Join me in the 2nd Cookbook Challenge!

the cookbooks that have started off my first delicious week of the Cookbook Challenge!

*conveniently discovered at the San Francisco Public Library!*   

Some of you might remember when back in January I did the original Cookbook Challenge, no? The one started because I read this book, the author of which keeps this blog? 

Well I loved doing it before, and I feel it's time for another. The fall cleansing season has just come to a close, and what better way to stay connected to your health, than staying connected to your kitchen. This 2nd Cookbook Challenge will be a little different from the first, hopefully to make it easier and more available to all of you to join me. :) I've also made a very simple meal planner for you to use to organize for the CC. Check it out via the link below...

2nd Cookbook Challenge Guidelines:

1. Eat in; don't eat out. Essentially, you're only eating food made either by you or those who love you. You can interpret this as you like. For me, that means not buying anything I can prepare at home or enjoy prepared by a loved one (like at a dinner party). This includes tea, muffins, cookies (at a cafe or from a grocery store), and more. This does not include dark chocolate or bread (neither of which I have ever attempted making or see doing so in the near future). 
2. Follow the Ayurvedic Eating Guidelines as much as possible. Things like eating organic, mindfully and with the seasons. The full list is below. 
3. Choose a handful of cookbooks to use as inspiration for your foray into home cooking. They need not be technically Ayurvedic, but it helps if they support healthy fresh simple cooking. 
4. Create loopholes as needed in said guidelines.  You get to create your own loopholes as you need, but create them from the start and try not to bend them mid-way. My loophole is that romantic dinners or scheduled very important social engagements allow for eating out. Like when my boyfriend (the cook) wants to go out to a nice dinner, but not when he just wants to grab burritos. 
5. Choose how long you'll commit to the Cookbook Challenge. I'm planning on committing through to New Years. Eek! Who's with me?? That said, just trying it for a week can be quite an accomplishment, especially for the more novice home cook. 

Why? Why? Why? 

1. Health. Homemade food is generally less refined, less processed, fresher, organic and made with love, all of which make you feel great! It's hard to say all those things about much of the food we eat when out (unless you go to really nice restaurants and know the staff- which does happen to me sometimes, but still). Also, eating with the Ayurvedic Eating Guidelines in mind means your way of eating, not just what you're eating, will improve dramatically, which leads to better digestion and overall better health. 
2. Wealth. It's the season of giving and those lattes, scones, salads and sandwiches that you grab on the fly really add up! Give up those $3ish lattes alone and between now and Christmas you can save $90! How often do you get the latte with a scone? You can basically double it. That's a really nice present for someone special...
3. Reduce stress. By planning your meals, eating mindfully and eating great quality food, your stress levels are sure to go down, which can be just what we all need this time of year. 
4. Set the stage for an amazing 2012. You'll start 2012 having a new found comfort, ease and skill in the kitchen, a palette that's too refined for low-quality ingredients and a feeling of empowerment that you're in the driver's seat of your health. 

Want to join me? 

Commit to the Cookbook Challenge by commenting below with:

a) your name & location

b) how long you want to commit (i.e. 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, until Dec 1, until Jan 1)

c) blogs or cookbooks you'll be using as inspiration & want to share

Share with your friends via Facebook and Twitter that you're committing to Ayurvedic Eating In with the Cookbook Challenge, and invite them to join you! The more friends you have join you the more people you have to do dinner parties, pot lucks and exchange recipes! 

Then use this Meal Planner with the Ayurvedic Eating Guidelines to get started. I'll be blogging my way through this Challenge with photos and tips. Feel free to share as you go along via the comments section on each blog post I put up during the Challenge. 

Hurray for the home cook!