I don't like to cook. Traditionally, I've only liked making one dish and that was lasagna. Otherwise, cooking was just a means to an end. My husband likes to cook and therefore our deal was that he made the meals, I did the dishes. I was completely fine with that. I do like to bake; however, my penchant for devouring sweets without regard to portion control is well known.
But then I got on Pinterest and started seeing all these lovely recipes. And then I realized that I was really tired of eating the same frozen dinners for lunch every day of the work week. Really tired.
So I started finding some healthy recipes that weren't too difficult to make. The more I found, the more excited I got, until I began to wonder, is this really the girl who doesn't like to cook?
Turns out, I do like to cook - if it's simple, doesn't require a lot of time, is healthy, and most importantly, tastes good.
Yesterday, hubby and I went grocery shopping and I had a list of ingredients to get for my new cooking ventures. I decided to make three different recipes, and here they are:
Skinny Chicken Enchiladas
Zucchini Turkey Burgers
Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
I was in the kitchen all afternoon. I made every single one, and every single one turned out fantastic. I had so much fun and such a sense of accomplishment that I wondered why I didn't do this all sooner. One reason, perhaps, is that my health has been such that I simply didn't have the energy and motivation. But I'm feeling much better lately and that was definitely a factor in this new endeavor.
While I doubt I will be doing this every single week, I have to admit that it's a lot nicer to bring a homemade meal to work (along with a homemade snack in my granola bar!) than a prepackaged dinner loaded with ingredients and preservatives that I can't even pronounce. That is a winner in my book.
Do you like to cook or bake? Got any great, easy, healthy recipes to share?
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All right. Enough with the down-in-the dumps posts. I realized that I had way too many of them in the past few weeks and I am bumming myself...
Melissa, I have always loved baking, but I never liked to cook. When I got married it seemed so called "gourmet" cooking was popular and I had no interest in that type of cooking. My husband did most of the cooking, using exotic spices and ingredients, and then he got a job and didn't have the time any more.
ReplyDeleteNow, I do the cooking, but I have found that I like to cook the way my grandma did-by making simple dishes and using leftovers in ingenious ways. It's a "make do with what you have" way of cooking, I guess. (Like during WWII!) It fits my style and I enjoy it.
Happy cooking, my friend. Your dishes sound delicious!
I think simple dishes are the best. I don't like those recipes that have 20 ingredients or more. I feel overwhelmed!
DeleteYes, I definitely do enjoy cooking. I especially like creating new recipes! I have a recipe page on my blog, but we're fairly healthy eaters, so they might not appeal to everyone. My husband has just finished a 30 day detox eating raw, and though it was a challenge to incorporate more raw food into our diet [especially in chilly February!], it had great results in that his health has improved 100%!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your newfound love of cooking... :)
Erin - I don't know if I could do 30 days of eating raw food, though I have heard it does have really good health benefits.
DeleteSometimes I'll get brave and create new recipes, but I guess I hate failure - if it doesn't turn out right, then I feel like I've wasted food!
I do enjoy cooking and baking but not all the time. I have a very small kitchen and it gets very hectic in there, trying to make a meal with people doing the bump against you while they rummage in the refrigerator or cabinets. My speciality is breakfast: Chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese, and hash browns. I'm also pretty wicked when it comes to cookies. :)
ReplyDeleteOooh! Chocolate chip pancakes! I need to try that some time.
DeleteI love baking cookies - I even made some Friday night and they were all gone by Saturday night! (I had a big hand in that, though...LOL).
Wow, I love the look of those zucchini burgers! I'm definitely going to give them a try.
ReplyDeleteThough I am so not into cooking, like you, I try to stick to simple, delicious recipes that don't take up too much time to make.
Joanne - I think you'll like the zucchini burgers. I made them for my supper last night and loved them. Plus, you get veggies!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind cooking, it's the cleaning up afterwards that I hate! Maybe it would be different if we had a dishwasher. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think we ran our dishwasher twice yesterday. I also did some dishes by hand, though. We went for several years with three kids and no dishwasher and that was HARD. Now it's different with just us and my daughter, but I'm still glad we have the dishwasher!
DeleteI admit, I hate cooking. And I'm okay with that. A domestic goddess I am not and since my husband doesn't mind that, I'm cool. ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you've discovered a new talent! Woot!
Yeah, I'm not much of a domestic goddess, either. I joke that my husband is a better housewife than me!
DeleteNope. I really dislike cooking. Its actually dangerous if I decide to cook. I have the scars on my hand to prove it.
ReplyDeleteBut, that's why there's people in the world that are good. So I don't starve :) haha
LOL. I had an injury of my own the other day!
DeleteI don't like to cook much either unless it's something simple, healthy and usually Mediterranean. With one son a vegetarian, the other lactose intolerant and a very fussy daughter it becomes tiresome juggling all their needs/wants.
ReplyDeleteBaking, however, is something I love. I just don't get enough time to do it as often as I and the family would like.
I'm glad you're feeling better and are enjoying trying new things.
Wow, that's quite a variety of tastes to cater to! I do love to bake, but oh boy...I tend to eat it all in no time.
DeleteIt's not that I don't like to cook so much as there are other things I'd rather be doing. And cooking makes me nervous. But I am responsible for the cooking in my household, so I'm always looking for good, simple recipes.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree - I'd much rather be doing something else, too. And that goes for the whole housework thing, too. ;-)
DeleteMy husband always cooked when he was alive - I dont mind it but like Charlotte I'd rather be cooked for. I'm bad at trying new things too so that#s a good idea.
ReplyDeleteGive it a shot, Flower. I found that my taste buds were craving something new and different!
DeleteOh I do love to cook... Depending on how you feel about deboning a cooked chicken, I have an otherwise easy recipe for chicken soup; let me know if that tickles your fancy. :)))
ReplyDeleteSomething very cathartic about cooking, especially after writing. The words linger in a computer, but culinary efforts invade one's soul, swirling through the house, into grateful tummies. What a good way to spend your day!
I've never liked cooking, but after 20+ yrs I don't mind it so much anymore. Key for me is knowing ahead of time what I'm going to make (I HATE trying to figure it out at the last minute!), having all the ingredients at hand, and -- like you said, -- simple recipes that taste good. Organized shopping takes care of the first two, and the internet makes the third a breeze.
ReplyDeleteBut I've never managed to make my lunches ahead of time, like you. Maybe in another 20 years!