One of two things would usually start almost every family meal when I was a child in the Midwest: a package of ground beef or boneless chicken breasts.
That beef was going to be hamburger helper, tacos, chili, or Sloppy Joes. The chicken would end up on the grill in the summer, or it would be used in fajitas,
sandwiches, Mom's chicken "Parmesan" (chicken topped with marinara and shredded mozzarella, then baked), or soup.
My parents used to let me play sous chef to them all the time, and I noted that this chicken was always from the freezer and never received any attention before cooking other than thawing.
I started playing in the kitchen and changing up my meal plans after I moved out on my own.
I tried experimenting with different cooking methods, added more tastes from around the world, and chose a larger range of proteins (salmon, cod, tofu, and chicken thighs, where have you been?).
As my writing career progressed, I wrote more about food and nutrition than fitness, and finally I teamed up with test kitchen professionals who compose,
This led to an increase in activity in the kitchen. At this point, I started picking up even more tips by osmosis: reading through recipes to see how one may differ from another or tasting several iterations