because i’m sure you missed me

i know it has been quiet here. sorry… i kind of enjoyed the break.

a few weeks ago i posted about my aspirations for 2012 and have had some significant moments this week that i thought were worth sharing:

• being brave- hayley over tiny twig (via life as an atristpreneur) shared about being brave enough to ask and hear “no.” it got me thinking about all of the opportunities and experiences i’ve been missing out on simply because i don’t seek them out. so i did. i contacted a local antique/handmade shop and asked if i could join their list of dealers and they said yes! the space rental is probably more than i think i would be able to handle, but a real store was willing to sell Love, SB items! all i did was send them an email with pictures and they replied with a rental contract. so cool.
• enjoying my closet- i’ve gotten dressed every morning (well except the 3 days i was sick) and wore clothes that i enjoyed. not because i simply had to wear something to work. it made my days brighter.
• try new things- i taught myself how to knit in the round (connected needles in a circle), which has been intimidating me for the last 3 years. i’m loving it.

in other news, i had a good conversation with friends about what we do and why with our food. we don’t eat and exercise for a certain number on a scale. we don’t own one of those anyways. we decided the life we wanted to live was one where we felt good and chose to live well. so we are. i talked with friends about meal planning and thought it would be helpful to show what this week’s plan was… even if it is just for them.

for lots of us who don’t have kids, it seems silly to cook for just two people…wrong! cook the amount suggested in the recipe and keep the rest for lunch the next day. yes, this means i haven’t made a lunch in over a year. it’s important to take note of how many servings a recipe makes because you only need one serving. still hungry? wait 5 minutes and eat some veg.

here’s what we enjoyed this week (p.s. if i was a serious blogger i’d post pictures of the dishes but these are all from other blogs who did that already):

• sunday- date night leftovers and dinner at a friends
• monday-chili made over the weekend and bruchetta chicken bake
• tuesday- chili and fajitas
• wednesday- leftovers and lemon chicken breast
• thursday- leftovers and overnight curry
• friday- leftovers for lunch and dinner
• breakfasts- i make this on sunday and it lasts until saturday. we split a bagel alongside the eggs.

i usually try 2 or 3 new recipes a week so we don’t get bored with food. i have a few rules when it comes to what we eat:

1. no artificial anything- no flavor packs, make my own sauces when necessary, nothing from a box.
2. if it calls for vegetables, add more- if you are eating healthier to lose weight, you will experience hunger. once your body adjusts you won’t feel as hungry as often. no matter what you are doing it is good to eat veg as long as they are cooked properly and it will fill you up in a good way. have you ever said “ugh, i’m stuffed from all of those garlic sauteed green beans?” probably not.
3. pack the leftovers before you serve- if i’m on top of things, i will put our meals on the plate and in the tupperware at the same time. that way we aren’t given the opportunity to over eat and lunches are already packed!
4. if there aren’t leftovers i’m not making it- cooking once a day is enough for me.
5. minimal ingredients- an even more cost effective way of cooking enough for leftovers is doing it with few ingredients. it’s taken some time to build up my stock, but i have most spices on hand, which saves a lot in my weekly budget. everything else involved is protein and veg so it comes fresh. here’s a helpful guide for kitchen stocking from one of my fave food blogs.
6. within budget- i spend about $60/week for a week’s worth of food. in addition to the meals above i buy fruit and veg for snacks/lunches and make this yogurt. we drink milk, water, and the occasional cocktail. no desserts unless we are serving guests. we eat out 2-4 times per week for dates. those are usually low-ish budget, but to be honest, not cooking and a redbox movie is a great night for me!

writing this out sounds way more strict than it actually sounds. it’s really not that hard after a few weeks of working with it. any recipes to share? i love using pinterest for new dishes, follow my food board here.