Nowadays the daily routine and the lack of time making really difficult to cook at home.  It’s easier to buy ready meals or to order take away…even in Italy where cooking is a sort of genetic trait!

Unfortunately not all ready meals are well balanced in nutrients and often they have more salt, fat, sugar and calories than home-cooked meals.

I know it could be difficult to start cooking at home, especially if you don’t like it but the secret is to keep it simple. You don’t have to cook a three-course meal or try recipes from a Michelin-star chef!! You can start cooking an easy bruschetta or a soup.

It’s important to buy fresh and seasonal vegetables and fruits, they are tasty and easy to cook. Then choose a lean protein you like it, turkey or chicken, for example. Fish, eggs and cheese are a good source of protein too while beans, lentils and chickpeas are a vegetable alternative to animal protein. Don’t forget to add carbohydrates. They help our body during long and high-intensity exercise. Pick whole grain products because they are the best choice for your health. Remember that fat is essential to a healthy diet too. It provides energy and helps your body to absorb some vitamins. Just choose a good source of unsaturated fat such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts.

Another key point for home cooking it’s the organisation. You could plan a week menu and the food shop during the weekend or on a free day. If a week menu it’s too much to plan, at first you could start cooking just one meal per week and then adding other meal. It would be nice involve the children too so they can learn healthy habits and it’s an opportunity to have a special time together…..your kitchen will be very messy but the children will be very happy!!

So as Julia Child said

Learn to cook, try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, don’t be afraid but mostly enjoy