Getting Back in the Kitchen: The Healthy Project

Sirloin with reduced balsamic
vinegar and roasted brussels
sprouts

During my visit to Indiana, I got to view Anne and Amanda's healthy habits. And it inspired me. Again. I feel like I need constant inspiration to do the healthy thing, but I also don't feel like I'm that unusual. Or maybe my mom ruined me. She gave me constant feedback--good and bad (but mostly good)-- and I got used to it. I love being acknowledged for even small things--if only in my head giving myself a gold star. I love gold stars. Even ones I give myself. It's that lethal combination of need for approval and competitiveness.

So after seeing and tasting delicious homemade food, I realized that I've been lazy and scared. I have been scared to get in the kitchen and attempt to cook and learn because Chef is clearly an expert (it's a little intimidating). And lazy because cooking takes time and effort and planning. All things that I've been neglecting for the last several weeks.

I hit some websites and used Pinterest to house a bunch of healthy recipes. I planned out the week, prepped my breakfasts and lunches, and visited the farmer's market, Whole Foods and the grocery store. After day one, I feel pretty good.

If I were to make the meal again, I'd:

• cook the sprouts lower and slower (our oven is gas and therefore weird).
• would use a little more olive oil on the sprouts (and a little less salt).
• reduce the balsamic more.
• Use the four cloves of garlic the recipe calls for instead of just two because I was chicken. However, the rosemary taste outweighed the garlic because of it.

Overall, I'd make the lemon raspberry muffins and the sirloin again.

The lemon raspberry muffins that I made for breakfast this week and  froze for the weeks to come. Be warned: they are delicious, but not sweet at all.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/lemon_raspberry_muffins.html

Chef cooked the steak because I didn't want to mess up something that expensive, but  that's all he did hands on. He was patiently helping me and giving me advice from the sidelines though.
http://www.1001recipe.com/recipes/food/sirloin_steak_with_rosemary_and_balsamic_reduction_sauce/