How can I motivate myself to cook?

Question

Cereal, sandwiches and eating out are so much easier and faster. I actually like cooking and baking, but when I'm hungry I don't want to waste time preparing and I don't want to have to clean up afterwards.

Answer 1

I have the same problem because I live alone. The best way I have found is to invite others over. If you have someone other than yourself you may be more apt to prepare a real meal. If not then make enough so that you might put some away for another meal, if you don't have to cook every time your hungry then you might not mind so much.

Answer 2

I know exactly what you mean but think of it this way, think about how much money you can save when cooking food rather than going out all the time. This helped me as a college student and cooking didn't seem to bad after awhile. Sure I started to eat the same things over and over again but those were things I enjoyed because I only cook with things I like as opposed to whatever McDonald's puts in their food. And if you save up money, then you can use that to buy a new outfit rather than wasting it away on greasy food!

Answer 3

Do things in advance, like if you want to make a meal do you preparations ahead of time that way when you come home or something you can just through stuff on the stove or in the oven and it does not have to be such a burden.
Cooking should be fun, not a chore.

Maybe get some ideas from Rachael Ray's 30 Minutue Meals show.

Answer 4

Ah, but cooking can be so much fun! Use that as motivation. I only started learning to cook a couple of years ago. I never knew how much of a creative outlet it could be or how much enjoyment a person could get out of it. (Baking is a different story. Much more scientific and by the book. I don't really like baking as much.)

Cooking is like all other skills. It take forever to do things when you first start. As you do it more often, your mind and your body start doing things much, much more quickly. You can also cut down on cooking time by prepping ingredients ahead of time or by buying some things such as a food processor.

Answer 5

Its tough to motivate your self to cook for only you. But try to make smaller portions of easy foods to make that you really like. Plus if you buy family packs in the supermarket of meat or rice, the food will last you a long time and you'll save money. Cleaning up afterward always discourages me so after a meal at least rince the dishes throughly and leave them there for awhile and then wash them.......what the heck you just made a big dinner the dishescan wait :)

Answer 6

Do you love yourself enough to want the best for yourself? No one can fix something for you that will be better than what you can create yourself. Only you understand exactly how much garlic you want, or the texture of the sauce, or how fine the onions should be chopped.

Creating a meal is like making music. you could put on a CD and just sit there. you could go to a concert and hear someone else. But if you have a piano or a guitar and the ability to use them, you can create something inspiring. Better yet, you can share it with someone appreciative. Better still, you can colaborate and make something even more exciting than you would alone.

Answer 7

I felt the same for a while. I started cooking twice a week. We'd have left over for a couple of days, the rest we would do fast food or pizza. After doing just a couple of days a week for a while, I got more use to a pattern of cooking and realized, it really isn't that much more of an effort. There are things you can prepare ahead of time (like enchiladas or lasagna) and keep in the freezer and that way you can just pop it in the over on your lazy days.

Answer 8

I know what you mean. I force myself to buy good and fresh ingredients, not the pre-fab stuff, and work from recipes that make my mouth water. I also have a snack ready for when I am cooking. The best motivation is to brag to someone about your cooking and invite them over.

Answer 9

There are plenty of recipes that don't take much time to prepare, this time of year a good salad is always a good choice. No pots and pans not much clean up, and you won't heat up the house with the stove.

Answer 10

find a roomate or bf that doesnt know how to cook, but doesnt mind cleaning for a meal. Also make enough so you can eat leftovers later so you wont have to cook so often.