FALL BACK IN LOVE WITH YOUR KITCHEN THIS SUMMER
Every day I speak with families who are lost, frustrated and have simply fallen out of love with their kitchens. The kitchen is the hub of the house, the fuel source for us all, how can we be so dissatisfied? We spend at least 10% of our lives preparing and eating food, that is up to 8.2 years for the average Australian! To be stressed or frustrated with such a large proportion of your life can explain why so many families opt for take-away or unhealthy “convenience” foods. How can you fall back in love with your kitchen? Here are 4 simple steps to put you on the path towards enjoying the very important process of food preparation, which is synonymous to body-nourishment and self-love.
STOP THE FRANKENFOODS AND JERF!
Frankenstein wasn’t human; likewise, the body doesn’t think numbers are food, even though they are disguised to be. Peel away the processed foods and, simple as it sounds, Just Eat Real Food! The less your precious palette gets bombarded with frankenfoods, the more you can re-sensitise it to love and appreciate the flavours in vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, etc. To prevent the habitual cravings, make it easier on yourself and your body; remove all temptations from your house and instead “crowd out” the cravings by giving your body an abundance of nutritionally dense real foods instead. Try loving your body so much that you would only give it the best nutrition you can get. This works and it works fast! The body doesn’t crave volume, it’s begging you to give it the key building blocks that it needs to keep up to your busy schedule. Did you know that I have a very special festive workshop at Kunara on the 8th of December, join me there to get inspiration on how to whole food your Christmas menu and make fresh and festive recipes that the whole family will enjoy.
GET ORGANISED
Many kitchens have been designed without the right organisation, resulting in unnecessary stress. Although it may feel like more work to get organised initially, it can save you hours each week thereafter and free your mind up for more enjoyable thoughts. Organisation can be as simple as putting all your cherished whole-foods into easy-to-see glass jars. Doing 10-minutes of meal planning for the week ahead; or teaching your teenager how to do most of the food prep for dinner. Invest the time it takes to get organised and then it’s done! Being organised in the kitchen is certainly not necessary but when it comes to nourishing your body 3 times a day, it can definitely be the difference between it feeling like a chore or creative fun. Looking for organisation tips? I share these on social media and at my Kitchen School regularly.
PLAY MASTER CHEF THESE SUMMER HOLIDAYS
This brings fun to the kitchen, set a challenge amongst your family or friends to each prepare a meal to share. With a twist on the hit TV show, rather than review what’s WRONG with the meal, review what’s RIGHT! What did you like about the food? Was it the taste, the freshness, the interesting new ingredients or the presentation? Not only will this lift the home chef up, it will encourage them to keep doing it. Share your tips and tricks with each other, and most of all, let the kids see you having fun with food.
GET INSPIRED, SURROUND YOURSELF WITH FOODIES
It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a community to feed a family. Surround yourself with foodies who love preparing healthy food. Their excitement and inspiration will help you discover or re-ignite the joy of food, and how this translates into health. Find 1 or 2 foodie friends and arrange a weekly food-swap, where each of you will make a double/triple batch of something and then share it amongst each other. You get at least 2 awesome meals for the effort of 1 AND you are held accountable to look after yourself through healthy food prep! There are many places on the Sunshine Coast to meet inspired foodies. Kunara is the perfect hub for this, your one stop shop for fresh food, gourmet café, and all the ingredients for your own whole food garden! The Kitchen Crew at Kitchen School is growing rapidly too and is just around the corner from Kunara.
“Work is only work if you would rather be doing something else.” Mark Twain
Set yourself up to love your kitchen and everything that it represents for your health. Surround yourself with inspiring foodie-friends and share the love of new dishes and recipes between you. The best part is that everyone wins when you begin to love cooking more, and discover for yourself how your body will reward you when you do!
Book your ticket here for Ashley’s upcoming workshop at Kunara and learn how to make some Fresh & Festive meals this Christmas!
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