A revelation

You know what I just realized? I hate cooking.

I don't know who I've been fooling all these years. Week after week, rather than sticking with simple, throw it together, no-cook meals, I've slaved over the stove in search of the perfect balance of nutrition and flavor.
Here's something to know: many vegetarians don't bother to make sure they're getting enough protein, and many who do rely heavily on soy. Soy is very convenient and filling. But I do care about protein, and I don't eat soy outside of the sauce variety, so I've had to be very creative in coming up with dishes that use beans - sometimes nuts, dairy, and eggs, but those are more snacky-type proteins in my world. As a result, recipe searching and meal planning and grocery list making have consumed me. Plus I'm picky in other ways - trying to cut back on sugar, eating mostly whole foods with no funny stuff, lots of veggies, you know. Cooking has just become a huge and unquestionable part of my life.

But today I questioned! I was making tomato soup from scratch, because Trader Joe's tomato soup has sugar and carageenan (WTF why?), and it was like 80 degrees out and I was making a mess and I ended up with a million dishes. Dishes are a huge reason I hate cooking. And I thought: Shit. I don't have time for this.

My mother always said that if she could, she'd hire a cook over a maid. I thought she was nuts. Cooking is fun! I loved trying out new recipes when we had guests over or for special occasions. It probably helped that we had a "whoever cooks doesn't have to do the dishes" rule (totally subjecting my future kids to that). But the thing is, I never HAD to cook. I HAD to clean, but I never came home from school or work, just wanting to watch TV or play with my friends, but instead heading straight to the kitchen to work some more. I definitely get it now.

SO, what does this mean for Ellyn? There are a TON of sandwiches and salads in my future. And honestly, I can't wait. The thought of not waiting for rice to boil and no sloppy pots to clean...makes me want to cry.