Take time to ENJOY.

I'm not sure if anyone else finds themselves eating the same things every day, or if it's just me. It just seems hard to try to think of fun and creative things to eat when you are pressed for time/on a budget/have food allergies. It's so easy to stick to the "tried and proven" foods that you know taste at least edible and give you the energy you need to keep going on with your day. It's far more risky to experiment with a recipe that :

a) could turn out awesome

b) could be an epic fail

It's kind of like playing Russian rollete in a sense, because sometimes you're not sure if the pros outweigh the cons. I for one hate nothing more then spending my time and effort preparing a meal only to discover at the end that it doesn't taste good. Especially if I'm tired or have had a bad or stressful day. A failed experiment is not something I need right then.

But eating the same things over and over again has it's drawbacks as well. By having an overly repetitive diet no matter how healthy you are bound to be missing out on an important vitamin or mineral. Not to mention that after a while eating becomes a chore, something you HAVE to do. It shouldn't be that way! Eating is one of life's pleasures and is meant to be enjoyed.

From now on I'm going to experiment with one of my meals/snacks every day and try something new. There are bound to be hits and misses, but I think in the long run it'll make my dining experiences a lot more enjoyable and pleasurable for me.

Here are some recent experiments - both hits and misses :P.

Today's oats: oats with cinnamon, pear and vanilla essence cooked in, topped with chopped almonds and more pear.

As promising as this sounds my oats were amazingly bland and the texture was way off. They were mushy as opposed to thick and creamy. I have no idea how I managed to screw up something so simple. Oh well, we win and we lose, right?

This on the other hand was a definite win: pot barley risotto - 3/4 cup of barley cooked in 1 cup of water + 1/2 cup mushroom and chicken broth. Chopped mushrooms and chicken added in the end (the broccoli was more for the color factor then anything else)




Chewy, flavorful and delicious.

Another hit - white bean basil spread.

And a all time winner:

What successful food experiments have you conducted lately (please include links so I can try them out). Do you have any idea how I might have messed up my oats :P?