My Real Life

I can cook.

I don’t enjoy it, I’m not great at it, but I can cook.

I try to make sure we eat dinner as a family every night, and except for when we have baseball, hockey, soccer, dance, church, or something else going on, we generally do.

And it’s usually a legit meal.

Cavatelli and broccoli.

A roast in the crock pot.

Grilled chicken.

Spaghetti and meatballs.

I can cook.

However, my cooking is basic to the core.

There is no fancy stuff happening in my kitchen, and the meals that I make are quick, easy, and of debatable health value.

And so, despite the fact that at least two people are disappointed by dinner every night…which two depends upon the meal…I can cook.

But, Martha Stewart, I ain’t.

And so imagine my surprise, when last Saturday afternoon, the kids walked into the kitchen and found me whipping up ten eggs, some broccoli and some cheese.

“What are you doing?” they asked suspiciously.

“Trying out a new recipe,” I responded casually.

“Do WE have to eat it?” they asked nervously.

“Nope. Just me,” I responded happily.

“Is it gonna taste good?” they asked delightedly.

“Absolutely,” I responded less assuredly.

See, in my desire to be lose some of this extra weight I’ve been carrying around, I realize that I need to figure out some healthy breakfast for myself.

Because, if I don’t, by ten a.m., I’m ready for the vending machine at school.

So, I was intrigued when I was flipping through “All You” magazine, and found a recipe for “egg muffins.”

Over the summer, I’ve made myself two fried eggs for breakfast in the morning, and it’s been pretty okay.

But, I know the rush of a school day morning, and am well aware that I won’t be frying any eggs before work.

I gave it a try.

Guess what?

Those egg muffins didn’t suck!

I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, because, let’s be honest…goat cheese? Arrugala?

Not in my wheelhouse.

But, I used some chopped frozen broccoli and a dash of pepper and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on each muffin and they were delicious!

I can grab one from the fridge, every morning, on my way out the door, and can even eat them in the car on the way to work.

I was feeling so good after my success with that recipe, that I decided to keep going.

I used a recipe I found on Pinterest for chocolate chip cookies, because Monkey Girl loves to bake, and I shared the recipe with her.

(The recipe for these cookies can be found here.)

And guess what again?

Good stuff!

Then I was on a mission.

I made sugar cookies, baked ziti, reorganized the Tupperware cabinet, cleaned out the fridge, and cleaned out the closet in the laundry room.

I was a home-making whirlwind!

I’m feeling so good about it all that maybe I’ll try a different recipe tomorrow and see how it inspires me for the rest of the day!

Or, maybe I’ve channeled all the Martha I can handle and we’ll just order Chinese.