How do you guys motivate yourselves to cook?

Crateria_

I'll admit it. I'm lazy. I love cooking but the act of getting myself to actually cook is really hard.

So, I'll take shortcuts. Lean Cuisine here, veggie burgers from BK, wraps from Wawa or Tropical Smoothie. I've come to feel like I'm fooling myself into thinking I'm "eating healthy".

My routine is get off work, workout, spend as little as time possible preparing a meal so I can go on to play video games.

But let's be real here. The video games? They're not going to stop being played. So how can I motivate myself to cook or prepare a meal and have fun while doing it so I can CONTINUE to do it? I have to make every aspect of my life FUN in order to do it, it's just how I am.

I feel like if I continue teasing myself with so-called "healthy foods" that I'm going to end up never eating truly healthy at all.

So, tips? Advice? Thanks.

navyrigger46

Easy, I love good food, and that means I have to cook it, I love to cook and things that come out of a box, or were made and packaged assembly line style simply don't appeal.

Rigger

Francl27

I can eat more if I cook it, as it will have less calories than if I buy it and will be more filling. It's win/win.

I was in your situation a year ago though! Then I stopped playing video games (until dragon age 3). So obviously I have more time.

I listen to music and sing while I cook though, so it's not boring.

cwolfman13

I love cooking. I'm a foodie and enjoy quality prepared food. I personally don't know how people don't cook and stomach much of that pre-packaged or ready made foods and fast food all of the time...that **** is just plain nasty.

Crateria_

I love cooking. I'm a foodie and enjoy quality prepared food. I personally don't know how people don't cook and stomach much of that pre-packaged or ready made foods and fast food all of the time...that **** is just plain nasty.

What I'm hoping is to find a way to get myself to enjoy it so I can lose the taste for fast food and stuff like that. Once I lose the taste for it I won't be able to stand going back. But if you're used to something it's easy to keep going back to it.

Crateria_

I listen to music and sing while I cook though, so it's not boring.

Ah, theres a good idea.

kmbweber2014

I found super geeky cookbooks that seem to make it more fun. I have a Harry Potter one and Star Wars one that I use regularly. I have to switch things out in the recipes to make them a little more healthy, or cut the recipe in half, but it makes it fun.

jtbox28

Cooking in bulk frees up a lot of time for me. I plan out my breakfast & lunches for the week and go grocery shopping on Saturday. On Sunday, I cook all of my breakfasts and lunches for Monday through Friday. It takes about 2-3 hours for everything including clean up, but I have healthy meals prepared for the entire week. This helps me stay on my eating plan and meet my daily calorie goals.

For dinners, I will cook a big dinner to have enough for left overs 2-3 times a week. Sometimes, I will make a big dish on a weekend and freeze portions, so during the week, I just have to reheat a healthy meal.

Pros of doing this: Saves a ton of time during the week, much easier to stay on my eating plan, does not take much work to cook in bulk

Con of doing this: If you require a lot of variety to avoid getting bored of tired of the same thing, this idea requires more work to cook different meals. I try to avoid this by changing up what I eat for breakfast & lunch each week, and the frozen meals also help add a little variety. You also have to be very careful with portion control and measurements when cooking in bulk to keep an accurate record of intake.

TL;DR: To keep playing video games, cook in bulk and have meals on hand, ready to eat.

Crateria_

I found super geeky cookbooks that seem to make it more fun. I have a Harry Potter one and Star Wars one that I use regularly. I have to switch things out in the recipes to make them a little more healthy, or cut the recipe in half, but it makes it fun.

Oh awesome!!

FancyPantsFran

Maybe you can batch cook some meals for a few days... That way you will have healthier foods that you cooked available and you wont have to cook as often

neanderthin

I love cooking. I'm a foodie and enjoy quality prepared food. I personally don't know how people don't cook and stomach much of that pre-packaged or ready made foods and fast food all of the time...that **** is just plain nasty.

QFT............I also cooked for a living.......now that I'm semi-retired I still cook.......When we have to do something multiple times a day (eat) it kinda makes sense that cooking should be at least a basic skill. Not being able to or rather not cook is probably why people have a taste and enjoy ready make meals.....I can't think of any other reason why someone would want to eat them.

ImaWaterBender

Hi. I am new here, too, although I was on MFP last year. I just lost it, but I am back. I find that having foods in the house that are good and easy to prepare helps me as I am just starting out. I also use my crockpot a lot. Although it bugs me that the new crockpots all overcook foods, because the industry has done away with the low setting.

Anyway, when I cook, I find that the kids and my husband often don't like what I make, so I force them to all sit down and we plan a week's worth of dinners. That way I know what's coming up, what to shop for and they know that if they don't like what's coming, to make a sandwich or something.

melsinct

Easy, I love good food, and that means I have to cook it, I love to cook and things that come out of a box, or were made and packaged assembly line style simply don't appeal.

Ditto this. I love good food and Lean Cuisine and the like do not taste good to me at all.

bcattoes

I love to cook, so it's easy for me. I find food prep relaxing. Even when my husband cooks, I do all the chopping, slicing, etc.

But if you don't enjoy that part, I'd suggest doing as much prep ahead of time as possible. When you get home from shopping, clean and chop/slice vegetables and keep them in the fridge ready for cooking. Once the veggies are sliced you can prepare lots of meals in minutes. Stir fry. Roasted veggies (cooking time is longer but you can play while that's happneing). Stews, soups and chili are super quick to prep if the vegetables are already chopped.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts and a lot of fish can go straight from the freezer to oven.

Crockpot meals might also be a good fit for you.

thepetiterunner

I love cooking and I remind myself that I'm doing something great for myself. That works for me, but maybe not for you.

Try cooking a lot of food like a big batch and freezing or storing them in the fridge for the rest of the week. Try some really easy recipes as well. You can also do salads and easily put together things that may not require "real" cooking but blending or food processing instead. Good luck!

MyOwnSunshine

Easy, I love good food, and that means I have to cook it, I love to cook and things that come out of a box, or were made and packaged assembly line style simply don't appeal.

Rigger

This.

As the quantity of food that I eat has decreased, the importance of quality food has increased. Most fast food tastes like crap. I like to cook, although I don't particularly think that cooking is fun. But then again, I don't think that showering, brushing my teeth or doing laundry is fun, either, but I like the results.

One of my strategies for eating healthy is to prep food for the week on Sunday nights. Chop up fresh veggies and grill some chicken and steak so I have ready-made ingredients to use throughout the week. It's really easy to combine some grilled chicken or steak with salad veggies for a quick, healthy meal. Cooking isn't hard or complicated, and it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes (probably the same amount of time that you drive and sit in the drive-through) to make a healthy dinner.

ellechim1

My biggest motivator is watching those "Restaurant/Bar rescue" shows. They gross me out so bad and I never want to eat in public again. Hubby loves home cooking so he actually DVRs them LoL

*** Edited to add...I also turn on the music and dance with the dogs while cooking. They love it and I burn extra calories

gurlygirlrcr80

I do it by making sure what I have at home requires me to cook something. If it has to be microwaves, I won't keep it around. So if I want to eat, then I have to cook. And I just refuse to do fast food so I either cook or starve! And when I do cook, I over cook so I have left overs alot that keep me occupied when I don't feel like cooking. (And I never starve, i love food...)

Holly_Roman_Empire

I don't. I tell my husband I'll have sex with him if he keeps cooking. Luckily, I like sex, and he likes cooking.

CorlissaEats

I actually really love to cook so I never need motivation.

I am busy though so I do a lot of make ahead meals/lunches- get yourself a crock pot. Best $20-80 you can spend. I make a lot of meals in the crock pot and then freeze them. Soups, stews, meat entrees, etc. Lets you control your sugar and sodium and really will save you a TON of money if you are regularly buying frozen dinners. I typically spend one Saturday a month working on freezer meals. Sounds like a lot but its worth it.

MapleFlavouredMaiden

I love cooking so I may not be much help here but I find that if I make a weekly meal plan using Pinterest and write it on a dry erase chart or whatever you want, and put it on the wall, then I get excited about every thing I'll get to eat... as long as I make it. Personally I hate "shortcut" food because it's nasty and I'm a major food snob. I wouldn't touch lean cuisine with a 10 foot pole.

Tonight I'm make slowcooked pot roast tacos with horseradish cream. Corn tortillas from scratch... that kinda deal. Sounds so yummy but if I want it I have to actually make it. Motivation enough for me.

chad_phillips1123

Sometimes I enjoy cooking, sometimes I don't. In general, I keep in mind that it's an investment. Not only does it cost less to make it than buy fast food or pre made, but by making a big batch of something and tupperwaring it, I'm must more likely to eat it.

I also don't pigeon hole myself with a dish. I cook quite a bit of chicken (yeah protein!). I've grilled it, pan fried it, and baked it. From any of those methods I can reheat the leftovers and add some bbq, shred some and have chicken burritios, chop it up for salad, or shred for chicken salad. Add some veggies and it a pretty healthy and filling meal. It doesn't take that long to cook a batch (listen to some music while cooking if you're ADD). And try to find recipes/dishes that are versatile, can be made in batches, and be used in different meal types.

I find Yummly.com to be pretty good at finding new recipes. Classical or ambient electronica for cooking music.

Deipneus

Cook?

devil_in_a_blue_dress

Hunger?

Flossiesdoll

I spend a weekend every so often cooking meals and freezing them in portions so I don't have to cook through the week.

StaceyRigs

I make a weekly meal plan and shop for the whole week at once. I post the meals on a white board in my kitchen so I don't have the hear "What's for dinner?" as soon as I walk in the door from work.

When I make my meal plan I take into account any activities going on that week, so I know how much time I have to cook. Also, the crock pot is your friend. Throw something in before work and it's ready when you get home.

I do my workout as soon as I get home and then go straight to cooking dinner. The key to me getting it done is not sitting down until everything is ready. Once my butt hits the chair I am done doing anything else.

Crateria_

Sometimes I enjoy cooking, sometimes I don't. In general, I keep in mind that it's an investment. Not only does it cost less to make it than buy fast food or pre made, but by making a big batch of something and tupperwaring it, I'm must more likely to eat it.

I also don't pigeon hole myself with a dish. I cook quite a bit of chicken (yeah protein!). I've grilled it, pan fried it, and baked it. From any of those methods I can reheat the leftovers and add some bbq, shred some and have chicken burritios, chop it up for salad, or shred for chicken salad. Add some veggies and it a pretty healthy and filling meal. It doesn't take that long to cook a batch (listen to some music while cooking if you're ADD). And try to find recipes/dishes that are versatile, can be made in batches, and be used in different meal types.

I find Yummly.com to be pretty good at finding new recipes. Classical or ambient electronica for cooking music.

Perfect response-- thank you :DDD

edisonsbulb

I browse around on here:
http://www.pinterest.com/all/food_drink/

and then I'm like
daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam that looks GOOD!

jrcrmr

honestly, my end game is a mix of a few posts on here:

- cooking will usually allow you to eat more..so that's a big win for someone like me who has an insane appetite (the same meals pre-prepared tend to have higher calories and you can choose "better" ingredients)

- it allows me to feel less guilty on meals (a few a week) where i do let myself go a bit (always staying within my macros, and under my goal for the week)

- setting a specific day/time where i'm not working, taking a few hours, and getting most if not all my meals for the week ready. on sunday afternoon, i will do four egg white omelettes, and two meals which usually have at least four servings each...that will hold me over until at least thursday (usually until friday) and it'll only take two hours out of a day where i didn't work anyway so i'm not as pressed for time

- i'll usually put on a movie that i've already seen and like in the background to keep myself externally stimulated (get your mind out of the gutter)

those are my tricks and motivations...

Crateria_

I browse around on here:
http://www.pinterest.com/all/food_drink/

and then I'm like
daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam that looks GOOD!

Oh goooodnesssssssssss <3333

reddz12

to be honest i weight out nutrition and calories before i leave work.. i can either cook.. and actually eat good things and potentially MORE good things as opposed to grabbing fast food and being limited.