Healthy Eating: A Love Affair With The Kitchen

While it is definitely true that making a commitment towards a healthy lifestyle is one that is time consuming and can be a little messy with plenty of clean up required, I think it is all a matter of looking at it from the proper perspective. When you’re in the kitchen cooking, it becomes a social event or activity- rather than sitting down and watching TV with unhealthy or “fast food” you’re moving around, chatting with your friend/husband/family/boyfriend/girlfriend etc… Even if you’re cooking alone you can have fun with good music on, sipping on a cocktail or mocktail and enjoy your time being creative. Cooking healthy meals has really made me appreciate how much fun cooking can be that it seems like less of a chore, and more of a creative outlet. AND if you keep a sink full of dishwater going at all times and rinsing/washing dishes as you go, the clean up at the end is way easier :)

I love your additional “I believe…”
I tell my Boyfriend I love him every day, but I want to start telling him reasons why I appreciate him too :) Thanks!

i can completely relate to what krista is saying. eating healthy requires spending A LOT of time in the ktichen. thankfully i love to cook so this isnt to big of a problem for me. but for people who arent use to this i can definitely see it being a hard transition.

I can completely relate — I also enjoy not just the food I prepare, but the time I spend in the kitchen making it and the effort I put into chopping, cooking, and plating everything. Washing dishes isn’t too bad either… if it’s just dishes, it can actually be therapeutic to me! Lol and I always carry my camera around now, too, to get snapshots of my creations. I love doing all this, and I know that every little thing counts towards a healthier happier me :D

Yes I spend a lot more time in the kitchen than I used to. . . and yet I am so time pressed that I like to think that I’m a great example of how anyone at all can fit the healthy meals into their lifestyle . . . for me it all revolves around meal planning

Hi Angela! I can’t tell you how much I just love you and your website! I have a weird question- I’m a COMPLETE foodie and enjoy making pretty dishes,so I’d like to know where in the world you get all the adorable,super-sleek tall glasses that are in your posts for VOO and your green tea recipe. I’d love to know how to purchase some!

I like to put my juice and VOO in extra-large champagne glasses which are fun, or a big margarita glass ! I have an awesome margarita- inspired juice recipe on my blog- here’s the link if you get a chance:)
http://millieskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/06/vega-rita-juice.html

Also, I LOVE the Pink Parade Post you made! My room is painted pink and I’m 25! I’m such a crazed fan of the color, so I definitely plan on buying some cherries to make the VOO and remarkably, your juicing ingredients are the only ones left in MY fridge too,so I’ll be making your pink juice tomorrow!) yay- so excited:)
I spend lots of time in my kitchen preparing foods. I am vegan and eat several raw foods and meals,so many times I’m soaking seeds or nuts or grains or juicing or blending! I need to start cooking for myself more and your blog is inspiring me to do that! I used to do this quite often but went really raw and quit. My IBS has returned and so I definitely plan on eating more cooked foods like the ones you show!I love your Coconut Bread recipe! I have made one similar and substituted the cherries with blueberries because they’re my favorite,and WOW- So yummy. I even made them into cookies too! That recipe is here:
http://millieskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/06/all-peeved-up-spiced-out-and-rolled-up.html

Anyway, thanks for the info on the glasses if you get a chance:) In the meantime, keep up your inspirational work.

Heart and Soul,

Heather McClees

Before I started eating healthier, I rarely spent any time in the kitchen. I went in there for something to drink…and maybe to put the leftovers from take-out? That’s about it. Now I’m chopping, slicing, dicing, cooking, steaming, sauteeing, blending, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!

Definitely a lot of work, but it is worth it!

Love that you’re still enjoying your TJ’s goodies!! ;) I also love gooey bread + cinnamon in EVERYthing!!! I definitely spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but I feel like I have always spent a lot of time in the kitchen, even when I wasn’t cooking the healthiest meals. I would say that I definitely do more dishes now though! Sometimes I get annoyed w/the dishes, as I make at least 2 good kitchen messes per day…but I kind of just zone out + get it done! I’m sure you feel the same. I remember all of the granola cleaning…eek!

My secret is leftovers! Also, I make easy stuff that doesn’t take a lot of time, like sweet potatoes – just pop them in the oven, no work required. When I’m going to be spending some time washing and chopping veggies, I put on a favorite TV show and it becomes quite enjoyable! I can feel productive and have fun. I just posted a recipe on my blog for my Instant Colcannon – mashed potatoes and kale that takes 3 minutes. So I make stuff like that.

yes I spend more time in the kitchen now. paying attention to what i eat it important for me. when i just got take out or premade meals, i spent less time in the kitchen, but my health was not as good. i started spending time in the kitchen mostly to make raw foods, but then found it so fun i really look forward to it. unless it is really hot like today, in that case cutting a watermelon open is about as fancy as it gets.

I’m always amazed at how little of time it takes me to prepare the boy I nanny for’s meal. Throw some chicken nuggets in the microwave with some leftovers and plop down a couple of baby carrots. Voila.

I on the other hand definitely feel like I spend a majority of my day in the kitchen, but I don’t mind it one bit!

I have to say that cooking my own healthy meals has become second nature to me. I can’t imagine not cooking my meals most days.

It also helps that I love to cook. My mom has struggled with her weight for years and it’s so taxing for her to make changes because she doesn’t like to cook and she “doesn’t have time” to prep and plan her meals, much less cook.

That salad looks so amazing! I am so joining a CSA ASAP. I have a few in mind and want to chose the right one. ;)

Yes, being healthy requires times in the kitchen, but I absolutely love it! As a kid I would spend hours in the kitchen dreaming of being a chef, then as I got older (and unhealthier) I strayed away from it. I am SO HAPPY to finally spend time again whipping up healthy creations. I think everyone can grow a love affair with the kitchen. :)

Case in point – my mom made pancakes from Bisquick this morning. It’s a lot quicker apparently, but I don’t think so… It won’t keep me full for as long, either. I’d rather make those “healthy spelt pancakes for one” recipe that you have!

When I start living on my own I definitely will be trying to learn to cook healthy and from scratch. But until then, I can only try to “bake” healthy… :D

Wei-Wei

Yes yes! I always ask my husband how two people can go through enough dishes to have to run the dishwasher at least twice a day. It’s maddening because I HATE doing dishes. On the other hand, I know it’s what I need to do if I want to make fresh, whole foods for us. Since we started our CSA share, I have had to think of even more ways to stuff fruits and vegetables into every meal and snack. This is a good thing, but sometimes takes more creativity and resourcefulness than I naturally have :).

It’s definitely worth it, but I sure could use some tips on time-management in the kitchen.

Oh I can totally relate to that – I have my blender out SO often during the day..it’s a nasty to clean, but in the end I think it’s worth it :)I’d rather that than take out the rubbish stuffed with take away boxes or something :P

Oh, the kitchen love! One favorite subject for me too. :)
Yes, I spend a lot of time in my kitchen prepping meals, but at the moment I (unfortunately) have a busy schedual and can’t spend as much time in my kitchen as I want to. Sooo, that means a lot of prep time for food (like soking of time in oven), but not really that much actual time spent in kitchen cooking. That’s a shame, ’cause I love it. As for now, I have to accept the fact that spending more time cooking food will only stress me more, so I make a lot of quick and easy recipes (VERY grateful for all the inspiration from here and other food blogs) and plan all week what to do in the weekends when I got more time on my hands.

And one other thing about kitchen time, if you make it a habit to do a little planning – Which food I feel for this week? Gonna try any new recipe? – make sure you got the ingredients at home, prepare what can be prepared and make larger serving and put some of it away in the freezer, it’s actually easier to keep to the healty path (easIER… not always eay. :P).

I’m soo gonna try In A Jiffy Veggie Pie this weekend – I think our suggestion for hummus at the bottom and tomatoe sauce on top will work! Speaking of hummus, every tried to sprout garbanzo beans? They get so much more flavour and you only have to boil them for 10 minutes! I often make hummus of sprouted garbanzo beans and think it gets a much richer flavour… they are delicious in a salad too! :)

Have a great Thursday!

I have only just started on my journey to a healthier life and yes, even though I am only slowly introducing cooking meals from scratch into my routine I can tell that I am definitely spending more time in the kitchen! I enjoy it though and really want to become a more accomplished cook. Even though learning is slow I know that one day I’ll reach my goal – three months ago I couldn’t run for more than 10 minutes and now I can do 50, which proves that if you do anything regularly enough you will improve! I don’t think I’ll ever have time to do any hardcore cooking that takes hours but you can still make tasty food in a half hour or less, right?!

I AGREE! I’m in the kitchen SO MUCH more now, too!!! My problem is, I SNACK while I’m in there! AGH!!

And hello yummy salsa- I haven’t tried that kind yet!!!!

Your Green Monsters always look so great! Mine never look that awesome.

I love that quote at the end!
Although eating healthy is time consuming, I really feel like it is one of the best ways to nurture oursevles….and so many great memories are made around food! I love meal planning and thinking about what the weather will be like on a night we we grill veggie burgs or what friends might stop in on the night we make DIY pizzas.
Most days I feel like I’m in my kitchen 50% of the day but then it balances out other days because I try to do alot of my prep over a few days each week.

I spend a ton of time in the kitchen…but I like the sense of connectedness I have with my food when I take the time to mindfully prepare what I eat. I have learned some tricks along the way that have helped streamline my food prep, though. I plan all my dinners on Sunday based on what we bought at the Farmer’s Market and chop or cut anything that will keep well for 5-6 days in a chopped-up state. By planning dinners and posting the plan on the fridge, I can come home in the afternoons and get straight to prepping for dinner–no more poking around in the fridge to figure out what to make. This has worked wonders in increasing the number of home-cooked dishes we eat and reducing wasted produce in our house! It’s so much more pleasant and easier to make dinner when everything is thought out (and chopped) ahead of time. It works for breakfast too; I’m able to grab some pre-cut fruit for a smoothie in just a few seconds. I use the Magic Bullet for my smoothies and clean up is so, so easy. I don’t think it would work for Green Monsters, though…although I haven’t tried it so I don’t know for sure.

I love putting cinnamon in my Green Monsters too!

Healthy eating definitely takes a lot more commitment – I think you have to be truly dedicated to it, and it really helps if you love food as well! Sure it costs a lot (time and $$), but I like to think that the health benefits and feeling fantastic outweigh the costs. To speed up time in the kitchen, I chop up fruit after I buy it and store it in tupperware containers, and I often make leftovers (such as high-protein salads) that I store in single-serve containers. That way, when I need to take a meal to campus, I can just grab something already made, rather than worrying about preparing a balanced meal or trying to find something healthy to eat while I’m out.

I spend tons of time in the kitchen. I rarely make leftovers or do prep work though, so I’m probably spending a lot more time in there than necessary! I tend to make a lot of stir fries and salads though, which are fast and easy to prepare.

Oooo, gotta try the cinnamon in my Green Monsters. Hey, this pursalane you speak of….hmmm, a friend of mine gave me some twigs from her garden last weekend that she thinks is pursalane. I put it in my juice Tuesday night after my workout and I was full of energy after that…not sure if that is what caused it and I don’t know if that was pursalane. I may have to take a picture of it so you can tell me if that is what it is. She said it just suddenly appeared in their garden, when she showed it to me, I was like….hmmmm, that looks just like the stuff you showed recently.

I love cooking and making my meals as healthy as possible too. I’ve found that even though eating healthier is more time consuming and more costly, in the end my thinking is that it is more beneficial and cheaper healthwise. Ever since I found your blog, I find that planning a lot of my meals come from what you’ve fixed over the weeks. One of the things I do to cut time out, especially with berries, some other fruits and salads. I wash all of my berries, then I put them in tupperware containers for the week, same with melons, i.e., watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe. For my salads, I always fix one big green salad on Sundays and pull out what I need on the days that is what I’ll be having for lunch. I also freeze fruits, berries and bananas for my smoothies.

Your salad looks so refreshing!

I definitely spend much more time in the kitchen now that I eat healthier; but as most of the commenters have already said, it is totally worth it! I enjoy it. :)

I spend time on either Saturdays or Sundays and cook a lot of things for the week. A big batch of vegan burgers (I like to take them for lunch- you can crumble them up over a salad, slice them up and put them in a wrap, cover them with lentils, hummus, tomato paste, sprouts and other fresh veggies…). I’ll make another big batch of something else that I can eat for dinner (I’m a creature of habit and don’t mind having a few repeat meals throughout the week. I live alone and it helps save on time and money.

I go to Costco, Trader Joes and local Farmer’s Markets (I live in Indianapolis and the are all over the place) and stock up on fantastic veggies and fruits. When I get home from work and the gym, I just make my meals all at once (dinner and also breakfast and lunch for the following day). It has become routine so it doesn’t seem so bad.

I too feel like I’m constantly doing dishes :)

If this is the small price I pay for feeling this great, then I feel like I’m getting a pretty great deal!

I spend more time in the kitchen and I don’t mind that at all but the dishes..oh goodness, I am not enjoying that part! I think a dedication to a healthy lifestyle is time consuming but I borrow time from tv watching and other activities that aren’t going to contribute my over well being in the same way.

The question regarding how much time you spend in the kitchen is an interesting one. I’d say the amount of time I spending cooking does not vary by the health/quality of the food — possibly because I cooked a lot with my family, and a lot on my own (and usually that was healthy anyway). My husband and I eat meals that usually take about 20 minutes to make, so I don’t really see how you can say it takes longer. How hard is broiled/grilled turkey/veggie burgers and veggies? How hard is whole wheat pasta with a some chopped tom. and basil? How hard is quinoa and poached salmon? All of those are about 20 min prep/cooking + 10 min clean-up. Hummus takes about 10 min to make if you buy the chickpeas in a can. . . And as for the cost: has anyone noticed how much icrecream is — or how much chips/sugary cereals are? I think that if you really considered your time, it wouldn’t be any more difficult to make a nice healthy meal, than a nice (yes — nice!) unhealthy one. And the cost would probably be the same.

I definitely spend more time in the kitchen now than I used to! Until I was about 25 I never spent more than ten minutes in the kitchen and that was mostly watching the KD in the pot or the entre in the microwave. Now there’s a LOT more planning, prepping and cooking but rarely do I spent hours in the kitchen. I just don’t have time, but on those rare days I have off I find myself making batches of food so I can just grab and go on my way to work and I’m completely obsessed with anything kitchen-y!

My Mom is quite proud at the moment! I don’t think she’d ever thought she’d see the day when I would actually ENJOY cooking and now she’s asking ME to make things at family gatherings! I love spreading the healthy meals around!

Oh my god, the juicer. I was so excited when I finally got one, until I realized it is a HUGE pain to clean. It says it’s dishwasher friendly, but I don’t run the dishwasher every day. AND it says you’re not supposed to leave it sitting for too long without being washed (I guess it can get stained?). Arggghh. I love the idea of fresh juice daily, but I can’t deal with the thought of all the constant cleaning. Especially that mesh filter part… that is the worst!

I didn’t realize how much time I spent in the kitchen until I started graduate school this summer and suddenly didn’t have any hours left in the day! It’s been hard to adjust back to eating quick 5-minute meals and hauling sandwiches around with me on campus. I miss my “real” meals :(

Eating healthy does require a ton of time in the kitchen! It also takes a lot of time just planning ahead of time what you’re going to make. My life’s busy-ness has recently caught up with me and I feel during the week I’ve been spending less time in the kitchen than I normally do. I’ve never noticed the difference too! Hopefully I find some free time soon to get some healthier meals in my tummy :)

I agree! Healthy eating definitely does take more prep time and time in the kitchen, but it is so worth it! I feel healthier, happier and more energized!

I can definitely relate to this. I can never seem to keep up with the amount of dirty dishes in my home and I HATE doing them!!! I did them yesterday before I made dinner, and by the time I was done cooking, the sink was full again. GARRR!!!

Definitely! It wasn’t until I started cooking meals every night because it was cheaper that I noticed how unhealthy my meals were. I kept finding out things that I was eating were bad for me and kept changing little things. I would have been so intimated if I would have tried to change everything at once! It’s amazing how much of a true 180 I’ve made since I started cooking my own meals out of necessity!

I can relate, definitely. My problem though, is not with how time consuming healthy eating is, it is the fact that I wish I could be working with food more! I actually work in higher education and healthy eating, baking, and food in general is really just a lifestyle choice/hobby. All of which is great, but I wish it could be more of my life. How to pay the bills (including grad school loans :o( ) and make a career change into something I actually care about?? THERE is the problem!

Preparing our meals – the washing, chopping, mixing, tasting – it’s part of mindful eating. I believe that the more packaged our food becomes, the less we feel connected to our primary source of fuel and the more we abandon the ways our bodies were meant to feed themselves. I am a huge believer in the “therapy” that is preparing our meals. My mind slows when I’m chopping carrots, as I’m picking weeds from the garden. We were meant to spend this time with our food. Without it, we abandon our health.

Gahhh, I could write a book on dish washing, I do it all day! I try to rise everything right after I use it or at least fill all the pots and pan with hot soapy water so they can soak while I eat. Other than the food processor I don’t mind washing anything but I do so detest drying things. I don’t know why. Oh and I don’t enjoy having chipped nail polish ALL THE TIME from dish washing :(

There is a noticeable amount of time in the kitchen now – luckily my hubby will wash dishes if I unlaod. It works pretty great.
What is funny to me is I’m more committed to spending time on packing breakfast and lunch in the morning than I am to getting ready with hair and makeup. My syle has simplified SO much. I wear my hair curly now becuase it is faster and I’ve got my make up routine down to sunblock and mascara – that’s it. I think the healthy food has made a huge difference in my own “glow” too – I really don’t need any extra face makeup.
I spend more time on dinner and watch less TV too. I think it is time well spent in the kitchen.

Love your “I believe” for today and its so true. We don’t appreciate people enough!
Mmm green monsters with cinnamon are the best! Love the purslane in there too:) Mine is growing…slowly:)
I LOVE being in the kitchen. I get so giddy because there are LIMITLESS things to make and try. Sometimes its overwhelming, but so inspiring too! I have made the prep a habit so I just do it without complaining or dragging my feet. I want the good food, I need to put in the effort. It’s a simple as that. I know a lot of people have crazy busy lives but I think there is time for 10 minutes to clean, wash, and cut veggies for the week. Yet, some people are not having a love affair with their kitchen, for whatever reason, so then “prep” makes them shiver. I think a little encouragement and education goes a long way in this regard.
I eat a lot of raw food now so I’m mainly chopping veggies and sprouting and such! I used to do a lot of (unhealthy) baking and now I do a lot of un-baking which is super fast, so definitely less time there. Yet, I am way more into cooking now than I was before being married, so I spend more time because I love it:)
Ps I appreciate YOU and your great work!

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen…but I love it. It’s theraputic…towards good health…and hell, I just love good food. Also – those tomato curry chickpeas look awesome.

My favorite thing when spending a lot of time in the kitchen, is my hubby seeing the work I am doing and starts cleaning up for me! I have THE best husband ever, and he definitely knows the appreciation I have for him.

Last night I went into a baking frenzy (including your ah-mazing bread), and he washed the dishes, put away all the ingredients I used, as I was baking. Thank goodness for that because I was exhausted by the time I was done… I don’t know how you do it with the bakery!

I am definitely going to try those chickpeas!

I can ABSOLUTELY relate to this! I love eating a healthier diet, but there are plenty of times when I resort to less-than-healthy meals because I just don’t have the time/energy/planning required to do it. I find that if/when I don’t plan for my meals, I end up just eating whatever (= usually NOT healthy!) and then am reminded of how much I enjoy my generally healthy diet. The key for me is definitely planning. And making large meals that we can use for leftovers. Luckily, it’s just me and my husband so it’s pretty easy to get a lot out of one meal. One of my tricks is to make big batches of things and then freeze them so I can have them in a week or two (also this way I don’t have to eat the same thing for days in a row). This is key for my workday lunches so that I don’t give in to fast food grossness (and $$$). Another thing we do is cut up veggies for a few days all at once. That way, we already have chopped up veggies for our salads and what-not and we can just grab them whenever we want to. I do sometimes get tired of how much time/work goes into my healthy eating habit, but it is absolutely worth it and I can definitely feel the differemce when I don’t eat as well. It is amazing to me how quickly I lose taste for the things I used to love. When I eat them again, they are never as good as I remember them being. Guess we all need reminders once in a while, huh?

Hey Angela!
Hope to see you at the Organic Farmers’ Market this Saturday – I need to get some Glo Bars!
Neat how you used the Madras Masala in your chick peas on toast :)
See you then,
Preena

I spend a lot more time in the kitchen then I did 3 years ago. In fact, I regret some of the things I didn’t register for when we got married – I am way more into cooking and baking now! Since our dishwasher has been broken for oh, about a year now I spend even more time washing. Cooking a big meal is satisfying and fun because my husband and I enjoy doing it together, but sometimes seeing the pile of dishes afterward is overwhelming!

One bonus about cooking, prepping, baking etc: you are burning calories doing it :)

Do you have the nutritional value of the bread it looks so devine~ you are such a good baker!!

My boyfriend says that he is having an affair with law school and I’m having one with our kitchen! Ever since I started cooking I love spending time there. It means so much more to sit down to a plate of natural, homemade food, instead of something from the freeze (or the drive through window)!

That is sooo true! I spend so much more time in the kitchen now that I try to eat mostly whole foods. Eating processed foods are so much easier and less time consuming. But for me, it’s totally worth it! One thing I just recently did was to cut up almost all of my veggies so they could easily be made into a salad on the fly without any slicing and dicing. As soon as I got home from the farmer’s market, I chopped everything up and put into baggies to be used all week.

LOVE your yummy bread…made this yesterday…my outcome is on my blog. Thanks for sharing your Sweet Bread Wisdom :)