I Heart Grocery Shopping!

Grocery shopping is one of my favorite activities each week (surprise, surprise!).  In order to be health- conscious and cost-conscious, putting together the perfect grocery list takes quite awhile to perfect. 
At this point, Colin and I have been living together for almost 4 years now.  We generally cook every night, Sunday through Wednesday.  Thursday through Saturday, we'll either pick something up at the store on the fly, or dine out.  My grocery list starts with a notecard and my favorite recipe books and/or websites pulled up on my spiffy iPad.  On one side, I write down our menu for the week, taking into consideration any after work time-consuming activities that will limit the amount of time we have to cook.  And the other, the actual grocery list. (This process, for me, averages 30-45 mins). Working an 8am-5/6/7pm job, the last thing I want to do is come home and think "what should we have for dinner tonight?"  Situations like these frequently end up in quick, not-so-healthy, and (quite frankly) boring meals.  Plus, I get to plan everything ahead of time (yes, planning...another one of my addictions).

This planning activity also allows me to scope out the fresh ingredients I can reuse.  If I find a recipe with a fresh ingredient that's not normally on the list (as are yellow onions, bell peppers, garlic and CLEMENTINES!), I'm able to get the most bang for my buck by finding more than one recipe (oh how fun!) 

EXAMPLE:  Arugula

Arugula has a rich, peppery taste, and has an exceptionally strong flavor for a leafy green. It is generally used in salads, often mixed with other greens in a mesclun, but is also cooked as a vegetable or used raw with pasta or meats in northern Italy and in coastal Slovenia where it is added to the cheese burek. In Italy, it's often used in pizzas, added just before the baking period ends or immediately afterwards, so that it will not wilt in the heat. Thanks for the info Wikipedia!   

*Generally $4ish/box, found by the baby spinach.

Here's how I used it for two dinners this last week (and we STILL have some left!)

Meal #1:  Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad <--click!
Meal #2: Grilled BBQ Salmon w/Red Smashed Potatoes and Arugula Greens w/Italian Dressing
Because this meal is rather self-explanatory, here are a few tips....
   1) We prefer Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (or any other sweet BBQ sauce) for this dish.
   2) Boil New Red Potatoes for 20 mins, smash with a bit of milk and butter, salt & pepper your liking.
   3) We prefer Good Seasons Italian Dressing.  Toss with Arugula and serve along side of potatoes and salmon - all on the same plate!  The best bites are the ones with a little bit
of everything!  Mmmmm......

Both are courtesy of Martha Stewart Food.  A reference you will see I use for 90% of our creations. 

Hope my post has inspired you to plan your meals for the week, try a new recipe or two, and maybe even one with Arugula!

Stay happy my friends, it's the weekend! <3

PS...Working on my food photography skills so I can provide our own meal pics. :)