5 Things I Quit to Make Healthy Cooking Easy After 40

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If you feel stalled on your health goals, constantly cycling between guilt and takeout, you're not alone. The problem isn't a lack of information; it's the sheer pressure to be perfect. As a trained wellness chef, host Aliye knows that pressure well. For years, she was stuck on the perfection hamster wheel, which only led to burnout and inconsistency.

The real breakthrough for women over 40 isn't about starting a new diet; it's about giving yourself permission to QUIT the habits that drain your energy and sabotage consistency. In this episode, Aliye shares the five biggest game-changers she eliminated, providing a glimpse into the exact strategies and systems found inside her Vitality Kitchen Club membership.

In This Episode, You Will Hear:

• The Stacked Meal Planning secret that replaces the stressful, all-day Sunday meal prep marathon. 
• How to quit the pressure to "perform" by learning to simply assemble great meals in minutes. 
• The "Easy Swap" formula (taught in the Art of Seasoning Masterclass) that allows you to ditch recipes forever.
• Why embracing the "Good Enough" mindset is the key to consistency—and how to guarantee it always tastes amazing.
• The single "Compassionate Pause" technique that stops your cravings without a single ounce of willpower.

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Snap a screenshot of the episode playing on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories and tag me @soulspacechef. I’d love to hear what resonated with you the most!

Transcript

What if the secret to making healthy cooking finally feel easy isn't about adding more to your to-do list, but about taking things off?

Here’s the thing: You already have all the information you need. You know vegetables are good. You know protein is important. The problem isn't a lack of information; it's a lack of a system that works for your life.

And if you’ve ever felt stalled out on your health goals, telling yourself takeout is okay tonight, and then realizing a whole week has gone by where you haven't cooked any of those healthy meals you bought the ingredients for—you're not alone. 

The reason it feels so hard is the pressure you put on yourself. For years, I was stuck on that same hamster wheel, trying to do everything perfectly without even realizing that pressure was the problem. And as a trained wellness chef, you can bet that pressure to be perfect was dialed up to a ten.

But the real breakthrough for me, the one that finally brought my health goals closer, wasn't about what I started doing... it was about what I gave myself permission to QUIT.

Hi, I'm Aliye, and I use my background as a wellness chef to help women over 40 simplify healthy eating and get results without the stress. If you’re tired of the overwhelm, you are in the right place.

Today, I’m sharing the five biggest things I quit that made healthy cooking second nature and completely transformed my relationship with food. Let's dive into the first one.

Okay, let's start with the big one. I quit the 'do-it-all-on-Sunday' meal prep marathon.

The mental gymnastics of planning and executing a massive session was completely burning me out. It felt like I was a factory worker on a constant deadline, not someone just trying to get a healthy dinner on the table. So I quit that model. 

Now, I use a combination of strategies that build momentum and keep the mental load light. One of these core strategies is what I call Stacked Meal Planning.

I teach the in-depth strategy for this inside my Vitality Kitchen Club membership. (And have done-for-you Stacked Meal Plans inside the membership too!)

Here’s how the technique works: On Sunday, I batch-cook a couple of different proteins—maybe I'll roast some tangy turmeric chicken thighs and bake a tray of maple-miso salmon—and those ingredients are specifically planned for Monday and Tuesday's meals.

Having protein cooked and ready-to-go is non-negotiable for me, because getting enough protein is absolutely crucial for maintaining muscle mass, managing our hormones, and keeping our metabolism fired up.

The core of Stacked Meal Planning is cooking a base ingredient once so you can 'stack' it into a few different meals. This builds so much momentum that healthy eating just becomes automatic. And that’s what these proteins do.

Next, I tackle the most tedious, energy-draining chore in the kitchen: washing and storing the vegetables. Let's be honest, what's the one thing that stops you from making a big, beautiful salad? It's the thought of getting the grit out of a big bunch of kale or a head of romaine. So on Sunday, I do all of that annoying work when I actually have some energy. I’ll wash and spin-dry greens, and wash things like broccoli or carrots. I don't chop or slice everything ahead of time, like cucumber, cause they’ll go bad faster. I just get them clean. Now they're sitting in the fridge, fresh and ready to be used at a moment's notice. This single step removes the biggest hurdle to eating more vegetables.

Now, in less than an hour, my fridge is stocked with a few essentials to build momentum, and I have a plan to get me through the week. 

For Wednesday onward, I rely entirely on stupidly easy, 15-minute recipes, and the most important step is having those Wednesday and Thursday meals intentionally planned out. You can prep ingredients in advance as much or as little for those meals as you like, but I find cooking relaxes me a bit.

I realized that planning is the key, NOT the prep. The most powerful part of planning is deciding the FIRST STEP when you walk into the kitchen. My plan isn't just 'Make Beef Stir Fry,' it's 'Chop the onion,' or 'Start the water boiling.' That way, when dinnertime is close, you’re not thinking 'Ugh, what am I doing?' You’re thinking, 'I’m cooking the potatoes,' or 'I’m chopping an onion.' When you have a set first step, it makes it harder to ignore and go through the drive-thru. It's an instant momentum builder.

That way, the hardest parts are already done. No decision fatigue. And because I have a clear plan, the cooking is now so fast. This system doesn’t just save my time; it saves my energy, which is the most valuable resource we have.

Thing #2: 

This next one is a little vulnerable, because it gets to the heart of what I call the 'Chef's Curse.' You see, it's funny—I can walk into anyone else's kitchen, a client's or a friend's, open their fridge, and instantly see a dozen delicious meals I could make from what they have. I'm a confident problem-solver in their space.

But for years, in my own kitchen, I'd freeze. I felt this immense pressure to 'perform'—to create a perfect, photo-worthy meal every single time. And I realized that this pressure I felt from my professional training is the exact same pressure you might feel from a perfect picture on Instagram or a fancy cookbook. It's the feeling that you have to live up to an ideal, and it can stop you from even starting. So I quit the Pressure to 'Perform' in My Own Kitchen!

The breakthrough for me was giving myself permission to take off the chef's hat at home. I had to learn to stop performing and start assembling. I realized that a fantastic, healthy meal doesn't need a formal recipe; it just needs good components put together well.

When I quit performing, it had a ripple effect beyond the kitchen. I wasn't just saving time; I was changing the way I showed up for myself. That one decision to stop chasing perfection meant I started eating healthy dinners consistently, which led to better sleep, more energy, and finally seeing the results I wanted after 40. 

And that's where having a curated pantry and freezer comes in. Now, when I open my fridge, I'm not looking for a recipe to perform. I'm looking for components to assemble. I see those high-quality Polish sausages, some pre-washed greens, and easily through it together with a starch. That's not a 'dish' from a restaurant menu, but it is a delicious, balanced meal I can assemble in under 10 minutes.

My passion for fresh food is so deep that I actually started and ran my own farm-to-door organic produce delivery service for nine years. And I can tell you, even as someone whose entire life was about the 'peak of freshness,' the most valuable skill for real life is learning how to create a great meal when there is no plan.

This skill—the confidence to look in your fridge and see a meal instead of just a random collection of ingredients—is the foundation of cooking stress-free healthy meals. It's a core part of what I teach inside my Vitality Kitchen Club.

Because the real secret isn't about trying to be a perfect chef in my own kitchen. It’s about realizing that you already have everything you need to nourish yourself well. 

Okay, so if the first step was changing how I prep (Thing #1) and the second was about giving myself the MINDSET PERMISSION to assemble instead of perform (Thing #2), this next one is about the PRACTICAL SYSTEM that makes it all work. 

Thing #3: I Quit Needing a Recipe to Cook

The realization for me didn't happen overnight. After years of cooking professionally and reading countless cookbooks, I started to notice a pattern. It was so simple, I almost missed it: So many of the everyday recipes I was looking at were based on the same few base ingredients, simply dressed up with different flavors. It was like opening the hood of a thousand different cars and realizing they all had the same four-cylinder engine.

I thought, 'Why am I making this so hard? For everyday cooking, all I need is the base, and then I just need to swap the flavor profile.' It was at that moment I realized I could quit needing a recipe to cook. This underlying pattern is the secret that most professional chefs use, and yet no one teaches it to home cooks. 

That insight is what led me to create my 'Easy Swap' Method. It shows you how to take your favorite go-to protein or vegetable—like that batch of roasted chicken or baked salmon—and apply a new flavor profile to it, instantly making it taste like a completely different meal with almost zero effort. This is the key to unlocking that creative, intuitive cooking that makes healthy eating feel like a joy.

I cover this entire system in my 'Art of Seasoning Masterclass,' which is available exclusively inside my Vitality Kitchen Club membership. (I’ll drop a link below with more info on that )

The 'Easy Swap' Method is one of the key components to confident, stress-free cooking. It's what allows you to look at your familiar ingredients and instantly know how to make them taste phenomenal.

Thing #4: I Quit the 'All-or-Nothing' Mindset.

For years, I treated my health goals like a tightrope walk, where one tiny wobble meant falling off completely. If I didn't have the perfect ingredient, I'd just give up and get takeout. I finally reframed it. Instead of a tightrope, I started thinking of it like a road trip. On a road trip, if you miss your exit, you don’t abandon the car on the side of the highway. You just reroute.

That’s what I do in the kitchen now. Not having fresh spinach isn't a failure; it's just a missed exit. Using frozen broccoli instead? That’s me rerouting. This is what I call embracing the 'Good Enough' meal.

But here’s the secret: in my kitchen, 'good enough' never, ever means 'tastes mediocre.' It will always taste amazing, and that's because I have a secret weapon.

I know that as long as I consider the four essential elements of flavor—Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat—I can make anything delicious. When you understand how to use these four elements, you can take the simplest ingredients, like that frozen broccoli and some leftover chicken, and transform them into something you're excited to eat. You're not just cooking; you're building flavor.

This is another foundational principle members learn inside Vitality Kitchen Club, which I'll drop a link for down below. Understanding salt, fat, acid, and heat is the skill that guarantees your 'Good Enough' meal will always be a 'Wow, that's amazing' meal."

Embracing this entire mindset shift taught me the most important lesson: You don't need to be perfect to achieve consistency—you just need to pivot when things don’t work out the way you expect.

Thing #5: I Quit Fighting My Cravings

This last one was the final, crucial piece of the puzzle for me. For most of my life, I treated my cravings like an enemy I had to defeat. A craving would hit for something unhealthy, and I’d immediately go into battle mode. I would either fight it with every ounce of willpower I had, or I'd give in and then be crushed by a wave of shame and guilt, which leads to more cravings! It was a cycle of restrict, crave, and regret that was exhausting.

Everything changed when I learned a new approach from an incredible guest on my Cooking From Scratch podcast, Reshanda Yates. She taught me to stop fighting and start listening. Now, when a craving hits, I don't ignore it, and I don't fight it. I practice what I call the 'Compassionate Pause.'

I literally stop, take a breath, and drop into my body to get curious. I ask myself, 'What is this craving really about? What does my body actually need right now?' Am I hungry? Or am I maybe just tired, stressed, bored, or thirsty? Nine times out of ten, my body is just trying to get my attention.

By meeting that true need with self-compassion—maybe it's a five-minute stretch, a glass of water, a deep breath, or just stepping outside for some fresh air—the intense, unhealthy craving gently fades away. This single shift has been the key to staying focused on my health goals without ever feeling like I'm at war with my own body.

_______

So, to recap, the five things I quit to make healthy cooking ridiculously easy are:

1. I quit the 'Once-a-Week, All-Day' Meal Prep (Stacked Meal Planning).
2. I quit the pressure to 'Perform' in my own kitchen.
3. I quit needing a recipe to cook (The Easy Swap Method).
4. I quit the 'All-or-Nothing' Mindset.
5. I quit fighting my cravings.

Letting go of these things gave me the freedom and space to finally be consistent, which is what truly matters, especially when you need that consistency to support your body over 40.

These are the five biggest game-changers that worked for me. If you're ready to move past just having the information and want the actual system to make these habits stick, I'd love for you to join me inside the Vitality Kitchen Club membership.

Imagine having the full Stacked Meal Planning strategy and the Easy Swap Method at your fingertips, plus the done-for-you meal plans, guaranteeing delicious, healthy meals every night without the kitchen stress or chaos. 

Right now I’m offering a 7-day trial of the Vitality Kitchen Club.

When you click the link in the description below this video to start your 7-day trial of the Vitality Kitchen Club you’ll start building a healthy meal habit that works for your life and makes your health goals feel reachable.

Oh, and \let me know in the comments WHICH of these five things you are going to quit first—is it the guilt, the complicated recipes, or the all-or-nothing mindset? I’ll see you in the next video!