Hello Reader, It's Yukari!

It’s March in Colorado, and somehow it’s already hot and dry.
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Our dish pit pup, Senna, is hiding inside, but our sous chef kitten, Ka-En the firecracker, is living his best life in the sunny window.
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Last Saturday, I attended a Muay Thai seminar to improve my timekeeping responsibility.
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I brought extra coffee and a notebook.
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I came home with a fried brain and one big reminder:

You Learn by Doing It

You don’t learn just by watching.
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​You learn by doing.​
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​And that’s exactly what happens in the kitchen, too.
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A lot of us save recipes, watch cooking videos, and then order DoorDash anyway.
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It’s not laziness.
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It’s usually one of these:
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“This feels complicated.” 🤯
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“No way I have time for it.” 😭
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“They’re using tools I don’t have.” 😫
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“What if I mess it up and waste food?” 😱
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If that sounds like you, here’s your permission slip:
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​Recipes are just guidelines. (I said it!)
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​It’s okay to swap spinach for kale, rice for tortillas, or chicken for turkey.
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The more you do it, the more natural it feels.

That’s why I love Julia Child. She said, “The real stumbling block is fear of failure.”
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And she was right.
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Confidence comes from burning the onions, adjusting the salt, and trying again next week.
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Believe me, I’ve accidentally used sugar instead of salt more than once.
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I’ve nearly blown Aric’s head off with too much cayenne on a chicken breast. 😂
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It happens.
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Remember?
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​I’m not a chef. ​
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I didn’t know how to cook for a long time.
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But maybe you’re asking...
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​What if I make a mess?
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​Well, Julia had something to say about that, too.
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​“Don’t apologize. Don’t explain.” 👑

Our Mix & Match Planner Can Help!

If you want an easy place to start, download 👉 our Mix & Match Meal Planner.
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It includes sample meal combos, a printable template, and simple ideas to help you build meals without overthinking them.
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Here’s one easy combo:
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​🐣 Protein: ground turkey, chicken, or lentils
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​🥗 Veggies: avocado, radish, onion
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​🍞 Starch: tortillas
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​✅ Optional: lime, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, jalapeño, hot sauce
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Cook the protein, season it with salt, pepper, and chili powder, load up your tortillas, and boom!💥
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Taco Tuesday energy any day of the week! 🌮

This week, use the planner to make one meal.
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Even if you’ve never cooked, try it!
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Feeling unsure?
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Start with pre-chopped veggies or rotisserie chicken.
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Little shortcuts can make your first meal far less overwhelming.
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Remember, every imperfect effort counts.
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Your small win could inspire someone else to start.
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Take the first step and own it.
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You’ve got this! 👊

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As you’re reading this, I’ll be timekeeping at a Muay Thai tournament for the third time.
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Still learning, still a little nervous… but doing it anyway. (Wish me luck, tho.😅)
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Thanks for being at our Kitchen Table, on this cozy little corner of the internet.
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We appreciate you following along and for letting us share not just what we cook but why we cook. 🧡
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Hit reply and send a photo of what you made from our Mix and Match Planner.
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We’d love to feature your dish in an upcoming newsletter, or tag us @aricandyukari so we can share and cheer you on. 🙏
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With gratitude and friendship,
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Aric & Yukari
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🐱🐶 (Ka-En and Senna, who 100% believe they have the right to use Mix and Match Planner for their meals 😂)
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