What is Not Pasta Again all about? It's all about helping you flourish with food. It’s about the emotional aspect around having to provide 3 meals a day for yourself or the whole family and sharing advice and knowledge I have gathered over the years which have eased all of these pressures.
I hope to build a community of like minded people who feel they are currently facing one or some of these issues….
Stuck in a rut with meal choices
Lacking confidence in the kitchen
Overwhelmed with the daily responsibility to provide a meal
Catering for dietary requirements
Trying to provide regular healthy meals the children will enjoy
Controlling the food you eat
Food waste and how to adapt your meal prep to reduce this
If this is you, I really hope the podcast series helps and you find inspiration in the kitchen again. While you listen to the episode why not join
02:30 Flourishing with Food: Overcoming Kitchen Overwhelm
05:20 About Sam
06:10 Why is this podcast called Not Pasta Again?
07:44 Building a Community around making it easier in the kitchen
Transcripts
Sam:
Hi I’m Sam Parker and this is my very first podcast episode. Not Pasta Again will be a series of episodes about helping us flourish with food, the emotional aspect around having to provide 3 meals a day for yourself or the whole family and share advice and knowledge I have gathered over the years which have eased all of these pressures.
I hope to build a community of like minded people who all face the same issues so we can support and share all the tips and knowledge we have gathered over the years. This podcast is for you so do send me voice notes
or emails that I can share in the episodes. Before we get into that more I want to explain why I have decided to start this podcast.
I’ve always believed that good food is an integral part of life, but I know it’s not always simple. So many things can impact how we feel about food—from time pressures to the overwhelming feeling of shoulds; especially as a parent. I’ve felt those same pressures, wondering if I’m making the right choices or if the meals I’m putting together are ‘good enough.’
There have been moments, many moments, when I’ve doubted my cooking skills, thinking I’m just throwing together something mediocre because I don’t know any better and because there’s never
enough time. And time... that’s really at the heart of it, isn’t it? Life is busy, and those ever present time pressures can make food feel like a burden rather than a source of nourishment and joy.
So why have I started this podcast? I mean, it's very much out of my comfort zone, I know that! But I think we all deserve to feel good in the kitchen—simple. Not feel guilt, not feel stress, not feel bored, not feel useless... and I've found a way. Over the last five years, I’ve managed to shift my own negative ‘kitchen demons’ about getting food on the table, and I want to share that with you.
Whether it’s making healthier choices, reducing the feelings of stress or just feeling more confident in what you cook, my goal is to help you flourish with food, even when life feels chaotic.
So, what do I mean by Flourish with Food. For me, I feel this term covers many aspects around food, planning what to eat, shopping for ingredients, the actual chopping & cooking part, the desire to eat healthily and then there’s the emotional pressures and not letting them get the better of us. I have found a way to cook that has made me flourish and not flounder
with food. Born out of a need to provide healthy meals for my family as a busy single mum.
So consider this…..Do you find yourself stuck in a rut with your cooking style and meal options? According to a You Gov poll the median answer to ‘how many meals can you cook from scratch without a recipe’ is 7. Just 7. 7 different meals on repeat each week. If you are the main cook in your home it really becomes tiresome doesn’t it. Even worse if you have
different dietary needs to cater for or a fussy eater.
I will help you flourish with food and take away the overwhelm – whatever that overwhelm is - in the following ways…
Build your confidence – I can help guarantee that Each meal you make really will taste great
Eat without feeling guilty – everything can by clean, so no additives or preservatives, and I can even show you how to eradicate packet food …
Remove the stress - of what to cook, fitting it into your schedule
Ensure there is quality and flavour in every meal – scratch cooking has never been so easy
Add adventure back into cooking – the more success you have the more you will want to try – creativity in the kitchen really can be a thing!
Ultimately, regardless of where the overwhelm stems from I can bring JOY into the kitchen and a big fat smile on your face when you think of all the possibilities for amazing food at your fingertips
Coming back to me –so you know where I come from, I am a Thermomix advisor and trained pilates instructor. For a long while I’ve been conscious about eating well, reducing the amount of processed food I consume and looking after myself from the inside as well as the outside, through exercise. And I’m hugely passionate about helping other working mums
feel good about themselves , which in turn is reflected back into the household.
Have I just said a word you have never heard of before Thermomix? A Thermomix is an amazing kitchen device that will help you in more ways than you can imagine in the kitchen and to help you flourish with food. It is where my journey begins.
A final thought from me – why’ve I called it not pasta again. It’s threefold really. I can’t tell you how many times my children have requested pasta for dinner, or tea! Whatever you call it! I used to love it as a request because it was a meal that I knew they would eat – my main goal – empty plates! But man it gets boring hearing them repeatedly ask for it!!
Harry, my eldest has grown out of pasta now though, and whenever his brother asks for it I can see a sense of resignation in his face – he doesn’t want pasta again – well, not every night which is what Felix would have us eat!
And finally – the Thermomix now means that we don’t have to have pasta again, and again, because it has opened up a world of incredible food that I never thought was possible to be made in my kitchen.
I wonder if you have a food that is repeatedly asked for – one that you love and hate all at the same time. Love it because it gets eaten, but hate it because its always on the menu. I’d love to hear from you if you do – I’m guessing pasta features quite highly…but I could be wrong
I hope you will enjoy the podcast and come with me on a journey. I have a facebook group you can join for more tips and inspiration in the kitchen or you can find out more about the work I do as a Thermomix advisor at myfoodforthought.co.uk. Like I say I hope to build a community so I would love to hear from you. You can message me through the facebook
page or on Instagram –you can find the links in the show notes or email me at notpastaagain@hotmail.com
In future episodes I will be chatting to a variety of people from busy mums who found joy in cooking food for their families again. To nutritionists and wellbeing coaches who recognise the value of a Thermomix in their world.
plus I will share so much more on building confidence in the kitchen, food control, the pressure to feed the family healthy food and them actually enjoying it, reducing food waste, cooking with fresh ingredients and so much more. I’m excited for you to come on this journey with me and to hear from you regarding what struggles you are facing in the kitchen.
In the next episode I will discuss the overwhelm that cooking can bring and advice on how to overcome it plus the pressure to cook healthy, tasty meals the whole family will enjoy.
Until next time don’t feel overwhelmed in the kitchen because together we can flourish and not flounder with food.
