Beth: Kitchen Creativity

Food is my love language! I love providing a healthy and tasty meal to people I love. – Beth

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  • By Jackie Sun
  • June 7, 2017

When everyone in your family has different dietary needs or wants, it can be difficult and frustrating to cook meals that will satisfy everyone. But because food is Kitchen Hero Beth’s love language, she is able to whip up healthy, tasty meals for her loved ones efficiently and deliciously. With advanced meal prepping and some cooking creativity, she can keep her family happy and full with food cooked with love! Read more about her Hero in the Kitchen story below.

Name: Beth
Age: 37
City, State: Baltimore, MD
I cook for: myself, my husband and our 6-year-old son.
Outside of the kitchen I: work at a small private liberal arts college.
The strangest food I have ever eaten is: Well, it might be strange to others, but I’ve eaten a lot of gefilte fish on the Jewish holidays!
I cook because: food is my love language! I love providing a healthy and tasty meal to people I love.
Favorite Cook Smarts meal so far: Ooh, hard question! I would say that the Curried Butternut Squash Soup and the Mexican Hash topped with a fried egg are two recipes that we make over and over again (we actually just had the hash last night!).

HOW DID YOU LEARN TO COOK?

I learned to cook (really cook, not just scrambled eggs or a microwaved potato) when I joined Weight Watchers years ago. I needed to learn portion control and how to make healthy choices, and it was the first time I reviewed recipes and actually learned how to follow them, and to be creative in the kitchen.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST COOKING CHALLENGE?

My biggest cooking challenge has been trying to keep things low-fat for me, yet full of healthy fats and calories for my husband! I need to watch what I eat, whereas he is long, lean and has a wicked metabolism. It’s hard to combine both of those requirements into one meal. Throw in a 6 year old who doesn’t like anything resembling “sauce” and you can see how creative meal planning is a necessity for us!


Cook Smarts helped me learn the value of meal prep . . . Having it laid out in detail has been incredibly helpful!


What have you learned since starting Cook Smarts’ meal plans?

Cook Smarts helped me learn the value of meal prep. I am the one who creates the family meal plan for the week, but I never really thought about how to incorporate an advanced prep session. Having it laid out in detail has been incredibly helpful!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROUDEST KITCHEN MOMENT.

My proudest kitchen moment was when I successfully made my very first pot of chicken soup, using my mom’s recipe. This is your old-school, simmer all day, smells like a Jewish grandmother’s house chicken soup, and it tasted delicious!

WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS FOR HEALTH AND SUCCESS IN THE KITCHEN?

This is tough, because I think it will be different for each family! We’re incredibly lucky that we live in an area with access to fresh and healthy food, and I know not everyone has that privilege. I also know that not everyone has the time to spend trying out recipes, or the finances to put together something creative that kids may or may not eat. So, for health and success in the kitchen, I would say that people should take inventory of what’s available to them, and what they have to work with, and seek out resources to help supplement healthy options as needed. Meal plan as best as you can to help stay organized, but also give yourself grace to fall back on easy favorites when you need to.


Beth, thank you so much! We love that you’re able to get creative in the kitchen and cook up meals that will satisfy your whole family. We can tell you put a lot of care and meaning into your cooking, and hope to someday try that simmer-all-day chicken soup of yours!

To join Beth and cook meals like her favorite Curried Butternut Squash Soup and Mexican Hash, check out our meal plan service. You can get started for free!

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