6 ways to make cooking part of your daily life

You've promised yourself that this is it—2022 is the year you're going to make time for yourself, and part of that commitment is to begin cooking more mindfully and building healthier eating habits. First, congratulations! Second, we’re here to help. 

Here are 6 ways to make cooking part of your everyday routine 

1. Start small.

If you normally have takeout or food delivered five out of seven days a week, we recognize that cooking every day might be a bit overwhelming at first. That's a-okay. Give yourself some time to adjust. Start by cooking once or twice a week, then work your way up to every other day, and pretty soon it will be a daily occurrence. 

2. Start with something you enjoy.

Part of embarking on a new challenge, like learning to cook, is to remember to take it easy at first by starting off small, with the flavors or ingredients you enjoy and are familiar with. This will help you build confidence in your cooking. Eventually you can branch out and experiment with new ingredients and flavors. 

Here are some classic recipes you may want to cook first:

• 'Cheese' & Pepper Pasta

• The Ultimate Baked Potato

• Vegetable Corn Chowder

3. Cook enough to make leftovers. 

If you’ve committed to cooking at least three times a week, how will you offset the days you aren't going to cook? This is where leftovers come in handy. With a bit of advanced planning, you can easily increase portions on your cooking days and have extra meals for your off days. Think about it like cooking once and eating twice. Convenient and achievable.  

Here are some Swich recipes that make exceptional leftovers:

• Indian Masala Chili

• Coconut Braised Chickpeas w/ Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

• Lentil Saag Dahl

And if you’re a Swich member and looking for tips on how to cook in advance, give these exercises a try: 

• Batch Cooking Fundamentals

• Batch Cooking Weekly Setup

4. Enjoy the process.

Cooking is meant to be fun—therapeutic, even. Slow things down and try to find joy in every step of the process: from selecting a recipe, to shopping for the ingredients, prepping, and finally tasting the finished dish.

5. Focus on the benefits of cooking.

If you're feeling a bit unmotivated and need an extra push, it can be helpful to focus on the benefits of cooking:

• It’s better for your health

• It builds confidence

• You’ll become more mindful about what you are eating

• It’s budget-friendly

6. Set yourself up for success. 

You’re more likely to find cooking success if your kitchen’s set up to succeed. Check out this post to find out how to organize your kitchen for cooking.