Living with Roommates & an Italian Zoodle Bake
If you've been following along, you probably know that we sold our home and moved in with some friends for the next few months. The move went super smooth (more information about that coming soon), but when one couple with specific routines, habits, and a dog move in with another couple with other specific routines, habits, and a cat - there's bound to be some adjustments that need to be made. Luckily, we've adjusted (for the most part), and while I'm still working on modifying my eating habits to the new environment and schedules, I did want to pass along a few tips that we have found extremely helpful in adjusting to roommates.
1. Talk it out.
Before we moved in, we talked through everything. Rent, utilities, groceries, chores, house rules (it is still their house after all), strange habits, even pet peeves. Our goal is to be as helpful as possible while being the least amount of annoying or intruding as possible so of course we want to know how they prefer to clean their dishes, what time they like to eat dinner, when they like to go to bed, whether or not they enjoy family style dining, and etc. If you're nervous about having this conversation, grab a bottle of wine and just start chatting.
2. Be respectful.
If you're a night owl, but your new roomies are early birds, switch up your schedule or at least keep the volume and brightness down after their bed time. If you (or your hubby) loves to play video games but they want to socialize, find a game you can play together or better yet take a break from your usual hobbies/past-times and try a few things they find enjoyable.
3. Do more chores than you usually would by yourself.
When you live by yourself, its cool if you want to leave the dishes in the sink to "soak" until there is green fuzz growing on the spoons. When you're living with roommates, however, that's SO NOT COOL. Break up the chores or even trade off between roommates, but make sure they get done.
4. Take time for yourself.
No matter how much you love the folks you're living with, remember to save some time for yourself. Now, more than ever, its important to set aside some time to recharge your batteries and de-stress. Escape to the gym, go for a run, schedule a "date" with yourself (or your partner) and just get out of the house. Better yet, try some meditation or even coloring! Carving out some time for yourself will help you maintain your cool in stressful situations and help you react rationally.
5. Enjoy yourself!
I'm sure you liked the person you moved in with before you actually moved in, so keep that going and enjoy your time together! Play some games, get to know each other even better, share interests or experiences. No, you don't need to become besties but if you're going to be spending a lot of time together in the same house or apartment why not make it enjoyable? Need some ideas to get you going? Schedule a roomie poker night, plan a diner out, do a project together, rent a movie you've both been wanting to see, etc. The list goes on and on so pick something fun and get to it! :)
Speaking of doing something together, why not try this super yummy (and rather easy) Italian Zoodle Bake?
1. Talk it out.
Before we moved in, we talked through everything. Rent, utilities, groceries, chores, house rules (it is still their house after all), strange habits, even pet peeves. Our goal is to be as helpful as possible while being the least amount of annoying or intruding as possible so of course we want to know how they prefer to clean their dishes, what time they like to eat dinner, when they like to go to bed, whether or not they enjoy family style dining, and etc. If you're nervous about having this conversation, grab a bottle of wine and just start chatting.
2. Be respectful.
If you're a night owl, but your new roomies are early birds, switch up your schedule or at least keep the volume and brightness down after their bed time. If you (or your hubby) loves to play video games but they want to socialize, find a game you can play together or better yet take a break from your usual hobbies/past-times and try a few things they find enjoyable.
3. Do more chores than you usually would by yourself.
When you live by yourself, its cool if you want to leave the dishes in the sink to "soak" until there is green fuzz growing on the spoons. When you're living with roommates, however, that's SO NOT COOL. Break up the chores or even trade off between roommates, but make sure they get done.
4. Take time for yourself.
No matter how much you love the folks you're living with, remember to save some time for yourself. Now, more than ever, its important to set aside some time to recharge your batteries and de-stress. Escape to the gym, go for a run, schedule a "date" with yourself (or your partner) and just get out of the house. Better yet, try some meditation or even coloring! Carving out some time for yourself will help you maintain your cool in stressful situations and help you react rationally.
5. Enjoy yourself!
I'm sure you liked the person you moved in with before you actually moved in, so keep that going and enjoy your time together! Play some games, get to know each other even better, share interests or experiences. No, you don't need to become besties but if you're going to be spending a lot of time together in the same house or apartment why not make it enjoyable? Need some ideas to get you going? Schedule a roomie poker night, plan a diner out, do a project together, rent a movie you've both been wanting to see, etc. The list goes on and on so pick something fun and get to it! :)
Speaking of doing something together, why not try this super yummy (and rather easy) Italian Zoodle Bake?
Italian Zoodle Bake
Ingredients:
2 zucchini
1 package of Aidell's Sweet Basil & Roasted Garlic Chicken Meatballs
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice
1 package of Aidell's Sweet Basil & Roasted Garlic Chicken Meatballs
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice
Instructions:
1. Spiralize your zucchini noodles. (If you don't already have a Vegetti - go get one now!)
2. Place the zucchini noodles in the bottom of an ungreased baking pan. Top with mushrooms and Aidell's Sweet Basil & Roasted Garlic Chicken Meatballs (cut the meatballs in half to help them lay flat.
3. Add spaghetti sauce to the zoodles & meatballs mixture and then finish it off with your cheese. For this bake, we used an Italian Cheese blend - super yummy, but you could use pretty much any cheese you like.
4. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until cheese has browned. Let cool and enjoy!
I'll leave you with a super adorable photo of our pup Alice getting along with her new roomie Cocoa. Do you have any tips for living with roommates? I'd love to hear them! Shoot me an email or track me down on instigram @mywholehappylife
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