Personal Project: A Recipe Book on How to Make Meals at Home Healthier

For my personal project I created a recipe book on how to make meals at home healthier. It also seemed appealing because my mom and I are always saying how we need to eat healthier. I hope to gain a different approach to cooking that I can continue to use in my everyday life. People normally cook in a way that is comfortable to their lifestyle or what they know. In some cases it could be a healthier style then most but it could depend on what has been passed down through generations that they may not want to change.  I would like for  the meals at home that we prepare to change without losing that taste I love.  I have looked into getting spices and seasonings that are natural or organic so as to not compromise the overall taste of the meal.                     

As a child, I always liked to help my family cook on the holidays or just at home when making dinner. It brought joy to my soul when I helped cook, I liked the texture of the food first hand.  This recipe book will yes be a grade in my avid class, but it will help me acknowledge the facts of eating and creating healthier food. 

When finding the right resources for my recipe book I first looked at what are the possible outcomes of not eating healthy. The results of not eating healthy can result in cardiovascular disease which is a heart disease that causes diseased vessels, structural problems, and blood clots. Eating healthy strengthens the body and brain. You and your family can have a better lifestyle if you eat healthier. A simple diet change to a  healthier style can decrease chances of diseases and cancer.

Throughout my project I had a process journal to help me keep up with my information. I found reliable sources explaining what unhealthy eating does to you and how to prevent it. What diseases you can get from not eating healthy. 

I used Personal and Cultural expression for my global context, because I feel that I relate to it more. I express myself through cooking, it's kind of a stress reliever for me. Through that culture they create different things and use different ingredients. I correlated to this concept, when I make food because I use different ingredients with the same recipe to make it healthier. You should never have to repeat the same things in your dishes over and over again. You have to surprise yourself when you're cooking you have to think outside the box. In conclusion, thatś why I picked personal and cultural expressions for my personal project.

Now my finished product is a well done masterpiece in my opinion. No itś not the greatest, but itś a start. My project is a stepping stone for me getting closer to becoming a chef. Well first of course I have to go to culinary school, which I plan to attend in my birth state of virginia, and or Georgia, or New york. My resultant communes to my criteria on focusing on my topic. Through my criteria of focusing on the topic, my research was a top priority in finding right resources that fit into my personal project. So in doing my research and finding information I first wrote it down in a notebook, then created a google slideś for my information. From there I took parts of that and applied it to my project by looking at the ingredientś to make sure it didn't cause diseases and or health issues.  At first I was going to make my recipe book on how to make soul food healthier.  But then I thought ¨what could be more important then helping families live a healthier life ¨. So by changing the mindset in the home and families you have a more profound impact on our communities and better cooking options that can start a new tradition to be passed down. All by just making meals at home healthier. Before quarantine, my avid teacher ¨Mrs. Robinson '' was a big help for what I wanted to do for my personal project and how to look for the right sources, make sure that they were up to date.

My avid teacher had my classmates and I do little assignments where we looked up information based on our topic. Assignments where we created a diagram of how we would get to our goal,  it did give me somewhat of a clear view on what to do for my project. I would ask questions during this time when I was confused but as a teacher would not give me straight answers but rather suggest ideas or pointers that would guide me to my own conclusion . I think I met my goal, but I feel that I could have managed my time better. It was quite stressful sometimes, but I had to pull through. While doing this project it taught me to focus more on a topic and state the facts, when doing an assignment to manage time better. It has also helped me realize that cooking is not just about fun but rather it is an equal mix of fun(passion) , skills and planned thoughts. I do wish to become a chef when I get older and this project is preparing me for that. Learn how to manage what I do with more skill. Cooking right now may be for play but as I get older it will be for a career once i have completed school. The only stumbling block in my way will only be me over thinking the fear of failure and me not reaching my goal. I know my cooking will be done with care and love because I enjoy being people. Example, me wanting to make food at home healthier the ingredients cant bring soul to the food myself has that responsibility to the dish. I have to be more organized when I cook. Focus on the situation and the food in front of me. 

 In addition to organization and management skills my knowledge for eating healthier has changed. Eating unhealthy food can cause many health issues. I am glad for doing this certain topic for my project, it helps me and my family stay in shape. We won´t have to worry about health issues if we eat healthier. I now understand more about the advantages and disadvantages of eating healthy and unhealthy. I will be completely honest though I will have to get used to eating healthier because i’m not really a big fan of ¨healthy¨ food. 

When it came down to thinking about which meals I would use for my recipe book, I had to think carefully. Like which meals do we eat the most during the week. Had to come up with a few ideas then search for healthier seasonings that would hopefully taste good in that certain food. Example, baked fish and chicken, meat balls, spaghetti, and alfredo. Just a few things didn't want to go overboard, because there is no need to. After that I typed it up on a google doc, printed it, and placed it in the recipe book with the title of its own ¨Healthier meals for home¨.

People always tell themselves I have to eat healthier, I have to get back in shape, but what is it exactly? That's the question: you can eat salads and yogurt and healthy organic stuff, but what is really the purpose of it. Right purpose, the purpose of it all is how you set your mind on it. Like you are fully aware that you have to change the way you eat completely. Set your mind on the goal to eat healthier. That's what i´m trying to do, see you can't really get anything done if it's not something that you want to pursue, To change and make better. Like when it comes to your diet. My mother and I both want to eat healthier, and of course my little sister as well. Even though we might be giving up some things that we really like and have to cut back on, that's just how it's going to be. Can´t get anything done if you really don't want to do it.