August 6th, 2014

Lifestyle | Uncategorized

blog 5 Steps Toward Kitchen Serenity

It is Wednesday.  Nationally known as #humpday.  Known by all mamas as the day we don’t want to cook.  I usually order pizza, or some form of takeout, on Wednesday and Friday.  But tightening budgets have required me to rethink that approach and slim down my family takeout to just Friday.  (Cause you know I”m not cookin’ on Friday)

For most of us mamas being in the kitchen isn’t a horrible experience. We’ve gotten used to it.  But, there’s nothing like something new, or just revamped, around the house. So, let’s take these 5 Steps Toward Kitchen Serenity.

1. Put Life in Your Kitchen

Sometimes us mamas forget how divinely we are connected to the Earth.  That translates into our connection with living things.  We have a symbiotic relationships with plants and animals.  They nourish us and we nourish them.  One of the reasons you may be experiencing low frequency energy in the kitchen is because there is nothing living there.  Try adding a small fish tank or houseplant to your kitchen.  Having something living in your kitchen gives you a reason to look forward to going into your kitchen.  There’s nothing like seeing the first plant you nurtured sprout, or watching your fish grow.

2. Play some Music

Cooking with music adds extra love and flavor to your food.  I always say, for us Brown Mamas cooking is ritualistic.  Mainly, we do it the way our mamas did it.  For me, music and a clean kitchen are essential.  Once I turn on that Jill Scott or Toni Braxton the rhythms of my mother’s hands become my own. My body begins to remember the rhythms of  my mother when she’s making potato salad or frying chicken.   It’s almost like the music puts my body on auto-pilot and it picks up right where my mother left off.  So right along with the paprika, add some smooth music to your kitchen routine.

3. Follow the No Kids in the Kitchen Law

Outside of giving a cooking lesson to our children, my rule is no kids in the kitchen when the burners on.  On top of this being a safety hazard for smaller children, I often find I am constantly starting and stopping when my 5 and 6-year-old are running through constantly.  On top of that, they want to sample everything I put on the stove.  So unless I am giving them a cooking lesson, they’ve gotta stay out.

4. Make it Smell Good

When you first begin cooking nothing smells good.  Did you ever think about lighting a candle or incense 30 minutes before meal preparation?  I’m telling you this one works on me every time.  With the music and the smell of a mango butter incense in my kitchen it’s like my body forces me to go in there and start whippin’ something up.  Remember, cooking is a ritual, and aromatherapy is real.  Women naturally want to smell something good.  (That’s why they sell us perfumes, candles and all other kinds of smell goods like it’s nobody’s business)  So before you start filling the house with the smell of yams and baked chicken, get your senses ignited with a candle.  Here are some fabulous candles to start with.

5. Spice Up Your Kitchen Decor

I know all of us have been in Target and been literally forced to buy something just because of the color and design.  It’s happened to me quite a few times.  So how about we start using the same trickery Target uses on us, to force ourselves to cook healthy and thoughtful meals for our families.  No we all can’t afford to renovate our kitchen courtesy of IKEA and Target, but we can buy a new apron, or some colorful dish rags, oven gloves and kitchen towels.  My mom brought me orange Rachel Ray cooking pots and pans for Christmas last year, and I love them.  They definitely make my time in the kitchen more memorable.  Hop on down to KMart, or even the Dollar Store, and by yourself something nice — for the kitchen.

Hope this helps mamas!