Even though I have a family, I wasn't much of a cook before going vegan in 2010.

Mostly everything we ate came from a package or box.

I would throw some Gordon's fish sticks in the oven, steam some frozen broccoli and pull out the Kraft mac & cheese. I was burning, baby. lol

No matter what anyone says, you have to do some level of cooking if you want to stay on a vegan journey.

You don't have to be a gourmet chef every night, but you do have to be okay with playing with spices and chopping up some vegetables for a quick stir-fry.

If you don't feel confident about cooking, it's probably because you're afraid to mess up or didn't do too well with it in the past.

Guess what? It's normal to struggle a bit -- burn a couple of dishes, forget to include an ingredient, or even feel like you can't cook the most basic dishes.

Get in the kitchen and do it anyway! Practice is the only way to get better. :-)

Here are some tricks on how to get more confident in the kitchen:

• Make sure you have the right tools -- A quality chef's knife, cutting board, blender (I have a KitchenAid one I spent less than $100 for), and vegetable peeler will save you so much time and help you feel "ready" to conquer the kitchen.

• Build up your spice cabinet -- Before I was a vegan, I think I only used salt and pepper to add flavor to our meals. There sooo much more you can do it make your meals more flavorful. Some of my faves: cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, basil, and garlic powder.

• Learn basic knife skills -- This will save you time and build your confidence. You can take a class or practice while watching a few YouTube videos.

• Experiment with simple meals -- When you make simple meals a few times a few times a week, it will give you the confidence to improve and explore more recipes. Here's an easy recipe to start with.

Stop saying you want to go vegan and do it! It doesn't have to be overwhelming, restrictive or hard.

Let's get it!