Enjoy cooking by not doing it.

There are just some days when cooking is much harder than others. On those days your fridge looks empty no matter how much food is in it. You feel unmotivated, probably tired. When you have these kinds of days, which are inevitable, what can you do? I suggest you pick up the phone and order a pizza. That probably isn't what you thought I was going to say, but I think it's important to say it. I think that sometimes the only way to enjoy cooking is to not do it at all.

Eating Take OUt

I want to be clear. I absolutely want you to cook as much as possible. But I'm not crazy, or unrealistic. I think that every once in a while cooking can be a bit of a hassle. On those days when you really just are not feeling it, order out. Hell, eat a frozen pizza, or kraft dinner, or whatever you want. I don't judge. But, remember that this should be a rare occasion, not the norm.

We obviously live in a time and place that is different than any other point in human history. We are all pulled in hundreds of different directions all the time. Because of this, I don't think it's fair to imagine that cooking as often as our grandmothers did, or their mothers did is practical. It just doesn't make sense. They had much more time and way fewer options.

Enjoy Cooking

There are going to be sometimes when you have to force yourself to cook. Some days are going to be harder than others and that's perfectly fine. However, if you are constantly pushing yourself to do something that you don't feel like doing you develop a disdain for it. So, eat a pizza, or Chinese food, whatever you want. The key is that it is only sometimes. Not all the time.

Cooking should generally be enjoyable. If you are always forcing it, it never will be. So relax, order a pizza and just enjoy an evening here and there. It will do wonders for your mental health. And, I'm willing to bet that it will help you enjoy cooking more.