For most of my life I avoided cooking. It just wasn’t “my thing”. In college I would fry a hot dog and put it in a piece of bread, and call it a meal. I wanted to improve my eating habits. In the past I lost weight because I ate less, but not always healthier. I like meals that taste delicious, but are relatively simple to make. I drink Shakeology because it takes 1 minute to prepare, and is plant-based. It’s filling when I add peanut butter, almond milk, and half a banana to it. And it tastes like a delicious semi-sweet milkshake. 

 

            One of my goals is to learn how to cook. I can scramble an egg, bake a Betty Crocker cake, cook pasta, and operate a microwave. I will never starve.  But now I want to learn how to really cook. It’s one of my goals. I listen to a lot of Abraham Hicks videos on Youtube, who says in order to reach goals it’s best to “make it easy”.

I’ve decided to “make it easy” with these 3 steps.

1.     Set a goal I believe I can achieve. My goal for this week is: I’ll make one new recipe. I’ve kept it simple and short-term. My goal wouldn’t be: I’m going to beat Bobby Flay in Iron Chef by next Halloween! My long term goal would be: to cook one new recipe every week for 3 months.

2.     Have fun while completing the goal. I’ve decided to enjoy cooking. In the past I cooked to survive, but I’ll find a way to make it fun!

3.     Be kind to myself. When I’m learning something new, I discovered it’s best to be nice to myself. If I “mess up” I won’t put myself down because I know criticizing myself will not get me to where I want to be. Instead, I will ask myself “what can I learn from this?”

These steps apply to every goal I set. Now on to recipe- hunting…

I decided to make Cauliflower Nachos. Growing up, I loved gooey, high calorie foods such as French fries, pizza, grilled cheese, stir fry, mozzarella sticks... I still love tasty food, but now I want to eat healthier, which is why I chose Cauliflower Nachos. It’s made with vegetables, but it’s still nachos! Plus, it’s easy to make. And very gooey.

I had a recipe to follow from. I started chopping cauliflower. And then I started tearing the cauliflower to pieces because it was more fun. And then I diced up the onion, pepper, cilantro, and jalapeño. At one point the jalapeno got in my eye! I chopped the onion on the same exact spot as the jalapeno. I probably won’t do that next time

             

The instructions called for a quarter cup of chopped tomatoes. I didn’t want to measure. Precision can be very tiring. (Unless it’s something easy- like 2 teaspoons of sugar.) So I picked 2 smallish tomatoes and chopped it. In the past, I disliked cooking because everything had to be “just right”, measured to perfection. I used to spend so much time measuring! Now, I approximate. It makes cooking so much easier and more fun.

            This applies to life as well. In the past, I alternated between complete perfectionist and royal procrastinator. In high school I would fold my dirty laundry. In college I would wait 2 months before doing laundry. Both resulted in unhappiness. I’m happy when I’m productive and relaxed, when I’m not focused on “making it perfect”. Meditation helps a great deal!

            I enjoy activity when there’s no “rush”. I made sure I had plenty of time to cook so I wouldn’t have to scramble. This recipe wasn’t supposed to take too long, but I set aside a nice chunk of time so I wouldn’t feel rushed. I enjoy chopping slowly. As a result, the vegetables I chop sometimes forms amusing shapes. When I chop, I try not to think of “Iron Chef” or “Chopped”. Though I enjoy both shows, I never want to be on either!

            I’m dedicated, but I don’t compete. In the past I did secretly compete with a lot of people. Then I realized: I can’t win by competing. I may “beat” my opponent one day, but next time they might come out stronger. And I always felt resentful when I competed because even when I was “winning”, there was always another person seemingly “better” than me. My life became easier after I stopped competing.

            I’ve also learned not to compete with myself. In the past, I based my self-worth on my achievements. From an early age, I believed what people said about me, about my limitations. I also wanted to make something of myself. I was in a predicament: I didn’t believe in myself, and yet I needed to succeed so that I could feel good about myself. With that mentality, I didn’t achieve my goals. When I didn’t achieve my goals, I felt worse about myself. Then I realized: I don’t have to base my self-worth on my achievements. I choose to feel good about myself. When I think of myself in high school, I don’t cringe anymore. I realized: I was always good enough. I just didn’t know it then.        

            I didn’t make a four course meal; I made 1 dish. And I was proud of myself. That’s what happens when I stop demanding perfection and stop competing. As I was eating my delicious cauliflower nachos, I gave myself a pat on the back for cooking something new. I didn’t make gnocchi or macarons, but I was proud of what I made. Cauliflower nachos are simple, healthy, and delicious. My kind of recipe.  Here’s the link to an amazing assortment of recipes, which I’m experimenting from. Next time, I’ll make guacamole.

Beachbody Recipes 

To achieve goals, believe in yourself. Don’t base your self-worth on your achievements. Life becomes easier when we stop competing with each other. And be gentle to yourself if you “mess up”. Chances are, it’s not as disastrous as it seems. It took me years to understand all of this. For much of my life, I believed the exact opposite. My life got better when I realized my self-worth.

One of my favorite books as a teenager was: Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. I wrote my memoir (links below) to give people hope. I know if I can find happiness, then so can anyone.

 Kindle Book Link

Paperback Book Link