We all experience those moments when the excitement of cooking wanes and it ends up feeling like yet another chore in our mundane life.

It’s crucial not to be too hard on ourselves. Cooking doesn’t have to be about chasing Instagram-worthy moments. We should embrace the journey, find delight in the process, and savor the rewards of homemade goodness.

Cooking is about endurance, it is not a sprint!

Start with a plan! whatever day you have off, make a plan for your week. No you will not be able to do Lasagna on Monday, roasted chicken on Tuesday, gnocchi on Wednesday… Be realistic! Alternate one day something difficult, one day something easy, one day left over…  Anything that can be frozen and reheated is also nice if one evening you are too busy/tired to cook.

Don’t Improvise at the store!

Always make a list before going to the store. You know what you have planned for food for the week. Don’t deviate from the plan, I know the pork chop is on sale and the mint is looking good – but if those are not part of your plan don’t improvise at the store – unless you can freeze that stuff! It is a very sad thing to waste food because we run out of time to cook it!

Sometimes Science Experiment!

To build your cooking repertoire sometimes you are just going to have to try something new and maybe fail. It typically takes 2 or 3 try to get the hang of a recipe and adapt it to your taste. Let your audience know when you try a new recipe and don’t hesitate to give them the evil eye if they are too harsh critics… Let’s be clear on who is putting cooked food on the table! Try, and if it is not great, try again, if the base is ok, you can master it and make it yours! I typically try a new recipe once a month, I do it a few times that month to get the hang of it. If you wait too long you will always start from scratch!

Build YOUR classic

You need a few classics you can do with your eyes closed. Your go to if you will! That will help you during the week when you are tired and just need to get dinner out of the way. Sure it is nice to make food other people like – but you are in charge, better a warm meal than no meal!