Recipes That I've Stolen

Full disclosure: while I very much enjoy cooking, I am be no means a chef. If you gave me a list of raw ingredients and told me to create something, I'd be lost. I have absolutely no intuition for what flavors go well together or how much cumin or chili powder to add before it completely overwhelms a dish. For that reason, any recipe that I present on this blog will have been stolen from someone else.

If you've only known me for the 7 years that I've lived in Topeka, you may not realize that I've spent a large part of my life dealing with my weight (low will power and unlimited access to a bowling alley snack bar are a disastrous combination). Combine that with the fact that--at 30--my metabolism is slowing down, I'm trying to become more cognizant of what I ingest.

Now that we have that bit of exposition out of the way, it's time to get to the heart of the matter, I want to set a good example for my son and teach him good eating--and exercise--habits. Fortunately, he's still in a phase where he will eat pretty much anything we stick in front of him. However, I know this will eventually cease to be the case. In the meantime, I'm trying to amass a collection of healthier recipes that he will still enjoy as he gets older, and pickier. Growing up in our family, Andy is going to have no choice but to like Mexican food (other than my aunt, who doesn't?), so that seemed like a good place to start. For those of you who have never seen his show, Jamie Deen has become my new dad hero (you know, except for my own of course!). His recipe for turkey tacos (less fat and chock full of veggies) and cheesy Mexican rice (not so much) have become hits in my house. Andy especially loves the rice.

As I come across recipes that I like and that seem to have redeeming nutritional value, I'll be sure to share them. Fall is my favorite time of year, and we tend to eat heartier meals, so I'm looking forward to the challenge! In the meantime, I'd love to hear your healthy recipes that your kids love (also, be sure to check out my friend Gina's blog fat2fit2stay for ways to make meaningful, gradual changes toward being healthier).