Alright, ladies and gents – next up to add to the New Year’s resolutions list? Absolutely do not go grocery shopping whilst starving. Duh, anyone knows this, right? Yeah, well this little lady decided to venture out over the weekend anyways thinking I could overcome the temptations. What did I come home with?…

Fig newtons, wheat thins, imitation crab sticks (yeah, I eat random things), cocktail sauce, vegetarian beans, a slew of fruit, egg whites, soy milk… in short – a hodge podge of items to snack on and which can contribute to a meal, but essentially – nothing solid enough to actually create a meal around. Lame, I know. I’ve been living off of couscous and veggies this week and conscientiously trying to ensure I get enough protein / fiber from snacking on oatmeal and almonds, etc.

Really though, if I’m going to follow through on this whole learning to cook in the new year thing, I should definitely start thinking about planning my meals for the week before going to the store. I mean, how much can one learn from constantly reading the back of a macaroni and cheese box? Don’t get me wrong… I make a mean tuna/broccoli/velveta mac n cheese casserole… but the whole wham, bam, done in 15 minutes things is never going to turn me into Emeril!

So,  how does one become a financially savvy Betty Crocker? Start planning, of course! (Really, that’s what I do best. Plan… and then have things not work out… but hey, at least I have/had a plan in the interim).

I meant to get to making my first official dish of the new year this week, but the week is halfway over and it doesn’t appear to be happening… so, looks like I’ll be making this next week.

I’ve spent hours upon hours drooling over this site and all the amazing, yummy, goodness (aka fatness) throughout it and am absolutely convinced that I must make the chocolate and whiskey beer cupcakes. I’ve already taken a few stabs at these and I believe my friend labeled them “chocolate crack.” My roommate made me make a whole new batch the day after I first tried them out. Literally – if food can change your life, the food on smittenkitchen.com will absolutely do the trick!

Soo… in closing, take it from me: Don’t grocery shop on an empty tummy! … and if you must, make a list before you head out! It’ll help curb your spending and ensure you actually have food to contribute to meal prep throughout the week.