How do we change ourselves for the better in 2015?

Fresh fruit wheel

How do we make ourselves happier, healthier, full of both energy and patience (for the little ones)?

There’s a lot we can do. And it starts in the kitchen.

As the New York Times reports- and Jamie subsequently cooks up- there’s a “hot new diet” out there: home-cooked food.

“People who cook eat a healthier diet without giving it a thought,” Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemna, relays in the Times. “It’s the collapse of home cooking that led directly to the obesity epidemic.”

In other words, don’t think it’s all about Meatless Mondays, restricting dairy, alcohol and the other foods that our bodies love and crave. Instead, it’s about variety, portion-size and that extra half hour out of your day to cook something from scratch. For breakfast, savor homemade butternut squash hash with a fried egg. Make one pot of spicy turkey chili (maybe on a Sunday, when you have more time) and enjoy it for lunch for the rest of the week. Finish off your day with chicken sausage and broccoli rabe orecchiette and glass of white wine.

Let’s all challenge ourselves to get off Facebook for 30 minutes and sautee some veggies. Turn off Housewives and roast a chicken, dress some greens (Okay, eliminating Housewives might be extreme… Maybe turn RHOBH on mute?). The results will be steady, your body will be happy and your fitness will improve. Kickstart your kitchen & culinary rehab here with Jamie’s beautiful spread of homemade, healthful meals!

The New York Times, ‘The Upshot:’ What 2,000 Calories Looks Like