How to Make Your Man Love Pinterest

They always say that food is the way to a man's heart. Well, I think Ian figured out pretty early on that food is the way to my heart as well. For our very first Valentines Day we spent together when we were just little college kiddos, he wooed me with grilling some salmon out on the deck in the snow. That was when I knew that he was something special.

Anyway....you came here to find out how to make your man love Pinterest. 

While it's likely that Ian will never see the appeal in spending hours scrolling through pages of perfect homes we'll never have and crafts I'll never do (I mean, come on....who doesn't love that) there is always food. Yes, I have a whole board of "Things That Are Too Pretty to Eat", which, in fact, are things that are too pretty (and too hard) to attempt. But if you hop on over to my Pinterest, you'll find over 300 recipes pinned to my YUM board--recipes that are actually do-able for a novice like me. Ian and I split the cooking duties pretty evenly around here, but I try and do at least one or two new recipes per week when I cook thanks to Pinterest. 

(Ian doesn't follow recipes--he does what he wants. And somehow it's always good.)

If you are anything like me, you probably have an overwhelming amount of new recipes that sometimes it just seems easier to stick with what you know when it's time for dinner. Like a quesadilla or grilled cheese (which are, in my opinion, fine options) but it's a lot of fun to expand your horizons when you are feeling up for a challenge. Here are a few tips to making your food pins come to life (and subsequently, making your man love you forever. Unless he doesn't like food. Why would you be with someone who doesn't like food?)

1. Sit down on the day you usually go food shopping (for us it's typically on a Saturday) and start looking through your Pinterest board. Resist the urge to distract yourself with that new Ikea Hack project or hair style that you want next time you get your hair cut. Just go straight to the food and pick out five to six recipes (depending on how often you eat dinner at home) that you have recently pinned. I  usually try to do some combination of chicken, beef, fish, and pasta.

2. Make a list of all the days of the week you plan to eat at home and assign a recipe to each night. Take into account your own schedule and how much time you will have--some nights are better than others for things that have to bake for an hour as opposed to a quick stir fry.

3. On the other side of the list, start listing all the ingredients you will need to buy. When initially picking out your recipes, try and pick things that will use up what you already have at home so that you don't have to go out and buy all new things every single week. 

4. Go to Walmart. I hate Walmart, but somehow end up shopping for food every week there because it's so darn cheap. Make sure you go to a Super Center. If you are PMS-ing and Walmart will make you cry, go to Giant.

5. Two words: frozen foods. It took me forever to figure out that you can get a HUGE bag of frozen chicken breasts for almost the same price as a smaller package of four or five fresh ones. Same goes for fish and vegetables. And maybe a little bit of ice cream if you're feeling frisky. 

6. Try really hard to stick to your list. Our food costs have gone down tremendously since planning out meals for the week, and it's because we only buy things we know we'll need and use. Sometimes a little bit of nail polish or a magazine sneaks into the cart. Don't fret.

7. Impress your loved one with a delicious meal during the week and say you got the recipe from Pinterest. Listen to them proclaim their love for Pinterest. 

I promise, works every time! If not, there's always Ryan.