$pent Millennial

We made it, it’s Friday! And for me, it is Pay Day Friday. In the past this meant a date out to Chilis, Mexican food pick up, or DoorDash from the couch while Jesse and I pick a favorite movie or mindless TV to watch. When all was said and done with appetizers, delivery fees and tips it would easily sneak up to a $60 bill for the two of us- and this was before everything seemingly tripled in price due to inflation. 

I LOVED the excitement of Pay Day Friday and knowing that we were going to be rewarded for two weeks of hard work with tasty and convenient food from our favorite places. But, when the Pandemic hit, our Pay Day Date Night routine, like so many routines, changed. We were not going out and enjoying the Date Night atmosphere, which was fine. We are home bodies anyways and came to enjoy the cozy time in over good food. The thing was DoorDash was adding to the cost with delivery fees in addition to tips, and although I am sure the restaurants and drivers tried their absolute best… the food always got to us lukewarm and soggy. Something about shelling out $60 bucks for soggy fries and cold queso just wasn’t feeling like it was worth it. Especially since we were living on pretty tight budgets. Long story short, each time we ordered in or picked food up, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment and regret. 

I still wanted to keep the excitement of the pay day celebration, but without the disappointment and regret. So, I thought about it and decided to dig to find the deeper source of enjoyment I got from pay day meals with Jesse. The food had been disappointing for some time, but I still loved it. So, it couldn’t just be that I loved the food we ordered so much. Eventually, there were three things I enjoyed about it: 

1. I didn’t have to make dinner and wasn’t waiting or relying on Jesse to have to come in and make it either. Dinner could be ready almost as soon as we both were ready after work. 
2. It was an opportunity after a long week of work to sit with Jesse and just be without being in the middle of chores or work or other tasks that often seem to run our lives 
3. I actually did really love my order, even if I didn’t fully enjoy it by the time it reached my door. 

After getting curious, I got creative. Jesse and I could set aside Friday nights- pay day or otherwise- to sit and enjoy each others’ company either talking over a meal, laughing over cheesy Lifetime movies or enjoying a new series. We didn’t need to order in for that. But that left the question. What would we eat? It had to be easy and relatively quick, but still delicious and different from our day-to-day. I had an idea…

The thing was, I was pretty predictable in my Pay Day Dinner meal. I ordered salmon no matter where we went or ordered in from. Salmon, and even the fresh veggies that accompany it, were not always in our grocery budget, so I really, really enjoyed having it when getting our special dinners. Although salmon was not in our regular grocery budget, I did know that grocery stores do sell salmon. So, I looked into it and found the perfect alternative to pay day dinners out. Jesse and I have been doing it ever since, going on 2-3 years now! 

Here is what we do: 

After work on pay day Friday, I stop at our local Pick ‘n’ Save (a Kroger brand store found locally to us) and I shop for (mostly) fresh ingredients for the night. 

Here is what I get: 

• Two pre-cooked and seasoned salmon filets 
• Easy microwave mashed potatoes or rice: I sometimes get one of each and combine them because the rice gives the microwaved potatoes a good texture. 
• Fresh veggies to roast (usually carrots and broccoli – asparagus and green beans if I am feeling extra fancy) 

The total from the grocery store comes to between $25-$30. And typically there are extra veggies to use for different meals throughout the week. 

And the thing is I absolutely LOVE walking through the grocery store picking up the fresh veggies and selecting the salmon. I feel like I am so “fancy” or like a child pretending to be an adult picking out ingredients for the night’s dinner – that is actually exactly what I am doing.

When I get home, I chop and season the veggies and throw them into the oven to roast for about 25 minutes. I know what you are thinking… but now you have to actually cook. I don’t mind it. In my head it is the same amount of time and energy put into selecting an order on DoorDash, and the time it takes for roasting would be the delivery wait. 

Also, I actually enjoy the act of chopping and preparing veggies away from the computer after a long day of working at a computer. I either use the preparation time to catch up on a podcast I am listening to or chat with Jesse about our days and weekend plans. I truly enjoy it. 

After the veggies are roasted, we pop the salmon into the oven. Since they are pre-cooked we only have to heat them for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. While the salmon warms, we prepare the microwave side and add it with the veggies to the plate. 

And once the salmon comes out, there it is! Ready to be served and enjoyed! 

Give it a try next time you are looking for an alternative to a Date Night or Friends Night out!

Let us know how you enjoy celebrating Pay Day!