I'm seriously the best cook ever!

Maybe the title isn't quite the representation I deserve as a cook.  If you had asked anyone in my family what kind of cook I'd turn out to be when I first got married, they would have told you that Anthony was going to starve.  Or maybe not starve because I would still try but maybe that he would cheat on my cooking with fast food or sneak over to his mom's house once in a while. 

I'll be the first to admit that in our earlier years as a married couple, there were quite a few scary meals.  Often times, we had something like cold cereal, oatmeal, or eggs for dinner.  Yes, dinner. 

Lucky for me, Anthony never cheated on my cooking.  Not for lack of wanting to because I am positive he did, but due to the fact that we were a poor newlywed couple.  No money meant bad food at home. 

I look back at my attempts at cooking and laugh... then I feel sorry for Anthony.  I'm not sure what he thought my cooking abilities would be, although I'm sure he thought they'd be somewhat similar to my mom and my grandma's abilities.  Both are/were phenomenal cooks.  And they both represent the "just a little of this, a little of that, quite a bit of such and such, and a pinch of..." style of cooking.  That was the answer I would get when I would ask how to make a certain something.  Frustrated the heck out of me! 

That is defnitely not how I cook.  I am a recipe follower to the max!  No deviations, no substitutions.  If I don't have an ingredient, I can't make the recipe.  At least that's how it used to be. 

These days, I'm getting a bit braver and I have been experimenting quite a bit.  It's so fun!  A little nerve racking maybe but mostly fun. 

And in light of our Clean Eating Challenge coming up later in the month (are you planning on participating?) I thought I ought to be testing out different recipes and posting a few for reference.  We've been eating pretty clean for several months now but a lot of times it's pretty simple and plain.  At least once a week we have just plain old grilled chicken, rice and a vegetable.  My kids don't love this meal, it's 'boring', but Anthony and I are ok with it. 

But over the next little while I would like to add some clean recipes so you can have a few to get started.  I'll also link you to some great sites online that can really help as well. 

I made some sesame chicken tonight (this will post as if it's tomorrow but it's just after midnight so it's still tonight to me ;) that everyone loved!  The original recipe was not clean but with a few adaptations, I was able to clean it up and it tasted divine. 

So, while I'm not quite the best cook ever, I've done some pretty amazing things lately that make me think I'm not all that shabby anymore.  My domestic diva-ness is finally starting to shine through.  It's about time!