Superbowl XLV + some meal planning for my week.

I have absolutely no problem admitting that I didn't even know who was playing the weekend going into the Superbowl. The (tennis) US Open? That's really interesting to me. The Superbowl? Not so much.

But friends! And food! I'll take it. We got together last minute with a few friends at our apartment & had a fun time watching (or not watching) the game. I'm trying to get back into the habit of cooking more often & having a reason to try something new is always welcome. I made a giant batch of football-watching-appropriate Pioneer Woman's nachos with flank steak (+ homemade guacamole to pile on top, of course) & - per usual - she did not disappoint. I love that woman, & anything that contains large amounts of cilantro. 

I'm making a goal of being a bit more organized about my cooking. Instead of going to the grocery store several times a week, or opting for something frozen or ordered because I didn't have my act together early enough, I'm trying to plan & prepare a bit more ahead (while accepting the fact that I don't always have the kind of day where I can come up with an idea & shop for dinner). I'm keeping a folder of printed recipes I'd like to try soon clipped onto the side of my fridge, with a sticky note on top with a list of a) the meals that we have all of the ingredients for to make & b) all of the yummy, quick & fresh snack options I should take advantage of during the day. This saves me time, keeps me fairly organized, & helps us to not waste food (e.g. forgetting about the Costco sized container of plums that we have in the back of our fridge, oops). 

I tend to find favorite recipes & then hang on to them tightly for a few weeks, making them several times before finally letting go & moving on to something else. That's kind of the case this week, with a few things fresh & new thrown in for good measure. On our menu: Fresh artisan bread (the quick-bake loaves from Trader Joe's) - broiled open-face with pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes & basil. Sweet potato & beet salad. Trader Joe's fresh butternut squash ravioli (my new obsession) with olive oil & fresh parmesan. Spicy Shrimp Curry with Coconut Milk & Apple. City Bakery's Macaroni & Cheese. Greek Stuffed Peppers.

I also have a gigantic bag of clementines that are screaming to be eaten, enough hummus to feed a small army of vegetarians & a dozen or so containers of yogurt. And eggs! I need to eat eggs more often (although Suzi taught me about the organic packs at Costco that basically never expire - they must be miracle eggs).  

Wish me luck! If I eat another protein bar this week, I might throw up. 

(And - if you have a favorite new recipe, please share. Thanks, friends.)