what we ate wednesday.

so my goal is to make every wednesday my "this is me attempting to cook" post.  on the weekends, i try to plan our meals for the week and go shopping.  sometimes, it happens.  sometimes, it doesn't.  i am hoping these posts will make me more motivated to stay on the planning/shopping/cooking routine more!  i didn't come from a "health nut" family, but my mom always made well-rounded meals.  i never cooked too much before i got married; it was hard for me to feel motivated when i thought it would be way easier and cheaper to go to taco bell rather than cooking  for only myself.  i honestly did not think i would enjoy it that much, cooking would just be a chore, but most nights it is very relaxing and fun.  also, i dare not take all the credit for the meals!  james helps a lot, and some nights when he feels inspired, he plans and makes meals for me.  he is definitely the more adventurous chef and is very good at mixing spices into things.  in fact, as i am writing he is cooking me dinner!  what a guy.

we don't cook tofu/no preservatives/no red meat healthy, but i try to use a lot of veggies and we are trying to start cutting out processed meats [sausage, hot dogs, etc... which for those who know me know i love me my hot dogs, but we still get chicken sausage].  some meals are involved, some are not [i'm pretty sure all of these ones fall under the "not involved" category].  some are pretty healthy, some are not.  this is just us doing our best and me trying my hand at the housewife thing.  so here we go!  what we ate wednesday:

 bread bowls with tomato soup/croutons, and artichokes.  we got the bread from boudin's in san fran so it was amazing!  the soup was just from trader joe's, though honestly i wasn't that crazy about it.  if anyone has a tomato soup they love, please share!

this one is kind of hard to see, but it's stir fried veggies and chicken in teriyaki sauce with rice.  we got the veggies pre-chopped from trader joe's!  love that place.

i don't think this goes together, but sloppy joe's and tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad.  i found the salad recipe on pinterest; it's super easy, fresh, and yummy. and it made me feel a little less guilty about the sloppy joe's ;)

and for dessert one night... blackberry cobbler from the one and only pioneer woman.  what would we do without her? probably starve.  we used a smaller pan so it was thicker and all the blackberries sank to the bottom, but it was still delicious!  and extremely easy.

so there you go, what we ate wednesday!  i will try to remember to take pictures this week!

twenty two.

hello again! i have apparently taken a month long break from blogging. oops.

so a few weeks ago, i turned 23 years old. i realize that to most, this seems very young.  i am still trying to get used to the idea. it just seems that by 23, you are done with college and should have some idea as to what the heck you are doing. i do not feel like i have it all together at all, but maybe that is one of the myths about being an adult. maybe you just do your best and accept that you're never going to have it all together.

i have a friend who did this cool thing on her birthday, so i am going to copy her. here is a list of things i have learned while i was 22. they say your golden birthday is supposed to be your best year. twenty-two was definitely a wonderful year! i would like to think that it is not all downhill from here, though ;). i definitely think i have a lot more great years ahead of me!

okay, here it goes: 22 things i learned from 22:

1. people can know that i am flawed and still love me.
2. i really can do anything I set my mind to. this sounds cheesy, but i really struggled in college. james taught me that if i really worked as hard as i possibly could, i could do it. and i did!
3. pinterest is wonderful.
4. if a casserole boils (like bubbles) in the oven, it is not a casserole and you should have added flour to the sauce to make it thicker. at this point it is too late and you should just order a pizza.
5. dyeing your hair permanently makes your hair really dry and brittle. look for semi-permanent.
6. some people really are meant to be together.
7. it's okay to argue sometimes, as long as you attack the problem and not your spouse.
8. your wedding day really is the best day of your life (at least for now).
9. it is a good thing to take initiative in things you want sometimes.
10. a glass of good wine can make a crappy day considerably better.
11. distance doesn't matter with friends who really love and understand you.
12. meatloaf is quite literally a loaf of meat.  it sounds disgusting, it looks disgusting, it is probably horrible for you, but it is actually quite delicious [is it weird that i have never had meatloaf until now?].
13. some people are only in your life for a season, and that's okay. be grateful for the things they taught you and then move on. it helps you appreciate the friends who are there for a lifetime.
14. sometimes i take things too personally.
15. white beds are always better.
16. not everyone thinks the way i do. this is a good thing.
17. do not book a dj named dj cheetah.  he'll be as cheesy as he sounds.
18. i really do not like to be told what to do. ever. even when it is for my own good. i am working on that.
19. i can cook when i try! james has only disliked one thing i have made (the aforementioned soupy casserole). and even then he didn't say anything until i said, "i'm not going to make you eat this" and he said, "oh, thank you!"
20. God gives us such a beautiful picture of His love for us in marriage. to have a man who would lay down his life for me and who i trust wholeheartedly with our future and that we can love each other unconditionally is such a blessing from the Lord. i have definitely learned more about God's love for us from being married.
21. flowers do a lot to make a place look brighter.
22. it is a lot easier to keep a place clean when it is all yours!

so there's my list... that was easier than i thought! some were silly and some were serious, but i learned a lot in year 22! God blessed me soo very much this year and i can't wait to see what's in store for year 23!