Family Cooking for Pleasure and Health

Most families coordinate several schedules, manage different family needs and deal with day-to-day time constraints. It can feel like a miracle to get everyone together to eat—let alone cook a healthy homemade meal and enjoy it.

There are many who say, “I love to eat but hate to cook,” and in our time-pressed society others argue for convenience over cooking. The prospect of prep and clean-up could make even the resilient shy away from cooking.

As a working professional, I have to admit, ready-made foods most definitely have their appeal. However, after several days of take-out, I find myself wondering exactly what went into my food and contemplating the dent it made in my pocketbook. Is the cost of convenience worth compromising my family’s long-term physical and financial health?

By choosing convenience, we sacrifice the more intimate family conversation that could come with cooking a meal as a family. Think back to your own childhood. Most of us can conjure some vividly pleasant memories that have us craving mouth-watering homemade food. I love entering the house to the smell of basmati rice, the aromatic sizzle of butter and flour for halva (porridge) or the piping hot smell of homemade pizza as the oregano and garlic seep into the pizza sauce.

Creating these types of experiences may be difficult today, but it is possible. Most importantly, acknowledge the necessity of cooking to nourish not only the body but also family wellness in the long run. But how do we slow down and try our hand at cooking more often?

Whether you are exuberant about cooking or feel overwhelmed by preparing meals at home, here are some general tips you might find rewarding:

Plan Several Menus
Take the time to plan either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly menus. They don’t have to take a long time, and it gets easier as you go. Have the entire family join the menu planning—ask everyone for their favorite meals, from your toddler to your spouse, and don’t forget to include your own favorite meals. Need some inspiration? Google your favorite ingredients for many healthy and delicious recipes available at your fingertips on the internet. The magazine rack at your local grocery or bookstore offers several cooking magazines, so try a few—you may be surprised with what you discover.

Make Mealtime Family Time
Creating a mealtime environment by picking meals from the menus the family has put together. Ask other family members which days they would like to cook or can help out. This shared experience allows for ownership and requires follow-through. If you are like my family, you may need reminders to bring everyone back to the table as a family. Make it a priority not only to sit together but also to cook together.

Start Off Small and Use Smart Shortcuts
Don’t try to create a complicated family ritual—you don’t want to become overwhelmed in trying to coordinate everything and miss the pleasure of the experience. For a busy family, cooking at home every night may be difficult, but by adapting to your lifestyle you could try making a fresh meal once a week.

Likewise, take on smaller cooking tasks and easier meals before tackling the more complicated dishes. Try using shortcuts: chop vegetables when you have a few spare minutes for a meal later in the week, or take that chicken you defrosted and turn it into two different meals. When you know you won’t have time in the evening to cook, throw several ingredients in the crock-pot in the morning and come home to a steaming, ready-to-eat meal.

Yet, some days cooking just feels like a chore. Monica Bhide, the acclaimed food writer and author of several cookbooks, admits, “I hated Monday night cooking—it is boring!” In her latest book, Modern Spice, Bhide reveals that the key to overcoming her Monday cooking blues is “using simple ingredients to do the work so that you don’t have to! A few well-chosen ingredients, seasonal produce put together well, are all you need to get an excellent dinner on the table. One that feels like you spent hours making but in reality, only 20 minutes!”

Enjoy the Colors
Think colors when meal planning. Cooking with different-colored vegetables not only enhances the visual appeal of the meal but also helps you eat healthier. You can also add color to your dining table. A bowl of blueberries or strawberries on the table is inviting and tempting to eat during dinner and doesn’t have to be offered only after the main meal. For many, these are good ways to get the necessary daily five servings of fruit and vegetables.

Create a Theme Night
This is a meal typically eaten once a week or biweekly. Families can do spaghetti night, pizza night, chili night, Indo-Chinese Cuisine—or you can make up your own variations. Be sure to change it up once in awhile. When we do pizza night, we make Mexican pizza and Mediterranean pizza, or we try different vegetables, from roasted red pepper to artichokes.

Let the Kids in the Kitchen
Teach your children to appreciate the nuances of taste, touch and smell. Let them learn to smell when the cumin is roasted or taste the crunch of celery before it is stir-fried. Show them how sauce bubbles in the crock-pot and how it smells differently from when it started.

Involve the Family and Keep it Balanced
Every chef needs a break, and each family’s situation is different. Alternating who does the cooking can turn the entire process into a memorable food and life experience. And you don’t have to completely eliminate eating out. Sometimes my family orders from our favorite pizza place on pizza night, but we still manage to make it healthier by ordering whole-wheat crust and less cheese. The goal is to be aware of what your food choices do to your health and also to savor food together with your family.

Establishing a new routine may take time, but consider the alternatives. Unfortunately, many of us may feel meals will simply materialize and they do—it’s called take-out. The way to avoid this temptation is to have a designated day to shop for ingredients and turn them into good meals for ourselves and our loved ones. You’ll create stronger bonds with your family, and you’ll all feel better knowing exactly what went into the meal because you’ll be in complete control of everything—from the salt content to the meats and veggies.

And remember, cooking doesn't have to be the same, humdrum, dal-roti-sabzi (lentil-flatbread-vegetable). Food can be healthy and celebratory.

I recently met international chef Rajiv Gulshan, who was visiting from Australia. His birthday is February 14th and we talked about the holiday. To Gulshan, a Valentine Day’s celebration is not only with his wife but also with his children: “My kids actively help me in making this dinner. Cooking and preparing food with kids is a multi-faceted gift, for you and for them. Teaching them a skill that they can use to feed themselves, their friends, and ultimately their own families is time well spent.”

Anu Kaur is a registered dietitian and certified wellness coach with a B.S. in psychology and minor in biology and M.S. in dietetics/nutrition. Find out more about Anu’s mindful and wellness perspective at her blog, A Nu Healthy You, and sign up for her free monthly email newsletter at www.ANuHealthyYou.com. If you liked this article, please share on Twitter. Comments? Anu@ANuHealthyYou.com.