Think Before You Cook!

Here at The Seasoned Chef, we believe that cooking consciously is a fundamental strategy to create healthy meals at home that the whole family can enjoy. When you cook consciously, you tend to pick healthier foods that fill your soul, rather than just casually filling your bellies with junk. Plus, you’ll begin to eat delicious food intentionally, allowing you to enjoy the act of cooking even more, while also settling to appreciate the company and happiness of others when enjoying the meal you spent time crafting in the kitchen. You’ll feel less rushed, more in-the-moment, and cooking will become a time of peace and tranquility in the hectic rush of your day.

We’re so passionate about conscious cooking that we’ve actually dedicated a large portion of Mix Match, Make Take to this integral concept. If you’re not familiar with our signature cook book, it’s a collection of recipes that are designed to help the whole family cook healthy, delicious foods in no time at all.  We provide recipes that allow you to cook in a realistic amount of time, providing you with space to think, breathe, relax, and enjoy. Then we also suggest recipes that utilize your leftovers so that you can spend more time feasting off the food that you’ve poured your heart into the night prior. Cooking consciously so that you can enjoy life more!

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If you’re new to cooking and eating consciously, we’ve created a list of our top priorities when we cook our meals. Start with this list when creating your meal plan for the week and you’ll be on your way to creating more conscious meals for the whole family!

Top 5 Things to Consider When Cooking Consciously

Eat Foods that Were Alive

A simple “golden rule” that we use is that we try to stick to foods that had some form of life prior to being added to your meal. Our bodies crave natural nourishment – think meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, and less processed adaptations of these original ingredients. These foods support and detoxify our systems, while also fulfilling cravings and leaving you more satiated than if you were to eat food made in a factory.

Keep Your Plate Colorful

In very simplified terms, the different colors of food correlates to the different nutrients that food naturally has within.  For example, leafy greens are that color due, in part, to chlorophyll, which provides our bodies with healing and regenerative support. The deeper the green, the more rich the nutrients. Alternatively, red, yellow, and orange foods are rich in beta-carotene, which helps our bodies to create healthy cells and clear out unnecessary toxins.  So keep your plates colorful to enjoy all the benefits of those natural, from-the-earth nutrients!

Stay Grounded

When cooking, it’s important to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground and to stay present in the current moment. When creating recipes, you’ll want to feel the meat to tell if it’s done, hear the water starting to boil, see the vegetables when they’re properly roasted, taste the soup to see if it needs more salt, and smell the wonderful smells coming from the pasta sauce you’re making from scratch. It’s a full body and soul experience, allowing you to forget about the rush throughout your day and to center yourself on the current, lovely moment.

Eat Without Distraction

Whether you’re enjoying a meal solo or with others, turn off the television, put away your cell phone, and embrace the current moment.  You’ll taste the flavors more fully, appreciate each bite that you expertly created from scratch, and enjoy your eating experience much more deeply.  The food you lovingly crafted should be completely enjoyed and that meal deserves your attention.  Consider this your permission to stop multi-tasking and truly enjoy this very moment.

Embrace the Joy of Eating

When you cook with awareness, you start to create meals that fill you with joy. Embrace that moment and appreciate the meal that you developed with love. Learning to use high quality, fresh ingredients takes a little practice, but their robust flavors and nutrient dense content make it a worthwhile endeavor. Focus on eating quality foods over quantity and you will begin to truly find joy in enjoying a good meal.