How To Be Mindful In The Kitchen

Do you have a love/hate relationship with cooking and working in the kitchen?

You’re not alone.

As much as I love a home cooked meal and as much as I feel pride in a job well done, I struggle to consistently get in the kitchen to cook without it feeling like a tedious chore.

We can spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking, eating, and cleaning, so it’s a worthwhile effort to make the time more meaningful and fun!

We’ve worked on some tips I’ve implemented regularly to make the experience of cooking and cleaning in the kitchen more enjoyable, and sometimes I actually get excited for our kitchen time!

5 Tips to Making Kitchen Time More Mindful:

1. Play music.

Putting on your favorite tunes before cooking or cleaning can rev up your mind and get your endorphins going. If you plan right, you can schedule in listening to a new album only when you are cooking or cleaning which can help you actually get excited to be in the kitchen!

2. Sip on an enjoyable drink.

Whether you like an evening glass of wine, hot tea, or decaf coffee, making yourself a drink you can sip on slowly during kitchen time can make the experience more enjoyable. Certain drinks can also get your digestion juices flowing to help with meal time if you are cooking. Win win!

3. Cook with a loved one.

Grab a friend, your spouse or your child and cook together! This can be a great bonding experience and make the chore of cooking or cleaning up a real treat! This comes second nature to many families that always cook together as a social event.

4. Practice mindfulness by focusing on your task.

Make it a goal to put all of your focus on your task at hand. If you are cooking an elaborate meal, smell your ingredients, notice how they feel in your hands, study the shine of your cutting knife, taste test as you go along and notice colors and aromas. This can make a boring chore into an exhilarating experience if you fully immerse yourself in the process.

5. Keep a recipe journal.

Keep a physical journal (or an online journal) with your favorite recipes and rate them based on how much you liked them. Jot down interesting recipes you notice as you surf the web to try someday and make a goal to incorporate one new recipe every week or month. This helps to mix up your menu and look forward to trying different combinations followed by a sense of pride and gratitude!

What other tips do you have to make kitchen time memorable and more enjoyable?

Good luck and HAPPY MINDING!