Cara: Making Memorable Meals
Cook with and for your friends as much as possible. Potluck meals with my loved ones are some of my favorite memories. – Cara
When it comes to cooking and food, Kitchen Hero Cara is all about sharing it with the people she loves. Whether she’s cooking for her family or sharing leftovers with friends, the memories that come from these meaningful moments are what matters the most. Read more about Cara’s Hero in the Kitchen story below.
Name: Cara
Age: 35
City, State: Indianapolis, Indiana
I cook for: me & my 4-year-old daughter mostly. Sometimes my husband.
Outside of the kitchen I: design building automation systems!
The 3 pantry items I cannot live without are: Honey. Jasmine Rice. Chocolate Chips.
I cook because: it’s therapeutic to feed my family.
Favorite Cook Smarts meal so far: Sriracha-Honey Shrimp and Spring Pasta with Asparagus & Peas
HOW DID YOU LEARN TO COOK?
I mainly learned from my husband. Before I met him, I thought it was totally normal to use steakhouse knives to cut produce on dinner plates.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST COOKING CHALLENGE?
Portions. It’s taken a while for me to be able to eyeball things going into a recipe. For a long time, when cooking dinner for myself, I’d end up with enough food for 10 people. I’d then have to drive around the neighborhood leaving food at my friends’ houses so I wouldn’t have to eat the same thing for a week. They thought I was being nice; now they know the truth.
HOW HAS YOUR COOKING ROUTINE CHANGED SINCE STARTING COOK SMARTS’ MEAL PLANS?
For one, I get to eat something new almost every night. I also have this sense of calm in my life now because I always know what’s for dinner.
“I have this sense of calm in my life now because I always know what’s for dinner.”
Tell us about your proudest kitchen moment.
I cut up and roasted a fairytale pumpkin in coconut oil, then saved the pulp to make a couple of pies for Thanksgiving. It took several batches in the oven to roast that huge pumpkin. But it was worth it – the pies were insanely good, and I had pulp to spare for my neighbor and freezer stash.
What are your tips for health and success in the kitchen?
Cook with and for your friends as much as possible. Potluck meals with my loved ones are some of my favorite memories.
Thanks, Cara! We’re so happy that our meal plan service has brought you a sense of calm in your life. We’ll keep coming up with the recipes, so that you can have more opportunities to share a variety of meals with your loved ones. Oh, and if you ever have too many leftovers (and pumpkin pie) on your hands, you can drop them off at our place any time!
To join Cara and cook meals like her favorite Sriracha-Honey Shrimp with Broccoli and Spring Pasta with Asparagus & Peas, check out our meal plan service. You can get started for free!
