My New Favorite iPad App

I love to cook - when I have time. While most of you know from previous blog posts that J does the majority of the cooking, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy scavenging for some amazing-sounding recipes! We really do enjoy cooking together (remember our second date?). Recently, my mom introduced me to this amazing iPad app for the kitchen: RecipeBook. When she initially purchased it, the app cost $2.99. Now it's $3.99. I don't generally make a habit of buying iPad apps. I personally think that it is a waste of money, but I did purchase this app. I am so happy that I did! Whenever I find a recipe that sounds great, I transfer it into this app. From there, I can email it to J (who has the same app). He can then transfer it into the app on his iPad and use it to make dinner! Super simple!

So, to demonstrate, I've included a little mini tutorial to show you a little bit of what this app is all about! I found this amazing-sounding recipe on Pinterest: Roasted Cauliflower & Gruyere Soup. I opened up the actual webpage that this recipe was found on and copied the link.

I then opened up my RecipeBook app and selected "Import Recipe from Online" under the menu options.

From there, you can import the recipe in a snap! The directions on the app are actually really well-written and easy to understand. The best part is, the app will create a grocery list on demand! Pretty awesome, huh?!

I hope you enjoy this app! Let me know if you want to swap some recipes! :)

Putting Your Erin Condren Life Planner to Work: Meal Planning

We have this issue in our house - a lot. It's 6 pm, J and I are both starving, and yet we have no food thawed out, the left overs are bad, and no plan for dinner. So we make it work by going out to eat - a huge killer for our already tight budget. We have implemented a system at our house to make grocery shopping easier, decrease the meals we eat out, and make the most out of the food we do buy. If you take your lunch to work, you can even take this a step further by figuring out how you are going to dole your leftovers out over the week for lunch.

1. I have taken this idea from a sweet girl I know from a Facebook group for Erin Condren fanatics. I created a page of quick meal ideas (my "meal reference") that I refer to when I get stuck.  I have organized these by categories: main dishes, crockpot recipes, sides, and recipes to try (for when I stumble across that amazing-sounding recipe on Pinterest and want to actually remember which dish I pinned).  If you have a picky kid, make a list separate for them and add to it when you find a new food he or she likes. The possibilities of your menu reference are endless! I even created on specifically for parties, dividing it up into the following categories: appetizers, sides, salads, finger foods, dips, and main dishes.

2. Using my cravings (no I'm not pregnant), J's requests, and my Pinterest inspirations, I create a list of meals - one for each day. I run this list by J to make sure that he is ok with everything (after all, he is the cook!). I write this down on a sticky note (and try to assign one meal to each day of the week, mixing up the protein of the main dish so we don't have chicken 3 nights in a row, etc.).

3. Once I get to the point where I am ready to decorate my week (see how I do that here!), I write down each meal on a sticker and stick it at the bottom of the page on the lined notes section.

4. I then transfer the meal plan to our menu board on the fridge. I ordered this off of a discount website (jane.com).  The original company was Lovey Dovey Creations. This way, if I am at work with my planner, J knows what to thaw out, cook, prepare, etc.. We often use the left overs for lunch the next day if we can. Sometimes, we simply plan to make less of a meal if we are trying to cut down on the amount of leftovers we have (like if we are leaving for a trip later that week).

I hope this has inspired you to get to meal-planning! I plan weekly so we make weekly trips to the grocery store. However, I have made monthly meal plans before (it just got a bit tedious for me). The great thing about this system is you can use all (or none, or some) of what I do. Let me know how it works for you!

Thai Curry Anything

J and I made this together when we first started dating.  It was actually the first thing we made together (Cue chorus of Awwwws). We probably make this every other week because it is SO good and so full of color (natural color!).  I absolutely hate zucchini, but I will eat it in this recipe! J originally got the recipe when he was in grad school. The best part is, you can use any source of protein (think: chickpeas, tofu, etc.) and any veggies you want! The options are endless. You can literally throw in anything (Hence, us calling it "Thai Curry Anything.") I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
1 pound of smoked sausage, cut into thin slices
3-4 cups of chopped veggies (we do 1.5 cups of red/yellow peppers, and 1.5 cups of zucchini, all diced)
1 can coconut milk (not refrigerated - you can find cans or cartons at your local supermarket!)
1 Tbsp of cooking oil
Curry Paste (we use green or yellow as it's less spicy)

Directions:
1. In large pan on medium high heat, add one tablespoon of cooking oil.
2. Add sausage and stir fry for a minute or two.
3. Add in vegetables and cook for a minute or two.
4. Add curry paste, stir and cook for another minute.
5. Shake coconut milk well before opening, then add to veggies, meat and curry.
6. Add a half of cup of water or so and stir well to distribute curry paste evenly.
7. Simmer for a few minutes heated through (or until meat is thoroughly cooked).
8. Serve with cooked rice!

Enjoy! How delicious does THIS look?!

Stocking Up! (Making the Most Out of Your Warehouse Membership)

Costco? Sam's? BJ's? You know - those HUGE warehouse stores that make your budget-spidey-senses tingle and the electric thrill go up your spine! Where ELSE can you get a flat-screen TV at an unbeatable rate (oftentimes with an additional concierge service for minimal to no charge) AND filets of fresh tilapia or prime cuts of steak??  Places like these can be extremely overwhelming if you charge in without a plan! Trust me, I walked out with things I didn't even KNOW existed or that I needed...which turned into things that I never used and eventually gave away. So...I learned my lesson a LONG time ago, and I hope to pass on some tips, wisdom, and advice that will help you minimize your trips to your local warehouse store, but also that will help you make the most out of your trips!

1. RESEARCH:  Sometimes, the membership cost isn't worth it! I have a Sam's membership.  Sam's is literally 15 minutes MAX down the road from me.  Costco is 30 minutes (minimum) away from me, and subsequently, I never go there.  Even the least expensive membership of $50 isn't worth it if I never go!  Find which warehouse stores are closest to you, and which ones you will use the most!

2. PLAN AHEAD: I look in my freezer and fridge before I leave - like any normal grocery store trip.  Why buy what you already have, right?! I make a master list of things I am running low on or out of.  We generally eat a LOT of chicken, so purchasing it in bulk is cheaper for me than buying it at my local supermarket. BUT if the local supermarket has chicken on Manager's Special - you best believe I am buying them out instead! It's much cheaper that way! But I rarely get lucky enough to find enough chicken and subsequently buy from Sam's instead.  Plus, there's so much that it lasts forever!!!

3. That Includes a Menu Plan: Well, sort of....I know that if I buy one "pack" of Italian Sausage at Sam's it will last me close to a year if I freeze it.  You know those packs of Italian Sausage at the grocery store? Double it - that's one layer.  2 layers are included in one Sam's "pack" of this sausage. Chicken breasts are conveniently pre-packaged into packages of 2 breasts (boneless, skinless).  Chicken thighs - don't hold your breath.  I am WAY off topic. My apologies.  I know about how much meat we go through per month...LOTS of chicken, 1-2 steaks, 1-2 packs of stew beef, LOTS of bacon, 4-6 pounds of ground beef (spaghetti, burgers, etc.), 4-8 fish filets...You get the drift.  Write down how much you use per meal (And document if there are any left overs you can freeze/take for lunch/etc. It may cut down on what you buy for lunch!) for one month. Then use that as your gauge.  We have enough meat in our fridge for probably close to 6 months (yes - you read that right). Just this past weekend, we bought 3 pounds of ground bison (I'm a ground meat snob, sorry!), 1 fillet of salmon (it was the entire body in a "fillet"), 1 "pack" Italian sausage, 1 pack of 8-10 tilapia filets, 1 pack chicken breasts, 1 pack chicken thighs, 1 package (which equals 3 grocery store packs) of bacon....you see?! We took a fairly big hit to our budget, BUT it will help us keep things in line for the next 6-8 months!

4. Take Time to Browse But Be Careful: We found organic spinach & cheese ravioli...uh, yes please! Was it on our "official" list?! Nope.  But it is delicious (my mom used to serve this 1-2 times per month!), and you can add your own sauce or eat it plain - it's great either way.  What else did we get?! A family pack of greek yogurt.  J loves the stuff, and it cost us a LOT less to buy it there than at Publix, Kroger, OR Ingle's! Pesto - we found a huge jar (triple the size of the grocery store jars) for only $4-5 more. We use pesto a lot, so it made sense for us to get it. My point?! Stick to your list but be open minded! Just not TOO opened minded.  When I find something that I want to get, I just try to remember how often I actually eat/use said item...is it fairly frequently?! Then I might buy it for a trial run. I eat it or use it once a month? Put it back.

5. Know Your Limits: We go through fruit by the pound-ful, particularly in the summer. J can put away fruit like a garbage disposal. So purchasing fruit at Sam's is totally worth my while.  Keeping that in mind, I know that we aren't going to go through 6 heads of Romaine lettuce in a reasonable amount of time...so it would go bad more than likely.  So, to me, the few extra dollars I might save aren't worth it to watch the lettuce rot in the fridge.

6. Have Fun! I love going to Sam's! It's so amazing to see all the incredible new wonders there. I could spend hours in there...sometimes, J and I do! Expect to find plenty of what you need, and then some things you didn't know you wanted/needed! Enjoy some samples (particularly on Saturdays) or a $1 slice of pizza. It's even great for lunch time when you have little munchkins with you! Enough of the samples equals lunch for them!