back to basics

As my two week challenge draws to a close, I want to take a moment to think about what I’ve gotten from this experience. The most important aspect is that I really can make some quick meals, eat them without feeling rushed, and clean up the kitchen in an hour’s time. I think my problem to this point has been in feeling the need to create more extravagant meals when I cook; not necessarily things that are impressive, but definitely things that are time consuming.

Searching out some quick-cooking was important to this. The peeled and deveined frozen shrimp are now a freezer staple in my house. I’m able to make a 1 portion meal using this protein. Individually wrapped chicken breasts are also important. They store well in the freezer and are easy to thaw in water. One of these is about 2 portions for me, so they work great for utilizing leftovers in salads or sandwiches.

And yet…I’ve had some odd cravings near the end of the challenge. First there was the mad cheeseburger craving. Granted, it was late at night and I was getting hungry before bed, and our temperatures had been sub zero for days, so craving a grilled burger (a summer food) probably wasn’t all that strange. The following day, however, I wanted a hotdog with kraft macaroni and cheese. Talk about wanting processed food! Again, since I only eat hotdogs once or twice a year, and only eat them grilled, I’m guessing what I was really craving was summer.

No idea as to why I wanted macaroni and cheese out of the box, though. It’s not even a traditional comfort food for me, as I started eating that in college.

This challenge has definitely yielded some unforseen results. As my grill is covered in snow, I doubt I will be having any burgers anytime soon, but that’s okay. Because I could not feed my craving, I have realized I’m willing to wait for the real deal.

And that’s a good outcome of the challenge.

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