There are so many lifehacks out there but turning cooking dinner at home into a keystone habit might just take the cake. Don’t agree? That’s okay, we’re confident we can convince you. Wondering what a keystone habit is and why cooking dinner should be one? Fear not, all shall be revealed in this post, along with some great tips on how to turn making dinner at home into a habit. 

What Is a Keystone Habit?

Charles Duhigg introduced readers to the idea of a keystone habit in his book, The Power of Habit. These habits offer small wins and help build confidence and momentum to cultivate other good habits. Keystone habits are essentially a gateway to success, helping you to form a positive habit loop that impacts the formation of other habits. A classic example of a keystone habit is making your bed in the morning, which gives you a sense of accomplishment that sets the tone for the rest of your day.

Why You Should Make Cooking Dinner a Keystone Habit

Research shows that it can take anywhere from 18 up to 254 days to form a new habit. That’s a significant investment but a worthwhile one if your goal is to make positive changes in your life. Cooking dinner at home makes a great keystone habit because it positively impacts several areas of your life, potentially sparking a chain reaction of good habits.

For starters, cooking dinner gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment, especially when you prepare a recipe that tastes delicious. It also gives you an opportunity to eat healthier foods and raises your awareness of how you fuel your body, making it more likely that you’ll make healthier choices for other meals as well. As you find healthy recipes that taste good, you’re more likely to start experimenting in the kitchen, which can spark creativity in other areas of your life. Finally, cooking at home can help you save money, which can encourage you to form better financial habits.

Cultivate Cooking Dinner

If cooking dinner at home isn’t part of your routine already, it’s important to make cultivating that habit easy. One way to do this is through meal prep—dedicating a block of time to preparing ingredients or batch-cooking meals for the week. Having your meals ready in advance makes it more likely that you’ll eat your home-cooked meals rather than being tempted by take out or restaurants.

When it comes to meal prep, look for healthy recipes you’ll actually enjoy preparing, using ingredients you like. Try a couple of our favourite healthy salmon recipes to get you started, like this Salmon Cannelloni or this Wild Rice Pea Salmon Salad.

With these healthy salmon recipes in hand, you’re ready to make cooking dinner at home a keystone habit, sparking the development of other good habits.