Newlywed Cooking. For the newlywed. Yeah.

When Gray and I first got married I was nervous at the prospect of having to cook dinner every night.  Luckily I had the help of a Thai cooking background, advice from siblings, and wonderful recipes from in-laws. However there were still things I wasn't prepared for.  When I had previously been on my own I rarely cooked at home (the benefits of working in a restaurant I suppose).  When Gray and I started our home together i worried about how to do my grocery shopping: What do I buy? How should I stock my pantry and fridge without wasting food?  Is cheaper always better? I'm still learning about how to fill my pantry and fridge efficiently, but here are a few things I've discovered in my grocery shopping struggle. 

1. Staples for your Pantry

Have staple ingredients. This may depend on what type of foods you decide to cook but the following items are things I use frequently:

Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Herbs de Provence
Garlic powder ( I also keep a jar of minced garlic )
Salt/pepper
Cayenne pepper
Dill weed
Coriander
Basil
Mrs. Dash
Olive oil
Canola oil
Balsamic vinegar
White vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Fish sauce
Low sodium soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Dijon mustard
Ketchup
Sugar (white and brown)
Flour
Rice (brown or white)
Bread crumbs
Eggs

This list of ingredients can be acquired over time. However your shopping list becomes a lot shorter after your basics are covered. 

2. Meal Planning with Proteins

Now that you have your basic seasonings, herbs and bases for sauces, you can put together a meal even if you don't have a recipe.  First, decide what proteins you want for the week. I usually aim for chicken breast, ground beef, and maybe turkey or pork loin. I like to reserve the rest of the week for meals not planned around a protein but use more grains and vegetables. This will help cut grocery costs and balance your diet. This also allows you to embrace some creativity in your cooking. You can switch it up and try a vegetarian stir-fry with yakisoba noodles or handmade meatballs with easy homemade spaghetti sauce.  

3. Choosing Vegetables 
 
Next, decide on your veggie list. Sometimes buying fresh vegetables is expensive. Mix it up by also buying frozen and canned vegetables. However, always try to include a fresh piece of veggie or fruit with your meals. Buy salads with dark lettuce. Spinach salads seem to last longer than iceberg. Toss spinach with different veggies every night. Try bell peppers and mushrooms on Monday. Romaine tomatoes and cucumbers on Tuesday.  Maybe try mandarin oranges and your favorite nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts) on Wednesday.  Use your pantry items to make a simple vinaigrette. Mix olive oil, Dijon mustard, and white vinegar with a little pinch of sugar. Pepper and salt to taste. 

3.  Strategic Grocery Shopping

Coupon clipping is a great way to save money, but sometimes it changes the way you plan your meals. If there is a buy 3 get 1 free deal for Hamburger Helper, you might find yourself eating boxed dinners every night, therefore depriving your diet of fresh vegetables and fruits. Try clipping coupons when they are pertinent to your cooking. Find coupons for spices and soups. Occasionally organic poultry products may have coupons so don't let new products scare you off: try them! You may end up loving it. 

Grocery shopping also begins with knowing what your menu will look like for the week. Consider food allergies, favorite foods (as well as not-so-favorite foods), and what seems to taste better when microwaved or reheated. I like to plan meals that use the same ingredients in different ways. For example, here is a menu I put together with these considerations.

Monday:
Balsamic steak & mushrooms with mashed red potatoes and green beans. Side salad. 

Tuesday:
Baked garlic and thyme red potatoes with green bean casserole. Side salad. 

Wednesday:
Leftovers or
Four cheese tortellini with homemade tomato sauce and garlic bread. 

Thursday: 
Steak with tomato, mushroom and onion sauce. Side salad. 

Friday:
Veggie fried rice with fried eggs. Optional side soup. 

Saturday: 
Leftovers (we usually don't have time to cook on Saturdays)

Sunday:
Pot roast with boiled Rosemary potatoes and onions. 

With this menu I tried to limit the meat intake but include tasty alternatives. Usually pasta or casseroles are good replacements and stir- fry will use smaller cuts of meat. This week, my grocery list would've looked like this:

2-4 Eye of round steaks
Bag of red potatoes (will last for a few weeks)
Green beans ( always freeze excess veggies for stews, broths or for steamed sides)
Mushrooms
4 fresh Roma tomatoes or 2 cans of diced Italian style tomatoes
Spinach salad 
Cheese tortellini
Eggs (if not already a staple)
Rice ( if not already a staple)
Large yellow or red onion
Pot roast

How to Write an Employee Handbook

I really have no idea how to. I just decided that I am going to be really ambitious and research a bunch of employee handbooks, then write one! Voila!

That will be a hecka cool thing to add to my resume.

well i tried to stay away. still trying.

Hello world. Guess what? I have been on facebook again. Is that bad? I wouldn't have seen Mindy's awesome wedding video if I didn't nor what Mindee and Jerry and Tayden have been doing, nor how Michelle is feeling nor what lovely links Graydon and Brad are posting.

Maybe these are all excuses but I really have missed being able to see what my family is doing. My dad is even on facebook now, and he has the funniest jokes sometimes. I felt kind of weird when my dad was more updated on facebook than I was! But I've decided that in moderation it's not so bad. If I'm on it all the time then I always begin to overanalyze everything.

This weekend Graydon and I are flying out to San Diego to visit Mindy and George. I am so excited to be able to see them both. We're planning on going to Disneyland on Saturday too. I hope we'll be able to make it to the beach as well. Last fall, Gray and I stopped at Huntington Beach but I didn't get to spend too much time there since it was a little cooler. We really had a great time going to Disneyland with our friends Jake and Ashley so we're looking forward to hanging out with Mickey Mouse again with our siblings. I think I'm really excited to see Mindy and George's apartment and just see how well they're doing. Mindy will be coming next week to Utah for Michelle's baby shower too so I get two weekends with her which is really rare. I just hope they don't ever move too far from us!

I've had a great week so far. Busy, but great. Michelle no longer works at the restaurant since she is so close to having Will so I've been kind of lonely. It's strange how much of a difference having a friend makes. She is someone I can count on. I can talk to her about anything. She is always sympathetic and I don't think I've ever felt like she was judging me even if I have done stupid things in the past. I'm so grateful for my siblings. Gray and I had fun watching Tayden the other night and I was glad to be able to be so close to Mindee and Jerry so that we were able to help out. It will be heartbreaking when everyone starts moving away :(

Sometimes I think I'd like to stay around in Utah, sometimes I feel like i want to raise our family elsewhere. But at the end of the day, Utah is a pretty rad place. I'm not complaining about how boring it is anymore, I actually appreciate how it's possible to have a great time here even though it isn't a huge city. We're not far from the mountains and I'm not complaining about the amount of snow we get: I love snowboarding in powder. I wouldn't mind teaching our kids some day how to ski (and in Graydon's case, water ski). I especially love that our family is always within driving distance. Holidays sometimes get crazy but it is possible for us to see everyone.

I think my blogs are increasingly more boring than they used to be. Maybe it's because there isn't much that goes on in my life? Or maybe it's because I don't make a fuss of little things anymore...I'm still not sure.

I'm still trying to stay away from facebook a little bit. Every time I sign in I get offended by someone...and there really is no need to be offended by an old friend deleting me or someone not responding immediately...they really are petty things. Although it stings for the first few minutes, I just have to shake it off. Friendships can only be cultivated in person anyway. I fail as a friend if I get offended for not hearing from them on facebook but then on the other hand never give them a text or call.

I will try to be a better friend.