Videos, Recipes and Other Tips for a Healthy 2020
Like many people, my new year’s resolution includes taking a hard look at my diet and losing at least 10 pounds. I cook regularly, but in the past year or so, I’ve become more lax in what I’m cooking. More red meat, less vegetarian meals, more pasta with sauces, that sort of thing. Like everyone, over the holidays, I found myself at the mercy of “food pushers,” those who prompt me to eat stuff I wouldn’t normally, including a slew of baked goods and sweets.
This week, I’m looking forward. I’m working on bringing my most recent book which was published in Japanese last summer to the American market in May this year.
My New Year’s resolution is to eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day and drink 10 glasses of water a day. I figure if I can do that, I’ll cut down on some of the other stuff that’s no so good for me.
Take my brief online crash cooking course
Here are a few video lessons and primers that may be helpful to you if your resolutions include cooking more, eating better and saving money — all are good things to aim for, right?
▪ Knife Skills
▪ How to Make Vinaigrette
▪ How to Make Vegetable Stock
▪ How to Cook in Parchment
▪ A Cheat Sheet to Flavor Profiles
▪ Quick Guide to Herbs & Spices
▪ Basics of Soup Making
Find out what’s in your kitchen
I’m a fan of “Tidying Up” expert Marie Kondo. I’ve spent time in hundreds of people’s kitchen teaching them to cook, and one thing everyone can do is make their kitchen a “leaner” and tidier place.
Here’s a challenge for you:
Take everything out of each and every one of your cupboards, your fridge and freezer. Clear out expired stuff, junk food and the stuff you’ll just never use. In your fridge, post a photo of your favorite thing – your children, your husband, your dog, whatever. Make a point to never fill your fridge so stuffed that you can’t see it. Research shows that an emptier fridge leads to weight loss. “Eat down” your fridge, shop more often. More on this process on my site, CookFearless.
Eat Better for Same Funds by Wasting Less Food
If you want to eat better but not spend more, here’s a simple tactic: waste less food. The average American household wastes about 30% of all the food they purchase. No one would throw a $5 bill in the trash, but if you toss that lovely bunch of organic beets, it’s the same thing.
A couple of tips: when you bring home your produce, get out some post-it notes. Write down the price of that broccoli ($3) and put it right on the broccoli or the bag holding it. Do the same for all your fruit, vegetables, dairy or anything perishable. Then, when you go to throw out that item, collect that post-it with the others. Do this for a month. How much did you waste?
To learn more about the impact of food waste, I highly recommend the book Wasted Food by Jonathan Bloom.
Join my crew of recipe testers!
Bad cooks welcome! To join my league of recipe testers, send me an email and I’ll send you the “secret” page for my Fearless Friends, and the password.
I post new recipes regularly, and ask testers to simply fill out surveys afterward. I sometimes get in touch to ask you more questions.
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