How to Make Home Cooking Easy, Fun, and Cheap: Practical Solutions

Day, after day, after day, we have to eat.  
Meal, after meal, after meal.
To survive.  
​Literally.

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes this can be a tedious chore.  And, unless cooking is your passion, the time and effort that goes into home cooking can wear on you; whether you have a large tribe at home, or if you're single and just cooking for yourself.  I get it - we're all busy.  It can be very temping to take unhealthy shortcuts and visit a drive-thru or buy pre-made tv dinners.  

However, home-cooked meals made with whole-food ingredients are the healthiest options for you and your family. There's no denying that real-food ingredients taste the best, make you feel nourished, and give you a sense of satisfaction after preparing a lovely meal.  In fact, it's the nutrient-rich foods that will give you energy to keep on cookin' (pun intended).  ;-)

​Here are some practical suggestions to make it easier for you to make homemade meals with whole food ingredients. And, at a reasonable price! You'll find that nutrient-dense meals and snacks made from whole foods can be an uplifting, empowering, and money-saving experience!

Practical Suggestions

• ​Preparing whole foods at home can take longer than heating up or buying ready-made foods.  Allow time.  You’re worth it!
• Waking up just 10 minutes earlier to prepare a nutritious breakfast will reap rewards throughout the day. 
• Get your family involved in meal preparation.  It’s a great way to bond and teach them about the benefits of eating whole foods.
• Chop and dice lots of ingredients at one time.  Store for later. 
• Use a slow cooker.  Make dinner in the morning!
• Make batch meals.  Double, triple, or quadruple recipes. Freeze for later meals, or when you’re too tired or busy to cook.
• Invest in a good knife set (I love Kyocera ceramic knives). Or, other fantastic brands of stainless steel knives are Wusthof and J.A. Henckels.
• You'll also need a handy pair of kitchen shears.  You'll wonder how you ever lived without them!
• Nice skillets like Xtrema Ceramic Cookware will last a lifetime and are toxin-free. They also offer lovely bakeware, dinnerware, glassware, storage, and wooden accessories.​

The right kitchen tools foster a fantastic cooking experience!

• Clean up as you go.  It makes after-meal time much less stressful.
• Use cooking as a creative outlet.  Alter your old recipes into new, healthy, whole-food versions.
• Make soup and stews!  A wonderful meal can be made with some random ingredients you can find in your kitchen.  The possibilities are endless!
• Experiment with new ingredients, food combinations, cultural foods, and spices.  Make food new & exciting!
• Take a cooking course to learn new techniques.  See the Top Online Culinary Arts and Cooking Courses.  Or, utilize tv cooking shows or You-Tube.
• Remember to defrost meat for dinner by putting it in the fridge the night before.  Planning is key!
• Cook a large roast or chicken and use it to make several meals.
• Brown several pounds of ground beef at once.  Freeze the unused portions and quickly defrost when needed.
• Use the pre-made, printable Au Naturale Nutrition grocery shopping list.  Everything on it is nutritious!
• Take the time to organize your cabinets, pantry, and refrigerator.  Purge unwanted items. You'll save time when you know where everything is located. 

• To see all my favorite tools for the kitchen, the foods I love, and other fave's see my page: Jenny's Favorite Things.
• ​Make zucchini noodles with a Spiral Slicer.
• Cook baked goods on a cookie sheet lined with a non-stick Silpat silicone baking mat.  It makes clean-up a breeze!
• Use a nice food chopper to make your job fast & easy!

Saving Money

Sometimes, high quality whole foods cost more than packaged junk foods or fast foods. Investing in high nutrient-quality foods is an investment in your health. You can pay now, or pay later with hidden costs associated with a poor diet, including medical expenses, time spent in doctor's offices, missed work, and a shorter life.

Instead of asking why organic foods are so expensive, why not ask why junk foods are so cheap??  Hmm...

​Eating out at restaurants frequently can be rather expensive and is a recipe for an unhealthy body.  The same goes for foods that are instant, pre-packaged, pre-cooked.  You're also paying for labor & these foods are sold at a premium price. Unfortunately, they are often cooked in highly oxidative oils, full of chemical additives and preservatives, loaded with added sugars, and chock full of refined salt.  ​Oh no!

Face it... being a homebody can be good for your health & your pocketbook! Bringing your lunch from home (to the office) will also save a fortune.

There are dozens of ways you can save money and still eat healthy.  ​

The more you save, the more you'll want to stay home and cook! 

My article Eating Healthy on a Budget: 40 Ways to Save $$$ is a great resource for smarter shopping.

My top 5 are:

• Shopping a local Farmers markets
• Making my own ghee
• Utilizing Amazon Prime
• Going berry picking
• Avoiding foods with packaging

Check out all the other ways to save!

Also, know when it matters to buy "organic" and when you can skip it.

​In my opinion, if meat or poultry is purchased at a regular grocery store, it's absolutely vital to buy products labeled either organic, grass fed, or free-range. If it isn't, the odds are very great that it's from an animal raised in small pens or a feed-lot and fed an unnatural, unhealthy diet.

​As far as produce, in general, if you're going to remove the peel, don't bother buying it organic.  If it is a root vegetable, like carrots or potatoes, always buy organic (these will soak up toxins in the soil and cannot be washed off). Always buy organic apples and berries, which are the foods most sprayed with pesticides.
​
Read much more in my article: Organic Foods:  Really Worth the Cost?

In conclusion...

Now you have no more excuses!  Stay home tonight and cook a lovely meal. It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive to be delicious.  If you put your love into it, it will show.  Happy cooking!

Do you have more great tips for no-stress home cooking?  Comment below so other readers can benefit from your wisdom, too!

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