Kitchen Zen: 7 tips for Happier & Healthier Meals

A guest post by Jules Clancy of Stonesoup.

Dinner time. The end of the day.

While many people see this as just another stress to add to their list, dinner can actually be a chance to unwind and relax. A chance to connect with your family, or with your self. A chance to bring a little pleasure into your day.

Here are 7 tips to help you invoke a little kitchen zen in your dinner routine.

1. Keep it simple

With the rise of the celebrity chef, it can be easy to put too much pressure on ourselves to choose fancy recipes and complicated menus. Good food doesn’t have to be fussy.

Focus on keeping week day dinners simple by choosing one or two simple dishes that only have a handful of ingredients each.

2. Seek out fresh ingredients

I recently asked a nutritionist friend whether organic food was worth the extra expense. Her response was yes and no (of course!). Current thinking is that the fresher your ingredients are, the more nutrients they’re likely to have. Apparently this is true of both organic and conventionally farmed produce.

3. Take time for a little kitchen meditation

With all the hands-on repetitive tasks of chopping and stirring, the cooking process can be a wonderful chance to relax and really be absorbed in the moment. I love having a few minutes letting my worries drift away as I focus on chopping my veg and stirring the pot.

4. It’s all about quality not quantity.

Choose smaller amounts of the best food you can afford. Not only will you enjoy it more, you and your family are far more likely to be satisfied without having to over eat.

5. Make an occasion out of it.

Dinner is a great time to connect with your loved ones. OR if you’re living alone it’s also a great time to treat your self. So make each dinner special. Set the table. Light a few candles. Pour a glass of wine. Enjoy!

6. Share what you’re thankful for.

My boyfriend and I have recently started a habit of sharing at least one thing we’re thankful for before we start eating. Just one thing, no matter how small. It’s amazing how scanning through your day looking for the positive makes you realise how lucky you are. It’s not often that we only have one thing to share.

Another positive outcome is when something good happens during my day, I now make a special mental note to remember to share it at dinner. It’s a great positive conversation starter as well.

Eat mindfully.

In the 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss shares the story of a friend of his who lost a heap of weight by making one conscious change – to chew each mouthful of his food at least 20 times.

While you don’t have to go to the extreme of counting each bite, we can all benefit from taking the time to really focus on what we are eating. Put your knife and fork down between each mouthful. Think about what you are experiencing and share it with your dining companion(s). Eating more slowly not only give us a chance to enjoy our food more, it give our bodies a chance to tell us when we are full.

Warm chickpea salad with almonds,  rosemary & garlic

[5 ingredients | 10 minutes]
serves 1 hungry person

Sometimes I wish that chickpeas came in a smaller can. The problem with the standard size is that it’s not enough for 2 people but makes for a very large serving for one. I always have the best intentions with this salad but it’s so comforting and moreish that there are never any leftovers.

Think of this as a base to play around with. I think it’s perfect as is but if you don’t have almonds, most other nuts would work. Or you could leave them out all together and serve the chickpeas with a sprinkling of finely grated Parmesan instead.

If you were in the mood for some greenery, a handful of salad leaves tossed through at the end wouldn’t go astray. Neither would a nice little side salad, but it is completely satisfying on it’s own.

1 clove garlic, peeled & finely sliced
1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked
pinch dried Chilli flakes, optional
small handful whole almonds, almonds
1 can chickpeas, drained (400g or 14oz)

1. Heat a medium frying pan over a medium high heat. Add a few tablespoons olive oil.

2. When the oil is hot add garlic, rosemary, chilli and almonds (if using) and stir fry or a minute or so, until the garlic is just starting to brown.

3. Toss through drained chickpeas and continue to stir fry until chickpeas are warm and starting to brown up a little as well.

4. Season generously & serve warm or at room temp.

Jules Clancy is a qualified Food Scientist. She blogs about her commitment to cooking recipes with no more than 5 ingredients over at Stonesoup