I have been amazed over the last few weeks to find myself so tired when I get home from work. It was only a few months ago that I was working and then heading to school or home to stay up and do homework. Now I get home at 6:00 without obligations and all I want to do is ... nothing. And then it seems that when I try to fill my evenings with worthwhile activities, they just don't pan out. The ballet class that I was supposed to start on Monday evening was cancelled due to low enrollment. I guess that means that there are lots of others out there who don't want to do anything by the time they find themselves at home after a full day of work.
But I am saying no to this mentality -- after all, these are the best times of our lives, right? So, I found another ballet class to try and looking forward to it. And I am kicking up some of my weeknight meals with favorites that I never made for dinner before and by adding punchy ingredients to basic dishes for a new weeknight experiences.
Shrimp scampi, and seafood in general, are engraved in my mind as special occasion foods that are pricey and not meant for just any day. But I love shrimp scampi and when cooking for one or two, it is no more expensive to prepare than any other cut of meat that may be on the table. Sunday, I was cooking for one and enjoyed a delectable bowlful of simple shrimp scampi with Bravo on in the background. I had butter, olive oil, parsley, and lemon juice on hand; so the total cost was about ~$7.00 (~0.5 lb shrimp // 3 servings).
I wanted to do this right -- so I followed a Barefoot Contessa video recipe. It's like the easiest dish on the planet, what have I been thinking not making this more often? When it comes to these weeknight slumps, even if I don't feel like being productive, I am gong to start getting myself to feel like creating a great dinner. Later I will share how I used one ingredient to change the whole dynamic of a basic sandwich dinner for one.
With all the terribleness out there in the world right now, it is hard to accept that sometimes I am bored or too tired to get out into the world after work. I get antsy about what I am not doing to make the world a better place. But then I try to be grateful for what I have, recognize that I can't fix everything, and say to myself: "I'm 24, I worked hard today, and I am having shrimp scampi for dinner." And that is just fine for today. Tomorrow I will find a new way to calm myself down from the same situation. We'll see how that goes when 6:00 hits.
But I am saying no to this mentality -- after all, these are the best times of our lives, right? So, I found another ballet class to try and looking forward to it. And I am kicking up some of my weeknight meals with favorites that I never made for dinner before and by adding punchy ingredients to basic dishes for a new weeknight experiences.
Shrimp scampi, and seafood in general, are engraved in my mind as special occasion foods that are pricey and not meant for just any day. But I love shrimp scampi and when cooking for one or two, it is no more expensive to prepare than any other cut of meat that may be on the table. Sunday, I was cooking for one and enjoyed a delectable bowlful of simple shrimp scampi with Bravo on in the background. I had butter, olive oil, parsley, and lemon juice on hand; so the total cost was about ~$7.00 (~0.5 lb shrimp // 3 servings).
I wanted to do this right -- so I followed a Barefoot Contessa video recipe. It's like the easiest dish on the planet, what have I been thinking not making this more often? When it comes to these weeknight slumps, even if I don't feel like being productive, I am gong to start getting myself to feel like creating a great dinner. Later I will share how I used one ingredient to change the whole dynamic of a basic sandwich dinner for one.
With all the terribleness out there in the world right now, it is hard to accept that sometimes I am bored or too tired to get out into the world after work. I get antsy about what I am not doing to make the world a better place. But then I try to be grateful for what I have, recognize that I can't fix everything, and say to myself: "I'm 24, I worked hard today, and I am having shrimp scampi for dinner." And that is just fine for today. Tomorrow I will find a new way to calm myself down from the same situation. We'll see how that goes when 6:00 hits.
