What's cookin'?

Hmmmm.
To me, trying to decide on a topic of post, is like trying to decide what's for dinner. Maybe that's just me-- I have a trillion ideas that skip through my brain, some more well thought out than others, that simply don't seem to satisfy whatever it is I cannot place a finger on that fulfills my cravings.
Perhaps food is what I should speak of? I tend to know it all too well. And if you don't believe me, you can check my dress size-- that says it all! :)
I have been on the weirdest food kicks since living on my own. Recently, all my housemates and I have decided that we were all eating a bunch of garbage and that needed to change. So, one of my housemates is currently working on South Beach Diet-- I have to commend her for it because I could NOT do it personally. I disagree with a lot of how it aims to work, but she really likes it so I'm glad that she can find something she enjoys and focus in. The other housemate and I are making choices to eat healthier. We've cut out some things completely (deep fat fried foods, ice cream, soda, Lil Caesar's pizzas, etc.) and we've also just decided to eat healthier versions of some other foods.
I don't typically go public with this sort of stuff. Mostly because I don't see a lot of point in it and I can't stand when someone decides they need to be my mom and tell me what I should or shouldn't do. Trust me, I've got one, and she tells me when she wants to, I've got it covered.
There are two major things that I've come to realize from this new adventure we are embarking on:

1. Good grief, I AM POOR. Financially, that is. And by every grace of God, I have been blessed enough that I am receiving SNAP benefits to help with the cost of food. When I eat trashy, it more than suffices-- heck, it FEEDS my hunger for terrible food. But when I eat what brings nutrition to my life, the SNAP benefits are a budgeted item that I watch over closely. (A side note to this first realization: Being poor financially really helps me remember how I am rich in so many other ways. It's ridiculously humbling--- especially the people who make my life rich in love.)

2. I LOVE TO COOK. My intense dislike for doing the dishes is quickly outweighed when I slip into the kitchen and awaken how much I love to cook. I love trying out new things. The other day, I made brownies for a co-worker's birthday. I was told that his favorite were the ones with the peanut butter swirls in them. I had never made them, but it seemed doable, so I quickly created an interesting way to sweeten & melt the peanut butter down to an almost runny consistency so as to pour into the mix of brownies. Rumor has it, they're already devoured. That same afternoon, I wanted to thaw some chicken for dinner while the brownies baked. In my unfocusedness, I accidentally forgot to click the "defrost" button on the microwave-- leaving the frozen chicken in for such a time/at such a temp, that they began to cook. Oops! So, I quickly slipped a pan onto the stove and began to look for seasoning. Don't ask me what inspired me to create this combo, but this is what came next: mango peach salsa, minced onion, garlic powder, sun-dried tomatoes, ranch powder seasoning. I remembered my lesson from Julie & Julia and quickly enlisted my housemate to pat dry the meat before introducing it to the seasoning that was quickly heating up before our eyes. She patted the boneless chicken, I poked it repetitively with a fork, and into the pan it sizzled.
YUMMMMMMMMMM. Seasoned chicken with sides of black beans & green salad. DELICIOUS!!
For dessert? Dried fruit. A new obsession of ours here.

Well, another evening spent, on yet another random topic that has nothing to do with the last. Welcome to my life. :) But hey-- at least that means you never know what may pop up next time in your "Blogs I'm Following". Wait a minute-- you ARE following me, right?? Well, good grief!! Click the button and add my already!! Silly people. :)
Who knows what I'll do next!!