Kitchen Competence

Last spring I made some pretty big changes in my diet. I cut out meat entirely, almost stopped consuming simple sugars and seriously increased my whole grain and vegetable intake. This has required me to seek out and try new recipes, really learn about food and nutrition for the first time and expand my kitchen skills.

Today, not quite a year later, I finally feel like I know what I'm doing. I'm not afraid to alter any recipe to suit my tastes or my desire to consume healthy foods. That isn't exactly new this month, I've probably had this competence for several months. But today I really feel it and I think that's because now I'm also enjoying food again, for the first time in several years. Oh how I'm enjoying my enjoyment of food!

Even though I haven't seen a change in my migraines as a result of these food changes, my body certainly has changed in response to the healthy foods. My sweet tooth still exists but now I prefer the natural sugars. I feel like food has a heightened flavor now, as if the absence of the processing chemicals allows me to better appreciate the natural flavors of food. I find that when I crave food now, I'm craving healthy stuff instead of the junk food I used to crave. Even my meat loving husband has experienced some of these changes in his food preferences.

This time of year my food focus has been on casseroles and soups. This picture is a Spinach and Egg Noodle Casserole from Rachael Ray's magazine. I've made and enjoyed this several times since November when I found it. I used whole grain egg noodles instead of regular ones so it looks a big different when I make it, but you get the idea.

Do you have a favorite casserole or soup?