New cuisine, new swing
– how I found the joy of cooking
Do you know that? You are in the kitchen, you want to cook, but the pleasure is simply missing? Whether stressful everyday life, a lack of inspiration or, as with me, a cancer therapy that has temporarily ruined my taste. What can you do about it and how do you create new motivation?
Hello dears,
Sometimes it is hard to maintain the joy of cooking. You don’t always have the time to cook the desire and the necessary motivation.
Even before my diagnosis of cancer, I often had these moments that cooking was too much for me. As an independent mom, I suffered from permanent stress and hectic. The food in the evening became a mandatory task that you wanted to do as soon as possible – and even though I really love cooking.
At the beginning of my cancer therapy, I wanted to tell the stress the fight. Focus on me and enjoy life as far as I could. And jap – I wanted to devote myself to cooking with more enjoyment and tranquility again. But as you may already know, it was a mess with my taste during chemotherapy and if not – you can read it again here.
However, the fact is already before my illness and during my “forced output” I could no longer get 100 % fond of cooking. And I bet everyone has such a “no-way-to-cooking” phase, or not?
But my phase actually went for several months and so I didn’t want to accept it. It had to change. So I began to deal more intensively with how to get myself back the desire for cooking. And I noticed that my kitchen was simply no longer a feel-good place for me.
And that’s exactly what I kept – I had to turn my kitchen back into a place where I can feel comfortable.
And you can do that too! It doesn’t always have to be a new kitchen – it’s also cheaper! Read on and let yourself be inspired by me.
The freshness kick: remodel the kitchen
When I realized that I wasn’t fun to cook, I wanted to change something – and that’s at home. At first I was only thinking about cleaning up, but eventually my husband and I decided to completely renew the kitchen. And that was one of the best decisions!
A new kitchen brings a breath of fresh air into life. New cabinets, appliances, colours – suddenly everything was different and that motivated me to get back to cooking. But it doesn’t always have to be a completely new kitchen. Even small changes can work wonders:
- switch furniture
Do you have furniture in the kitchen that you can change? Or can you put a new shelf in the kitchen? Do something different without much effort? Sometimes it is enough to rearize or rearrange a few things. With simple changes you can make your kitchen look more functional and fresh.
- Cabinets foil or paint
A new look for the kitchen cabinets can have an amazing effect and, unlike a new kitchen, this alternative costs less.
In my old rental apartment I had purchased more than 10 years ago, a small fitted kitchen that this typical beech wood veneer had. I didn’t like it at all, but it had fitted perfectly by the measurements and I was still in my training at the time and therefore had to save money. So I decided to use a white high-gloss film and simply followed my fronts myself. The result held a good 3 to 4 years and the material cost me around 50.00 €. That was definitely a great decision.
But if you’re unsure if you’re getting the slide really good on the cupboards and want to play it safely – how about a fresh coat?
I’ve seen so many DIY videos of kitchen makeovers with the famous paint by Miss Pompadour lately – if I hadn’t bought a new kitchen, it would have been my next plan.
Click here to go to Miss Pompadour website – just click on the advertising banner:
- Stove walls
You don’t always have to paint the closets immediately or all walls. How about a wall side? Simply a small highlight area in a cozy, warm color?
- New decoration, new flowers and candles
It is sometimes OK that you cannot move any furniture and absolutely do not feel like painting or following the furniture – let alone want to invest a lot of work. What about fresh flowers, a cozy candle or colorful kitchen helpers? Small details create an inviting ambience and ensure a special feel-good moment.
The wellness oasis: cooking in a relaxed atmosphere
In addition to the visual change, I have created a new routine that helped me to feel more comfortable. My absolutely new kitchen ritual.
Every evening I light a candle in the kitchen, turn on my lighting and decorate my kitchen with fresh flowers once a week. This does not have to be expensive at all – a small bouquet of the supermarket or flowers from the garden is perfectly enough. And I tell you, this feel-good atmosphere has made cooking for me a moment of relaxation.
It is currently even the case that I feel like I had a “date” with myself in the kitchen. And before someone now says something – it must be so much self-love that we are also allowed to give ourselves flowers. Our happiness is not dependent on others (only by the way).
A place of inspiration: how to re-discover your kitchen
Sometimes it’s not just about what the kitchen looks like, but also about how it feels. As soon as my kitchen became a place where I was happy, the desire to cook automatically came back.
Try new recipes, experiment with fresh ingredients and consciously take time for me – all this has helped me to find the joy of cooking again.
And whether you’re getting a new kitchen or just changing a few things, make the kitchen a place where you like to stay. Then the motivation comes by itself, unless you are a total cooking muffle that you can’t help one anymore or another 
My tip especially for cancer-affected patients:
Sit down when it gets too strenuous!
I am also particularly concerned with a tip for those who reach their limits through cancer therapy or other physical limitations. Sometimes I felt that I just felt like cooking, but the thought of snapping long and snapping vegetables was simply overwhelming. I knew I didn’t create it physically and if I tried it, then I came to my limits. This often took the joy from me before I even started cooking.
But my solution? Two simple stools in the kitchen. I have placed them directly on the worktop and can sit down now if standing becomes too strenuous. This allowed me to work relaxed without overwhelming me. If I had already had this during my chemotherapy, it would have helped me a lot! But now that I have made this small adjustment, it makes everyday life much easier for me. Of course, it does not have to be a stool – a chair is also enough.
My extra tip: If you notice that standing is too strenuous, treat yourself to a break. Sit down, fidget the vegetables sitting and relieve your body. There is no reason why you should not cook or snip vegetables while sitting. Even small reliefs can have a great effect on well-being. Check it out!
My conclusion: small changes with great effect
Whether you are in a special phase of life or simply have lost the desire to cook in everyday bustle – it is worth giving new momentum to your everyday kitchen life.
Create a room that inspires you, be it through redesign, small decoration elements or simply fresh flowers. And remember: you don’t always have to stand to conjure up great dishes. Make yourself comfortable, create an oasis of wellness – and you will see how the joy of cooking is showing back.
And if we are already talking about it, can I imagine?
My new kitchen...
We opted for a fitted kitchen of the brand Nobilia with Alpine white, gripless high gloss finishes. And I think the kitchen is mega great. Here are some impressions for you:
A special thanks at this point also at Express moving for the great new kitchen assembly! It doesn't get any more.
Planning and building a fitted kitchen is not for the faint of heart and to spare my nerves – I had the Express company relocation at the start. But okay in advance, the company belongs to my partner and therefore it was very easy for us to be able to plan everything perfectly.
But at this point – my big recommendation: if you want to plan and build a kitchen in the Upper Palatinate region, e.g. in Weiden, Bayreuth or the surrounding area, then you are happy to contact Express Umzug.
Here you can find the contact details:
Express Umzug s.r.o. | www.express-umzug.eu | info@express-umzug.eu
Express Umzug is actually a moving company that operates throughout Europe, but has also specialised in new kitchen assembly at the same time in recent years and even more. Recently, Express Relocation has also been offering optimised planning of fitted kitchens in cooperation with a regional furniture store from the Upper Palatinate. The advantage for customers is simply that Express Moving can certainly implement what is planned. Where other kitchen planners say “that’s impossible” – Express Moving with craftsmanship can highlight even more and make the “impossible” possible.
