For those of you who know me, you already know I absolutely love cooking. But I rarely follow recipes, which is a good and not-so-good thing.
The good: Not following a recipe allows me to be intuitive in the kitchen. I don’t need a recipe – and I love that about myself. I can throw together a delicious meal without looking at a recipe for any guidance at all. I also create a lot of my own recipes on the fly and they turn out amazing. Most of the time, they turn out so great, that I will go back again and make it over and over.
The bad: I can often find myself in “food ruts” or just being plain old boring! As in, just seasoning everything on my plate with sea salt and nothing else – never experimenting with new flavours and combinations because I like the way I make it, so I stick with it!
In an effort to have some more fun in the kitchen, I thought an exciting little goal I could set for myself this year would be to make 1 recipe every week.
These recipes could be:
- A brand new recipe I had never tried before from a cookbook I own, something I found on the internet, etc.
- A recipe I have tried before and know I love.
- A brand new recipe that I created on my own.
This little “challenge” has me feeling really inspired and the thought of sharing what I make each month with you has me really excited! Truthfully, I looked forward to writing this blog post for you the entire month of January.
At the end of each month, I will share the recipes I have made and maybe it will inspire you to get a little bit more creative in the kitchen, try new things, and step outside of your comfort zone!
January Recipe Round Up
Week 1: Raspberry Chia Seed Jam (recipe coming soon!)
I created a recipe for Raspberry Chia Seed Jam to put on my toast in the morning and it was magical! I promise I will share the recipe with you really soon!
Week 2: Instant Pot Barbacoa (from the cookook, Easy Keto Meal Prep by Jenny Castaneda)
My friend Jenny Castaneda, sent me her latest cookbook, Easy Keto Meal Prep, and the recipe for her Instant Pot Barbacoa caught my eye right away! I am so happy I made it because it is hands down one of my favourite recipes now! I highly recommend making this as soon as possible. You can thank me later.
Also, it pairs amazingly well with fried plantains. Just sayin’.
Week 3: Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (click here for the recipe from Bon Appetit)
This recipe from Bon Appetit is one I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. I absolutely love carnitas (they are my go-to protein choice at Chipotle), but had never made them for myself at home. I am also a newbie Instant Pot user, so I’ve been looking for more Instant Pot recipes as I have officially become a believer (it took me a while, but I am now on board the Instant Pot train!) This recipe was delicious and, again, pairs perfectly with some fried plantains and a vegetable of your choice (kale, brussels sprouts, etc.)
Week 4: Strawberry Chia Seed Jam (recipe coming soon!)
Again, recipe coming soon! After making the Raspberry Chia Seed Jam, I knew I had to use up the frozen strawberries in my freezer and see how the strawberry version compared. Although I have always thought of myself as a raspberry > strawberry jam person, the strawberry version actually ended up being my favourite! I am very excited to share these two recipes with you, though. They are both so good and only require 2 – 3 ingredients! So easy.
Well, that concludes my first recipe round up for the month of January!
I will be back at the end of February sharing which recipes I tried or created throughout the month!
