[Coldrun Fitness] Level 3 - For the Birds

Focusing on cooking and cleaning. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!

 

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Monday 

For the evening, cooking dinner by combining two things from last week: baking a chicken breast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes and boiling a potato for about 30 minutes.

 

 

 

Later: HUGE success! Second juicy chicken breast I've cooked in a row. Added a coat of paprika before popping it in the oven. Even the potato was good this time after a half hour of boiling.

Here's also why I'm so happy about it: I've finally made chicken that I can honestly look forward to eating. Usually, when I cook at home, it's a chore because I know something dry and crappy is awaiting at the end of the work. No longer. Whew.

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Thursday

 

Cleaning

 

Things were tough over the past couple of days. So many days and moments where I feel directionless are strongly correlated with times where my home is a mess and where my mind also slips into being a mess.

 

I'll try to build in some cleaning. Clean home, clean mind, clean spirit.

Later: Went very well. Got a TON of cleaning today, in bursts of about 15-20 minutes. Feels so much better when I actually have clean cookware, when my sink isn't overflowing with dirty dishes, when my home isn't so gross to exist in.

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Cooking

Made a solo Thanksgiving meal. Mostly instant:

• turkey breast that came pre-bagged just to pop in the oven
• canned gravy
• canned cranberry sauce
• boxed instant stuffing
• boxed instant mashed potatoes

 It was... really good? Look, I set a low bar for my cooking goals. I want to be able to eat at home more and assemble reasonable meals there. This was a success in that regard.

The turkey was the worst part. I didn't watch it as it was in the oven and I overcooked it. Still, with gravy and potatoes, it was fine. 

The stuffing and mashed potatoes were REALLY good. I may try building those in as quick side dishes in meals more regularly.

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Friday

Finished the week strong. Heated up Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner, making another serving of stuffing to supplement a turkey sandwich and the rest of my can of cranberry sauce.

Oh, and I even got to have some turkey as an evening snack. Pretty dry, but with some mayo it was fine.

AND THIS WAS WITH BAD TURKEY! If I get better at cooking, it can be a gift that keeps on giving.

Cleaning went well too. Another 20-30 minutes to wash dishes and just generally pick up around the place. It gives me a fighting chance.