What's Cookin'?

I've made a self-discovery in the past couple of weeks... I'm a pretty damn good cook! I've always cooked for myself back at my apartment and over the summers when I was home, but it would just like chicken, a BOCA Burger or spaghetti. We would also go out to eat multiple times during the week and I decided that needed to stop! Lately I've been making real, home-cooked meals and they've all been quite a success with the fam all thanks to AllRecipes.com. This site is amazing! Type in a certain ingredient in the search bar and it gives you a whole list of different recipes, I fell in love...

Why am I posting this on my RUNNING blog? Well, because your diet has A LOT to do with your physical self. As many of you know, I do not eat fast food like hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries or any of that garbage. I haven't had a slice of cake in years. I won't even touch a slice of white bread. Yes, ALL foods are good in moderation and there's no such thing as good foods and bad foods, but there are foods that have higher nutrient density and ones that have lower calories, more fiber, less fat and sodium. Now, this may be due to my history of Anorexia Nervosa on top of my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but I am a complete heath-nut! I used to be a lot worse, I wouldn't eat potatoes, peanut butter and a whole array of different foods. But, since I've been running, I've let loose a little and even make my own whole-wheat pizzas! I think running has definitely helped me overcome a lot of my mental illnesses. It gives me time to think, let those endorphins take over and make me feel better about myself. Just another reason to love running even more!

Now that we've got that out of the way, as I was saying... As a runner (or any athlete for that matter), you need to watch what you put into your body. So, I decided to start making even healthier meals and cut the family's eating-out regime to once a week at the most. As I said, I'm not a junk-food eater, but my family and I would go out a few times a week to restaurants such as Ruby Tuesday's, Bob Evans, Pulp, Panera, Olive Garden, etc. Now, don't get me wrong, these restaurants are among the healthier-choice option, but as we all know, there is so much more sodium in restaurant foods. I also want to help my family eat healthier and save money. I thought it would be helpful if I took care of the grocery shopping and the meals.

My first cooking adventure was Broccoli and Garlic Penne Pasta with Chicken and I even added peas. It was pretty good! (all pictures are from the allrecipes.com website)

Broccoli and Garlic Penne Pasta

Home-made Chicken Pot Pie was my next concoction. This was everyone's FAVORITE! I used already-made pie crust, next time I'm going to make my own whole-wheat one!

Next, Turkey Chili! I actually made this last week and tonight. I added carrots and green peppers to the recipe to add more vegetables. Yum!

Everyone's second favorite was last night's meal, Angel Chicken Pasta. I actually would rename it to Mushroom Chicken Pasta, because I didn't use angel hair pasta, instead I used whole-wheat egg noodles - AMAZING! I didn't add a picture of it here because it didn't look any of the pictures shown on the website - mine was much more appealing, plus I added broccoli!
Monday night was Ground Turkey Taco night! I made my own seasoning instead of buying those high-sodium packets you get form the store. Super delicious on whole-wheat tortillas with salsa and romaine lettuce!
                                                               

Turkey Chile

Turkey Tacos

Fridays are PIZZA nights. I make them with Boboli's Whole Wheat Crust with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, onion and green pepper. :)

Tomorrow night is going to be Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken with sweet potatoes, peas and carrots!

I think it's important to make home-cooked meals as opposed to frozen dinners or eating out. You can limit the amount of fat and sodium when you make it yourself and can add or do with out certain ingredients. I'm not saying it's bad to eat out, just try to limit it. For me, I usually feel bloated after eating out or get sick if I do it too much. =-/
Plus, cooking is fun! :)
Wow, TWO posts in one day, impressive. :) See ya tomorrow!