RECIPES WE LOVED IN 2021

See our favorite recipes from 2020 here.

2021 was the year I got more strategic about food. 

We were making multiple little trips to the grocery store (sometimes every day!) and going on big, stock-up trips every few weeks but still seldom had anything to eat. I didn't shop with a list, didn't usually have much of a plan--and when I did, it was way too ambitious--and we ended up letting good food go to waste while we ate frozen pizzas, pasta, and tacos. But not anymore, friend. Not anymore. 

Becoming more strategic about food was really thanks to Nick. He made it his 2021 Resolution to meal plan every week which was very practical of him. Now, this actually worked out to be my task...because...well, let's just say this is more my arena. But it was his idea. And he was the one who put up with all my groaning and gnashing of teeth about it so...we shall give some credit to him. ;)  Here you go, honey: some credit. 

What main strategies did we employ?

• Meal plan every week.
• Make a grocery list every week.
• Designate a "grocery day" and shop once a week.

Super complicated. Very original. So unique. Probably not even feasible for most people to accomplish without heroic strength and virtue. Obviously.

What additional strategies helped?

• Keeping our favorite recipes in a little notebook for easy access. This made planning, list-making, and cooking much easier than using a recipe directly off my phone.
• Insisting that every recipe made at least enough for one additional dinner. I don't like leftovers that much, but ya girl does not have the time or the energy to be cooking 7 unique dinners a week. 
• Setting realistic cooking expectations. This means 2 main things for me: 1. most recipes I choose for a week need to be simple or else they won't get made and the food will go bad. 2. I need to plan on at least one extremely easy meal each week in case we get busy or in case I end up not feeling good. Occasionally, we will throw an additional extremely easy meal or two in a week if we anticipate a difficult week, but try to keep them to a minimum as they aren't usually very healthy. 

I'd say these strategies were wildly successful. Actually wildly successful. We stuck to our budget better, wasted less food, ate healthier, went to the grocery store less often, spent less time cooking, and a LOT less time asking "huh, so... what's for dinner tonight?" To say I'm pleased is an understatement. 

So what did we eat? Lots of stuff. Lots of delicious stuff. Here are a few of our favorites that we enjoyed over and over and over again in 2021, although there were many other favorites we had from time to time too. :)

• Chinese Orange Chicken 
• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Cream Cheese Omelets with Balsamic Greens 
• Chicken Tikka Masala 
• Blackberry Bacon Grilled Cheese 
• Saffron Wreath Bread with Prosciutto, Gruyere, and Pesto
• Tuscan White Bean Skillet 
• Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Chicken Taco Poblano Rice Bowls

Out of all of these? Our top 2 favorites were the Blackberry Bacon Grilled Cheese (omg) and the Chicken Taco Pablano Rice Bowls (chipotle got nothin' on me). To die for every time. I swear. 

Just like last year, I'll also mention the other foods we ate a lot of this year...even though they're less glamorous. lol. A lot of these were our go-to extremely-easy meals. 

• Pancakes. We especially like a high protein mix and often make these for meatless days.
• Pre-seasoned pork tenderloin baked with potatoes and carrots. Easy and healthy. Love it.
• Lots of burgers and brats in the summertime especially.
• Fajitas with whatever meat we have on hand. (Crockpot carnitas are a FAV and we usually have some in the freezer).
• Omelets of every variety. 
• Plain ol' pasta and sauce, occasionally mixed with cream cheese, creamer, and spinach if we're feeling fancy.
• Frozen pizzas.
• Frozen orange chicken and fried rice. 
• Regular and generally boring (but often delicious) tacos. 
• Cranberry margaritas 
• Avocado pudding 

Overall, it was a pretty good year for eating food in our house. We ate often and well and I can't be mad about getting just a little more organized and strategic about it. :) May there be many new and delicious recipes in the year to come! 

Until next time--

MK