We have a not-so-revolutionary idea for you. Rather than make the same old resolutions to eat better, live healthier and become smarter with money ― typically among the top four made at the New Year ― how about this time, you do all of the above by making a resolution to cook more?
We know, this is not a shiny new idea. It’s not really exciting. But it is smart. It’s practical. And it will help you achieve your goals this year, PLUS teach you a new skill ― a skill that will help you feed the people you love and yourself.
Still not convinced?
This is how cooking helps you eat healthier:
According to countless nutritionists, cooking at home is the number one change you should make in your diet if you want to eat healthier. Not only will you know exactly what’s in your meal ― how many tablespoons of butter went into the vegetables, for example ― but studies suggest you’ll also consume fewer carbohydrates, sugar and fat. Plus, if you cook more at home, you’re also more likely to make smarter decisions when you do go out to eat.
This is how cooking helps you save money:
For the first time in history, Americans are spending more on dining out than on groceries. There are a lot of social factors that influenced this economic shift, like the surge of millennials, a group notorious for eating out. Here’s the thing you should know: the prices of groceries have actually dropped by 2.2 percent since November of 2015, while menu prices have risen by nearly 2.3 percent. Not only do you save money thanks to the lack of inflation in grocery prices, but you’ll also get more food for your money by cooking at home.
Basically, you can’t help but save when you opt to cook at home over eating out.
This is how you can actually make cooking at home a tangible goal:
For some folks, cooking at home feels like it isn’t an option because they’re new to it and feel intimidated. For others, figuring out what to make and how to squeeze cooking in during the week can feel daunting. For those folks, and everyone else, we have three words: Sunday meal prep.
We know that the weeks are busy, but if you set aside a couple of hours on the weekend when you aren’t rushing to and from work, you can achieve your goals of eating healthier, saving money and cooking your own meals. If you can’t resolve to cook every day, at least resolve to tackle meal prep on Sunday. A whole host of redditors are supporters of this practice, and we also have a mountain of ideas to help get you started.
Now, get cooking. We have lots of recipes for you to try.
