Catching Up With My Lighter Side
I've been cooking....both while working out AND in the kitchen! Between the less-than-pleasant temperature outside and the heat rolling off my stove, I'm a sweaty, frizzy mess of a woman 24/7 these days!
This need get my food-making on is a direct result of the impending doom I began feeling last week stemming from my all-too-quickly-approaching return to work. It struck me that summer is gone. G-O-N-E, and I've not really taken the time to spoil the GERMinator by actually providing him with sustenance. Sure, he's a big guy and can take care of that himself for the most part, but that's the deal August to the end of May. During the summer I enjoy trying to be a bit more nurturing since I have the extra time to do it. Apparently this summer I didn't get the memo until it was nearly too late. Nearly...
When it comes to the finer side of my culinary skills, I mostly prefer baking, little bits of goodness like cupcakes and cookies, of course. Cooking is not something I particularly enjoy and, as such, I shy away from it as much as I can. I can make a killer salad....and soup...out of a can....with a moment's notice. But give me thirty minutes in a kitchen with the task of whipping up something not leafy or liquid and, 9 times out of 10, it's a colossal fail.
So, upon returning home late one evening and thoroughly disappointing the GERMinator when I "surprised" him with soup and salad as our menu, I decided I needed to revamp my strategy for healthy eating. Sure, soup and salad is healthy, but five nights a week? And lunch, too (yes, I've been known to send a can of soup with my husband for lunch...pathetic, I am fully aware thankyouverymuch). The problem, I deduced, lies in my aversion to going to the grocery. I. HATE. IT. As a result, I tend to buy things I know I'll need and which will keep for, oh, say, a week. That way I only need to go once each week. I can steel myself for that sentence. However, that doesn't lend itself well to variety when I don't plan ahead (which, I don't).
My solution: Go to the Grocery More Often. Pretty simple I guess, even if it wasn't the answer I wanted to hear.
That very evening I created a list with healthy, nutrient-dense and varied foods to include in any recipe I might choose. That list went into my purse in a super-secret spot so that, at any given time, I'm armed and healthfully dangerous with a shopping cart. I paired that with downloading the AllRecipes application on my phone. With that I can browse new, healthy, and easy recipes and then email them directly to my phone....ready made shopping list! I figure if I can commit to two easy recipes a week (weekends don't count...that's the GERMinator's territory), I can slide in my old trusty soup and salad those other nights. Who knows, maybe my newly found skills will inspire me on those others nights, too....maybe even just once in a while. That would be progress, and I'll embrace it if it happens!
My Gallery of Yummy Goodness Thus Far:
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| Tomatoes from our garden...can be beat! |
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| My old standby...still a great option! |
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| Kabobs, courtesy of the GERMinator |
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| He's part Mexican, so it works. |
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| First Night: Mushroom Chicken w/ wild rice & brussels sprouts! |
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| Green Tea Ice Cream and Mango Sticky Rice -- Okay.. I didn't make THAT! |
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| Stuffed Mushrooms w/ orzo, chicken and mushrooms |
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| And...since we worked out really hard: mashed potatoes! |
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| Back to the salad, but with protein: Grilled Pork Chop! |
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