This year has posed some interesting challenges in my dietary world. One - I got married (yay!) and we moved in together. Did you know learning how to efficiently share a fridge is a skill? Two - I decided to go vegetarian. Combine that with my dairy intolerance, and let's call it "90% vegan diet" to account for the occasional days I just don't want to "be that guy" but forgot to pack my lunch or pre-eat.
A few of the hardest adjustments to these lifestyle changes:
1) Sharing the fridge (as mentioned above)
2) Sharing the pantry (almost as challenging as 1)
3) Coming up with recipes we can both enjoy.
My shopping cart looks like this: 75% fruits / veggies 10% protein (tofu/beans) / 10% "snack" like nuts or kind bars / 5% nonsense (condiments/other processed foods).
His shopping cart looks like this: 90% meat / 5% veggies / 5% nonsense.
We also consume alcohol differently. He likes beer, most days. I like wine, 1-2 days max. His preference can take up a lot of valuable refrigerator real estate, but luckily for both of us, we have a beer fridge and a wine rack on the counter. No problemo.
However, we approach leftovers differently. I like to finish them off as soon as possible, then move onto the next recipe. I also like to cook large batches of certain foods ahead of time so that meals can be thrown together quickly.
He. hates. leftovers.
He says he doesn't, but when I find cooked meat that's been in the fridge for two weeks, or ask "what's in the fridge?" response: crickets, I begin to question that statement.
What's a girl to do?
Plan. Plan, plan, plan. Then prep, write instructions, and delegate. If I make a meal and put it in front of him, he usually doesn't question it. The trick is striking a balance.
We both like hot meals for dinner. We both like little fuss for lunch. We both eat pretty much the exact same breakfast, day after day and week after week.
My latest dinner strategies? Keep it simple: Grain. Vegetable. Protein. I swap the protein for something meatless, at a little sauce to something to make him happy, and voila. We have a meal together.
