Unintentionally Awesome Meals

Let me preface, as I always do on food posts, that I really hate cooking.  Really.  Sometimes I'll skip a meal just so I don't have to think about cooking.  If we were rich, I'd hire a personal chef and never enter my kitchen again.

Now, with that out of the way, I do have to eat occasionally.  My husband and daughter have grown accustomed to regular sustenance too.  Nights my husband works are my time off from cooking.  I usually raid leftovers in the fridge or toss together some random pieces found in the freezer.  Most times, those thrown-together meals are just to get me through until I'm forced to cook another real meal for the family.

Other times, though, magic happens.

Last night I pulled a Tupperware of leftover spaghetti noodles from the fridge.  It was kind of brick-like and chewy, because I never bother to stir noodles while they're cooking.  I decided they might loosen up some if I tossed them in a skillet with olive oil for a bit.  (Getting the skillet out on a non-cooking night is a big deal, but I'd had a nap that day, so I figured I could handle it.)  While pulling the pasta from the fridge, I spied half a can of kidney beans stored nearby.  Protein!  Awesome.  No need to even bother with meat.

I went to fill up my water glass with some ice from the freezer (all that grown-up type cooking makes a girl thirsty) and spotted some frozen produce.  Eh, might as well throw some bell peppers and onions in for flavor, and, hey, broccoli!  Fiber and iron!  Awesome again.

Once all these ingredients were cooked up and turned out on a plate, I realized that this meal didn't have nearly the calories I've been shooting for lately.  I'm on a medication right now that's made me lose an unhealthy amount of weight, and I've really got to up my calories to continue, you know, existing.

Back to the fridge, and, what's this?  Cheese!  Fat!  Calcium!  Flavor!  Once again, quite awesome.

If leftovers always treated me so well, I'd write a song in their honor.

The leftovers of my leftovers were pretty good too, with some balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top.