2020 is finally coming to a close, and 2021 is fast approaching! There is a lot of hope and promise for 2021, and even though there are long ways to go, there are so many new things you can do in your free time, especially regarding food.
Instead of immersing yourself in strict diets that are overall unhelpful and unhealthy to your mental and physical health with diet culture’s New Year’s Resolutions, we have 5 fun food ideas that you can engage in with your family and friends to begin your new year!
1) Try a new recipe!
The new year provides the perfect opportunity to experiment with food! If you don’t know how to cook, then this is perfect. Since we probably will be staying at home for a while, look up some recipes you could try out! Sometimes, dinner tastes extra special knowing that you made it yourself.
Fill your house with a scrumptious aroma, and don’t be afraid to try new things! Or, take
your favorite food and add your own touch. Even if it doesn’t go exactly as planned, it will be an enjoyable experience, and you could include your parents, siblings, or ride solo! It definitely gives you something to do in your free time and will prepare you for your future culinary experiences as an adult. Also, it allows you to learn about different cuisines and cultures while searching for a brand new recipe to try out.
2) Do an exchange!
There are more ways to stay in contact with people than just online while staying safe.
Message one of your friends or family members and make a dish for each other! The nature of the exchange depends on your local COVID situation and your comfortability.
If you both are comfortable cooking for each other, you can cook with masks and gloves and do a contactless drop-off at each others’ houses.
If you aren’t comfortable sharing food, you can send each other a surprise recipe, either digitally or by mail (to be fancy!)
With either method, you can always FaceTime while making the food– it’s just a really creative and yummy way to stay connected with your loved ones while staying safe! It’s easy to arrange and plan and is a great way to fulfill your culinary desires while socializing!
There’s definitely a lot of creative freedom with this. As long as you know their allergies and things they cannot eat, then the rest is up to you! You could keep it a surprise or plan it out; it all depends on what you guys want to do!
3) Remake your childhood favorite dish!
Perhaps there’s that one meal that you haven’t had in a while or a meal that makes you nostalgic. We all need something to rejuvenate our motivation and positivity, and sometimes, that can come through with food!
There is a lot of love and care that goes behind every meal, and you could potentially unlock lost memories with the mere taste of the food that encapsulates them.
I know there are definitely dishes that I miss – chicken dumplings, my mom’s special lasagna, squash soup, and other things I could try to make now! You could continue a particular tradition or create a new one to pass down in your family! The end result will make all the time spent in the kitchen worth it! It will take your mind back to a happier time and hopefully give you that spark you need!
4) Rainbow order!
As someone who personally loves colorful things, making a meal with all the colors of the rainbow would be a highlight of my day!
If you use fruits and veggies, the meal would also be very healthy, as you would have a wide variety of everything on the food pyramid!
It’s also completely ok (and very tasty!) to use food colorings to create a rainbow pastry – rainbow cake, anyone?? Regardless of what you choose, you’re bound to get an Instagrammable meal that actually tastes good – a double win!
If the entire rainbow sounds daunting, you could even spread it out and make a specific color meal per day– red themed one day, orange the next, and so on! If you’re debating on what to eat, this could help narrow your choices down. Color-based cooking is just a super fun way to get yourself excited to cook. Even if you haven’t before, this could get your creative juices flowing!
5. Creating something unique with what you have!
Some people cannot get groceries, whether that’s due to possible danger, inconvenience, or personal dilemmas, but there are creative ways to make do with what you have!
Come up with something no one has ever seen before. Even if you don’t like the taste, you can still say that you tried it!
There is an art when it comes to cooking, and you are the artist. Feel free to experiment- just don’t burn down the kitchen or use an ingredient gone bad!
There are a lot of potential hidden treasures lying in your fridge or pantry. I know that I need to explore my kitchen more- sometimes I find things that I didn’t even know we had (of course, I make sure they’re not expired). In times of boredom, sometimes the best ideas pop up!
Our Message to You!
These are just a few cool and fun ideas that I thought of to keep ourselves occupied during this time!
We find it much more beneficial and rewarding to find creative ways to make food rather than promoting ineffective and potentially harmful diets. They tend to be more sustainable, more health-promoting in the long run, and not to mention, more delicious!
Diets are personal choices that are entirely up to the individual and what they think is best for their bodies. Here, we want to spread positive ideas in which anyone can partake!
New year, new food- we can’t wait to see what you make!
From everyone at resilientHer, have a safe, healthy New Year!