inside a bachelorette's kitchen: a preface

I have been making a major effort to save money because of the cuts in my hours/pay and because it's just a good thing to do when you're 25 and have thousands of dollars in loans!  One of my saving initiatives has been to eat out as little as possible.  I made it a habit while in school, but now I absolutely never eat out on my own, and I couldn't tell you the last time I even stopped at a fast food place or even a chain restaurant.  I pick and choose when and where I'm going to eat out... and with whom.... or if I'll just cook for my guest/s instead... or just choose a different activity altogether.

Let me tell you though... it's tough to switch from eating out on a whim to cooking in every single day!  Especially cooking for one!  But really only at first... after you start doing it more and more and get the hang of it, it becomes its own habit.  It's starting to turn into a hobby for me too.  It just takes little steps at first, and then letting yourself be creative and have fun with it every now and then.  Some days I cook in order to come up with something to feed my belly.  Other days I cook because I need an outlet for creativity.  Other days, something just sounds really really tasty!  But I will tell you that the first reason is happening less and less.

I do eat a simple breakfast daily, but nothing crazy.  I make my own coffee at home, and never buy it on the road.  A $7 bag of coffee and $3 bottle of creamer last me weeks!  I do the Carnation breakfast essentials and eat a banana every morning.  Bananas must be the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to getting sugar and filler into your body quickly... Only like 20 cents apiece and they come prepackaged which is just super convenient.  On weekends, however, I like to get a little fancier and do eggs or sausage or toast, etc.

Special Weekend Breakfast = Pancake, Turkey bacon, eggs, fresh blackberries

I pack my lunch every day, as a rule.  It's the same basic thing every day: turkey sandwich, an apple, and either carrots or sugar snap peas with alternating hummus flavors.  It saves me time when I only have 30 minutes to break for lunch, it saves me money (it's about $2/day when you break it all down), and it saves me calories.  When I have no choice but to eat fruits and veggies, then I eat every last bite.  And after crazy mornings at work when I'm starving by noon but have hours to go, nothing sounds yummier to me than my turkey sandwich and my apple!

For dinners, I usually keep it very simple during the week. I don't like to make the same thing more than once in a week, or two weeks if I can help it.  But it's not the end of the world if I do.  I have gotten to where I have some favorites and "go-to's" for my weeknights when I come home from work needing immediate refueling... as long as it's healthy and I'm still getting some variety each night, then it works.

Some of my favorites are frozen burger patties.  I love the MorningStar black bean burgers, Trader Joe's Veggie burger patties and Trader Joe's Mahi Mahi patties.  I always have sandwich slims (the little round flat ones that come in pairs-- only100 calories per pair and 5g fiber!) in stock because I eat them daily for my lunches.  I also like the pre-cut/cooked frozen Tyson's chicken and steak strips, or Morningstar "ChikN".  They are 2 minutes in the microwave, and perfect to add to a salad with tomatoes, shredded carrots, cheese, and whatever dressing I'm in the mood for.  I basically keep all that stuff stocked weekly so that's easy to throw together when I come home and am desperate for food.

I keep freezer drawers stocked full of various veggies so I always have something easy for a side, as well as frozen chicken breasts, and cod or tilapia filets.  I buy the big bag of chicken breasts and then bag them up individual as soon as I get home from the store so that it literally takes two seconds in the morning to pull out a baggy to be thawed by dinner... but usually I forget to do that and microwave on defrost when I'm in the mood for chicken.

Tilapia tacos with cilantro-lime rice and homemade blackbean salsa - Last made in July

Every now and then I'll be a little more creative and actually plan ahead a little bit, or just get creative with what's available.  I can do a quick and dirty version of my mom's "Swiss Chicken" (which I'm sure I'll have to make and post about another time), or make fish tacos with homemade salsa, or yummy rosemary potatoes with my rosemary from the garden... or one of my favorites, breakfast for dinner.

Quick 2-serving version of "Swiss Chicken" - Last made in August

I can't say I always get fancy on the weekends, but the last couple of weekends, I've gotten a little more ambitious.  I have two posts waiting in the wings about my cooking adventures, the recipes I used and modified, and the final creations I made that were soooo good and received rave reviews from my toughest critic (me).  Photos and recipes will be included, as well as some of the changes I made and experimented with a little bit.

I've been working on my Christmas list and it is already including a KitchenAid mixer, an onion chopper and a new garlic press (mine is so old and too weak for the quantities of garlic I need!)... I'm sure more will be added.  There is also something about the weather changing that makes a warm kitchen a really cozy and happy place to be!

In the meantime, look out for the upcoming reports on homemade spaghetti with special spicy sausage, and tex-mex chicken chili!