Work Life BALANCE & FOOD

Trying to find the balance between work and life when work is a dominant and primary part of life is tough. For me, running two businesses as a working mum, whilst working alongside my husband for both ventures means that we truly struggle to draw a clean line between work and our lives. 20 years in, I’m not sure any of us have found a balance, but what we have done is learned to embrace the happy moments, whilst making time for one another too – mainly through our love of food!

Food is an intrinsic part of our work and lives, yet it can often be overlooked as a way to create balance. Cooking and eating can become a missed opportunity to stop for 15 minutes of creativity, nourishment and family fun. We all know we need food to sustain ourselves, but what we often forget is that aside from the physical benefits, the mental and emotional benefits of cooking, eating and enjoying our food can work wonders for our work life balance.

Quick meals are the key to finding a regular balance. By this I mean meals don’t need to be gourmet, just simply functional and enjoyable.

To make the most of this time, I highly recommend:

–Meal planning as a family. It takes less than an hour and is a lovely way to have a conversation that isn’t about work or household chores

– Food shopping. With a good meal plan and ingredients list, food shopping as a family can be really enjoyable and another way to get some time out together

– 15 minute meals: a healthy nutritious meal doesn’t need to take hours. If you know the meal is going to only take a few minutes to prep and a few minutes to cook, it’s a great way to end the working day and make some much needed quality time to get creative in the kitchen with your loved ones

Please read our Recipe section for quick recipes for maintaining your health and work life balance.