Change the Way You Cook & Change Your Life [life]

I am not a cook. I don’t spend enough time in the kitchen to merit that distinction. (My mother-in-law has nothing to fear from me.) But I do cook and I am rather proud of what I can do, however I tend to get a lot of flack from my family about the way I cook. Here are some of the hallmarks…

I improvise
I can never repeat good recipes (and thankfully bad ones). The printed page is just a guideline. I leave out ingredients I don’t like, and substitute when, I realize after my third trip to the market this week, I still don’t have what I need.

I am thrifty
I “concoct” with leftovers and “hide” ingredients I think my family might not like.

I multi-task
Cooking is the best time for me to talk to my best bud, listen to my books on tape or tune into my favorite NPR program.


I am fast
I collect quick and easy recipes. I love the idea that I can whip up two multi-course meals in a few hours!

I clean as I go
No piles of pots and pans in my sink. (I think I take after my grandmother who used to relish saying, “Would you know anyone cooked a full course meal in this kitchen?”)

As a relationship coach, I know exactly what questions to ask myself now:

What is it like to become aware of how you cook?
Not so pretty. Seems like all my worst habits, (that I thought I had overcome) are hanging out with me in the kitchen!

How does that feel?
Not great and also a little reassuring. I was proud of some of the behaviors that used to define me like multi-tasking and being fast, for example.

So now that you are more aware, how do you want to choose to be in the kitchen?
Well, I do feel good about cleaning up as I go. It really fits with my value of taking care of my environment and keeping things simple. And I don’t want to feel boxed in by recipes or some magazine’s view of what foods I should be keeping in my pantry to cook the best meals.

But I do think that multi-tasking is a barrier to being fully present with myself and with what I am cooking. That is the one I need to focus on.

Great, so what is one thing you could do that would inspire you to be really present when cooking and not multi-task?
Mm. I think I have to check in with the C&D readers and get back to you on that one.

Okay wise readers. The way we live any part of our lives, is the way we live our life! This is it, moment to moment. I may have mastered multi-tasking at my desk, but cooking is the final frontier for me. What is your final frontier? What if you started by looking at how you are in the kitchen. What does it tell you about how you are living your life?