When I recommend freshly cooked meals every day, I hear this a lot… “I don’t have time at all–I have to attend to meetings with people across all time zones”
There is unfortunately no magical medicine that sets everything right without a proper diet. Food is the only thing that can make us or break us.
Medicine helps correct any imbalance and food helps build the proper tissues so the condition will not repeat.
If you plan your meals ahead, it is super easy to make them. Here are some of my tips to make this happen…
Right before bedtime, it may be common for us to go around the house and do a little cleaning and upkeep of the kitchen/living room area after we’ve used it for the evening. Well, at least I hope you do ?. If you are spending even a little bit of time in the kitchen, for let’s say washing the dinner dishes, why not add just a few more steps into your routine:
- First, at least have an idea of what you would like to eat the next day. You don’t have to know all the details just yet, but make sure you have a general plan according to the time you have available.
For example, if I know that I only have 30 minutes to cook my lunch in the morning, I will not be cooking a meal with more than 2 items that need to be cooked separately. Most likely I will prepare to make soup or a kitchari, since they are complete meals by themselves, and they only require one vessel for cooking. If I have one hour to cook, then perhaps I may do something more elaborate.
- Set aside at least some of the items that you will cook the next day.
For me, it is things like my pulses. It can take a long time to cook pulses even on a pressure cooker. To save some time, and for other beneficial reasons, soak the pulses you are going to cook the night before so that they are softer and can cook faster. If you are a meat eater, marinate your piece of meat with whatever flavors you like so that the next day it is just ready to be cooked.
- Get your pots and pans ready
It just takes extra time unnecessarily to scramble about the kitchen looking for the right type of pans/pots to use. If you have a rice cooker, or an electric pressure cooker that is automatic, then you have it even easier. Just put the ingredients on the electric vessel and set the proper settings so that you do not have to keep watching it. It will all just cook itself and turn off.
- Choose your spices the night before.
If you usually put dry spices in your food, pick each one the night before and set the right portions aside so that you do not have to be doing any thinking the next morning.
- Lastly, and more importantly, have the strong intension to make this happen
Just like you usually plan ahead of time for all the work projects or family responsibilities, and even put them on a calendar, plan at what time you will need to get up in the morning (before there are any interruptions of people) to be able to cook a full meal before you begin your day. Practice makes perfect, the more often you practice this, the more efficient you will become at cooking your meals every morning. You will be so proud of yourself…you like that feeling, right?!
Contact me to help you set up a healthy routine so you can get back to being the best version of yourself! 510.556.3738, manju@ayurhitam.com