Meal Planning

I am the first one to mention lets go out to eat, because fast food tastes so good and I am addicted.  So to tell me that I  should plan my meals for a week is a hard one for me. Not just making sure that I buy everything in one trip like I should but also consulting a calendar to tell me what I should eat instead of listening to that voice inside my head asking what would taste the best right now.  Using the guide lines in the Ultimate Weight Solution I am trying very hard to get my grocery list and my meal plan for the next week down. I am also having to think of how I am going to get a three year old and a man who weighs 120 pounds to eat "diet" food with me.  I had to break it to my hubby I will not be coming home with chips, cookies, or little debbie treats.  He was not thrilled but did point out that he knows where the store is and will get it if he wants.  I know that he is not being mean just honest. He is the only one in the house who eats sweets, but everyone eats the chips and salty snacks that will no longer be offered around here regularly.

So far I have two days planned out and I decided to write a blog post instead of staring at the food lists and slowly driving myself insane. I remember before we had our son I lived by a meal plan, it was how I was able to stretch our dollar. After Boo I have not because our lives got busy. First with having an infant now my husband is a member of a local men's civic club, and I am busy with teaching Boo's class at Church.  The time I do have to spend on meal planning is spent "relaxing" on the couch, playing with the Boo, or planning my next lesson. I have known that I need to get back in the habit to save money and hoping that it will save me some time because I will be able to prep when I have the time instead of waiting till I am tired, grouchy. If I wait till then it becomes a race against the clock to try and finish before Boo starts asking for food, and someone has to leave because we choose to have busy lives.  I know that a routine will help me and this is the first step in a long line of changes.  After all that is what this is about, making changes to my life and life style so that I can improve my life and life style changes. 

I FINISHED! I made my meal plan for the next seven days. I have also completed my shopping list.  I am not sure when the last time I went seven days without a single meal being drive thru or take out.  I knew that this would not be an easy thing to do, but the dread of failing is right there in my face.  If I fail to cook then I will have wasted money on fresh ingredients and it is on paper like it is so final.  Part of me says don't worry just because it is on paper it does not mean anything. The other part of me says it is on paper and everything important is on paper like marriage licenses and bills.  Oh well we will just have to wait and see.

Now it is time to go shopping!