A Culinary Adventure

As I've written in the past, the culinary realm is where my creativity falls short. I have never been a good cook, and while I can follow a recipe, it's always seemed a bigger hassle than what it's worth. As a part of "being good to me" this year I want to explore flavorful healthy food. Peter and I split equally the task of cooking but it's been quite a challenge to prepare quick (a must for our busy lifestyles) meals that fit the criterion of "healthy" and "flavorful". As I move away from the "utilitarian" view of food I've held for all these years and start to adopt "creative" it is my goal to become more self sustaining. I'm planning a garden this year (more on this later) and while I'm looking forward to growing my own food I'm left trying to figure out how better to funnel our resources toward healthier choices now. Two weeks ago I joined a co-op with a weekly buy in option. You make your produce purchase on Monday or Tuesday of each week and pick up the following Saturday. The mystery of never knowing exactly what will be included in the basket leaves me with feelings akin to Christmas; the mystery, the anticipation, the excitement!!! Here's our basket for this week:

It's crazy the amount of food we obtained for only $15! Adding to the fun is the task of building a weekly menu around whatever happens to be in our basket. Nearly all the recipes we are trying this week are new dishes we've never tried before. And thanks to SuperCook.com I didn't have to relent my desire for "nutritious and flavorful" in the name of "quick and easy".

2011

After 2010's new year's resolution (focusing on the growth and development of Dot&Line), I decided to take a different approach for 2011. This year my only goal is to be better to me. This may sound narcissistic but after the stress incurred by last years goal I've decided to treat myself a little better by reinstating former self-care penchants and developing some new ones.

By far the biggest change I've made is my re-entry into the 8:00-5:00 work force. I have set aside my jeans and donned my leggings and pumps to take on an administrative support role for a local CPA. Surprisingly the transition from running my business more than full time to working and running my business has been less painful that I imagined it would be. There are several reasons I decided to make this switch but something I didn't consider was the lowering of my stress level. Now that I have a steady income, my business feels like play time again and while I still believe in setting goals for sales and production, my financial fate is less tied to these things. I'm finding that I feel less pressure to "make things happen" and more freedom to "let things happen". (As a side note: There are still several new things for Dot&Line on the horizon and I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming months.)

Number one on my new found list of healthy habits is my walk to work every morning. While it is the middle of February and definitely chilly out, 7:25 in the morning is also early enough that the wind hasn't kicked into full gear yet, and as the days get longer the sunrise greets me with a brighter and brighter glow. By the time I walk the 8/10 of a mile to work I am fully awake and have already experienced something beautiful in my day.

Also on the list are the 15 minute complementary massages I receive every Friday during tax season. There are many perks for working for a CPA but this is by far my favorite. As a part of my 2011 resolution I had planned on investing in a massage every now and then. This part of my resolution is fulfilled and FOR FREE (!!!) every Friday through April 15th by Lynda, who works next door (a convenient location for when I start paying for massages after tax season).

There's more "good to me" habits a brewin' too! Stay tuned...