Birthdays

Today is the birthday of one of my oldest friends.  We’ll just call her Tomato for the sake of this post.   If you embarrass her enough she turns bright red like a tomato, so that seems fitting :)

Tomato and I met each other in grade school.  We went to the same school since kindergarten, but somehow never really “met” until a few years later.  Once we did we were inseparable.   I frequently got in trouble for talking to her too much in school.  Or laughing.  We laughed a lot.

In high school we spent most Friday/Saturday nights together.  We were both (probably still are) weird and random but we were weird and random together.  We were silly and got in trouble together.  Although we never did anything serious I’m sure our parents wondered if the other was a bad influence at times although I think I was the bad influence though to be honest!  We played MASH and wrote notes and listened to the same music.  We’d drive around and sing songs at the top of our lungs.  I don’t sing in front of anyone so this is quite amazing to think of now.

She’d convince me to watch scary movies and I’d spend the next night on my parent’s bedroom floor because I was terrified and couldn’t sleep.  I had been okay until I watched the movie but after learning about Freddie Kruger or that guy from Scream I was convinced he was going to come for me that night.  I’d finally recover from one movie and we’d watch another one, starting the cycle again!

There was a time when she knew more about me than I knew about myself at times.  She would listen to me ramble on and on (hard to imagine I’d do that huh?) about my issues and then I’d listen to hers.  She’d put up with my boy drama and help me dissect conversations and analyze them the way high school girls do.  She’d answer the phone at 2am ready to talk or just listen to me (that was when we were young and could actually wake up at 2am and be coherent).

Finally we graduated and it came time to part ways.  It was hard to say goodbye.  I knew we’d always be best friends, that nothing would ever change, even though I heard that it would.  I cried after we said good-bye the day before we left for college.  She just “got” me and I’ve learned that doesn’t come along very long.

Things have changed; we’ve both grown up so much.  She went to one college and I went to another.  We grew apart in college, each dealing with our own experiences, the huge changes in our lives.  We live in different states.  We have different lives.  One thing has never changed though.  No matter what, I know she’s always there to listen.  She doesn’t judge me, she already knows I’m a bit nuts, but apparently she doesn’t care.  We don’t talk that often, every other month, sometimes even a few at a time.  When we do talk we just pick up from where we left off.  While I was a bit wrong about things not changing, I was right about one thing – she’ll be my friend until the end and I’m so glad she’s in my life.

Happy birthday to my amazing friend.  I hope this year is full of wonderful surprises and happiness.  You deserve it!

4 Years!

The other day I was making my meal plan for the week as I randomly grabbed a notebook off my shelf.  As I opened it I found the scribbled beginnings of my wedding vows.  I stopped what I was doing, took a seat, and laughed at myself as I read through the phrases I had jotted down and then scribbled out because apparently they just weren’t good enough to express my feelings, to express my lifetime vows.  It was a funny thing to find - something so romantic and extraordinary that seemed out of place for my ordinary, meal planning evening.  I eventually found the words to say to Mr. C that, at the time, expressed the best I could the way I felt about him. 

It’s been four years since the day I stood in front of our families, friends, and God in that white dress reading my vows and knowing that I was so lucky to be marrying such a man.  So many things have changed in our lives.  Some things are for the better and some are not.  But the one thing that has never changed is how lucky I feel. 

Life has changed though – we’ve grown up.  We have long commutes and dinners that don’t taste quite right, laundry to be washed, rooms to be cleaned, socks on the floor, car problems, bills to pay, coupons to clip, mail piling up on the counter, and fights about the dumbest things.  We also have evenings spent snuggled up on the couch sharing a blanket with Coconut while watching our favorite TV shows.  We have inside jokes, sweet texts that remind the other that they are loved, that knowing glance that says what we are thinking, memories of trips and wonderful times with those we love.  We have stood by one another, clutching the other’s hand in understanding and support when someone we love has passed on or when we’re not sure if we can make it through a situation.

Four years ago today my husband vowed to love me, to stand by me, to care for me, until the end of our lives.  In the four years since then he’s done just that and today I still feel that I couldn’t be any luckier.  I thank God for blessing me with such an amazing man.  I may not have gotten everything in life right but it’s okay because I have absolutely no doubt that I got the husband part right.

Happy Anniversary Mr. C.  I love you with all my  heart.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I know this is a holiday designed to make us want to buy things and to prey upon our consumerism, however I still love the day! I love the hearts and the pink and red and the flowers and taking time to make sure those around us know they are loved. I don't think V-day should be the ONLY day to do this, but I'm staying positive and assuming that all my awesome readers are just extra awesome to their significant others, kids, pets, or whoever you celebrate with on this holiday. Mr. C and I downplay the holiday a bit since we’re apparently getting old and don’t want to deal with all the people at restaurants or overload the flower and edible arrangement people (after 3 years of them delivering flowers to me the day AFTER!), but it’s still a day that makes me giddy. With all the tragedy in the world, I’m up for a day devoted to extreme, cheesy love. Who couldn’t use a little more love?

That being said, I think we sometimes put too much stock in this one day of show boating of loving gestures and extravagant gifts. A generic bouquet of red roses because it’s “expected” doesn’t say as much to me as the bouquet of lilies and gerbera daisies sent “just because”. A nice dinner out is great, but it’s the days I’m tired and don’t want to make dinner that it means so much when Mr. C suggests picking something up so we can both just enjoy being together.

I think I’m usually pretty mindful about the fact that I’m lucky to have ended up with Mr. C. He’s got his flaws, just like me (yes, I admitted in print that I have flaws), but he’s still quite a catch! My life isn’t always exactly what I imagined it would be, but I wouldn’t trade in Mr. C for my dream career or a car full of money. Not even a plane full of money.

There are so many little everyday things that remind me that I am loved: being able to pick the music in the car no matter who is driving…even on 2500 mile road trips, having my car door opened on a date or just when we’re walking out of Target, waking up to see that the glass of water next to my bed has been filled, being told to sit down while Mr. C does the dishes, or just a text during the day to remind me I’m being thought of.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day but don’t let the day distract you from the everyday gestures and sentiments that remind you that what (and who) you’ve got for the other 364 days of the year is pretty awesome too.

What's for dinner?

At some time, we’ve all been faced with the dreaded question of “what’s for dinner?”. I hate that question. Usually when I’m asking myself that it’s because I don’t have a plan, don’t have the right foods to make a meal that would actually taste good, or I haven’t planned ahead to defrost meat or mix something up the night before. As a result, the answer to this question is usually that we end up going out. There’s nothing wrong with going out sometimes, but it’s just not the same as a home cooked meal. Mr. C and I ate out a lot during college. We were both working, taking classes, and I was commuting 2+ hours a day most times. By the time I got home I didn’t want to cook anything and after awhile you just can’t stomach pasta or ramen noodles.

When we go out we TRY to pick healthy places (except for those times we’re going out specifically to eat something horrible for us), but it gets pricey. Cutting back on eating out can save a lot, depending on how often you’re going out. Also, when you make your food you know what’s in it and that’s something I love. Have I convinced you yet?

So how did we go from going out WAY TOO much to eating at home minus a couple times a week? Because I love lists and it’s been FOREVER since I’ve made one on here, I’m going to give you a handy dandy list of what I do each week to plan our meals.

1. Collect ideas

• I think it’s helpful to have some ideas in front of you. Grab your cookbooks, go buy one that inspires you, or find free recipes online on pinterest or through your favorite blogs. I have a couple foodie blogs listed on “my fav blogs” tab on here that have been really helpful to me. I also have accumulated a few amazing recipes on my “mmm, what’s cooking” board on pinterest if you’d like to check that out.

• Make a list of the meals you make frequently that don’t require recipes. My list of these includes things like tacos, mini pizzas, chicken stroganoff, pasta, and my favorite salads and veggies for sides. I’ve made them so often or they are so easy that I just know what I need. Throw in some deserts and breakfasts just to make it interesting.

2. Designate a space to put your weekly menu

For awhile I used a little magnetic white board on our fridge to hold our dinner menu. Now I use a weekly calendar I was inspired to make here.The calendar has space for me to write in breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Because I’m using it every week I didn’t want to have to keep printing it and laminating wasn’t really holding up that well. Instead I framed it and use some fined tipped dry erase markers to write in the meals directly on the glass.

3. Plan your meals

• I grab my grocery sale flyers for the week (or pull them up online) and use that to begin my plan. For example, if there’s a killer deal on pork shoulder then we’re probably having pulled pork that week. I also try to use a couple recipes that call for similar ingredients in the same week. This is especially true with fresh herbs. I love using fresh but they can add up. If I only have one recipe that uses fresh basil I’m most likely not going to use it all, but if I can find two I have a much better chance of getting my money’s worth.

• I typically plan a big meal for Sunday night. By big, I mean something that yields 6 to 8 servings, like soup, lasagna, enchiladas, etc. I do this because this sets us up with lunches for the first part of the week. We take our lunches 99% of the time. It saves money and helps us both to eat healthier. I also have a little more time to devote to cooking on a Sunday. This Sunday I made stuffed shells which is supposed to serve 8. We each had one serving for dinner and then I had 6 more servings for lunch, meaning we both have lunch for the next 3 days. I’ll usually make a bigger veggie dish so I can save a little for the next day too. In the case of this Sunday, I made a green salad with fruit and saved a bit for our lunches. I portion out the leftovers into little glass containers so I don’t have to waste time doing this during the week.

• After I’ve decided on a few key things to make, I fill in the calendar with my ideas. I put the nights we’ve planned to go out to eat, then begin writing in dinners and figuring out how many lunches I’ll get in leftovers. Because we have enough lunches this week to last us until Thursday, I can make things that won’t yield leftovers on Monday and Tuesday, such as those mini pizzas that aren’t good reheated. I usually make a couple “complicated” meals and then fill in the other days with easier things, usually the meals I don’t need a recipe for and can just throw together. If I know I’ll have a lot of veggies I might just plan to sauté them and add to whole wheat pasta.

• It may seem crazy that I have a spot for “snacks” and “breakfast” on my menu, however, I use this to get an idea of how much extra fruit and veggies to buy. I try to make one thing for breakfast to last through the week such as banana bread or cooked oatmeal. I’ll figure out what fruits to buy based on what’s on sale, although bananas are always on the list. I’ve found that knowing how much to buy has really cut down on our waste because I know how much we’ll actually eat every week instead of buying 3 pieces of this fruit and 5 of that and then at the end of the week I have a ton left because there was no way humanly possible for us to eat it all.

• We go to two grocery stores each week, so I check the ads and write on the list where it is that I’m buying each item. I buy most of my fruits, veggies, and meat at one store and canned goods, breads, etc. at the other.

• After you’ve made your list sort through your coupons and get them all ready. I usually stick the ones I’ll be using in an envelope or baggie. I really need to make something just for this purpose though…..

4. Grocery shop

Plan a time to go. Mr. C. and I used to go after church on Sunday – every SINGLE Sunday. I guess I’m getting old because all the people and their carts are beginning to drive me nuts. We’ve recently switched to going Saturday evenings before date night if possible. Exciting Saturdays I tell ya! Having a semi-set time means that we know when we are going and we make sure we go. The most important thing is to STICK TO THE LIST! I can’t say I ALWAYS stick to the list, but I’m much better than I used to. I may buy 1-2 things each trip that weren’t on the list, but it’s usually things that are pretty minor and I’d say that 50% of the time I only buy what is on the list.

5. Be flexible!

I know it sounds like I’m not flexible with all this planning, but things do come up. Sometimes I’m just too tired for dinner or I’m craving Chinese or whatever. Sometimes we ditch the menu for a night and go out. I can usually move the days around, get rid of a menu item without wasting the food (like throwing the meat in the freezer for later), or I’ll just move it to the beginning of the next week if the ingredients will still be good.


I hope this gave you some good tips for your own meal planning! I can’t believe what a difference this system has made in our cooking. And, never again do we have to ask ourselves, “what’s for dinner???”!