The Three "Ps" in the Kitchen...

1.Priorities ~ precedence, especially established by order of importance or urgency.

2.Planning ~ a process of thinking about and organizing activities required to achieve a desired goal.

3.Preparing ~ to make ready before hand for a specific purpose.

Has your kitchen become a place of convenience rather than a place of intention? Is your kitchen a place where healthy food options have taken a backseat to just getting something, anything on the table? If so, maybe the Three “Ps” can help.

“Priorities” help remind you of the importance or urgency when striving to make a lifestyle change in your eating habits. It can feel daunting, and full of new information, and it’s easy to want to give up before you get started. But keeping it a “Priority” will offer the little nudge you need to continue to move forward. It’s also about balance, if your eating strays and you find yourself back to (what feels like) square one, there is always another meal with which to start over. Be kind to yourself when learning a skill, it’s a process and that’s where “ Planning” can help.

“Planning” starts with finding a good system of writing down the meal ideas and shopping list. I have a calendar hanging up in my kitchen and each week at the top of the square, I put what we’re having for dinner. The kids love to go over and see what their eating that day. Often they have their own ideas which makes my job easier. Plan simple meals ( maybe crockpot meals) for days your schedule is hectic, I like to plan the meals that are more time consuming on Sunday when I have the most time. Finding the recipes is easy these days. If you don’t already have a great cookbook or recipes that have been handed down through the family, ask you friends what are some of their favorite meals and remember “google” is only a few clicks away. Once you have a plan, I keep a running shopping list on the side of my refrigerator so when I’m out of something or in need of an item for a recipe it’s already on my list. It may take a few tries to learn what works for you, but when you find  just the right rhythm, it will leave you confident in “preparing” that meal you can feel good about serving.

“Preparing” is where the magic happens. It’s where you marry flavors and then relish in the love affair of a healthy meal. Starting with reading over your recipe ( even the day before) so you can organize what is required to get done. If meat needs to be taken out of the freezer, put it in your refrigerator the night before or beans need to be cooked you can soak them ahead of time. Things like, stirring, chopping, measuring, and pouring can be assigned to others ( if you have helpers in the kitchen). The most important step is to have fun and savor feeling good about your decision to make eating healthy a priority. I promise you, you won’t regret it!


~ If your ready to make a change and/or need help with better food options - contact me at:
~ Nancy@wholefood-living.com http://wholefood-living.com/index.html

1