Dinner Time!

In order to facilitate a healthier lifestyle, Mark and I have started Meal Planning! Grocery shopping will be more efficient, and we can be more careful about what we eat. This should make things much easier, right? Errr... Kind of. For some reason, I can come home and whip up dinner in a few moments without even thinking about it. When I start planning it out, I run dry on ideas.

Cookbooks are coming in handy now! Just scan through and pick a few. I have a couple of Rachel Ray cookbooks, but all her food seems to consist of some unhealthy main dish paired with some crazy salad. WTH, Rachel? You're not making this any better. What I've ended up doing is this: taking a couple of her recipes and making them healthy. For example, cutting out the extra butter, cheeses, and sauces she loves to top food with, and using whole grains and whole wheat instead of white breads and processed flour. Hmm... That's better!

So that I don't feel "blah" about meal planning, I've made a pool of recipes for the week. That way I can have a little bit of flexibility on what I feel like eating or cooking on a particular day. Planning out each day feels like a trap and makes me want to rebel. Instead, I just pick from a list and it's all good.

This week's recipe pool:
Crab cakes with quinoa and steamed spinach
MahiMahi fish tacos with black beans and pineapple salsa
Shepherd's Pie
Turkey Burgers
Spaghetti with chicken, mushroom, and onion, with tomato sauce

Tonight is Crab Cakes!

Another incentive to cook more and eat out less (saving lots of money!) is this great new Chef's Mat Mark purchased for me! It's filled with a wondrous gel that makes my feet feel cushy! I very sincerely believe that everyone should go to Bed Bath and Beyond and purchase your own. It takes the tired feeling away from your feet, knees, and hips while you slave over a hot stove.

And then it doesn't even feel like "slaving" anymore. ;)