Dear Reader,

Does cooking stress you out?

Let’s face it– even if you love cooking, sometimes cooking is a chore. After working for 8 hours, the last thing we want to do is be on our feet, sweaty, and then think about having to do the dishes afterwards.

This is why I’ve adopted Zen principles to my cooking philosophy.

A major tenet of Zen is on letting go of what generates stress and to instead bring in elements that make us feel at peace. A part of this is building a natural flow to our thoughts and actions, and priming ourselves for a calm mindset, working within the guidelines of simplicity.

So instead of trudging through the drudgery of cooking for yourself, here are some of my favorite tips on how to make it a more pleasant and sustainable daily habit.

Zen cooking tips for the person who doesn’t have the energy to cook

1. "When you’re hungry, no matter how ‘easy’ something is to cook, it takes too long to make.”

Cooking when you’re already hungry primes us for scarfing things down, feeling exhausted, and then hating the overall process.

When we cook when we’re satiated, we’re much more likely to eat in moderation, eat slower, and also just enjoy the process of cooking.

So cook before you’re hungry, but if you’re already hungry, feel free to snack on something! Grapes, blueberries, nuts, yogurt, toast, or even cookies – don’t go overboard (you still need to eat dinner) but your body is telling you something, and it’s okay to trust it.

Help yourself enter a calmer mindset.

2. Skip the knife

There’s a learning curve to cooking. The more you do it, the easier and more fun it becomes, but if you’re new to it– for example, you don’t feel comfortable around a knife– then the effort to upskill can be overwhelming.

So skip the more intimidating elements of cooking, like chopping and dicing. You can use frozen vegetables or canned ones, or pre-cut and sliced vegetables.

You can also choose to use vegetables that don’t require a knife to prepare– like cabbage (rip it), chives (use scissors), or radish (grate it).

Cooking shortcuts won’t make a meal any less healthy or less tasty.

3. Skip the meat

Environmental or ethical concerns aside, cooking meat takes skill and effort. There is the importance of fully cooking it through, but it also runs the risk of overcooking that beginner chefs often struggle with– “How do I make sure my chicken breast is tender without getting salmonella?”

My advice is skip it altogether. There are plenty of protein options that are filling and healthy, and you won’t have to worry about overcooking.

My favorites are eggs, canned tuna or sardines, tofu, and edamame.

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And to get you started, here's a quick recipe that I love, that follows the advice above:

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Easy cabbage and sardine olive oil pasta

(2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 100g of linguine or long pasta of choice (dry)
• 200g of cabbage (I usually guess this, ~5-6 leaves per serving)
• 1 tin of sardines in olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: Extra sliced mushrooms, mini tomatoes, spinach, edamame (I often have these frozen in my freezer–which saves a lot of time and effort)

Instructions:

1. Boil the pasta according to instructions on the box– season your pasta water with plenty of salt!
2. Rinse the outer layers of your cabbage, and use your hands to rip into bite-size pieces.
3. In a large pan on medium heat, add the olive oil from the can of sardines (not the sardines though!), cabbage, any optional vegetables, salt, pepper, and cook through.
4. Turn off the heat, add the sardines, pasta, then toss everything together in the pan.
5. Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Note: Something I particularly like about this recipe is that dried pasta and tinned sardines rarely expire, and cabbage has a relatively long shelf life. So I can always have these ingredients at home without worrying about it going to waste!

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Simple is often best

When it comes to health, simplicity is best– it keeps us accountable, it keeps us motivated, and helps us create habits that feel as natural as brushing our teeth or combing our hair.

So if you’re looking to cook healthier but aren’t sure where to begin, start with what you know, what you like, and most importantly, start the cooking before you get too hungry 😊

Warmly,

Kaki

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