Bill and I have been together for over 20 years so we are well aware of the key elements to a successful relationship. But for over a year now, the two of us have a new commitment: keto. So, how does our new passion for food impact our relationship? We look at this in a 5-part series of blogs about being Married to Keto. Today is how to make time.
You can find the first two parts here. The third key element the experts talk about in a successful relationship is time.
Make Time In What You Do
There are so many aspects of time that bring us together. Our time together started in 1998 on the Halifax waterfront. In the 20+ years that followed, we’ve had many ups and downs. Our daughter was born, which was the biggest and most important part of our lives together. We’ve gone through illnesses, losses, job changes, and moved from Nova Scotia to Ontario back to Nova Scotia again. We’ve managed it all together and grown closer every year.
Now that we are on keto, a lot of the time we spend together is focused on living this lifestyle. We plan our meals together. Without a plan, you waste so much time! You try to figure out what you are going to eat and then if you have the ingredients to make it. Usually, in the end, you end up just eating at a restaurant which takes both time and money. When Bill goes away for the night and I don’t have a plan, I panic.
You Have to Plan to Make Time
I have big aspirations to cook for myself…and then I find myself at McDonald’s getting a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, no bun. It’s so frustrating! So, we make sure that we have a plan in place for the week and if Bill isn’t home, I know how to cook it and stay on track.
Speaking of cooking, we spend a lot of time doing that. Bill has always been the cook in our family. When we started keto, we found a lot of brand new recipes and we learned how to cook them and adapt them together. Most things on our menu are now recipes I can cook as well. Don’t get me wrong, Bill is still the much better cook.
I tend to get distracted and wander off during cooking. I’m better than I used to be, but Bill still cooks and I spend the time cleaning up the area as he goes so we don’t have to do that after supper. We are in the kitchen together, talking about our day, and preparing a tasty meal.
Prep Together
Keto also leads to lots of prepping. We take the time to do it when we buy the food. We chop vegetables and put them in re-sealable bags so they are easy to grab for lunches. Then we divide the meat into serving sizes and vacuum seal them so we can just grab one that is the perfect portion for dinner and leftovers the next day for lunch. It means that we spend the time working together on the food prep and spend less time doing it individually through the week.
Most of all, keto has given us a shared passion to focus on during our time together. We are busy people with full-time jobs. Keto lets us feel productive while doing the things we love. Bill designs the social media posts, the website and the books. I do a lot of writing, which I’ve always enjoyed. We watch documentaries and listen to podcasts together. We have a creative outlet we share, and that’s the best use of time there is!
Wendy
