You Win Some. You Lose Some.

Today was definitely a Monday. From waking up feeling exhausted to the depressing weather, it was the kind of day where I just wanted to hide under the covers with a good book, a cup of tea and only eat comfort food like grilled cheese and tomato soup. However, I decided to pull myself together and push through because I have a lot to get done in the next two weeks. So I dove into the world of laundry and resumes and credit checks and phone calls. While it felt good to rise above my lazy feelings and be productive, I was not rewarded with much success.

I attempted three new recipes (and one old) in the kitchen today and only one came out really great, another okay. The other two aren't horrible, I just wouldn't want to waste the calories on them.

First I made my Baked Oatmeal recipe as per my family's request (they devoured the two pans I made them last week). The oatmeal came out great and smelled heavenly as it was baking. This time around I used blueberries, pecans and used almond flour instead of oat flour. I love recipes that are versatile like that!

Next up were some gluten-free shortbread cookies off of one of my favorite blogs. As you can see in the picture they did not hold together well after they were baked. That may be due to the fact I substituted coconut oil for the butter to make them vegan. The dough was the perfect consistency though so maybe next time I'll try adding a flax egg.

Cookies round two. I then tried a recipe off the same blog for some paleo/ vegan/ gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. This dough was very, very crumbly. As you can see the in picture, they didn't flatten at all and they look as though if you breathe too closely to them they'll turn into a pile of dust. 

Lastly, I had been planning on making a vegan shepherd's pie for dinner this week. But when I went to make it I saw that someone had used the potatoes. We did, however, have some sweet potatoes, but I wasn't sure it was enough to make enough mashed potatoes to cover the bottom layer. So I ended up cubing the sweet potatoes and mixing them in with the rest of the dish making a shepherd's pie casserole/ ratatouille type dish. The end result tastes good enough. It's filled with good stuff like spinach, mushrooms, green beans, garlic, onions and lentils. I'm just not so sure it looks all that appetizing. 

So all in all, I give myself maybe a 40% success rate in the kitchen for today. But what can you do, those days happen. If everybody cooked and baked everything perfectly every time there would be no need for cookbooks or cooking shows or food blogs. If there is a moral to this story, it is this: I cannot wait until I have my own place (apart from my amazing roommate!) again in two weeks. My own kitchen. I can use my own kitchen tools (mine are all in boxes at the moment). With the usual ingredients that I use. I really do think it helps to have the familiarity of your own things in your own space. Hopefully this new kitchen will also have much better lighting because these pictures are a little sad.

At least there's one good thing about Mondays- The Biggest Loser is on tonight! C'mon Danni!!!

How was your Monday? Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Peace & Love,

Joy