Call me Betty

I'm a tad fickle about cooking.

I really do enjoy it, but only when I am in the mood and only if it's my idea. If nothing sounds good or I'm not that inspired to try out something yummy, you can forget it. Make a PBJ and call it good. I also don't particularly care to be asked what's on the menu for tonight. Or tomorrow night. Or three weeks from Tuesday.

That's PRESSURE, people. And I can't handle it.

So, since a particular individual in my life finds it very necessary to know what and where his next meal is coming from (as said person likes to plan his entire life around food, down to what he's wearing and the route to work), I have been working on being more prepared in the cooking department.

Because I am trying to compromise.

And be a good wife.

And because a certain someone is looking hotter than usual these days with his golden tan.

So, I have been trying to plan out meals a little better and do the grocery shopping with at least 3 or 4 complete dinners in mind. This isn't as easy as it sounds when the only meats you're willing to purchase and cook are chicken breast and the leanest of ground beef, and the individual mentioned above does not like to eat chicken two days in a row.

And yes, yes, I know that the idea of planning your meals out before you grocery shop has been around a while. But number two on this little advice list is usually telling me not to shop on an empty stomach so that I won't impulse buy. This is where they lose me, since the bakery and a creme-filled donut is always my first stop upon entering SuperWalmart and also one of the highlights of my week.

But I'm listening now! That is the point here.

Better late than never, right??

This week I had the wildly fabulous idea to grill some kabobs. I've never made them before and they just sounded light and crisp and perfect for one of these scorching hot nights. Plus, I'm always trying to think of good ways to work in more fresh veggies to our diets. I always buy them with good intentions and then have to throw them out a few weeks later when the smell has become so bad our dog hugs the far wall of the kitchen on his way to the doggie door.

Have you ever seen a dog hold its breath? Quite a sight.

Back to the kabobs. Hubby's eyes didn't light up quite like I anticipated when I mentioned my little dinner plan. I think he was realizing that that he would be directly involved in the endeavor, since the grill rests solely in his domain. I guess I can't blame him... the thought of standing in front of a fiery hot object on 200 degree concrete while your clothes slowly melt onto your skin isn't appealing. And he's basically trapped out there because I won't let him come in and out of the house during the process, because hey, we're not trying to air condition the whole neighborhood.

So I came up with Plan B.

I would grill the veggies right in the comfort of our own home on my grill pan! Ha!

As for the chicken, I decided to try out another little recipe I had tucked into my mental filing cabinet. I like to throw chicken into the crockpot with cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, along with some other spices. It's so easy! But that's really the only thing I've done with the crockpot, and since it's always a huge hit, I've seen no reason to deviate. But recently I read one of those one page magazine articles about a woman who had lost a lot of weight and what was her exercise plan and what did she eat now, blah blah. Well this chick mentioned putting chicken, cream of chicken soup and salsa in the crock.

And that's it! Sounded fantastic, so that's what I did.

Look how colorful the veggies are. YUM.

I'm manning the grill!

Doesn't this look delish??

Yes, that is only half a chicken breast on my plate. There is just no need for each of us to have our own. I can never eat it all, and he might, but is that really a good idea?

Plus, with all that other yummy food, chances are there will be leftovers which rarely get eaten by anyone other than the dog. And he's been begging for a PBJ all week.

Let me know if you have any great crockpot recipes I need to know about!