Cooking like a Newlywed - Becoming a Foodie.

A few months before we got married, I remember talking to a friend who had been married just over a year. We were talking about the "unexpected parts" of marriage and she mentioned half-jokingly,

It was weird having another human counting on you to have food on the table...All stereotypes and sarcasm aside, I had to learn how to really plan and prepare for another person, not just for myself. Food is kinda important to stay on top of, not just for yourself, but a big responsibility to have for another person, too! 

Since I'm not currently working, I've really thrown myself into planning, shopping for, and preparing meals. We also have to consider Kevin's shift changing quite frequently from week to week; sometimes being on days and other times he'll be working in the evening. This means that we're both affected and that my planning has to be flexible considering sometimes we eat dinner at normal times and sometimes at 2pm!

All that to say...I'm learning! I would certainly not say that I have this whole thing mastered after just a month and a half. It's fun though - experimenting and seeing what we like. And some nights dinner is amaaaaazing (sharing more on that further down!) and some days it's a little of, "well...that won't be coming in the circulation again!"

At first I didn't know what to use. There are so many free meal planning printables on pinterest but I use this one for right now and that can be found right here. I like this one because it has the weekly planner PLUS a grocery list. And it's right there! I just fold it in half and take the paper when I go to the store at the beginning of the week. This stays on our fridge the whole week too so my forgetful self knows what's going on and so that my husband can get excited for nights like Buffalo Chicken Pasta, which was definitely a husband-approved-dinner.  

We've also decided to start integrating big and beautiful summer salads in to our week at least once in place of dinner, typically two times. Healthy household decisions, if you may. The gym is also getting integrated too. Anyways...They're so easy to prepare ahead of time (all the fixins') and then just pop in the fridge. I cut and wash the lettuce ahead of time then just pop the whole thing in the fridge. I used to think salad spinners were a waste of space but now that I use it and it keeps the lettuce fresh for a few days, I'm a believer. And it's right there at your fingertips all chopped and washed and ready to grab!

{We have this one from Bed Bath and Beyond that we got from our registry}

I've got a secret. 

I'm in love with my crock pot.

But really. I have this one from Bed Bath and Beyond, which was also off our registry and oh my goodness - I now want to "crock pot" every single day. (To be quite honest, I haven't used the special stirring mechanism, because it's for soups and dips and stews and I haven't ventured onto those...yet!) If you've never used one, GO.  Go now. Get one. Get this one. You will not regret it. Best investment (err...gift) ever and the husband fully agrees. It is so easy to use, fun to experiment in, easy to clean (most are, mine is dishwasher safe!) and you have leftovers for the whole week. 

One of my favorite parts about crock pot cooking is that you don't have to do anything, hardly. You put in your meat and your sauce or spices, leave it alone for a few hours/overnight/the whole day and BAM, hello beautiful dinner. 

Here are some successful recipes (crock pot and non crock pot) that I've come across. 

This seems limited, I know, but I'll continue to share some in the future too!

Crock pot corn on the cob and coconut lime chicken nuggets. 

Both of these are easy and awesome, and though the chicken nuggets aren't a crock pot meal they are AMAZING. Kevin has requested them numerous times and I just made them for the first time the other day. They're very similar to this homemade chicken nugget recipe, which is also a crowd pleaser. Simple, comfort food. And I bet they would be easy to freeze for a rainy day. 

With the crock pot corn on the cob, it doesn't sound like much, but there's definitely something to the way the crock pot cooks the corn. It's delicious. I'm also thinking about switching up the seasoning to the corn the next time I try this. Maybe a little garlic or get wild and try some spices? I bet some lemon or lime juice would be interesting as well. 

My husband's favorite dessert is pineapple upside down cake. So the other week while he was on long 12+ hour shifts, I worked this special treat into our schedule halfway through the week for dessert. It was fun to have something to look forward to (and the leftovers that lasted a few days and may or may not have been eaten for breakfast weren't half bad either).

This wasn't the "BEST pineapple upside down cake I've ever had so I'm not going to share the recipe (also because I can't find it), but it WAS simple which is good for me. I'll keep working on it. I'd give this recipe a 7/10 for overall taste. Regardless, it was still delicious!

This recipe was a total "dump and go." Hardly any measuring took place but it was the best. Honestly, I'm so sorry I can't tell you what on earth I put in here, but it was delicious so I have to post it. More or less the entire meal is brown sugar and garlic chicken, brown rice with broccoli, and sweet potatoes. This was one of the first meals in our new place so for some odd reason it holds a nice memory for me.

And this, my friends, is garlic mashed potato pizza. We took a date night in last weekend and made this to celebrate Friday night and the weekend. You see, Connecticut has a few restaurants where you can find garlic mashed potato pizza. I don't know where it started or if it's just a Northern thing or Connecticut thing? And I really don't know why or how this came about into the world of food, but this is one of our absolute favorite greasy guilty things to devour. 

This recipe calls for both store-bought mashed potatoes and dough. The potatoes don't have to be this particular brand, just any will do. I think I bought sour cream and garlic flavored ones. I think I'm going to take it up a notch and next time make our own dough as well as the potatoes.

As weird as it may sound, you're not allowed to "knock it 'till you try it." So go ahead and try it, I DARE you! :) 

So there you have it; I'm cooking like a total newlywed, continuing to learn how to be a wife and balance this type of stuff and becoming "a foodie" in the process. 

It's quite the adventure!