How to Motivate Yourself to Cook

How to Motivate Yourself to Cook

Preparing your meals at home is healthier and more cost-effective than going out to a restaurant. How do you enjoy cooking when it’s not part of your daily routine? Use these tips to discover how to get inspired to cook.

5 Tips for How to Get an Interest in Cooking

Beginning a cooking routine may be challenging at first, but you’ll have fun as you learn and grow in your expertise. If you need cooking motivation, here are five tips to inspire your desire to cook.

1. Try Something New

If preparing food is a new experience for you, there are no limits to what you can learn to cook. Experimenting in the kitchen is entertaining, even though it takes time and effort. To start your cooking routine, try making a dish you like.

Instead of ordering your next meal from a local restaurant, try making it at home. Research recipes online that contain your favorite ingredients. You could also try putting dishes together with whatever you have in the pantry.

2. Think About Your Health

Now that it’s spring, you may want to replace your cold-weather comfort foods with fresh, nutritious meals. Cooking at home is better for you than ordering in, since you have control over your meal’s ingredients. To stay healthy, make cooking part of your daily routine and save dining out as a treat for a special occasion.

As you shop around the grocery store, pick fresh vegetables and protein-rich meats to have in the house. Premio’s chicken sausage varieties have 60% less fat than USDA regulations for pork. If you choose healthy foods to include in your recipes, you’ll have more success as you cook.

3. Be Realistic

Be practical about what works for you and your schedule. If your goal is to make three meals a day, but you barely have time to put together one dinner a week, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, to incorporate healthy cooking habits into your routine, give yourself plenty of time to cook.

On Sunday afternoons, plan your meals for the whole week, and buy all the items you need at the grocery store. As you get yourself into the habit of cooking, stock your cabinet with shortcut items like canned soup or instant pasta to eat when life gets busy.

4. Cook for Others

Cooking for kids and other family members motivates you to prepare a healthy, flavorful meal. When you’re cooking for yourself, it’s tempting to make a quick bowl of cereal or whatever you have in your fridge. If you want the inspiration to cook, invite your friends and family over for dinner.

Cooking is both an art and a tradition. By learning to cook even a simple recipe like Caesar salad or spaghetti with tomato sauce, you’re keeping the heritage alive. As you develop a food prep routine, remember that cooking connects you to humans throughout history.

5. Try One New Thing

If you’re new to cooking, you may be intimidated by the process at first. Start small and celebrate each time you make strides in your meal preparation. Create a goal of cooking one new dish each week, so you can feel a sense of accomplishment to fuel your motivation.

As you start, you’re going to make mistakes, but that’s part of the learning process. Look up easy recipes that only require a few ingredients or only use one appliance, such as a casserole plate or a cast-iron skillet. Celebrating each step over time is how to start enjoying cooking.

Recipes for When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

You can find a variety of time-saving meals online to get you started on your culinary journey. For the following three recipes, you can use any type of sausage you prefer. To create ground meat from a package of sausage, you can remove the casing with a sharp knife.

For your safety, remember that pork sausage needs to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and chicken sausage needs to be 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep these recipes on hand for the times you need an easy meal to get you through a hectic day.

1. Sausage-Loaded Tater-Tot Skewers

These handheld treats are fun and delicious for kids to eat. To prepare tater tot skewers, you only need four ingredients:

• 1 package of Premio Hot Italian Sausage
• 1 bag of your preferred brand of tater tots
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 package of skewers

You can get the whole family involved in making this fun recipe.

1. Prepare the tater tots based on the instructions listed on the bag.
2. While the tots bake, cook the sausage in a skillet on medium heat. Once it turns brown, break the sausage into crumbled pieces and set to the side.
3. Once the tater tots are ready, stick them on skewers and place them on a baking sheet.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the sausage crumbles and cheese on top of the tots.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Flavor with your condiment of choice.

2. Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps

You can use any of Premio’s meat or sausage options to get the look and texture you want for your tacos. Gather these ingredients before you begin.

• 1 16-ounce package of Premio Hot & Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage, or any variety of Premio Italian Sausage
• 1/2 cup of crushed tortilla chips
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of minced cilantro
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen corn
• 1/2 cup of chopped red bell pepper
• 1 medium diced Roma tomato
• 1/2 cup of fresh salsa (optional)
• 1/2 cup of homemade guacamole (optional)
• 1/2 cup of canned black beans (optional)
• 1/2 cup of sour cream (optional)

Follow these simple instructions for delicious, healthy tacos:

1. Cook chicken sausage with olive oil in a skillet on medium heat, breaking the meat into little pieces until it has browned. Set the cooked sausage aside.
2. Place two full leaves of romaine lettuce on each plate. On top of each leaf wrap, put three tablespoons of sausage, one tablespoon of diced tomatoes, one tablespoon of corn, one tablespoon of red bell peppers and two tablespoons of shredded cheese.
3. Add any additional toppings in the order of your preference. Save the cilantro and the tortilla chips for the top of your lettuce wraps.

3. Succulent Crescent Meatballs

These delicious, handheld meatball rolls are a fun, easy recipe for the whole family to enjoy. Use these flavorful ingredients to create your appetizer or snack.

• 1 package of Premio Hot Italian Sausage
• 1 tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls
• 1 egg
• 1 small jalapeno pepper
• 2 teaspoons of ground fennel
• 1 small onion
• 4 ounces of tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper

This meal will take you less than a half-hour if you follow these instructions.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating, mince the onion and jalapeno.
2. Mix all the ingredients and mold them into bite-sized meatballs.
3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the meatballs and brown. Once they finish cooking, take them off the skillet and wrap them in the crescent roll dough.
4. Place wrapped meatballs on an oven-safe baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for the time indicated on the crescent roll package.

Find Premio in a Store Near You

Whatever you find yourself motivated to cook, add Premio Italian Sausage to your meal for a flavorful helping of protein. We offer quality, all-natural pork and chicken sausage. Use our local store locator to find Premio near your home.

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