my refrigerator is full to the brim of groceries and left-overs. this is odd. and unusual. i have cooked every day this week. i usually only cook when i am feeling guilty because i haven’t cooked in weeks and we have been living off of take-out for too long. i know, pathetic…don’t judge. but some exciting changes have happened in the millenaar household, first (and these may or may not be in any particular order) i started a new job which decreased the amount of time spent at work, but secondly increased our monthly income significantly. third i am on a break from school for about 6 months currently. fourth, we sat down recently and worked on “mr. budget” and found out that if we were careful we could (other than my student loans) be pretty much debt free by the end of 2012. and fifth we have started on a journey toward healthier living as a family, including eating more at home and instituting “meatless mondays.”
so what does this all have to do with left-over? i am glad you asked. 
i find i have much more time on my hands and much more energy to do something constructive with that time. i.e cooking dinner. i have time and money to buy more groceries than usual and splurge on healthier items like salmon and shrimp. i also have been experimenting with dishes. chinese stir-fry, and shrimp fried rice were my latest. i have to admit meatless mondays have been my greatest challenge thus far, i have lived my entire life centering each meal (with breakfast as an exception) around a meat of some kind. turkey sandwiches for lunch, chicken and vegetables for dinner, and so on. it has taken research and specific grocery food shopping to even have the ingredients in the house for a vegetarian dinner. thanks for all you guys commenting on my facebook pictures, your encouraging words keep me motivated
one final word, jason and i have found a good home church finally. for those of you who have known our struggles since moving here, thank you for your prayers. it is no coincidence to me that we have been feeling happier and healthier at home now that we have consistent place of worship. we are still hesitant in our involvement for multiple reasons, but i think we are making strides in the areas of trust and limitations. it’s still a work in progress. but god doesn’t want our left-overs in this area, he wants the very first of our fruits. and with that i will leave you as i now have even more food (for thought).
