Invite guests when making a large meal – they can help you cook and then you can divide leftovers into smaller portions, enough for one meal and have 3-4 meals ready. Make it into a mini-party. Save leftovers and create new meals by adding rice, pasta, vegetables, or a different kind of cheese.

4.Your well-stocked pantry – this is key to cooking with ease. Use some wonderful ingredients in your cabinets so that you can come home and just throw them together. Roasted peppers, tapenade, fig balsamic vinegar, capers, a great extra-virgin olive oil, a variety of spices, walnuts, almonds or pecans, all ingredients that can help you make a piece of plain chicken or fish into a delicious and fast meal and in barely more time than making a sandwich, or waiting in line for take-out.

5.The Niceties of Life - To make your meal more of a treat, rather than a chore, remember table. The ambiance often make meal, even when eating alone. Vary color of your foods – a meal of foods that are all same color is dull. Choose multi-colored foods and use your nicest plates and place mats. Maybe even place some flowers on table. Make it fun to cook and eat for one. Make a recipe you’ve been wanting to try so that you can use it for entertaining. Why not?

And you know you can always invite a friend to dinner. No matter what your age, company is really important to making us feel good. Sometimes only socialization people get is at work or with family. Company during meal times can make a difference in what and how you feel about eating. It doesn’t have to be a fancy meal. A simple menu, using only fresh ingredients, will go a long way. So do something different and just enjoy a home-cooked meal for a change. You surely don’t need to cook every night, but when you do, you will get great satisfaction, and your body will love you for it! Have fun in kitchen- it can be done.

Visit her at www.cook-with-confidence.com and ontact her with any thoughts or questions at: Marybeth@cook-with-confidence.com

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