Clueless In My Kitchen – 6 Tips To Get You Motivated

(Haha “My” Kitchen) If only my younger self knew. One of the main challenges I faced when I got married was beginning to cook. The first couple of weeks, my parents and in-laws spoiled us with our share of lunches, snacks, dinners, etc. One day, I felt famished and realized if I don’t step into my kitchen and prepare something to eat, we weren’t going to eat at all! Regardless of the delicious meals we gratefully get from our families, I wasn’t always going to depend on them right? But as much as I felt like preparing all the best recipes out there, I also thought it was going to be very difficult. I was clueless in my kitchen! I mean I never really cooked anything all by myself, but I chose to turn that into motivation as I refused to maintain that status. And so it began! If you want to start preparing your own meals, here are 5 tips to get you motivated.

Choose Your Motivation

If you are anything like me, I advise you to start with something your family loves. Preparing something that will make them happy is a HUGE motivator to get in there and do your very best! The first meals I prepared were actually my husband’s favorites: “Kebbe bl Saniyeh” (Lebanese dish that consists of minced lamb meat mixed with Bulgur and spices, spread in a tray), and “Kousa Mehshe” (Zucchini stuffed with rice, tomato, and minced meat). Also, the first cake I made was my family’s favorite: Double chocolate cake. And they were a big success because they were made with lots of love and anticipation!  

Find Some Inspiration

Follow cooking pages online especially on Instagram where you can find pages that you relate to based on the cooking style you want. There are plenty to choose from: different cooking styles, chefs, dietitians, healthy living, as well as cooking enthusiasts that share awesome recipes. The short step-by-step recipe videos, as well as all the healthy recommendations out there, inspired me and I immediately felt like trying things I’ve never prepared before! 

Try Familiar Recipes

The best gift I ever received is my remarkable grandma’s recipes notebook. In addition to its emotional value, it includes recipes and tastes that I absolutely love and am familiar with. The same goes for my amazing mom’s cooking. I always ask her for recipes and ask a ton of questions every time I try one. It felt so good to find the same taste and smell of my mom’s cooking in the dishes I prepared. It actually smells like hugs and good memories. This honestly gave me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction because, to me, I learned from the best.

Go Easy On Yourself

There are days when the last thing you feel like doing is step into your kitchen. Sometimes you’re just too tired to make a healthy meal that takes forever to prepare. It’s totally fine. If like me you try your best to cook and eat healthily, don’t be too hard on yourself. On days like this, simply prepare some pasta (carbs to the rescue) or get that pizza out of the freezer. You can also pass by your parents, your in-laws, see what’s cooking, or just order some delivery. Give yourself a break and you’ll feel more motivated sooner or later.

The Magic Freezer

I SO underestimated freezers. Let me just say I discovered it takes a LOT of work off your back! You can freeze anything. This includes chopped fruit and vegetables, raw or cooked meat, herbs, stock, pizzas, desserts, etc. The list is long and I will definitely elaborate on those in a separate post later on. Meanwhile, what you need to know is that stacking up your freezer helps you save time when cooking. Instead of spending so much time washing, chopping, and getting all your ingredients ready every time, you will simply defrost and cook. Knowing you have everything ready motivates you to get meals done. Also, as mentioned earlier, meals that are ready in your freezer are perfect for lazy days. Get that pizza out, that Kebbe tray, and those pancakes. Heat and eat!

To sum things up, if I was capable to make it in my kitchen, you absolutely can! Hey, the worst that could happen is you burning lunch! Overcome your fear of kitchen fails by accepting that you WILL fail sometimes. God knows I did! Laugh it off, get your back up dish out of the freezer, and try again tomorrow. The only way we learn is by making mistakes. Now go have fun being as clueless in your kitchen as I still am in mine! (What? It’s a long learning process you know and I still got a lot to learn!) Let’s do this together and feel free to share with me your favorite motivation tips!