Marth's Wise Words

Martha Stewart - my guru of domesticity - once instructed to always make your bed, because "cleanliness begets cleanliness".  She maintained that you'll be less likely to drop things on the floor around a pretty, perfectly made bed than if it were disheveled.   My poor, poor husband has actually endured me repeating that phrase to him, because, like many insane over the top helpful but questionably bizarre tips she offers, I ate it up with a spoon.  Anyway, I heard the same "begetting" concept on a commercial once (for cereal maybe?) that one healthy decision leads to another one.  So if you invest time to exercise, you're likely to make more responsible food choices since the progress is already under way.

I'll coin a new phrase today:  Cooking begets cooking.  Sometimes it's just a matter of getting started for the groove to kick in.  For those that like the idea of cooking at home, but can't seem to find the spark to get started, there are some great tools available to aid with the most common road block: time!  Here are a few...

• Meal swaps with friends
• Use the slow cooker
• Bulk frozen cooking
• 5-meals-in-1-day methods
• Preparing weekly menus (this is one of the first posts on this very blog!)

The only rule is to feel no pressure...because then it won't be fun and will just feel like yet another obligation on the to-do list.  Be further encouraged:  1) No one says "homemade" has to equal "fussy" or "gourmet"!  2) Cooking just once or twice can get you through the better part of a week if you plan for leftovers.  3) There's not a thing wrong with take-out.  To the contrary, taking a break is not only refreshing but necessary in my book.  (In fact, I'll be at Chick Fil A tomorrow night for my Kindergartner's school spirit night!)

If you're someone who is interested in cooking more, start small and give it a try...you might just find yourself on a roll.