Whole Wheat Penne with Mushroom Marinara

(Unfortunately) pre-packaged. This was still a good meal, and it's good to have a quick, nutritious dinner to turn to when in a hurry. Cooking with ingredients that come pre-packaged makes me yearn for some culinary creativity. Amanda added some onions, chives, and spices to the sauce, but there was a certain sense of satisfaction lacking when we were actually eating the pasta. Cooking your own food is such a fulfilling process; both an art and a science, an interaction between a person and their food - an interaction that has been all but removed from our society by a myriad of fast food chains and "easy bake" dinners. Even if you can only cook one night a week, take the time to plan out a meal. Shop for fresh ingredients and feel free to improvise when in the kitchen. People are intimidated by cooking because they feel that they cannot follow a recipe, when all you really need to cook successfully is a sense of what you like and the gall to try something new.