30 Day Homecooking Challenge Week 2 FOOD THOUGHTS + Recipe Links

30 Day Homecooking Challenge Week 2 FOOD THOUGHTS + Recipe Links

My new favorite tea: Rooibos!

Caprese Pita Pizza

Caprese Pita Pizza


Rice Pilaf with Tomatoes

Rice Pilaf with Tomatoes

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Pesto Veggie Scramble

Pesto Veggie Scramble

Stuffed Chayotes

Stuffed Chayote 

Pesto Bacon Mac & Cheese

Pesto Bacon Mac & Cheese

Dark Chocolate Spread

Dark Chocolate Spread


Ingredients: 
2 tbsp butter, melted
3 tbsp honey*
3 tbsp cocoa powder*
2 tbsp milk

Directions:
1. Blend all ingredients together in a blender.

*Side Note: Add less cocoa powder and more sugar if you want it less bitter.

This stuff is like 85% dark chocolate Nutella in my opinion. SOOO YUMMY~! Super dark chocolate for the win!

Serve on toast or just eat it the way it is! As a chocoholic, I'll definitely be the one licking the blender...haha~

Enjoy! :)

30 Day Homecooking Challenge Week 1 FOOD THOUGHTS+Recipe Links

30 Day Homecooking Challenge Week 1 FOOD THOUGHTS + Recipe Links



Chocolate Nectarine Protein Bars

Chocolate Nectarine Protein Bars
(Formula based on No Meat Athlete's Ultimate Energy Bar Formula)



Butternut Squash Pizza

Butternut Squash Pizza



Aloo Baingan (Eggplant Potato Curry)

Aloo Baingan (Eggplant Potato Curry)



Pumpkin Curry

Pumpkin Curry





Ingredients:

1 Butternut squash
Olive oil
1/2 Onion
1/2 Head of garlic 
1 tsp Mustard seeds
Cayenne pepper or chile pepper (add as much as you think you can handle)
~ 2 tbsp Masala (curry powder)
~ 1/2 tsp Coriander
~ 1/2 tsp Cumin
~ 1/2 tsp Turmeric
~ 1/2 tsp Allspice
Salt
1-2 Tomatoes 

Directions:

1. Roast squash at 375 F for ~60 mins (roll it over to the other side after 30 mins) or until soft.
2. When cool, cut down the middle. Throw away seeds and spoon out the squash meat. (*Save the skins and a little bit of squash meat to use for THIS RECIPE!!!)
3. Sauté onion and garlic and mustard seeds until brown with medium heat in a large pot. You can also add chile here to bring out the heat.
4. Add tomato, masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric, allspice.
5. Add the squash. Cook ~15 mins. Add salt. Cook until squash is easily breakable and resembles a rough mush. If your pot is looking dry, add ~1/4 cup (or less) water. If if turns out too watery, its okay just let it simmer for longer.

Serve with roti or tortilla! :)


Note: If not enough flavor, add more salt and/or masala.

For more thoughts, read my 30 Day Homecooking Challenge Week 1 FOOD THOUGHTS post! :)

Tomato Couscous Risotto

Tomato Couscous Risotto



30-Day Homecooking Challenge





Hi lovelies!! 

Sorry I've been on an unannounced hiatus for a few weeks! School just started a few weeks ago and as you can see, I've been majorly struggling on time management. Hahaha~ Besides dying a little inside every time I see the amount of school work piled in front of me, all is well

Today, I want to announce that starting tomorrow, September 15, 2014, I will be challenging myself to eat only homecooked foods everyday, whether I or someone else is preparing it. As long as it's made on a stove in a living space by myself or someone I know, I will consider it a homecooked meal. Ever since I started college, I eat out at least 3-10 times a week (or even more so during dorm life of freshman year in which "eating out" was everyday in the dining halls)! This isn't even counting all the packaged snack bars/sandwiches that I mindlessly eat when my days are stacked with classes and activities. I want to do this because I feel a disconnect from my food, environment, people, and myself. What did various packaged foods start as and how did they finally arrive into the neatly displayed item at the local drugstore? Where did my tomato come from? Was it grown locally or not? Who prepared this meal? How did they prepare it? How did they feel while preparing it? 

I hope that this challenge will teach me to appreciate my food more. I predict that this challenge will force me to slow down and be mindfully aware of what I put into my body, energy used to prepare food from beginning to end, and my environment in general. I don't expect that this will be an easy rode, but from hardship comes a stronger person! :) For me, the hardest part will be learning how to navigate around social norms of eating out, but I think I can get around this by cooking for others (QUE: People who live around me should take advantage of this offer now. LOL.) Hopefully, I will also become a better cook out of this too hahaha~!

30-day Homecooking Challenge


Gourds from Filoli Garden


Start date: September 15, 2014
End date: October 15, 2014

Challenge: Eat only homecooked meals for 30 days. Raw produce is fine too! Homecooked meals = Meals cooked in a living space (including fire pits) by yourself or someone you know. Excluded meals include anything packaged and anything prepared by a business. 

In 30 days, I'll make a post (with lots of pictures) of how the challenge went for me. I encourage you guys to join me! If you decide to join me, please connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, or FB and share many thoughts and pics with me! <3


Good luck! :) <3

UPDATE (9/15/14): For food items in the gray and/or not specified, it is up to you for whether you consider it okay or not. :)
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