#41DAYSTILWIFEDOM and a few days prior...

Okay. I am going to be upfront with you, my readers; I have completely failed at my challenge this past week. I've not only been too lazy to blog but I have also been a little embarrassed by the lack of home cooking I had to blog about.

I have stirred up a few topics to touch on today though. Allow me to play catch up. Please forgive me, I lack lots of picture evidence. Nonetheless....


Jake and I caught far too many quick meals this week but what I did cook was:

Ravioli: Bought it pre maid at the grocery store, boiled it up, put some olive oil and salt on it. Yum. Good lenten Friday and comfort food. I don't think that combination is suppose to happen but it did.

Kielbasa Casserole:
This recipe is easy easy easy!  And yummy! It is kielbasa/polish sausage, bell peppers, red onion, sweet potato, carrots, garlic, olive oil, and Italian seasoning. Cut all that up, mix in the garlic, oil, and seasoning and cook it for 45 minutes on 375 you have yourself a healthy yet filling meal. This is one of Jake's favorites and I am happy that is so since it is very easy to make. It's also an easy one to prep in advance and cook later.

The mystery meal - What is left in the fridge? It's dinner!:

I had some chicken I needed to cook and a left over package of polish sausage. I also had a little rice left and the rest of an onion and some green chilis. I threw it all together with a variety of seasonings. I was looking for a cajun flavor so I used a lot of cheyenne pepper, some garlic, salt, and really whatever I found on the internet that fit the "cajun" criteria. It turned out really well although i think next time i'll marinate the chicken and use more green chilis. There were certainly no left overs of this one! Victory!

Today I prepped for the week ahead. I made a batch of bacon and eggs and bought a pack of english muffins. I made six little breakfast sandwiches some of which I froze and some of which I stuck in the fridge. These I plan on throwing in the toaster while I make me morning coffee so I can head to work with a good breakfast in hand.

This week I also moved a lot of things into Jake's apartment. We went through his closets to sort what he wears and what needs to be thrown or given away. This freed up one of the closets in his bedroom so I could begin transferring all my stuff into it. I also rearranged some of the wall art and cleaned up. Sprucing the place up and doing a little decorating made the place look a little more homey. Jake likes to make jokes about how I am slowing beginning to take over his apartment but I know he loves that I'll soon be there to wake up with every morning and to do the vacuuming ;) I also made sure I displayed his South Carolina flag and the bathroom has a superhero theme (for now).

We're 41 days away today and I cannot wait! My roommates offered for me to move out of my current house early because they found someone to replace me. This was a great deal because it saves me a half a month of rent pay and I have a friend who I can crash with for two weeks. It also speeds up the "move my stuff into Jake's" process which makes me really excited. This week we are moving the furniture I bought off my house so the place will begin to look even more like mine and Jake's. We cannot wait for whats to come in our relationship and lives. God is so good to us.

This week I will try to cook more! Stay tuned :)

#55,54,53,52DAYSTILWIFEDOM

Hi! I apologize for my temporary absence. My motto of the evening: Life happens.

#55days...
Sunday I made myself breakfast and ate it in bed! As I keep holy the sabbath, Jake's job requires work on Sunday (God's work, of course) so I spend most Sundays relaxing in my house until I meet him at evening Mass. Per usual, I made myself breakfast and relaxed. Here is a picture of the setting:

Best part of this whole scene is it was sunny yet again and my room it situated just perfectly to catch the sun all day long. I sunbathed like a cat and ate my eggs and bagel with a delicious Seattle's Best coffee. The eggs I've kept stocked in my fridge and the bagel was a left over from the morning prior. Coffee is obviously always in my house. I am my mother's daughter.
Lunch was left over Pizza which I ate with Jake at his office. He gave up pizza for Lent so he was happy to enjoy some slices while it was Sunday (As my mom says, "little Easters"). I also enjoyed an apple with peanut butter later for a snack.
Dinner was provided at youth group. Sundays are always easy. :)

#54days...
Monday was back to work for me; an opening shift. I really do not remember what my breakfast was. I am fairly certain I had one more bagel left over so I must have had that. Yep, now I remember.
Lunch was left over "chicken stuff" - that Paleo Creamy Chicken recipe from Saturday night.
Dinner. This is the greatest. I decided to join a gym and work out after work Monday night so my super hero Jake make me his famous tacos. They were delicious, as always. Jake was disappointed I didn't take a picture of his tacos for my blog. I wish I had remembered to take one. Poor Jake.
For me, another easy day.

#53days...
I have absolutely no food pictures from this day, my apologies. I had the day off and I was in quite a funk.
Breakfast was a left over taco. How terrible is that?
Lunch was ritz peanut butter crackers from Jake's office.
Then I finally got my act together, went to them gym, and then I made a trip to the grocery store.
Here is my receipt:

After I got home and put all of my groceries away I cleaned, cut, and put chicken in a bag with salad dressing to season it up for dinner. I also prepped a bag of Keilbasa Casserole, also a paleo recipe, for later in the week.
I ate a million chips and then Jake came over and cooked with me. We broiled the chicken and cooked some spinach. We used the left over hamburger buns to make chicken sandwiches.
It is always a joy cooking with Jake. We always end up standing in the kitchen laughing and terrorizing each other with tickles and teasing. Sometimes we dance to no music and at some point Jake always freaks out at me because he thinks I am either going to burn or cut myself.
After dinner we played cards and hung out.

#52days...
Just saying, that gym membership is already kicking my butt. I finally ventured into the weight room which I have always had a fear of and I am so sore! A week or two ago I went to the doctor for a physical to make sure I am going into a marriage healthy. She advised me to take on a much more active lifestyle. With less than two months to go I decided I should probably carryout that advice.
Nonetheless, the food -
Breakfast this morning was an apple and coffee.
Jake got me lunch. He was out with coworkers so I cheated and asked him to pick me something up. Hey, this is a challenge I'd be crazy if I did perfect. I also ate cookies at work. Merp.
For dinner I made pork chops with onion and apple:

They were good! I put a little seaoning salt and olive oil on them and cooked them for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. I ate more cookies for dessert.
That does it! Now we are all caught up, folks!

But just one more thing...
Since this whole blog series is about counting down the days until I am Jake's wife can I just gush for a second? I cannot wait. Jake is my vocation. He is my way to heaven. He is my prince charming. He is everything I've ever imagined in my feminine heart and more. He is certainly the desire of my heart and I cannot wait to be his partner, his wife for life. I can't wait to call him my husband. I can't wait to wake up next to him every single morning. I can't wait to do his laundry and whine at him to clean the bathroom because his beard clippings are all over the place. I can't wait to let him watch what I think is far too much TV but deal with it anyways because I know TV is his relaxation thing. I can't wait to have the little arguments that make us hurt, sad, cry, frustrated, annoyed and challenged to make greater sacrifices of love for one another because that is just the whole point - to grow in love, toward He who is Love. I can't wait to have little Jakes and little Megan and see him in them. I can't wait to learn how to grow and to grow closer to God as a family.

(https://www.facebook.com/katemaryphotography)

I don't have wounds that keep me from wanting a marriage like some people experience but having such a gift before me I can't imagine thinking marriage is something other than wonderful. I am certainly blessed in that way.
Okay. That is all. :)

Next up: Kielbasa Casserole

#56DAYSTILWIFEDOM DAY 3 but really day 4

Day 3, ...4? Okay, Okay. 56 days until Jake and I are one and the last day in February.

The day was perfect. The sun has been shinning in Juneau for days now, an extremely rare occurrence. Yesterday Jake and I shared the entire day together from morning until night because for once I somehow scored the entire weekend off from work! We got bagels for breakfast and had them with cream cheese. I don't consider this against our "no eating out" policy because they are practically a grocery and I am not able to try to make bagels from scratch.
We had leftovers for lunch and since the day was gorgeous and we were free from any commitments we put some snacks in my mama minivan and went for a drive. We drove out to the Shrine of Saint Therese, a beautiful attraction in Juneau. We walked around and looked at the beauty of the place and marveled at how such a holy place can draw so many people in. And Jesus is there - present in the tabernacle! So cool! It was nice to feel at home there where faith and peace in God is alive since Jake and I sometimes feel a little estranged from the rest of society being that we are devote Catholics. We decided to drive to the very end of the road as well and the drive was gorgeous, absolutely stunning. We stopped to just marvel at the beauty at one point in the drive. Our outing was such a nice date. Besides the little gas we used it was a free date and we were able to spend quality, undivided time with each other which I love. Definitely one of those dates I'll always remember and try to use as an inspiration for dates in our future. 
We did stop at a bar and grill for a drink, and a snack for Jake, and then headed to my house to relax and cook dinner.
This meal was kind of difficult to make. I found it on Pinterest and it is called "Paleo Creamy Chicken". A lot of the recipe healthy ideas include coconut this and that but being on a budget I opted for the dairy options: butter and sour cream. I already had these things in my house as well.
It called for cooked, mashed butternut squash so I let that roast in the oven forever, aka, a little over an hour. It also called for shredded chicken so I seasoned up some chicken and boiled it.
I also cooked some rice, which is against paleo but I know Jake loves chicken and rice so I simply had to. It also stretched the recipe further! When all my pre-cook ingredients were finished and I mashed the squash and shredded the chicken, I mixed all the ingredients: chicken, butternut squash, peas, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, seasoning salt, butter, and my own idea - just a little cheese! in a big sauce pan "until creamy". Once that was heated and creamy I served it in a bowl over rice.
Jake really liked it! and Aside from the little bit of cheese I added and opting for butter and sour cream instead of coconut oil and coconut cream it was a fairly healthy meal!
I was tired after this one because I should have prepped the squash and chicken before. Waiting around the kitchen to make sure the chicken did not boil over and to keep an eye on the squash was not the most fun I've had in the kitchen but I was proud when Jake said he really enjoyed it and would even like some left overs to bring home.

That was Saturday. The final day in February. We can now mark off another month gone in our engagement and one more step closer to the wedding day. I am so excited I can barely contain it!

Stay tuned until next time!

#57DAYSTILWIFEDOM DAY 2

I feel like this is techinically day 3 since there was only 57days until I am a wife. Nonetheless let me tell you how day "two" went.

I kept it simple for breakfast Friday morning with an Apple and a cup of Joe. Lunch was an easy out too I'm ashamed to admit. Jake was off from work Friday and was "in the valley" as they say in Juneau. Translation: the part of Juneau where I work and live, about ten or fifteen minutes from where Jake lives. A huge distance in Juneau terms. Since he was near by he let me know he would treat me to chinese for lunch. I said, "How come you can eat out if we are suppose to be saving money?" He said, "This is the last time" (insert Jake's joyful laughter). 

But I did make Jake and I dinner that evening after I got off work. On the menu: shrimp fajitas! I used frozen shrimp, a mccormicks fajita packet, olive oil, half an onion, my last orange pepper (again because it was beginning to go old) and two green bell peppers. I used one of our wedding gifts, a cast iron skillet, to cook the fajitas. 

While I cooked Jake played video games, something he rarely does. He got a new superhero game and loves it. Its kind of adorable in a funny way. When he would get excited about doing well he'd run in the kitchen with a proud and grateful-for-the-coming-food grin and give me a kiss along with words of encouragement on my cooking. Got to love those simple, silly moments. 

I lightly sauteed the shrimp without letting them cook thoroughly and let the veggies sautee alone much longer. Despite my lack of experience in the kitchen I remembered how easily shrimp overcook. Once the vegitables were tender I stirred in the bit of water and seasoning as called for by the directions and stired the grub up. I added the shrimp to finish them up and began cooking the corn tortillas I bought. I had Jake shred up some cheese for the fajitas and I put some sour cream out. 

We devored every last bit of them. I know, we can eat a lot. But they were good, I must admit. I worried the delicateness of the shrimp would be overly salted from the fajita seaoning but leaving the shrimp until the last minute was a good thought. Hey, look at my kitchen instincts coming out!

I sent Jake back to wrap up his video games and cleaned up the kitchen. I refused his offer to help clean up on account of his enthusiasm about his new game. He did however make an ice cream run :) 

It was kind of tiring to cook a whole meal again after working but this recipe was really easy. Even cleaning the kitchen didn't make the job too much. Jake and I even enjoyed an evening out on the town for a few drinks and live music. 

I liked being able to accomplish another meal again. I like having all these left overs for lunches throughout the week and I love saving money. Groceries are expensive in Juneau, I will admit that. But I am very blantantly realizing how much more expensive it is to eat out. When I cook a meal it feeds me beyond that one serving and even when I cook for two I sometimes have a little left over. Cooking and house keeping are also just a part of life. I am more at peace when my space is clean and organized and I am more at peace when I know that I am able to take care of myself and serve Jake as well. Like I said before, its worth the extra time on my feet. 

Thats all for today! Stay tuned to hear about my rendition of "Paleo" Creamy Chicken.  

#58DAYSTILWIFEDOM: DAY ONE

DAY ONE:

Good evening world! I suppose my journey really started last night when I journeyed to the grocery store after work and made me and my love hamburgers with no sides, of course, for dinner. When i got home from the grocery I realized most of my previously purchased lettuce was too wilted for my only option for a side, salad, so that took any side out of the picture. Regardless, I am proud to admit that in addition to cooking dinner I also did my laundry and cleaned my room. #wifestatus. I loved it. I was exhausted but I loved how it made me feel. I felt joyful to serve my furture husband to a homecooked meal and to have my things organized and clean. It gave me a sense of peace that being lazy after work would not have given me.

Here is how it went -
I spent $90 at the grocery which provided me:
two cans of tomato sauce (plain)
pizza dough
pepperoni
cheese on cheese on cheese
sour cream
two green bell peppers
coffee
ben n jerrys (like I said, this is a journey)
hamburger meat
corn tortillas,
fajita seasoning
hamburger buns
bananas
shrimp
shampoo
dishwasher detergent

Paired with the other groceries I already have in my house these provided me a plethora of meals for the week to come, such as: pizza, creamy chicken with rice, shrimp fajitas, dessert ;), hamburgers, and I already eggs, apples, cashews, and peanut butter not to mention the bananas I bought. These extras provide me good snacks and breaskfasts.

SO. DAY ONE.

This morning I made myself some scrambled eggs. I put some cheddar on them, which I had from a previous grocery trip, and I wrapped the eggs and cheese up in a corn tortilla that I heated up in a frying pan. I had that with a banana and cup of coffee.
Jake shared his lunch with me so I didn't have to make anything then.
BUT I am proud of my second homemade dinner in one week. Tonight I made pizza with peppers, pepperoni, and lots of cheese. Pizza is pretty self explanatory. I read what tempature to heat the oven to, how long to let the dough sit, and how long to cook the pizza but as far as my toppings I did my thing. Yes, I bought premade dough from the Safeway deli.
I thinned out the dough and placed it on a pan greased with olive oil. I slapped on some of the plain tomato sauce that I bought. I threw on the cheese, absolutely way too much cheese, the pepperoni, and some orange bell peppers I desperately needed to eat before they went to waste. I sprinkled the top with italian seasons which I forgot to put on the tomato sauce and I coated the crust with more olive oil.
I baked it at 425 for 18 minutes. Voila!

Not bad huh? It was delicious. The best pizza I have had in Juneau if I might say so myself. 

It's rewarding to know I have my life together a little more than I did before. Its nice to spend so much money on one meal which turns in to many due to left overs. I am excited to venture out into this cooking world. I welcome any tips and tricks, recipes, and encouragement! 

Well that is all I have for today. I'll let you know how shrimp fajitas goes tomorrow night! #58days

#60DAYSTILWIFEDOM

I have come up with a brilliant idea! I have decided to convert my blog (my many-times-over-abandoned blog) into a journey blog. I recently went through a major change in my life known as "Adulthood" - (n.) a state of life in which one pays the bills and works 40+ hours a week to do so. synonyms: exhaustion, poverty, regularcallstodadandmom, ... You get the point. This state of being was launched when I moved from the southern East coast to southeast Alaska. You can imagine the drastic change, or can you? It was a big one. There have been many "I have no control of my life" moments and a few "hey it is nice to have money! oh, wait. nevermind." moments. In all honesty I moved to Juneau to be with my beloved fiancé, Jake. It has been an incredible gift to be near him and despite the struggles Juneau offers me its been worth every bit of the "launch".

Another "gift" of being launched into adulthood far from anything familiar and, well, into southeast Alaska is I really have to budget my money for food. Confession: I haven't. But, I need to budget my money for food. 

I work in a retail store full time so as you can probably imagine my hours are not your traditional nine-to-five deal. My meal times are different everyday which makes preparing for meals a little more challenging than I had anticipated. Another kicker is food in Juneau costs not an arm or a leg or both but your first born child. In the money world that means a lot. Oh but there is more...If you've read my blog before or you know me personally you would know that I do not live with my fiancé. This fact makes meal times even more of a challenge. We attempt to share budgets and make time for each other at meal times but this results in eating out all the time. Remember how I told you that food in Juneau is expensive? Yeah. Eating out eats my bank account. Pun intended. 

Well my wedding is in exactly two months as of yesterday (yesterday marked 59 days until my wedding but 60 has a ring to it plus February throws everything off). After our last marriage preperation meeting where we discussed finances, Jake and I have decided to be smarter about money. We are also feeling a little crunched for money with many upcoming costs for our wedding. With these thoughts in mind Jake challenged me to save as much money as I can so that we don't arrive back in Juneau after the wedding unable to pay our bills. "Broke" would be a very bad way to enter a marriage in my opinion. I have taken him up on this challenge which means no more eating out and buying "quick meals". This means I have purchased groceries so that I can actually cook my own meals. 

Let me give you a little more background on myself. I don't cook. I grew up in a family where both of my parents knew how to cook and cook well. My oldest sister is the perfect pioneer woman and can make some of the best homemade food, of course from scratch. (I am convinced she can actually make anything.) My other sister is very independent and has had a lot of food allergies throughout her life so she definitely picked up the niche for cooking. My brother was once upon a time a cook manager for a restaurant and now manages a restaurant where he puts many of his own culinary creations on his menu. I on the other hand make coffee, eggs, and salad. Let us just say that having been so spoiled with many good cooks in my life, I have a lack of experience in the kitchen. 

So here is my idea (you thought I would never get there didn't you?): I am going to keep a blog on my journey toward wifedom - (n.) a state of life in which I cook and do "home makey things" not because its "my place" but because I have a natural desire to be a homemaker and care for a family and their home. I am going to blog about the meals I make and how I make it work with my wacky, untraditional schedule and limited budget. As I find more ideas on how to get this whole adulthood thing under control while heading toward marriage, I will share those journeys as well. 

Enjoy my readers :) 

I'm not old fashioned, I am a Christian.

A lot of people have been stunned by mine and Jake's decision to save sex for marriage and not live with each other. We're often referred to as an old fashioned couple. I'd like to take the time today to simply offer an explanation for why I have chosen a lifestyle so radical in todays society.

Sex is sacred. Sex was made with a purpose - to bond spouses and to create life. Before marriage ceremonies back in the day, sex was the wedding because the act itself said and still says I am yours forever. That is why the Church recognizes sex as the "marital act" because it is literally part of the sacrament of marriage. The Church actually teaches that the marriage is not finalized until the spouses consummate their marriage. Sex speaks volumes. I am so extremely excited for marriage because I will give myself totally to Jake for the rest of my life. We will become one in marriage and I wait to have sex because sex says we are one but without marriage I'm just giving my body, not all of me like sex says.

My body is the most important thing that I have because it is me. It was created by God and for God out of love. As a woman, as a human being, I was created to be loved and to be found beautiful and good. That doesn't always come naturally in this world because we're all a little messed up (hello fallen nature) so God tries to protect us from evil by giving us commandments. Because being self centered comes so easily to each and everyone of us God asks of us to make sacrifices to protect ourselves from the burdens that sex can cause if done out of context. We don't rush into marriages because we know they take sacrifice, but if sex says I give you all of me forever like marriage, why should we rush into sex?

Sex is something we all desire. We go through puberty and BOOM we have some crazy, strong desires "we've never experienced before." It becomes difficult to say no to those desires. This is natural, this is good. God gave us these desires because he called us to "be fruitful and multiple" and He said, "a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." How often do people who have sex outside of marriage want to become pregnant? The whole idea of contraceptives is to gain pleasure without responsibility. How often do people consider that the act of sex is making them one flesh with their counterpart? Truly "it takes two to tango" but thats just it - two become ONE. Sex isn't about you it's about the other person receiving you as a gift and giving themselves as a gift to you. Moreover, science proves that sexual intimacy bonds a couple not just in the moment, physically but through their entire being, hormonally. One flesh is not suppose to be torn apart. Divorce and break ups are part of our fallen nature - they're not natural, that is why they hurt. Flesh is not suppose to be broken and torn and messed with - when you have sex you become one flesh, not two people taking pleasure from one another.

I wait for marriage to have sex because before I get married and commit myself to Jake before God, asking God for his aid in our marital union, I am not prepared to become one flesh with Jake. Before God blesses our union my body is God, my father's. My body is a sacred temple of the Holy Spirit that will be a life long gift to Jake, and his to me. At my wedding I will promise - no, I will VOW before God that I will be with Jake for the rest of my life and I will care for him and love him no matter what comes our way. No matter if his cleaning habits drive me bonkers and cause me to be severely annoyed with him. No matter if planning a family vacation or how to raise our kids causes numerous arguments. I will vow to work those things out with Jake and I will trust that God is blessing us and that Jake loves me no matter what bumps in the road we might hit. Living with Jake and having sex with Jake before we're married doesn't ensure that all those issues will be avoided. My parents have been married for almost 30 years and they still strive to love each other more and more every day and can still become frustrated with each other at times. That is because marriage requires sacrifice and we must be willing to deny ourselves for the good and for love of our spouse.

God asks of us not to have sex before marriage and the Church asks us not to co-habitate before marriage because God, as our father, wants to protect our hearts. He wants us to foster a trusting and selfless relationship with each other. He wants us to learn how to sacrifice our deepest and strongest desires for the good of one another. By denying sex until marriage you prepare to make sacrifices for each other because that alone is such a big sacrifice. Jake and I have taken time in our engagement to not be wrapped up in sex and emotions but to discuss how we are going to prioritize our finances as a married couple, how are we going to plan family vacations so we both get what we want, how are we going to spend time with our families, how are we going to treat each other when we get frustrated and annoyed with each other, how we will solve our disagreements with verbal communication, and so on.

I'm not saying that couples who have sex before marriage are unable to have a beautiful, committed, and loving relationship. But God asks of us to save sex for marriage because it is good for us. He created sex to be a part of marriage and we avoid a lot of heart ache and complications in relationships when we do save sex for marriage. Marriage and sex are beautiful and wonderful things that is why they are sacred and meant to be one in the same. God doesn't torture us by saying don't have sex before marriage. He cherishes us and the beauty that we are as individuals and he, as our heavenly father, desires for us to be loved and to love and to experience love in its greatest fashion - that is why he asks for us to be pure.

I have seen dishonesty, disrespect, divorce, and heart break in many more couples who don't save sex for marriage than those who do. I believe that God's commandment's help to avoid such burdens. People aren't perfect and those things can happen even if the couple had all their ducks in a row before marriage and did it all "by the book" but it happens a lot less and I'm taking my chances.

Purity is hard. It is absolutely difficult and I for one struggle with it daily. But I treasure the virtue and I love that Jake treasures my purity as well. His respect of the purity in our relationship is a huge sacrifice he makes for me. His dying to himself, denying his desires to wait for marriage to have sex with me speaks the highest volumes of love and respect to me. I wouldn't give them up for the world - no matter how many times I am told I am naive. Moreover, because purity is difficult to practice, living together would make saving sex for marriage close to impossible, if not impossible.

Believing what I believe and living in this way is not old fashion - God is now. His law is relevant and true. His love and his laws that are made out of his love are timeless and being obedient to them is not "old news" but are a life we are all called to live no matter what you believe. It is a shame to me that God's way has become "old fashion" because we were all created for one purpose - to know, love, and serve God and to be eternally happy with Him in the next. Truth hasn't changed with time. Sex was created with a purpose - to bond a married couple and to bring forth children. Sex still does the same thing - it hasn't changed with time. I'm not old fashion, I cherish sex for what it was created to be. I'm not old fashioned, I am a Christian.