double bogey.

during a vacation to the beach with my family and grandparents one year, we all played a round of golf together. for whatever reason, probably laziness, i decided to use one club for the entire course and for every putt i attempted. the driver. after i tried my best first shots with the driver, my grandpaw would then help out and hit the first "reeeally long" shot. then, i would take it from there. did i change clubs, though? no. i stuck with the driver and carried it around with me all over the course. i putted with it, amused by the laughs it seemed to get, and claimed it was silly to use any other club. "it doesn't make any difference," i would say. my all-in-one discovery was good enough for me.

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i find the same philosophy popping up when i'm in the kitchen as well. i regularly use the wrong utensils for the job and often omit ingredients or steps, telling myself, "it doesn't make any difference." and most of the time, it really doesn't (unless i'm baking, and then, i do stick to the recipe). i leave out ingredients at times because i don't have them on hand. i replace one ingredient with another, thinking it will do, but not really knowing if the two ingredients should be substitutes for each other (for instance, paprika and cayenne pepper. sound like a good sub pair?). i merge two or three steps of recipes together to save time (and another messy bowl). in general, i try to take the driver route way too often in the kitchen.

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sometimes, i wonder if my cooking, and if the food itself, would improve if i did use the proper utensils and if i did honor all the ingredients. the truth is, as much as i enjoy cooking, the end result oftentimes frustrates me because the flavor is off or the food doesn't look as pretty as i would like. maybe, by taking the time to find the right utensils and use the right ingredients, then i would be more satisfied with the end result.

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this week was successful cooking-wise, i will say. my favorites? a roasted two-potato spinach salad and a spinach and artichoke grilled cheese sammich. and i followed both recipes pretty closely, only admitting the garlic from the sammiches, and taking the time to thoroughly drain the spinach and artichoke mixture, boil and peel the eggs and chop the onion for the salad (i usually get pretty lazy with my chopping, so this was an accomplishment). i'm probably a little behind with this, but i have to say, roasted potatoes are delightful, and they were a nice addition to the spinach salad (kind of like a soft, warm crouton). i did, however, catch myself using a plastic spoon to try and scrape the potatoes from the roasting pan, instead of using.. well.. something with more umph and strength. and i did not make my own honey mustard dressing, but maybe next time. but, hey, i'm still getting the hang of this cooking thing. and, regardless, it always brings a smile to my face to cook. i find some kind of happiness there.

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i'm still not convinced that following every little step or rule exactly is necessary. the optimist in me likes to think you can golf an entire course with a driver and fix and enjoy your a meal your way, using what feels right to you. but the questioner in me still wants to find out what it is like to use another club and to follow a recipe to a.. tee.

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(easy and quick) recipe happiness..
roasted two-potato salad http://www.acouplecooks.com/2012/03/roasted-two-potato-salad/

spinach and artichoke grilled cheese http://www.acouplecooks.com/2012/04/spinach-artichoke-grilled-cheese/

doze off.

healthier living is not just about eating better and exercising more. it also involves one key point i seem to overlook most weeknights. sleep. good, quality sleep. i am a night owl at heart, and i enjoy staying up late, watching conan (or friends on nick-at-nite), reading, writing. i spend a good hour, if not longer, stretching out the day as much as i possibly can until it is finally time to close it down. i think it all started in nursing school, when i would stay up late each night, studying and working on papers, and before i would go to sleep, i watched sex and the city from 12 to 1. it was my time at night after a long, busy day. but the early mornings still came, and still come, around just as early every day, and getting up a little before six each day of the week now is not easy. neither is making myself go to bed earlier.

~

eventually, somewhere along the way, it caught up with me, and i was simply no longer able to stay up as late as i used to. i hate to admit that, but it's true. so, instead of spending a couple hours every night winding down, i've been trying to put the computer and the books away and go to sleep when i'm tired. imagine that. that idea had actually escaped me until recently. go to sleep when i'm tired. i still have to get in something every night - writing or a little tv. i can't just get in bed, lie down and go to sleep. i don't think i've ever been able to do that. but instead of staying up too late, i'm learning when to call it quits.

~

it hasn't been easy, and some nights, i still stay up later than i should. it's hard to give up my night time, and it still feels funny going to bed before midnight. sometimes, i think it would be worth getting a mere five hours of sleep so that i could stay up and have more time to my night. sometimes, it feels worth beng tired the next day. and, whie i can't honestly see myself giving up my every night to sleep (ha), i will say this - going to bed earlier at least a few nights a week is definitely beneficial for obvious reasons - better, longer sleep equals a more productive, happier day, plain and simple. plus, it makes 5:45 am somewhat more tolerable. somewhat.

fresh air.

april is the month for healthier living. and, along with eating better and drinking more water, i've also been exercising more. while it's usually walking or different cardio work-outs, monday's exercise was a little different. monday, i helped my family mulch our yard. pitch forks and gloves and a beautiful day to spend the day outside. i try to include a little walking in my regular exercise routines, because getting outside just feels good. i've also read that outdoor time actually enhances the effects of exercise and increases vitality. self-esteem and mood are also lifted when outdoor activities are involved. being outside all day monday felt just as great, and because we were working and having a good time, it didn't feel like exercise, even though it was definitely a good work-out. plus, we were working toward something - finishing mulching the yard - and it felt good to have that goal in mind and in sight.

~

a lovely spring day outside, laughter and a work-out all in one. another step in the direction of extended happiness.
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caffeine who?

along with years of not eating so well, i have also never been a big fan of drinking water. diet cokes and sweet teas always took its place.

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for the past month or so, i've been trying my best to drink more water. it started slow, with just a bottle or two or day. but now, i'm up to four bottles a day, or eight glasses of water. you may be thinking, "big deal, it's water." but it's a big change for me. i've cut back to one (smaller-sized) diet coke a day (the morning fix), and i've almost completely cut sweet teas out. now, it's water after water, with the help of crystal light.

~

water and i got off to a slow start, but the more i drank it, the more i wanted to drink it, and the less tempted i was to reach for a diet coke and load up on caffeine. i imagine it's like many things, the more you do it, the more familiar and the more practical, the more possible, it becomes. tiny steps at first, followed by bigger steps, that eventually lead to a better way.

~

what does drinking water have to do with happiness? starting to drink water on a regular basis was a goal i've had in mind for a long, long time. it was something to work toward, especially that whole eight glasses a day thing, as was cutting back on the caffeine. now that i've done it, i'm happy to say it's one more step in the direction of extended happiness.

see you later, sweet tea.

april, month one. healthier living.

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i have never been one for eating well. between sweet tea and chips and pasta and all the bread you can imagine, the term "health nut" has always escaped me. i have also managed to stay my same weight and size for many years, and i suppose, because of that fact, i never think too much about changing the way i eat. but, just because i wasn't putting on the pounds, that didn't mean i couldn't, or shouldn't, be more mindful about my eating habits. there are many other reasons for me to eat better. and so i have. i have started eating better. granted, it has only been a week, but it's a step (an extra step toward extended happiness).

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i no longer have a giant mcdonald's sweet tea every day (okay, i'll admit. somedays, i had two). i try to avoid the chips and dip, my favorite snack food in the world. and i'm trying to mix it up a bit and get away from the nearly-all-carbohydrate diet i was previously consuming (i do love my carbs).

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i have been doing my research. i looked for foods with healthful benefits that would help inside and out, that would help me feel better, and that i could easily eat on a daily basis.

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-almonds-good source of vitamin e and protein, antioxidant, cholesterol reducer, and (my favorite) a wonderful way to improve skin complexion and glow.

-kiwi-good source of vitamin c (the same, or a little more, than an orange, with fewer calories), and also great for the skin.

-broccoli, red pepper and tomatoes-also high in vitamin c.

-oatmeal-contains antioxidants, whole grains, and is good for the heart.

-yogurt-great source of potassium, protein.

and water, water, water

(more on the benefits of these foods later)

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i even tried making a healthy mexican meal one night which turned out to be a bust, thanks to the addition of greek yogurt, and the subtraction of another one of my favorites, sour cream. note to self, healthy "guacomole," made with edamame, is weird. just plain weird.

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i have also been fixing dinners more frequently than before. previously, i would have reached for a frozen dinner, a fast-food meal, or some (delicious) prepared pasta product. instead, i'm taking the time (thankfully, i have more time these days) to cook and to cook thoughtfully. the recipes are easy and quick and do not require a lot, or any crazy, ingredients. without these three key points, i would not be cooking. more on the recipes another time.

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so, how does eating differently relate to happiness? personally, it makes me feel better, plain and simple. food and mood go hand-in-hand, i have found. the more i eat better, the easier it is to avoid "bad" foods and to want to avoid "bad" foods. and it makes me feel pretty good to want a healthy snack instead. "bad" foods made me feel bad, period. they are heavy, overly filling, and tend to weigh me down. with good foods comes good feelings, knowing you're making a thoughtful decision about the way you can feel.