I've been bitten,,,

... by the cooking bug.  After months of settling for leftovers from work or cheap and easy take-out options for dinner - I've decided it's time to cook again, for a number of reasons.  First off, I feel a lot better when I cook for myself.  I'm in the best physical shape I've been in since high school.  I figure it's time to combine that with a healthier diet.  On top of that, there's also the money side of things.  Aside from taking home extra food from work, cooking for myself is the most financially-friendly option.  Eating out in Whistler is delicious but expensive and I want to try and save some money so I can survive the off-season without breaking the bank.  Last but not least, it's a creative outlet for me.  I don't have my guitar or my painting supplies (which were my go-to options for creative expression pre-Whistler).  Even though I'm no whiz in the kitchen, I still love to create.  Check out my meals from the last week:

Mixed vegetable (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, red pepper, yellow pepper and red onion) and ginger stir-fry with honey-garlic chicken and noodles... and yes I listed all of the vegetables to impress my parents.

Linguine covered in creamy tomato sauce with garlic, red pepper, red onion and seasoned ground beef, topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  Even though my sauce isn't homemade like I get back home, it still tasted damn good... probably due to the Philly cream cheese I added.

Ground chorizo sausage fried in olive oil, beer and onion topped with coleslaw and barbecue sauce on a toasted bun.   A perfect pairing with Hockey Night in Canada.

I'm going to do my best to continue the trend of home cooked meals as often as I can.  It definitely beats eating leftover pasta from work (which is great when it's fresh but if you've seen what it looks like bundled in a paper take-away container and plastic wrap, you'd understand).

Happy cooking.

Nat.