New Year's Resolution to Cook at Home

It's that time of year again. The time of year when we make lists and resolutions.

Let's face it. Most people don't keep their resolutions beyond the month of January. This year, why not try a resolution to change gradually over the course of the year? Specifically, with a resolution to cook more at home, you can work into it with baby steps. It won't feel overwhelming, and in six months, you'll be in full control of your New Year's resolution.

Start small with your New Year's resolution

Begin in January by cooking one more meal at home each week than you do now.

In February, cook one more meal each week. Now you've increased your home cooked meals each week by two.

In March, do the same thing. Continue increasing the number of home cooked meals each week by one every month until you reach your goal.

Tips to help you cook at home

If this all seems a bit overwhelming, there are ways to lighten the load. Having a cooking buddy can help you share the effort. Also, it helps you stay on track with your resolution to cook at home, because someone else will be waiting for your meal.

Use Dinner Magic menus, recipes, and shopping lists to make cooking easier. Before starting you might want to read How to Make Dinner Magic Work for You. After that, you can start with January Week 1 or any week of the year you desire. The theme for January is "Light." All of January's recipes and meals are light on calories, light on fat, light on your budget, and light on time to prepare them. 

Enlist the help of others in your house. Don't try to do all the cooking and cleanup yourself. You don't do all the eating by yourself, right? In my home, we have a rule that if you don't help cook, you must help clean.

Five reasons to cook at home

There are far more reasons to cook at home than just five. These are the top five that I've included in this cooking at home article for Examiner.com.

Here's to wishing you a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year with plenty of delicious food in your future.

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson