A lot of people have a mixed relationship when it comes to cooking. For some people, it appears to be something very relaxing and even a calming experience. But for others, it can seem very chaotic such as food burning, smoke billowing, splatters of oil, and the list can go on and on. A lot of TV shows and movies tend to portray cooking as something fully chaotic and stressful, but then when you watch a cooking tutorial such as those on YouTube, it seems fairly relaxing, right? Are you wanting to know how you can make cooking that easy on yourself?
Well, the good news is that it can be pretty easy; the main goal for achieving all of this is actually just being prepared. So, whether you’re cooking from scratch or using cooking hacks, here are some different ways to make your cooking routine go a lot easier.
Start Off By Creating a Meal Plan
Some people hate to be constrained by a meal plan, but it can be a real lifesaver. It reduces the stress of having to decide what to cook each evening and will help you to know what you should be taking out of the freezer or putting in the slow cooker each morning. Once you have a meal plan, make an accurate grocery list and stick to it. This will save you money, time and will reduce food waste. So, why do a meal plan? Well, it’s all about knowing and planning what you’re going to make each day, as the end goal for it all is to just make it easier on yourself when it comes to cooking. Plus, meal planning is a great way to cut down on food waste and save time. It also helps you plan healthy meals that are consistent with your nutritional goals.
Always Plan Out Meals Ahead of Time
This goes hand in hand with meal planning. Imagine coming home from a long day and not having to stand in front of the refrigerator at 3 pm wondering what to make for dinner. Instead, you can get everything ready the night before. You don’t need to rummage through the pantry or fridge because you’re going to know exactly what you’re going to eat for the day. Even when it comes to snacks, it’s basically the same thing for that too.
Make a Mie en Place
That’s French for “gather,” and this is something a lot of French chefs and even cooking influencers do. Mise en place is a restaurant concept that helps chefs work quickly and efficiently. It involves preparing and organizing ingredients before starting to cook. This includes washing and cutting vegetables, assembling any dry or wet ingredients, and getting pans and cooking tools ready. It also involves identifying missing ingredients or equipment that might require special preparation.
This way, any missing items can be addressed before they become a problem and a recipe is delayed. It can also help prevent the frustration that can happen when you realize that your knife is missing a blade or that you need another frying pan while something else is already on the stove. Try implementing mise en place at home by pre-chopping your veggies, measuring out ingredients, and setting out a set of appropriately sized bowls. It’s a great way to streamline the kitchen and get dinner on the table faster. If you watch a lot of cooking shows, including those on YouTube, you’re often going to see these there too.
Embrace Leftovers For a lot of cooks, they’ll just make a large batch of food and then convert at least half of the leftovers into something else, such as creating chili and then using the other half for something like chili dogs, for instance. Using leftovers is one of the best ways to make cooking dinner instantly easier for yourself. This is because you’ll have a starting point for a whole new meal and avoid throwing food away.
You can do this by repurposing your leftovers into a brand-new dish, such as fried rice, soup, tacos, or casseroles. You can also use leftover meat or vegetables to add a different flavor to a salad. To avoid losing track of leftovers, try to store them in clear storage containers so that you can see what is inside of them. This will help you avoid wasting food and can save time on grocery shopping as well. You can also use a slow cooker to create meals that don’t need much attention.
It’s All in the Appliances Sometimes it’s more about how you cook that can make things easier. Whether you’re wondering about how to make air fryer salmon or how to slow-cook meat in a Crockpot, overall appliances are meant to make cooking easier on you, so it’s something that should be embraced. Just one thing to note is that you should avoid the microwave as it doesn’t bring out flavors in the food all too well.
Welcome! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thank you for visiting!
Welcome and thank you for coming back to my blog! I really appreciate it very much.
Today is my mother’s heavenly birthday. She is forever in my heart, and I thank the Lord for having her in my life. I know that my mother and my grandmother inspired my fashion and stylish creativity. My mother did not take many pictures. I do not have any photos taken with her; so I cherish the images I have attained. I am not sure why she didn’t like taking pictures, but we all have those quirks about us. I still have the French provincial couch that she is sitting on, the end table in the view, the lamp, and a few other treasures.
My mother in the 1960s in our home on 13th Street
My mother instilled My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, faith, strength, wisdom, compassion, and integrity in me. These values are goals that make me a lifelong learner striving to grow each and everyday.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers and Father Figures!
Happy Heavenly Father’s Day to my Daddy!
I love you, Daddy, and you inspire my life, and you are in my heart each day.
Fun Fact: In this picture the photographer asked my Daddy to put a penny in my shoe for luck at my wedding. Have you heard of that story? It was new to both of us.
JT and Daddy
Memories: My Daddy, my hubby and I, and my mother in love at our wedding at St. James the Greater Catholic Church.
I went to church with my hubby this Father’s Day and thanked my Lord for my Daddy. Hall of Fame St. Louis Rams football player Isaac Bruce was the guest speaker at church. You can watch the entire service with Bruce’s message here.
I honor my Daddy because he loved me and took care of me. This man of God would give me tea every night, and after he went to be with the Lord, my hubby took on the tradition. I am humbled and blessed.
Finding the perfect birthday gift for a child can be a daunting experience. There’s the chance they may not like it. Or the parents may not be happy with what you buy.
See What’s Currently Trending You can always play it safe and see what’s trending right now. Toy fads come and go. But some toys stay popular. And others are even becoming collective because they are so in demand. For example, LOL Surprise toys are highly prized by kids between 4 and 11 years old. You can check what’s trending with a simple Google search. Or you can check individual retailers who usually have a “What’s Hot” section on their online sales websites.
Ask the Child’s Parents Of course, the easiest way to find a gift for a kid is to ask the parents. However, there are some risks with this. The parents may not want to put you on the spot because they don’t know how much you are willing to spend. Conversely, they may ask for something expensive that you aren’t willing to spend. Either way, however, you will get major kudos from the parents, and the kid will love you. But this can also help you get something the parents will approve of.
A Book is the Perfect Birthday Gift for a Child Kids love toys. Of course, they do. But most kids also love reading, especially if it’s a child’s book focused on something they are interested in. For instance, if your nephew can’t get enough of Jurassic Park, then a big book of dinosaurs would make you the best aunt or uncle in the world. Then, of course, some children are above average reading age. Classics such as Roald Dahl’s books, Narnia books, and others are a safe bet.
Consider Sharing Toys There are many types of toys. And not all are made for the individual and are best enjoyed by others. Board games are a perfect example. Today, video game versions such as for Nintendo Switch might be more appropriate. Then there are things like puzzles, sports games, and activity books. These are great gifts for kids with siblings, friends, and cousins who visit often. It also means they will learn to share and develop better social skills while having fun.
Make Sure a Gift is Age Appropriate Toys are labeled with ages for a reason. Some toys are not appropriate for certain age ranges and may be dangerous. For example, an action figure for 8-year-olds isn’t the best thing for a toddler because of choking hazards. You also don’t want to get a toy too young for a child, either. And then, of course, there are age-rated products. You know, the ones. Many kids have gotten a copy of Grand Theft Auto V, even though it’s for 18+.
Summary It can be tricky to find the perfect birthday gift for a child. But you can always try trending toys, a book of something they like, and try to make sure the gift is an appropriate age level too.
If you are trying to lose weight, It is as much about mindset as it is about the practices you embody. When it comes to losing weight, our mindset is just as important as the food we consume. Here are a few things to get you in the right mindset to lose weight effectively.
Set Smaller Goals Many people think about losing a lot of weight as their first goal, but instead, it’s far more effective for you to list smaller goals that will help you over time. We must remember that losing weight is about improving our lifestyle without opting for short-term tactics. This could include something like practicing intermittent fasting, but it’s also important to remember that if you have a significant calorie deficit, this will go against you because your body will effectively lock up any excess fat as storage. This is where you may benefit from the best meal replacement shakes on the market to ensure you get the right amount of calories.
It’s not about having a complete calorie deficit but about reducing your calorie intake gradually, which is why setting smaller goals by eating more fruits and vegetables or having a little bit more physical activity are things that are more manageable because you will barely notice the additions of them into your life. Making change is difficult, so we need to start with the small things that gradually get bigger and take over in time.
Set a Plan and Stick to It If you plan everything, including your meals and your fitness regimes, this will help keep you on track. It’s important to schedule these things into our lives so we know exactly what we’re going to eat and when we’re going to exercise, and this means that over time, these routines slowly become a habit. It can take up to three months for a proper habit to form, which is why scheduling everything at the very beginning and sticking to it will create a roadmap for success.
Get Rid of Those Old Habits We all know the habits that are detrimental to our abilities to lose weight, but even if you’re not sure, you need to start identifying the behaviors resulting in weight gain. For example, if you like to relax on the couch at night and instantly reach for a chocolate bar every single evening, you should start by changing that bar of chocolate to something healthier, and gradually, these little changes become habits over time.
One of the best ways to eliminate any temptation is to remove anything unhealthy from your pantry, but it’s not about eliminating it. You must replace them with healthier options. If you are someone that, like the best of us, has an addiction to sweet treats, one of the fundamentals of escaping the clutches of addiction is replacing a bad habit with a healthier one. Lots of people think that they can go cold turkey, but it’s essential to avoid putting that pressure on yourself because if you are someone who is a stress eater, you will inevitably fall back on those older habits which, as we all know, die hard.
Be Realistic in Your Expectations Having long-term goals is critical to keep us on track, but when we ask ourselves how much we would like to weigh in 12 months’ time, having a realistic number that is totally doable will ensure that we stick to the plans better. For example, if you want to be 12 pounds lighter this time next year, this works out to one pound per month, which is easily achievable and manageable in the context of your life. You can always change it to a more adventurous number after six months if you are on course, but it is critical from a mindset to start at the realistic end of the spectrum.
Know Why You Want To Do It Motivation makes it easier to make changes in your life. If there is a dress that you want to fit in and it’s too tight, setting a realistic strategy and seeing that dress every day can act as a reminder as to why you are doing this and will give you motivation during those challenging periods when you are in a lot of doubt. Preparing yourself properly to lose weight is critical, but remembering that motivation is a fantastic tool during those tough times will provide a double whammy of inspiration.
Reward Yourself When it comes to the smaller milestones, for example, if you have lost two pounds in two months or a few inches around the waist, you need to reward yourself so you can recognize the hard work you have done and celebrate the steps that you are taking to be a healthier version of yourself. Choosing rewards that will make you feel good about your accomplishments is critical, and this means not indulging in cookies and ice cream.
Thinking about what would be a great reward system for you will help to reduce those temptations. For example, a trip to the movies may be a great reward, but there are a lot of unhealthy temptations, so make sure you have something like popcorn or some fruit in your bag to help reduce those desires.
Keep Track Of Your Progress Whether you are exercising to lose weight without changing your diet or you have completely overhauled your eating habits, one of the best ways to promote positive behaviors and reduce those unhealthy ones is to watch your progress like a hawk and detail everything that you eat and what you do, so if you end up not losing weight a particular month, you can understand why. It’s also a great way to keep yourself accountable and will work wonders to reduce those temptations to eat unhealthy foods.
For many, embarking on a weight loss journey can be daunting, so mindset is just as crucial as your meals.
Learn More About JT
Bubbling with Elegance and Grace started out as an outlet for my passion for fashion but has evolved into a place for me to teach, collaborate, and inspire. My hubby has since joined the team and we have been digital creators for 13 years. We are thankful for those who believed in us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
Follow!