If there’s one thing I love, it’s being in my kitchen. I love the sight of fresh produce in the fridge, the scent of fresh flowers on the bench-top and most of all, I love experimenting with new healthy recipes. Making your kitchen a place you want to be is a powerful way to create a positive approach to food and nourishment. While I see the kitchen as a creative space, I understand that many people don’t feel the same. Here, I’ve listed my top tips for creating a happy kitchen.
7 ways to make your kitchen your happy place
1. Keep your kitchen tidy: A clean kitchen is essential for living a clean, healthy life. Keeping a tidy bench and an organised fridge and pantry will help you to think clearer and will make food prep easy.
2. Dedicate Sunday afternoons for meal prep: Once a week, set aside one hour a day to prep your fridge and pantry. Then, when you feel like cooking you have everything you need. In the JSHealth App, we have a whole Sunday prep guide to make this process easy and accessible.
3. Have your essentials on hand: When it’s time to cook, you can save yourself some time by having herbs, spices, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic on hand. They’re the basic ingredients that most of my recipes call for and they help to boost the nutritional profile and flavour of your meals. I keep a tray of these essentials right next to my stove.
4. Stock the basics: Always have eggs, lentils and greens on hand for those nights when you need to whip up an easy meal. If you’re lacking the inspiration to cook, these staples make a healthy and delicious option. We have some great lazy options in the app.
5. Keep your meals simple: Don’t overcomplicate the cooking process. Wholesome eating doesn’t need to be too fancy. A good-quality protein with some sautéed greens and brown rice makes a balanced, nutritious meal.
6. Set the mood: Playing some of your favourite music is a great way to make the cooking process enjoyable. Rather than seeing it as a chore or just another thing on the ‘to-do list’, setting an ambient vibe can help to make cooking fun.
7. Experiment with new recipes: Select one delicious recipe that you’d like to cook and give yourself time to learn, experiment and enjoy the process. When you practise in the kitchen, you get the hang of it and start to feel more comfortable and confident in your ability. This makes mealtimes to much more pleasurable.
