On being a housewife

In just a few weeks, my time as a stay-at-home-mom will be coming to an end. No more days without showers, no more uniform of jeans and tennis shoes, no more trips to the park before lunch, and no more snuggle time before naps in the afternoon. I would by lying if I said I wasn't going to miss these things. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not going back on my decision to at least try working again -- but I am beginning to realize the little things I'll be giving up.

There's one thing I've really worked on since being home these past few months that I do not plan on giving up though, and that's cooking. I am so, so proud of myself that I can confidently say I am okay in the kitchen. I'm not fantastic by any means, but I do not stink. Those of you who know me well are probably falling out of your seats to read that I am cooking now. In the past both Clint and I ate out for all three meals most of the time, which was sooo unhealthy. Occasionally he would cook or I would, but it was such a ridiculous process. Since I didn't cook often, I rarely had any necessary ingredients stocked in the kitchen. And the ones I did have expired in 2005. As often as I cooked dinner, I also had to clean out the fridge of old cheese and eggs and butter. This was never pretty. And the shopping we did have to do at the grocery store was ridiculously expensive because we had to stock up on EVERYTHING every time we cooked. It would have been cheaper to just pick up dinner from a restaurant . . . and so the vicious cycle continued.

Once we moved to Chicago, I thought I would have more time to cook with staying home, and that is the farthest thing from the truth. Staying home with a toddler and a newborn does not necessarily give me more time to cook . . . and definitely not more energy. But I had set my goal of cooking, so I had to figure out how to do this. First things first -- I had to stock the refrigerator and pantry. It was completely empty, so it had to be done. Before I did this I made a list of the types of meals that Clint and I liked: Italian dishes with spicy red sauce, cheesy Mexican meals, Bbq chicken with mashed potatoes and baked beans, and the list went on and on. I tried to pick out the common ingredients in the meals we liked along with figuring out which ones I would actually attempt making. And this was how it all began.

So I am about to give you what I wish someone had given me when I began cooking. An easy peasy shopping list and some meals you can make with it (just Google the recipes). If you are a pro like I know some of you are, just stop reading and feel free to stalk any of my friends' blogs listed to the side . . . or play on Facebook or whatever. There will be no photos of my adorable children and no ranting and raving from me. Just a grocery list. And I will be a snob for a second and suggest always buying organic dairy products (especially if you have little girls. Haven't you seen the 10-year-olds who need to be shopping at Victoria's Secret lately?), frozen or fresh veggies (no canned!), and whole grain breads and pastas as much as possible.

Refrigerator:

Milk

Butter (skip the margarine, not very good for you)

Sour Cream

Cheese (I keep cheddar and parmesan. Don't buy low-fat for cooking because it doesn't melt well)

Vanilla Yogurt

Eggs

Minced Garlic (shortcut for dealing with garlic)

Fruit (I always keep blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, grapes, and tomatoes)

Lettuce or Spinach

Veggies (I keep an onion and sometimes sweet potatoes, carrots, or mushrooms)

Hummus (to snack on when dinner is taking way too long, just add some olive oil to it to make it taste homemade)

Meat (I keep chicken and ground beef)

Freezer:

Vanilla Ice Cream -- goes with any dessert

Frozen Pizza (I keep what I think is a Freschetta Brick Oven pepperoni for emergencies)

Frozen Veggies (We like broccoli, green beans, carrots, and peas)

Ore Ida Steam 'n Mash Potatoes (a LIFE SAVER! Just add some milk, butter, and garlic)

Rolls, Biscuits, Cinnamon Rolls

Baking (if you're not a baker, then you may not need all of this):

Flour

Sugar

Brown Sugar

Olive Oil

Canola Oil

Vinegar (I keep balsamic and red wine)

Cocoa

Jiffy Cornbread Mix

Nuts (I use walnuts and pecans a lot)

Pancake Mix

A quick mix for guests who pop in or potlucks (Brownie, Pumpkin Bread, or Lemon Poppyseed Muffin are great ones)

Pantry:

Bread

Tortillas

Van Kamp's Baked Beans (just add some brown sugar, garlic, bbq sauce, ground beef and onion - yum!)

Black beans

Rice

Assorted Noodles

Italian seasoned diced tomatoes

Wheat thins

Cream or chicken, celery, or mushroom

Wheat crackers

Granola

Pasta Sauce

Cereal

Peanut butter

Panko bread crumbs

Potato Chips (Sun Chips are supposed to be fairly healthy, at least for a chip)

Some yummy meals that can be made with the list above (you may need a couple of other things). I found most of these on allrecipes.com. Yes, I have tons of recipe books, but I love looking on-line because there are lots of easy options:

Parmesan Chicken -- SOO easy. Can make it with spaghetti noodles and a salad or by itself with some veggies on the side.

Spaghetti -- add mushrooms for more flavor. For an easy sauce that tastes homemade, use half a can of red pasta sauce with a can of Italian tomatoes. Try to find Tone's Spicy Spaghetti seasoning -- it is amazing.

Poppyseed Chicken -- probably not too healthy but everyone loves it! Put a salad and some rolls with it for an easy meal.

Mexican -- easy tacos, taco casserole, Mexican pizza, enchiladas. I use black beans wherever refried beans are in a recipe.

Garlic Mushroom Stuffed Chicken -- just add some easy mashed potatoes and brocolli on the side.

Pecan crusted chicken

And the list can go on and on. I've learned to just Google with the ingredients I have and see what pops up. It has made dinner at our house much easier!