Yummy food!

This past January (2014) My resolution was to cook something new at least once a week.  Well I did not succeed on that particular goal exactly.  What I did accomplish was, learning more about cooking, how to actually properly cook things (not just throwing frozen chicken in the oven and hoping for the best), and that Veggies can actually taste good!  

I started the year out well meal planning and looking through recipes and adding in new fun meals for dinner at least once a week.  I managed until February with pretty good consistency when I started to let life get in the way.  Then it turned into more hit or miss in terms of what we eat. On the good weeks when I took the time to plan out our meals and shopping lists, and actually made it to the store, we would have great meals! I would even know when to start cooking instead of looking at the clock at 5:30 thinking I should probably feed my kids. (Thus ending in chicken nuggets or scrambled eggs for dinner.) It was so great sitting down to dinner with my family to meals that would be new, tasty, and sometimes even look pretty.  

The Big down fall and challenge to the whole cooking thing was and is my kids. The challenge started in the planning process. They would do their very best to distract me, and I would usually end up forgetting half of my thoughts, my lists, or loose my recipes. 

Then they would start with the grumbling over what they saw cooking, and what they thought should be cooking. My oldest was (well is) famous for coming in the kitchen while I'm in the middle of cooking, looking at the food and starting her fake cry. Even over things she's never had before. I'm still not sure what she is trying to accomplish with this since she ends up leaving the kitchen crying and I never change the meals. But it can be very disheartening at the end of the day. 

During dinner we have a "one taste no face" rule courtesy of our pediatrician's great ideas. This helped them at least try their dinner every night. Many times after all the before dinner grumbling they would discover they actually like food. As it turns out Morgan now asks me to cook the sauteed Vegetables that I learned how to make. Both girls like them! 

As the year comes to an end I do for sure consider my cooking somewhat successful! I added a good handful of new meals that my family (at least Ben and I) enjoy. I found great resources for cooking tips and how to sneak veggies into foods I know the girls will eat. I even for the first time started to enjoy cooking! Yeah there, I said it! I now enjoy cooking! 

So here's to a new year and hopefully many more new recipes to try out on my very picky food critics at home.