Taking the time and effort to cook at home can be fun, rewarding and cost-efficient.

Last night I fired up my oven, pulled out half a dozen different vegetables, put on a Beatles soundtrack and made a homemade pizza. Making pizza at home, instead of ordering in, gave me the freedom to customize it however I wanted.

Instead of marinara for the base, I used a tomato-based pesto. Instead of just mozzarella, I used a blend of different cheeses. Instead of plain pepperoni, I topped the pizza with turkey, spinach, peppers, olives and several other healthy alternatives.

When my creation was finished cooking, I had before me a delicious pizza that was healthier than the fatty, greasy restaurant alternative. To top it off, my pizza only cost me a few dollars to make, and it was big enough to feed two or three people.

It is easy to give in to the stress and busyness of life and buy fast food or microwavable meals.

These foods, however, are typically costly and highly processed.

Eating too many of these meals not only eats away at a bank account, but can also lead to health issues.

Cooking at home may seem like a chore. Preparing meals may also seem too time consuming and hard. But, with a little creativity, there are ways to make cooking not only fun, but easy as well.

To make cooking more entertaining, turn on a good soundtrack to listen to, or find an interesting podcast or audio book to play. When deciding what to make, start simple. There are countless five, 10 and 15-minute meal recipes that can be found online that incorporate healthy, simple-to-cook ingredients. While following a recipe is a good way to start, don’t be afraid to shake things up with different ingredients and seasonings.

Taking the time to cook homemade meals makes it easier to prepare healthy, fun and cost-saving foods.