Cooking from scratch and eating more vegetables isn’t easy. But it can be pretty simple.
Pretty Simple Cooking is our philosophy on cooking and eating well. It’s a movement away from overthinking home cooking and towards a “just jump in” approach. Food can be both pretty (delicious and beautiful) and simple (approachable and nourishing). Cooking food from scratch at home isn’t easy, but can be pretty simple once you rethink the way you approach the kitchen.
As a couple, we went from eating fast and frozen food to regularly cooking meals from scratch in a matter of months. In the process, we found we had more energy, slept better, our mood was improved, and we were happier. Before we started, there was a certain mystique around cooking healthy food, like there was a magic secret that will “solve” how to do it. After we started cooking one recipe at a time, we found that it wasn’t as hard as we thought — after we changed our minds about how to approach food. Overall, our philosophy now is pretty simple:
- There is joy in the act of cooking
- Eating whole foods and lots of vegetables can be delicious and fulfilling instead of tasteless and strict
- Our food choices can nourish our bodies and planet
- Slowing down and making space for cooking is worth the investment in our health
- We can embrace healthy homemade foods instead of fearing and eliminating bad foods
- Instead of knowing everything before we start, we can be bold and just jump in
- We give ourselves grace and overcome our fear of failure
- Cooking and eating is best shared with others in community
- Moderation is the key to sustaining a practice of cooking and eating well
- As Julia Child said: “Above all, just have fun”.
The Book
Our cookbook Pretty Simple Cooking, contains 100 vegetarian recipes for anyone who wants to eat more vegetables, and our top 10 life lessons for how to transition to cooking nourishing food on the regular. Each lesson contains a beautifully illustrated watercolor by Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt. BUY IT HERE!