I'm in Love...

Since Valentine's Day (or Singles Awareness Day, as I like to call it) is this week, I thought I'd share a few thoughts about my rekindled romance...with my kitchen.  I've always had a strange love for kitchenware - even when I was younger I got a kids "cookbook" and loved it...I was always trying to find reasons to make things out of it.  I think at some point in high school I may have even asked for a food dehydrator for Christmas because Trevor had one and I liked it...

My first year working here, I actually cooked quite a bit.  I almost always made dinner myself, and usually cooked all three meals per day on the weekends.  During my second year, I got a little lazier and started eating more in the dining halls...and never really looked back.  Now, there is nothing wrong with eating in the dining halls - the food here is actually quite good - it's just so much easier to make not healthy choices there.  Go to the all-you-care-to-eat buffet and have a chicken breast and vegetables or go to the a-la-cart side and get pizza, or a burrito, or a burger just as easily?  So, needless to say, I made a lot of unhealthy food choices in the following few years.  Oh, I still cooked every once in a while, but it was mostly only if I was inviting friends over and usually on the weekends.  After a long day at work, I just wanted to be able to eat and relax and not have to worry about cooking.

Well, if you haven't noticed, I'm quite committed to this journey.  I mean, would I broadcast my weight to the world if I wasn't??  So, besides making better choices when I do eat in the dining hall, I've decided to try to cook more.  Especially on the weekends, because then I can divide up the extras into single serving containers and save them.  That way, I can have the convenience of the dining hall, but the nutrition and taste of homemade!  So, I've renewed my love affair with my kitchen.

This weekend I made pasta sauce with shredded chicken in it - YUM!!  I can't express to you enough how good it was!  I mean, I pride myself on my tasty sauce (thanks, Mom), but this was more than just the actual taste of it.  This is one of those foods that, for me, carries memories with it.  Memories of home, of my Nannie, and of my childhood.  I had been craving it for a while, and (thankfully) making my own sauce means not too many points.  Adding the chicken also added a little protein to what would normally be a carb-fest.  I wasn't prepared for how much I would enjoy it...I seriously could have eaten the whole pot by itself!  I didn't...but I could have.  I was a good little girl and measured out my sauce so that I didn't overdo it.  But I already can't wait to eat it again!

I also made a roast with my wonderful crock pot.  That was actually what inspired this post...I originally thought of writing a love note to my crock pot, but it hasn't quite earned that badge of honor yet.  I mean, I do love it, but it hasn't quite reached the "love note" status.  My favorite thing about the crock pot is its ease - around noon I put in a couple cut up potatoes, some baby carrots, a roast, and an onion.  I added a little garlic salt, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Splash in some water, turn the baby on, and then just leave it alone.  You can let it go for hours...I let mine cook for about 7 (it was actually done in around 5, but the longer you leave it the more tender it gets).  I checked in once or twice just to see how tender the meat was, but there's zero fuss.  And it tastes soooo good!!  And even better, it made enough for several more days!  So I packed up a few individual containers in the fridge and put the rest in the freezer for another time.

After my cooking this weekend, my tummy is a happy camper and I have officially remembered why I love my kitchen.  Now let's just see how much the scale liked my kitchen...

Initial weight: 257.2
Week 5: -2.0
Total weight loss: -12.8 lbs
Current weight: 244.4

I'd say the scale likes my kitchen!!  Oh, and my new in"cent"ive program has been helping a lot!!  I highly recommend...I only added $3 this week, but that's a vast improvement for me.  I track pretty much every day, just not necessarily the WHOLE day...so baby steps!