It is Thanksgiving week and we in this country have so much to be thankful for. Our girls start arriving tomorrow. My family is so excited about getting everyone together under one roof. Thanksgiving is also a very special meal. This is one week we all start planning, making shopping lists, and blocking off time to cook. A great deal of effort goes into the Thanksgiving dinner- we look forward to this special time and the memories last. Tom Nordland is a basketball shooting expert and coach from California. "The few great shooters of today and yesterday mastered simple things, not complicated motions. Improved shooting is now possible for everybody in the game, and mastery is available to those who sincerely dedicate themselves to it." (EzineArticles) In an article titled "Basketball Shooting: How to Get Accuracy, Consistency and Repeatability", Norland defines repeatability as "the name we give to a motion that is so learned and mastered it can go on automatic." So how can we get repeatability into our cooking motion? Take a page out of the Thanksgiving playbook. Master the simple things: 1) Find simple recipes that excite your taste buds. 2) Write down a meal plan and shopping list. 3) Set aside time to create and cook. Get into your zone and play your favorite music knowing you are doing something special for yourself and your family. 4) Make it repeatable. Sunday is your day to plan and write out your grocery list, Monday is the day to shop and Tuesday night is your time to cook. If you want to do all the cooking, have a month of family favorites in rotation with a goal of trying one new recipe a month. Or try a cooking co-op which forces repeatability because when your dinner is delivered Monday and Tuesday night, it is your turn to cook Tuesday night and deliver on Wednesday. One highlight of the Thanksgiving meal is the tremendous variety- turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, gravy, green beans, rolls, biscuits, and 3 different deserts. I have found that without variety, I eat more than necessary trying to satisfy that craving for "something special to the taste and senses." And maybe, in part, we eat too much at Thanksgiving because it is rare to have such a wide range of choices. Get the weekly cooking motion going that is so learned and mastered, it is on automatic. Then family dinners can start shooting the lights out and scoring in an area that really matters.
