I would say close to my love of eating is cooking, but that would be like saying I am close to being able to dunk a basketball (I'm a 35 year old, 5'11" guy with bad knees). That said, I really do enjoy it. And where else can I learn a cool new word like trivet (that's 100% manly right there).
I get to be creative when I cook, especially since I started getting healthier. The creativity is not just from trying new recipes, which I will talk about later, but also finding ways to fit my old habits (that are acceptable) into my new life.
Like I have said before, I do not go strictly paleo, I have talked with nutritionists and doctors and none of them have recommended it (they're smart), but I do try to substitute a paleo dinner about 3 times a week. Now I have several recipes that I know by heart that I needed to find a way to get into my new found fondness for healthy eating. The first was Chicken Marsala...mmmmmmchickenmarsala. This one was a lot easier to make more paleo-friendly than I thought. I cut out the butter and switched the regular flour with coconut flour. I am not going to sit here and tell you it was exactly the same, coconut flour tends to clump a little, so I have to whisk the hell out of it, but it still takes care of that craving. The second was a little more difficult, I love Shepherd's Pie, but it obviously has mashed/smashed potatoes all over the it. I will admit, I had to really dig deep to accept taking the potatoes out, but I've actually started to enjoy it a little more after my changes. First, I booted the potatoes (later tater) and replaced them with, wait for it, nothing. That's right, I go meat, veggies and coconut flour based gravy and that's it. I made sure to add as many different non-starch veggies as possible.
Ok, so the last paragraph was pretty boring, so if you are still with me, I think it will be worth it. I am a baked goods freak. I am fairly certain that I have kept several Dunkin' Donuts franchises in business all by myself. Since I knew I could not live without my cookies/cakes/brownies, I went on a search for a great healthy cookie recipe. First of all, there are about a million of them online, but I got really lucky and found an amazing one right off the bat. Here is the link, What's up awesome cookies that make me happy!. Seriously, if you do not enjoy these, you probably hate baseball, puppies, and Gene Wilder (he's a national treasure). I made these for my mother, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes and she loved them. I also gave a few to some fellow crossfitters, they loved them as well. They are definitely cakey and moist, fyi.
Cooking tends to bring me a huge sense of accomplishment. My father was an amazing mechanic, he grew up working with his father and brother at the family-owned body shops before using his accounting degree, and he also self-taught himself how to build his own computers. I, on the other hand, not so much. My go to move when fixing a computer is to take the battery out (it works a lot of the time, luckily) and my go to move for my car is walking across the street to ask my neighbor for help (thanks Malcolm!). So being halfway decent in the kitchen is a huge ego boost for me. I feel good when I cook for someone, or when I make something new and I like it (I've given up trying to get my kids to eat anything other PB&J, pizza, spaghetti, chicken nuggets and, of course, Kraft Mac N Cheese).
I find that cooking is very relaxing and therapeutic for me as well. To me it is a simple way of forgetting about what is bothering me, much like my beloved crossfit. Whether I am cutting veggies, prepping the workspace, coating chicken, etc. it all takes me away from the day, even if it is for only 30 minutes, and really as a man on a journey into divorce, crossfit and being a single dad (see what I did there) 30 minutes can go a long way.
I hope you guys try that cookie recipe, it really is amazing!
M
Stress reliever
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