Nourished at Home Guide and get started, one small change at a time.
The Nourished at Home Guide is a quick reference tool for fast foods and snacks, easy add-ins to boost flavour and nutrition, a list of prepared foods to have on hand and kitchen tools to help you pull it all together. All designed to make things simpler and more delicious for you, wherever you’re cooking these days.
Minimal cooking, minimal ingredients and minimal time needed, all chosen to have maximum impact on your plate.
I can’t wait to hear what you think! Connect with me on socials or DM me with your questions or comments, and if you have some ideas of your own, why not hop over to my facebook group the B’Hive and share them there! We’d love to hear from you.
