The kitchen is the heartbeat of your home. It’s where you cook meals to nourish yourself and your family. It’s where you teach your children the life skill of cooking. Even if you do not feel skillful as a cook, you can still teach your children to cook. There are so many resources to help you cook a variety of healthy meals. I use a lot of recipes online. If I have a favorite food from a restaurant, I look for a recipe online that is similar. If you have followed my writing for very long, you have noticed that I have a pretty simple menu plan during the week. When I want to try a new recipe, I do it on the weekends many times. I have more time to cook on the weekends, and I enjoy cooking.

If you want to try some new foods, make a list. One year I cooked foods from each of the 50 United States, and the next year I cooked foods from around the world. I found that many favorite recipes have similar base ingredients. The differences between the foods was in the preparation and/or in the seasonings.

Please don’t think I am a super cook. When I first got married, I did not know how to cook very many things. I have learned over the years to cook. I don’t have an unlimited budget, and it is expensive to eat out with a large family. I have had to learn to cook the things I like, so that I can enjoy them and share them with my family. I am also gluten-free, and I can control the ingredients if I cook at home.

I have a son who loves to cook. Last week he wanted to have pizza pockets for lunch. I don’t buy pizza pockets, so he found a recipe online for homemade sauce and homemade pizza pockets. He made the dough from scratch. He enjoyed them so much that he made them again the next day.

Just keeping basic ingredients on hand and access to a search bar, we enjoy a variety of foods.

This week we are decluttering in the kitchen. It is much more enjoyable to cook in a clean kitchen. Teach your children to cook and to clean as they cook.

• Make Your Bed (Do this as soon as you get up.)
• Get Dressed Down to Your Shoes
• Swish and Swipe
• Start Your Laundry
• Decide on Dinner
• Check Your Calendar
• Start the Day off with a Shiny Sink. Don’t leave the breakfast dishes sitting.
• Daily Movement for 15 Minutes

School: Pick a chapter book to read aloud as a family.

• Eat Lunch
• Clear off One Hot Spot
• Reboot the Laundry
• Declutter for 15 Minutes (Be sure to have your children declutter, too.)
• Drink Your Water