If you find yourself bored with cooking, or worse, bored with eating, try a new culinary adventure. Engaging in a new healthy food activity can literally spice up your life. If you cook for others, the results will be compounded as each person is exposed to healthy new foods. Don your chef's hat and sense of adventure and bring a little excitement into your kitchen this year.
Spice Rack
If you've never been one to experiment with spices, this is an easy way to get started. Buy a new spice rack that contains a wide variety of spices that appear to be fresh. The spices should have a good color and not look pale or shriveled. Choose a rack that contains at least 15 new spices. Next, search through cookbooks or online for new recipes that utilize the particular spices. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control suggests you try mint, curry powder or sage on fish; marjoram, oregano or thyme with tomatoes; cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger with carrots; and paprika, tarragon or garlic on chicken. Spices can help prevent cancer, lower your risk of getting an infection and possibly lower blood pressure, the group says.
Foreign Cooking Class
If your ancestors taught you how to cook, they likely instructed you on local cuisine and the cultural favorites of your family heritage. You may have had little opportunity to expand your culinary horizons, but a cooking class is the perfect means for doing that. Choose a cuisine you would like to learn more about, such as Indian, Thai, Chinese, Spanish, Greek, African, Italian, Japanese or Korean. Find a class in your area and either take notes or purchase the accompanying literature if available. Ask where you can purchase the ingredients before the last class. Most cities have at least one international store for less common ingredients. Begin with recipes that don't require new equipment and allow your family and yourself a couple of meals to become accustomed to the new flavors. Cooking foreign cuisine can give you access to new fruits, vegetables, grains and spices.
Home Garden
You can grow a small garden without adopting a farmer's lifestyle. Simply choose a small plot of land or create a container garden in your home, choosing a few vegetables or fruits that you like and one that is new to you. You may decide to grow a spot garden in an area of your yard that gets good sunlight. Choose at least one vegetable that grows on a vine and can grow upward, maximizing your space, such as pole beans, grapes or cucumbers. Don't attempt more than three plants of any one type; keep your garden simple and enjoyable. Get local gardening advice from your local gardening store to learn when to plant and the types of seeds, dirt and tools you need. Try to keep your garden pesticide-free by learning nonchemical techniques to control garden pests. If you have a container garden, keep it in a window or other area that gets direct sunlight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, suggests you begin a container garden by growing the seedlings in a very small container and transferring them when they get three or four leaves. Popular garden choices include heirloom tomatoes, corn, potatoes, squash, cabbage and peas, but you can choose anything that will grow in your outdoor or container garden, affording you dozens of choices. Having a small garden is likely to help you meet your daily requirement for fruits and vegetables.
New Cooking Equipment
Often, a new piece of cooking equipment sends an amateur chef on a new adventure. Consider purchasing a new wok, breadmaker or food processor. Woks can be used to make vegetable stir frys as well as chicken, pork, beef, seafood and tofu dishes. Breadmakers can be used to experiment with healthy breads, such as rye bread, rosemary bread and whole-grain vanilla bread. A food processor can help you prepare slaws, salads, soups and fruity desserts.
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