360: Be in the Kitchen

One of my favorite things through out this new portion of my journey is being in the kitchen. In striving to provide healthier choices for my family while making a lifestyle change, a big challenge is making the nutrient packed food exciting for the family! I’m already excited about it. Why, you ask? That’s easy! The colors, the tastes, the smells, the endless combinations, and being intentional while preparing and cooking the meals is truly an experience in itself!

Now, the husband on the other hand….the one from whom I have to hide spinach in his smoothies or he’d “think he didn’t like it”! Yes, also the one who is handed an aestehtically  beautiful meal full of color and of course flavor and says….”What are these weird ball things?” Ball things….oh, right, you mean Quinoa! ; )

This evening I made a surprisingly scrumptious meal that everyone devoured. My husband actually told me it may have been the tastiest thing I’ve ever made (aside from my ribs…oozing with sauce & filling the entire house with a sweet and spicy aroma <insert drool>) Might I just add….My husband has probably only ever loved just those two dishes of mine haha and I have SO much to learn in the kitchen and am by no means experienced enough to write a cook book! However, I do enjoy experimenting and learning so I decided it would be nice to journal my explorations!

So back to the weird ball things…for dinner I made seared chicken over a brown rice/quinoa mix tossed with mango, avocado, cilantro, & sautéed onion. In the process I used coconut oil (as always) lime juice, and pepper. Adding some chopped garlic to the chicken next time would be an added flavor boost. I garnished with halved baby heirloom tomatoes & cilantro. For my toddler & husband I tossed it all up (in various stages) including their diced chicken and plated it so that it looked like some sort of delicious fried rice. (They both love fried rice so I was hoping this would be a big “sell” in terms of a healthy replacement). IT WORKED!

Let’s not discuss my husband’s thoughts on some of my other attempts at healthy replacements! But that’s okay! The lesson here is not to take cooking and meal prep too seriously or it takes all of the fun out. Making lifestyle changes, not hopping on board some fad diet, takes time & energy! The great part about this challenge is that you in turn receive incredible energy from your food (something I’ve been desperate for) & an added bonus of decreased cravings (something I thought was IMPOSSIBLE!).

Time. Who has the extra time for all of the food prep & experimentation when you can hardly find the time to get the groceries (or shower, work out, read a book, sit down?!!!). At least that’s what I was asking myself Jan. 1st! It just works itself out somehow! A little prep here; some more here; a few minutes at night after the kids are in bed to get some recipe ideas for the week. You find yourself establishing new habits one step at a time until before you know it…you’re getting more things done that ever before and finding the joy in the journey!  Queue the spirited 2 year old and growing 3 month old!

* Be Thankful. Be intentional. *

1 Corinthians 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.