Finding the Joy in Cooking

Have any of you tried to cook, but just did not like it..one bit? Well that is me!! I used to love to bake, that was before I had kids...now there is no way that I would bake like I used to because I can just see myself losing all self control. However, if I do bake we will keep just a little of what I made, and deliver the rest to others. That way it is fun for our family, they get some of the goodies, and others do as well without anyone feeling guilty about eating a whole batch of something.

Enough about baking...now back to the original question. See how sidetracked I get? Tangent could be my middle name! Any who, I have never been fond of cooking and I think that stems from not finding the creativity behind it. Growing up, we had wonderful food and my mom always made sure there was some sort of vegetable(s) with our dinners. However, we had more simple meals, which I loved and appreciated as I had two full time working parents.

Time can be limited, but my kiddos usually take a good afternoon nap and that means it is the perfect time to cook!! I just need to take advantage of that time. I have decided to find some delicious Pinterest meals that I will be using to get more creative and actually find the joy in cooking. Discovering more beyond the task itself has always been a goal of mine. So hopefully this whole thought process will work. David and I recently decided that we need to make healthier meals and beef up our vegetable intake. So yesterday my sweet brother Andrew (the ultimate chef) and I went to Chuck's Produce. This is a local store and let me tell you...it is AMAZING! You feel like you have stepped into a rainbow of deliciousness and it just makes you crave all things healthy! So we stocked up there and of course at Costco (our home away from home).

Last night was the first of many nights to come of healthy, mouth watering dinners. I made these Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps by Cooking Classy (recipe here), but since we recently ran out of chili powder I used taco seasoning and I did not add chicken broth because there was already enough liquid left in the mixture from the juices of the turkey. Then I topped them with a bit of mozzarella cheese and sweet peppers. YUMMY!!! As a side dish we had cauliflower seasoned with vegetable seasoning and a slice of unsalted butter. Everyone in my family loved it and ate it all up. Big news for my picky three year old, but we are really working on having him finish his dinner. So everyone was happy, tummies full, and no guilt of having seconds because it was all so healthy!