A little of this and a little of that

Well, last night I did something that I've never done before. I took a cooking class! Basics of Healthy Cooking: Learn to Chop, Measure and Plan Healthful Meals. It was fun. I actually learned some stuff and I actually plan to use what I love.

By the way, I'm currently watching The Chew and Paula Deen is on there and she's getting on my nerves...sorry.

But I digress, Jeff has cholesterol issues. Nothing so major that he needs medicine but we want to make sure that it doesn't keep going up and do some things now so that he doesn't have to take medicine in the future...and we just need to eat healthier. He gets mad and says I eat like a truck driver. It's probably true. I grew up with Mema always serving a meat and 3 for lunch and dinner, dessert, and sweet teat with every meal. Those are HARD habits to change! But dang it, I'm trying! So...when I saw this class advertised I knew I needed to sign up. We broke up into two small groups and met with two different teachers for two different sessions. At the first session we were taught how to chop, dice, peal and work with vegetables in an easier way. I will admit that at first I thought it was silly but it really helped. If I can chop an onion or celery faster and easier, I'll be more likely to use them in recipes. The other lesson in that session was measuring and learning how to eyeball something. I am such an exact person when it comes to recipes. If it calls for a 1/2 teaspoon of something I will measure out an exact 1/2 teaspoon instead of pouring it in until it looks right. I'm getting better with that but it's still so easy to go by the recipe for me. As the teacher said last night, "A recipe is a suggestion, not a direct order." Okay, okay!

Our other session was with a nutritionist. She talked with us about the new food pyramid, what our plate should consist of (more fruits & veggies, less meat). She also talked about substitutes that we can make to make a comfort food dish a little less comforting and a little healthier. It really helped me, seriously. One thing that was mentioned over and over again was to read and compare labels. I have never done it and I really need to get in the habit.

I took one of her suggestions to heart and tried it. I wanted spaghetti. Spaghetti isn't the worst food in the world but it's not the best either. How could I make it a little healthier? Well, I bought wholegrain noodles and bison meat instead of ground beef. Bison meat is leaner and contains a lot less cholesterol! SO, I got to eat a favorite food in a slightly healthier way!

Oh, and I will share one recipe. We got to try all the recipes last night but this one was my favorite. It looked the best, smelled the best and I think it tasted the best and I can't wait to try it on my own!

This same class is going to be taught again next month and she's going to have a new class in March about cooking with fruits & vegetables and I think I will definitely be signing up for that one!

As for everything else, I'm still working on my cleaning out. I haven't done anything in almost two weeks because I've been sick. I'm actually feeling better and almost normal but we've been busy all this week so I haven't had a chance to do anymore deep cleaning. Hopefully I can get back on track this weekend.