in the kitchen

So I’m not the best cook. If anything, I get easily discouraged in the kitchen. I don’t know how people see it as relaxing or therapeutic. It’s a lot of work for the 10 minutes it takes for you to eat it. By the time you dice the vegetables, cook the meat, make the sauce and let it bake in the oven I’m already worn out. My expectations sky-rocket and I’m wanting this thing to be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

It’s not.

That being said, I LOVE to try new recipes (opportunity to be creative) and surprising myself. Sometimes it turns out tasting great and looking ugly (like the one time that I made a chicken with a honey mustard sauce- the sauce looked like vomit but was yummy). Sometimes it looks so pretty but tastes so gross even Mya doesn’t eat it, and sometimes I get lucky and it tastes AND looks great (like my lasagna recipe I found on Kraft Foods here, or the pasta alla vodka I found on Weight Watchers here). I’m lucky Justin tries it all 🙂

I usually tackle dinner because I find I can do casseroles and baked dinners pretty well. My mom, who is the best cook I know, gives me recipes as well and they ALWAYS turn out great (not as good as hers, but I’ll take it). She is the queen of not following recipes to the “t” and it always turning out delicious. Justin tackles breakfast (so good) and the occasional snacks (fruit plates, nachos) as well as a skillet dinner every once in a while. Together we have the meals covered.

I have been slacking on dinner lately, either because I’m working out after work and am too tired to cook, because it’s easier to pick something up on the way home, or because we’re out and about and have dinner somewhere else. That being said, I’m starting to notice that my eating is not the best it can be, so I’m on weight watchers and counting points.

I will say the weight watcher recipes are pretty good for the most part. I would definitely recommend them if you don’t know what to cook or are looking at cooking/eating healthier. I’ve tried a lot of recipes from the site and I’ve been pretty successful.

I’m also starting to get on a schedule where I plan out my food day (what I’m going to eat) so there aren’t any temptations or surprises when it’s lunchtime or dinner. So I’ve been looking at recipes to try at home.

I’m going to give this a new shot. This tends to be my pattern. I get all excited about recipes and have a lot of them turn out not so great, so then I don’t cook for a while, and then I pick it up again in a couple of months. I do this same thing with music. I’ll listen to that song day and night until I’m absolutely sick of it. Don’t hear it for months, and then pick it back up. Weird I know.

This weekend I’m going to go through my weight watchers selected recipes and go grocery shopping. I found this recipe on Pinterest that I’m going to try this weekend. In honor of the football team playing this weekend that Justin is all excited about (I’m not going to say who it is but it’s 2 numbers, first one being a “4” and second one being a “9”, ending with “ers”). I’m making cupcakes in the color red:

Recipe here

Wish me luck!!