Alicia: Cook What You Like
Don’t be afraid to modify recipes . . . The thing is, you will not be happy if you are not liking the food. Cook what you like. – Alicia
As a parent, one of the biggest challenges of home cooking is making something that will please everyone. But as Kitchen Hero Alicia knows, cooking is more than just following recipes. It’s about enjoying the food you eat and eating healthy. By being confident enough to tweak recipes, this Kitchen Hero has found a way to make it work for her and her family, so that they can cook and eat exactly what they like! Read more in her Hero in the Kitchen story below.
Name: Alicia Taylor
Age: Old enough to know better than to do most things I do.
City, State: Cantonment, FL
I cook for: my husband and myself.
Outside of the kitchen I: am a health and fitness blogger at TaylorLife.
My specialty dish that everyone always asks me to make is: boiled water – until I found Cook Smarts. Now, it’s the Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Pan-Seared Carrots.
I cook because: it’s much cheaper and healthier than eating out.
Favorite Cook Smarts meal so far: Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Pan-Seared Carrots
HOW DID YOU LEARN TO COOK?
I am self-taught. When I was growing up, most of our food was frozen or out of a box. When I had kids of my own, I wanted to learn to cook.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST COOKING CHALLENGE?
Planning things that work together through the week – but Cook Smarts solved that. It’s one of the main reasons I subscribed.
HOW HAS YOUR COOKING ROUTINE CHANGED SINCE STARTING COOK SMARTS’ MEAL PLANS?
I used to cook mostly from frozen dinners. We were bored. I didn’t mind cooking, but I never felt like coming up with a meal plan. It was so difficult to please everyone. Now, my kids have moved out and it’s just my husband and I. He’s been my patient guinea pig while re-learning to cook. The meal plans have definitely helped motivate me.
[My biggest cooking challenge is] planning things that work together through the week – but Cook Smarts solved that.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROUDEST KITCHEN MOMENT.
I learned to make tofu! I’ve never been able to get it right, but I can now.
WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS FOR HEALTH AND SUCCESS IN THE KITCHEN?
For health, my biggest tip is to measure everything with a kitchen scale. It ensures more accuracy than measuring cups.
For success in the kitchen, don’t be afraid to modify recipes. They aren’t written in stone. If you don’t like one ingredient, substitute something similar. I frequently remake the paleo recipes into a vegetarian or pescatarian version. The thing is, you will not be happy if you are not liking the food. Cook what you like.
You’re so right, Alicia! For success in the kitchen, it’s important to cook the foods you like to eat, and we’re glad you have the confidence to stray from recipes and combine our meal plan diets to make it work for you and your family. Keep up the great work! We love being a part of your cooking journey and having you in our cooking community to keep us motivated!
To join Alicia and cook meals like her favorite Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Pan-Seared Carrots, check out our meal plan service. You can get started for free!