Searching for Motivation in the Kitchen
I'm needing some serious motivation in the kitchen people. It's been hot (and then not so hot) and we've been low on charcoal so I've been less than eager to pull out the crock pot, bake a lasagna, or get creative in the kitchen. But I think the tides are turning because they need to. The man would be perfectly happy to go to dinner 3-4 nights per week, but financially there are so many other things we could spend money on if we saved a bit in the dining department.
I blame this on laziness. Manfriend likes the ease of either opening a can of chili, pouring a bowl of cereal with milk or slapping pb & j on bread rather than taking the time to prepare a few items for a healthy, well balanced meal (like chicken, veggies and rice). So if he's in the mood for a real meal he's eager to suggest one of our many fabulous restaurants in town, and I'm a pushover (and enjoy getting out of the house).
But what I know for sure is that when I plan meals, we're less likely to spend $ on food. Besides, with so many hobbies that cost $ (and my goals for the remaining summer weekends), some extra cash couldn't hurt. So this week, my goal is to get back into the cooking routine. Plan out some meals, look up some recipes, and get the goods.
For my cooking inspiration, I often look to Joy the Baker (although she does a lot of baking), We Are Not Martha, Iowa Girl Eats, the Food Network, my go to recipes and a few of my fav cookbooks! What about you? Do you try new recipes or just stick with your standard favs?
On the running front, things are good. I attempted a 9.5 mile run yest and succeeded! I took the ipod just in case (bc it's been a while since I've run more than 6.5 miles) and used it about half the time. Surprisingly, the legs didn't get too tired and I didn't have to stop like I had expected. Woohoo! Afterward, I was rewarded with a fabulous brunch with all the runners full of fabulous eats, sunshine and a great view from D's deck!
I blame this on laziness. Manfriend likes the ease of either opening a can of chili, pouring a bowl of cereal with milk or slapping pb & j on bread rather than taking the time to prepare a few items for a healthy, well balanced meal (like chicken, veggies and rice). So if he's in the mood for a real meal he's eager to suggest one of our many fabulous restaurants in town, and I'm a pushover (and enjoy getting out of the house).
But what I know for sure is that when I plan meals, we're less likely to spend $ on food. Besides, with so many hobbies that cost $ (and my goals for the remaining summer weekends), some extra cash couldn't hurt. So this week, my goal is to get back into the cooking routine. Plan out some meals, look up some recipes, and get the goods.
For my cooking inspiration, I often look to Joy the Baker (although she does a lot of baking), We Are Not Martha, Iowa Girl Eats, the Food Network, my go to recipes and a few of my fav cookbooks! What about you? Do you try new recipes or just stick with your standard favs?
On the running front, things are good. I attempted a 9.5 mile run yest and succeeded! I took the ipod just in case (bc it's been a while since I've run more than 6.5 miles) and used it about half the time. Surprisingly, the legs didn't get too tired and I didn't have to stop like I had expected. Woohoo! Afterward, I was rewarded with a fabulous brunch with all the runners full of fabulous eats, sunshine and a great view from D's deck!
Comments
My go to's are recipes of my mom's. And food network. And Cook's Illustrated. And a couple of Gluten Free bloggers, but I have yet to bake anything as GF baking scares me - I have this problem where I think I am going to ruin any new recipe, esp when it has tons of ingredients, like GF baking recipes tend to... I need to get bold & try to make some banana bread sometime this month!
We do the plan ahead meal thing too, but I've found that we always end up straying. Best to plan for 3 meals or you run the risk of going crazy ;)
I've been known to do grainy salad bowls in a pinch (brown rice, lettuce, ground chicken/turkey w/taco seasoning, beans, salsa, cheese is one of my faves) b/c they're filling and super fast.
I've been making some delish/healthy meals off of sparkpeople lately!
Foil packets on the grill (if you have one) or in the oven are a great solution too in the summer.
Here's a good article from the Food Network Magazine
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/foil-packed-favorites/pictures/index.html
Women's Health magazine also has great, simple, healthy recipes. For example : http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/healthy-cooking?cat=15226
Lisa-oooh, banana bread. So awesome. You'll be happy you tried the recipe!
Karena-Thanks for the heads up on Rec(ession)ipes. I'm checking that out now!
Amber-I'll have to check out sparkpeople. I've never even heard of it!
Tess-Yes, grill packets are easy, healthy and awesome!
Anyway, last night we had a really easy dish that my dad found somewhere a long time ago.
Cooked whole wheat long pasta of some variety
Topped with:
sliced olives
diced tomatoes
avacado
diced chicken (if you like)
black beans
fresh salsa (this is the "sauce")
Parmesan or something similar
Salt and pepper at the table.