garlic

so today i have that lingering garlic flavor in my mouth. and i'm pretty sure on my hands too. no matter how much water i drink, gum i chew, or how many times i wash my hands.

garlic is good at the time, but the way it sticks around, i just can't enjoy.

the important part is where the garlic came from. this weekend i officially started my new vegetarian lifestyle. i spent 3 hours grocery shopping, used more produce bags in one trip than i have in my lifetime, and stocked my kitchen full of tastey produce.

this is a challenge to myself. because, while vegetarian eating can come somewhat easily via traditional prepared-for-me routes, HEALTHY vegetarian needs to be made at home (for the most part). i have never been a cook. i just never really learned. i've had my share of random inspirational dishes and i always end up making something at my sister's (because she takes me through it step by step). but i just have no concept of what flavors really exist out there and how to put them together. and the idea of cooking all my food for my new lifestyle is overwhelming.

i found a few recipes and sort of planned my meals for the next couple of weeks. and then, yesterday, i started to cook. vegetarian chili and sweet potato black bean enchiladas. and, can you believe it, they're actually very good. i made them. and they're good. i portioned them out and put them in the freezer. it was actually kind of fun. and a little more fulfilling. and i want to do it again.

i'm already excited about the next recipes i'll make. i sure hope that as i practice the cooking part, i'll get really good at it. and i think it's going to be pretty easy to make it through the veg part, although it's still just a few days in. and even though i can't stop tasting garlic, i can't help but appreciate the good it's doing me.