Cooking For Two

So, for those of you who know me best, you know that I am not much of a cook. This is no secret, and although I've never really tried to do anything about it, it really bothers me! I thought once I got married, I'd be cooking all the time. However, I just happened to marry someone who really doesn't care what we eat for dinner. So I cook only occasionally. Well, last night, I decided to make some spaghetti for dinner. I thought we had everything for it, which in theory, we did. I browned the hamburger and got the noodles going. We had some broccolli in the freezer that I don't remember buying... I got the broccolli steaming in the microwave. Then I decided to put the sauce in the meat. We had some leftover from lasagna I made a few weeks before. I poured it in and saw that there wasn't enough. So I pulled out some pizza sauce we had left over from the week before. Even after I added that, it still wasn't enough. The microwaved beeped, and I pulled out the broccolli, and to my dismay, many pieces were brown and rotten, so in the garbage they went. I HATE wasting food! I quickly put some bread in the oven and apologetically served this sad meal to Levi. He ate it and didn't say anything about how dry the spaghetti was. The thing that upsets me is that... I can cook! I just rarely have a plan in advance so I know what ingredients to have on hand. After this dinner, we watched a show on the Food Network called The Worst Cooks In America. While watching, I decided I want to make a change.

I now present to you my plan:

I am going to write out a menu a month in advance. It won't be too hard, because Levi is only home 2 nights during the week because of school (Sunday & Wednesday). On the weekends we are usually away from home and I don't cook. So I only have to plan for 2 nights. Here is what my first menu looks like:

Along with the menu, I have planned out my shopping lists to help me stay within a budget, and to keep me from buying things that will just go bad before we eat them. The first list at the top is what I will get on my first trip. These are things that will last the entire month or longer. Then, each week, I have a smaller list with items to go with the meals that are planned for that week. These are usually items that could go bad, and need to be eaten quicker:

I know this is not really interesting to anyone but me, but I really want to be successful at this. I plan to let you all know how each meal goes every week!

Wish me luck!



A New Year

I hope everyone had a great holiday season this year. It was so great for Levi and me! I had two weeks off from work which is one of the great perks of my job. Levi was able to take some time off too, so we enjoyed being together, especially while he was out of school. We spent some time at home, but we also spent a good part of the holidays up in Layton. We both had a great Christmas, too! Levi got everything on his list and then some! He looks very handsome is the argyle sweater he got, but I think he likes The Hangover T-shirt better. Levi got me a gorgeous diamond necklace that was completely unexpected. The guy sure knows how to pick out jewlery. Now I just need to find nicer clothes to wear with it! We are blessed to have such wonderful families who help us out, and with everything they gave us for Christmas, we will be able to buy our very own washer and dryer in a few weeks. I can't wait to have the freedom to do laundry when I want!

We also had a fun New Year's celebration, and as the new year approached, we all set new years resolutions. Mine was to take better care of my body and exercise more. I have really taken a liking for Yoga in the last year, so I have decided to really take my practice seriously. I found a yoga class that I now go to on Tuesday nights, and the other nights I practice at home. Yoga is amazing! If you think it's all meditation and finding inner peace, you are way off! It kicks my butt!! The best part is how after, you can feel so worked, yet relaxed, at the same time. I love it. There is one pose that I am working on and hopefully will be able to do soon. It is very hard for me because my arms are so weak! It is called "Crow" and it requires intense concentration. It also strengthens your arms, wrists, and shoulders.

I can do it!

Levi's resolution is to loose 18 pounds by the end of June. He has been getting up really early to go to the gym in the mornings to accomplish this goal. I really admire his commitment because I know there is no way I could do all that he does. He works full-time, goes to school at night, works out in the mornings, and still has time to be a good husband and friend to me! I just love him!

I hope you all have a great 2011, and that you also take an opportunity to challenge yourself to be better in some way. We love you all!