March Menu & My Methods

Ok, ok, I know it's been....like... forever since I've blogged. I have been texted, emailed, called & just generally chewed out for it. I don't really have an excuse other than, I was just plain ole uninspired.

Tonight, though, I am gonna share some very inspiring information about how I do groceries/menus. Wooooo*Hooooo!!!

First of all, let me preface this by stating that I have had (yet again) very few original ideas in this area (as with most areas of my life). There are some wonderful books/blogs on this very topic. I've tried a lot of methods, & this is what is working for us. For now.

My method is this:
1:
I consider our month; when we will be out, special events, church nights & so forth.

2:
We usually have date night several times per month. I don't know when those days will be, so I am very flexible with my menu.

3:
I pull out a couple of my numerous recipe books/magazines/print-outs from Pinterest & choose several new things to try.

4:
Several years ago, I decided to sit down & make a list of everything I make that our family likes. I divided it into sections: Beef, Chicken, Pork, Meatless, Soups, Crockpot, Sides....etc. This is my *Go-To* list to choose from for the month. I update it periodically as we decide that a new thing we've tried is a new family favorite.

5:
Using the menu I have just created, I make my grocery list. I do not buy for the whole month...cause it's sorta a pain. I have done it, though.
What I do, is buy for about 10-14 days at at time. This puts me at the grocery store roughly twice per month.
I confess that I am somewhat a creature of habit. When I go to a store, I tend to head to the same section first every single time. With that in mind, I created a grocery list for the Wal*Mart in my area based on my method of shopping. This is one of the SINGLE BEST, TIME-SAVING activities I have ever done! I simply print it out & check off the items I need. Doesn't get much easier! :)

6:
Now the part of this process I hate more than any other part....heading to the grocery store.
Sigh.
I usually spend 2+ hours, use 2 baskets, & spend $300+ each time. I take the time to put find it, put it in the basket, stand in line, unload it (according to how I want it bagged, thank you), re-load it (according to how I want to put it in the car), & unload it again. When I get home, I....only carry in the bread & bananas...things I can't bear to have mushed, then I sic the kiddos on it. We ALL pitch into the job of putting stuff. Everyone from toddlers to Daddy are in on the job. It takes 8-10 people 30 minutes to put it all away.

When I am done...we usually eat out for dinner!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!

I have been trying to get the forms I use into some sort of format that I can insert into my blog....but I'm pretty much stumped as to how to go about it. So, I will type this out, and at the end of this posting, I will list the documents that I use. If you are interested in having a copy, please email me & I will happily send them to you as well as any recipes that look interesting to you.

Here is our menu for March:
1st
Out

2nd
Oven fried chicken
biscuits
edamame

3rd
out

4th
*Crockpot Chicken & Dumplins

5th
Baked Ziti
Okra
Breadsticks
Salad

6th
Date Night/Mini meatloaves (previously made & frozen)
stuffing
green beans

7th
*Crockpot Salisbury Steaks
Mashed Taters
Cabbage

8th
*Crockpot Island Kielbasa
Rice
Veggies
Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

9th
Chicken Pot Pie
Sauteed Broccoli
Deviled Eggs

10th
Beans (Pinto) & Sausage
Cornbread

11th
BBQ Baked Potatoes

12th
Creamy Chicken Stew
Skillet Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Salad

13th
Frozen Lasagna (cooked, of course)
Carrots
Salad
Breadsticks

14th
*Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken
Rice
Stir-Fry Veggies
Asian Salad (still looking for recipe)

15th
Pork chops
Corn on the Cob
Broccoli & Rice Casserole

16th
Little Ceasar's Pizza

17th
Irish Beef Stew
Crusty Bread

18th
Smoothies
*Farmer's Casserole

19th
Poppy Seed Chicken
Rice
Veggies
Rolls

20th
Beef Stroganoff
Green Beans
Salad

21st
*Crockpot Beef Enchiladas
*Corn, Bean & Avocado Salad
Spanish Rice

22nd
Cheese Stuffed Shells
Edamame
Salad

23rd
Homemade Burgers
Pasta Salad
Baked Beans
Banana Pudding

24th
OUT

25th
*Baked Potato Soup
*Herbed Muffins

26th
Chicken Spaghetti
Pea salad

27th
Beef & Bean Chile Rellenos
Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

28th
Taco Salad

29th
*Spicy Chicken Kebobs with mushrooms & peppers
Okra, corn & tomato saute

30th
Homemade Pizzas
Salad

31st
Pot roast with Horseradish sauce & vegetables

NOTE: Items marked with * are new recipes.

Here is a list of the forms I use:

Blank Calendar

WalMart Master Grocery List

Master Meal List

You may email me at: diayoung (at) sbcglobal (dot) net

Let me know what you think...was this helpful at all?

Food for Thought

Do you like to eat?

I know...dumb question, but the other day, my pastor made a comment that really, um irritated (?)...no...convicted (probably) me.

He said, "I don't care much for food or what I eat."

Really?

People feel that way?

He seems so normal....

In all honesty, I think the reason it struck me is because of envy (great trade one of the 7 deadlies for another).

I have had a love/hate relationship with food since childhood. I love to eat it & hate to stop. LOL I was a....uh....chubby kid. You know the one. Clumsy, jiggly, bad hair. Yeah. That was me. I also talked too much & was clingy, but that's for another post. I had some self-esteem issues as a result of my appearance. So, I sought comfort in a nice cold bowl of Blue Bell ice cream. Great results.

Somewhere in my earlyish teens the chunks gave way to curves & I felt pretty ok about me, although I was still fat in my own eyes. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be that fat again. I was a blimpy 120 pounder when I said, "I do", and thought I should have been smaller. Unfortunately, one of the things my new hubby & I had in common was a love for good food. As a result, we have struggled for most of our nearly 20 years of marital bliss with our weight.

Right now, I am paying Weight Watchers every month to send me reminders to track my meals. I don't. I buy Lean Cuisine meals....and Blue Bell. I get so very aggrivated with myself when I "fail".

For the last year, we have been going to WW meetings & were doing very well. However, I marveled at nearly every meeting at the number of people who were in that room discussing how we all could manipulate the system to get as much food as possible each day & still lose weight. It seems so....messed up. We spend our time & money to discuss how to do something in moderation that is NECESSARY for our existance!!!

I am a stress eater. I have a large family. Figure it out.

However, I am truly of the frame of mind that overeating, and gluttony are sins that are not really addressed. Yes, there are worse sins, but self-indulgence is blatantly against the self-sacrificing message of Christ.

I don't murder.

I don't commit adultry.

There are many of the "biggies" that I don't partake in. Yay me.

Yet, I still have sin in the camp. Yep, right under my "tent" dress, there is the obvious result of my sin. It is, at times, humiliating. I have even wished there were something medically wrong with me, so I could blame my weight on that. No luck.

Is this post depressing? I don't mean for it to be. I am being honest. In our world of "foodies", junk food, drive thru, & Cheetos...it's no wonder we are an obese nation. Our lives are crazy busy, so we eat to survive while we live a life that's killing us.

One of the few things in my home that mean something to me is a little sign in my living room that says, "Simplify".

That's it.

Nothing else.

It's not a suggestion, it's a command.

If my life were more simplistic, I would have more time for relaxation which would, in turn, reduce stress, which should then cause weight loss...at least for me.

I am feeling more & more convinced that I need to put some real focus on this. In past weeks & months, I have let myself slip.

It is summer, after all.

I've stayed up too late, slept too long, skipped breakfast, ran around town, skipped chores, forgotten dinner....and gained weight. Again.

I saw something today that hit home, I think it was by C.S. Lewis (or maybe Albert Einstein...anyway, someone smarter than me). It said,

"Insanity: doing the same thing over & over again & expecting different results."

That's it!

I'm insane.