How do you do when it comes to food?

Food is one of those weird, crazy, infuriating things and different people have different relationships with it. Some people eat to live while others live to eat. Which one are you?

While I think I tend to be an eat-to-live kind of guy, I do still enjoy food and I also enjoy hanging out in the kitchen experimenting with different types of food. I do use recipes from time to time and try to learn new dishes to add to my repertoire, but more often than not I actually enjoy combining whatever is in the fridge and then usually throwing in a mystery ingredient (spoonful of coffee granules, some honey, some shavings of orange peel) to give it a distinct “me” taste. And miraculously, more often than not these experiments have worked.

EAT SMART

I heard about a bachelor guy who I met recently, who has never cooked a meal for himself ever. And he’s beyond 30. So this guy lives on takeaways, and to be honest the evidence is pretty clear when it comes to his body. This guy needs an intervention.

Now while Steers chips are pretty much to die for when you add Thousand Island sauce, and I enjoy a good KFC Streetwise II on occasion, my wife and I generally tend to steer clear of takeaways – both in terms of health reasons and also price. We also tend not to go to restaurants a lot unless there is some special occasion.

For the most part eating home is where it’s at and it really can seriously affect your budget (in a good way) as well as helping you eat more healthily.

COLLABORATE AND LIST THEN

If you are someone who doesn’t and maybe has never cooked for yourself, or if you find yourself in a rut when it comes to what meals to make, here are some simple ideas to help you out:

  • Google it: My wife used to struggle to make a good cheese sauce for her cauliflower and broccoli meals. So I decided to give it a try. But I didn’t know where to start. One Google search for “simple cheese white sauce” later and I was set. My sauce rocked and I became designated cheese sauce guy. There are also sites where you can enter in a list of the ingredients you have and it will design a meal for you. But these days you really can do pretty much anything from Google and there are a lot of walk-through videos where you get to see and hear everything as it happens.
  • Get someone to teach you: If you’ve never cooked anything in your life, then speak to your friends and family and ask them to share a simple dish with you and then just go for it. It’s amazing how easy so many types of food are to make and once you’ve nailed it once, it’s yours for life. Maybe don’t go jumping to Lobster Thermidor with Parmesan and Mushrooms on your first attempt. Bake a potato, throw together a batch of french toast, or attempt your first pasta. And then grow your list from there.
  • Potluck a recipe book: When my wife tbV (the beautiful Val) and I started doing one week meat free every second week, we were in need of tasty veg recipes. So we threw it out on social media via a blog post and people responded en masse. We now have 20 or so recipes saved with a variety of styles and flavours. So why not email a group of your friends and ask them each to submit one easy or favourite recipe they love making and create a document that you can share with everyone.
  • Lastly, I would encourage you to experiment: Spices and herbs and new ingredients and new dishes. At one point when we were in Americaland, tbV and I started making one new dish each per month – that is really manageable. Why not try a meal from another country (and if you know someone from that country maybe they will agree to come and show you how it’s done).

Beyond that, probably our biggest tip would be to sit down on Saturday or Sunday before you do your big shop and plan the week’s meals (and if you’re married who is going to cook them, and if you’re a parent why not start creating spaces for your children to help out or even cook their own meal?) When you have a plan in place you are less likely to give in to the simple option of ordering take-out and you will also know exactly what you need and so it will help cut costs when shopping.

Simple, healthy, and with a whole range of possibilities. Eating at home could revolutionise your life.

What is one dish that you have tried to make for the first time this year and how did it go? Tell us about it in the comments.