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Y'all, I am SO proud of myself!

On Monday, after coming home from the grocery store, I realized that my purchases often -- if not always -- go unused. I rely on delis, take-outs and drive-thrus so much that I've ended up with a stockpile of food in my freezer, refrigerator and pantry. (Which would come in handy if, say, a freak snowstorm hits DC with 15 feet of snow... but yeah. Unlikely.) So this week, I resolved to finally use all this food I have, and cook a meal every day in my very own kitchen, while taking the leftovers for lunch.

Now it's Friday and I can fully say that it's been a success! (Granted, I work Wednesday through Sunday, but I cooked on Monday and Tuesday too, so that counts.) And in the span of one short week, I've become absolutely thrilled about cooking again! (The dishes, not so much... but that's minor.)

My choices ranged from the trusted standbys (baked tilapia with salad), to the gourmet (grilled lemon butter chicken with gnocchi in a white cream sauce), to the simple and comforting (grilled cheese and veggie soup.)

Seriously, I'm looking at that list and having a hard time believing that's what I ate this week. Me, who subsists of off usually hamburgers, chicken nuggets and meatball subs, with the occasional fried rice from my favorite Thai joint.

I know, I know. Shame. Shame on me.

But this is change I can believe in. Whereas I used to look at cooking as a chore, now I spend a good amount of each day pondering over what I'll whip up in my kitchen that night. It's a fun creative process. It's even funner now (yes, I said "funner"), since I stumbled on this great blog called Flavor Diva. (Couscous... I'm comin' for ya.) And the suggestions on a recent post by Afrobella provide even more help. On top of that, it's comforting knowing where my food is coming from, how healthy it is and how well it was made.

Suffice it to say, I'm excited.

Now... where's my cutting board...?