Why I prepare my own food
Life truly feels better when I feed myself at home. I love the home-cooked meals, freshly blended smoothies and snacks that were made with love.
This article was updated to include affiliate advertisements and/or links.
Eat better, feel great
When preparing my own foods at home, I can choose my preferred ingredients that help me to feel better. Sometimes I crave a specific dish. I can make a version of any style with healthy techniques and ingredients.
Home made refreshments can have ingredients that are not always found when dining out or getting takeaway. Let's consider smoothies for example. Yes, some outlets add superfoods to the smoothies. Other places will just offer a blend of plant milk and frozen fruit. This is ok. It just could be enhanced with diversified ingredients.
Of course, my diet is not 100% homemade from scratch. The percentage would be quite high though. Any treat meals are hopefully plant based whole foods. I sometimes indulge in convenient pre-made alternatives from the supermarket. But I almost always look for products that have mostly whole foods and no nasty additives. These various occasional treats usually remind me why I cook so much - because nothing is quite like the food I make.
More plant-based whole foods
In the topic of better options, I have experienced more ways to consume a whole foods plant based diet when choosing homemade alternatives. Some eateries are fully plant-based. I would call this a minority. More places offer some form of vegan option. Maybe it's just me - but when I visit a cafe, I don't enjoy only having one option to select from the menu. That is not much choice.
Some plant-based options in cafes will either seem unbalanced, unhealthy or just not feel like a meal. I have seen multiple cafes where the only vegan option is a smoothie bowl. Sure, they are healthy and light. But it doesn't fill me up. A bowl of fries? We can do better for our bodies and our taste buds. In those moments, I definitely wish I was at home instead.
Then I get home and return to plenty of possibilities. A bowl of pasta stirred through a creamy sauce that's made from cashews and vegetables. Tofu slices crisping on the frying pan before an exciting splash of tamari. A steamy bean-based version of minestrone soup. Thick layers of hummus on sourdough (a refreshing satisfaction after smashed avocado is the trend almost everywhere else). Smoothies are blended with oats and extra frozen banana to uplift. Our treats at home feel more enlivening than the options out there.
More abundant and healthy
We can have a greater quantity of healthy delicious foods at home, compared to nutritious takeaway. Some retailers now offer genuinely natural healthy foods. These are generally available in smaller quantities than if we make the same thing ourselves. I like to reduce the amount of packaging in my life, especially plastic. There is a worrying environmental cost of pre-made foods that are sold in unsustainable packaging. So the quantity, monetary cost and environmental impact all guide me to prepare my own versions of foods.
Actual (healthy) fast food
Quick simple homemade meals can be the real fast food. I have very often looked on food delivery apps to see waiting times that are slower than if I made the same food myself. With the right tricks, we can throw together a hearty meal within minutes in the home kitchen.
If I have any energy to move around, my fastest option is already at home. Toss noodles in a pan. Boil pasta for what - five to seven minutes? Sprinkle curry powder on simmering base veggies, lentils and tomato. I didn't always understand this reality. I really previously thought homemade foods would be a time consuming burden. I now understand how satisfying foods can be quick and affordable.
Plenty to share
A good homemade batch of meal-prep can feed the whole family. Anyone can look at Pinterest to see the vast range of meal-prep guides and examples. It's hard to believe I only properly understood this style of cooking in the past few years. My prepping habits do not go as far back as my mid-twenties. Now times have changed.
I see a few different ways to meal-prep. Some people swear by DIY frozen meals. Freezer prep has a clear benefit of lasting longer. I like the taste of fresh meals that have been in the refrigerator for up to a few days. Fridge meal prep is also an opportunity for salads as a grab-and-go. Food prep can also be complete meals or components. A DIY ready-made meal is convenient as it can be heated or eaten in the moment. I sometimes like more flexibility through prepped components. Grilled vegetables can go into sandwiches and then wraps and then pasta. Boiled quinoa can be refrigerated and then mixed into a salad or heated to accompany a hot dish. All these forms of meal-prep can benefit different people in various situational needs. It is another freedom of getting food at home.
Be fussy because you can
Food at home is food how it is preferred. Ingredients are the right quality and quantity. DIY food is, of course, much less expensive than anything pre-prepared. Homemade food and treats shouldn't be a burden - they should be a celebration of freedom.
Prepare fresh foods at home. Image: iStock, edited.
Related articles:
