Cooking is Key

Most of my friends don't know how to cook. If there aren't directions on the back of the package they are lost (heaven forbid it doesn't even have a package - fresh produce). Some of them would even be hard pressed to identify ingredients in their raw form.

I count myself lucky in that I can cook. My parents went to great pains to make sure I could. My father recently reminded me, at the time they were teaching me this now treasured skill it was anything but beloved. However, they (my parents) persevered and I learned to love cooking.

Perhaps my friends' parents gave up on teaching them how to cook when it proved to difficult. Perhaps they never tried after seeing how difficult it was with someone else. Or worst of all possibilities... Perhaps my friends' parents did not themselves know how to cook and could not therefore pass down the knowledge. For whatever the reason, there are now whole generations (it seems to me) that simply don't know how to cook! (And we wonder why so many of us are fat!)

Like I said... I count myself lucky. I can cook. My problem is finding the time to do so. I currently work 2 jobs. The theoretical number of hours I work a week is about 50 spaced over all 7 days. (Granted one of these "jobs" is working for a friends and we often skiv off of work and just hang out) I am also part of a club and managed to somehow get involved with time consuming (and fun) group things 2 nights a week. I was considering adding a third night of group stuff until just now (I just realized I would be spending nearly 20 hours with the club!). When you add in exercising (a necessary evil if I'm going to lose the weight), commuting (since the instantaneous transportation devise has not been invented yet), and one evening a week I set aside to spend with my friends I scarcely have time to eat let alone buy and cook food!

However, as Blackadder said... "I have a cunning plan." I am going to cook twice a week and make TV Dinners for the rest of the meals at that time. This calculates out to cooking roughly 10.5 meals every time I step into the kitchen. If you look at the fact that most recipes claim to serve 4 to 5 people then this is not as daunting as it sounds. (Power of positive thinking)

That takes care of me but what of you all? I know that at least one person who reads this (Hi Mona!) is hoping for some tips on what this cooking thing is all about. For you and because I love food and cooking I will try and cover some food selection, preparation and cooking tips as often as I can.

Oh Yeah! And since this is supposed to be a food journal to help me be mindful of what I've eaten... Here's is today's damage:

Breakfast: Ramen with frozen corn and Pot stickers in it, and a Red Bull.

Lunch: Home-made stuffing (thawed from thanksgiving leftovers), 8 chicken nuggets from the local convenience store and a packet of Newman's Own Honey Mustard Dressing.

Dinner: Not yet eaten.

Exercise? Nope. Big snow storm. Won't go out in it to get to the gym.