Cooking can seem like an overwhelming task, especially when preparing a meal for the whole family. Erica Reid, author, wellness maven, and mother-of-two (not to mention that her hubby is music producer LA Reid), recently published a new book titled Shut Up and Cook! that tackles the challenge of cooking head on. Best of all, the recipes swap out traditional ingredients for clean and healthy alternatives that you can feel good about serving to yourself and your family.
Inspired by today’s high rates of obesity, Reid recognized a need for education, knowledge, and awareness about our food choices, and drew from her own healthy lifestyle to provide just that in its most simplistic form. “I knew I had to share what I was doing at home and I thought: ‘I want to help the epidemic, not feed it,’” she says. The basic skills of cooking have been broken down with Reid’s step-by-step instructions and easy ingredient replacements. Featuring recipes free of processed sugar and additives, Reid utilizes products like maple syrup, spelt flour, and sea veg to make healthier versions of your favorite foods.
Many of the recipes in the book are also easily customizable to fit readers’ various dietary needs. Reid’s delicious and easy recipe for soy-butter rice krispie cups was even inspired by her own child’s allergic reaction to dairy. “One day I was playing around in the kitchen and I decided to try making rice krispie treats that not only accommodate their diet, but are a healthier version,” Reid explains. “It’s about experimenting—don’t be afraid, put your fear to the side and let your confidence and intuition take control. Let that be your guide.”
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Taking control of the kitchen and approaching meals step-by-step are themes that can be seen throughout the book and also how Erica approaches her own meals at home. As a mother of two, Reid has had plenty of practice when it comes to cooking healthy meals that her kids will love. “Don’t give up. Things take patience, they take time and you have to be consistent,” she says. “With kids we have the tendency to say: ‘Oh they won’t like that, they won’t eat that.’ It’s really our issue and we make our issue their issue. If we keep trying and make slow introductions of things it honestly works over time.” Shut Up and Cook! includes lots of healthier versions of kid’s favorites from homemade pizza to sushi using cauliflower rice. “I’d rather see them knowing it’s home cooked and knowing the health benefits that go into preparing it than opening up a package without knowing much about it,” Reid says.
Recognizing the importance of quick and easy to prepare meals for those with hectic schedules or tight budgets, Reid encourages readers to look within to find a system that fits their own needs. “For me, having a busy life and being married to someone who has a very inconsistent lifestyle—one day it’s here, one day it’s there—we’re not the traditional 9am-5pm family,” she notes. “So I’ve had to mold it and make it work for us.” Reid also proves that healthy eating does not have to break the bank. She recommends looking for foods that can be used in different ways and stretched over multiple meals: “You don’t have to buy and invest in a bunch of ingredients, it’s really just about taking it back home, getting creative and simplifying it.”
Many of the recipes in the book are meals that Reid has been cooking for years, and are inspired by her own family. One of her personal favorite meals in the book, Mother Earth Collard Green Wraps, draws its inspiration from her grandmother who grew up on the nutrient dense vegetable. “Kale does not exist for a 94-year-old woman,” Reid jokes. “I love these wraps and the options to either make them, raw or you can steam them, blanch them, you can do variations with the recipe to make it your own, and they’re so light and satisfying.”
Shut Up and Cook! breaks down the cooking process and makes healthy and wholesome meals simple and quick. From classic favorites like roasted chicken and fruit salad to surprising and delicious combinations like chocolate chip cookies with Kale, you can find recipes to fit any lifestyle. “Let your intuition be your guide. Know that health is not a luxury, we all deserve the best and cooking can be really fun,” Reid says. “Get in the kitchen and nourish yourself, cause if you don’t take care of your health today, what do you have for yourself and your loved ones tomorrow?”
To learn more, visit ericareidcooks.com!
