Weekly Post 1 : Eating Healthy

One of many goals I have is to eat healthier. Of course, don't most people want to accomplish this? (I mean, unless you are a total junk-food addict who doesn't really care about your health, or already do a great job at eating well balanced meals). After marriage and taking on responsibility for most of the cooking, I have become more aware of what it means to cook meals to nourish both our bodies and our souls. Since marriage, I have really been honing my skills at South Indian cooking (Kerala style, to be more specific). I have slowly gotten the hang of the detailed and laborious process that goes in to cooking my husband's comfort foods, and may even say I've gotten really good at making a few dishes. :) Sometimes we do our grocery shopping and cooking together, and have been trying to workout a budget and pick foods that are both healthy and within our budget. We have also been trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diet. This week I found cabbage on sale, and decided to buy it. I've never really been a big fan of cabbage, though did like when my mother had made stuffed cabbage polish style, and the couple times I'd had cabbage made by my mother in law and others in India. So I bought it, and last night cooked up some red fish curry (with salmon - yummy!) and green cabbage thoran. Everything came out delicious - and it was healthy! My next task is the polish style stuffed cabbage, or a recipe I found for a cabbage and white bean soup. I'll definitely be buying more, as it was cheap and easy to use! After much consideration today, I have decided to challenge myself to buy and use one new vegetable each week. I am finding that when I cook these veggies I disliked as a child, in a new way (say, as a thoran or with a lovely mix of spices), I love it. I then saw a challenge on some article online about trying "one new fruit that scares you each week". So, I am going to embark on this adventure in food: Try one fruit or veggie each week that is either new to me, or that I disliked before, in a new way. The second challenge is to try to use it in more than one way during the week so it doesn't go to waste if not used in one meal! I find too often we have leftovers that are past their prime, or veggies I have to get rid of with deep regret because they sat around too long in the fridge or on the counter. For any readers: Any suggestions for ways to eat healthier and save money at the same time? What are some good vegetables or fruits to try?