Monday, January 16, 2012

Challenge 52-3

I'm all about making things easy on yourself, and sometimes that takes a little prep work up front. It seems counter-productive, but it all works out in the end.

This week's challenge: Plan a week's worth (or more if you're so inclined) of healthy meals, including lunch, breakfasts and snacks. Then schedule a time to grocery shop for these meals. It doesn't have to be for this week...just do the planning before your next shopping trip. If you already do this, why don't you plan something different for the week instead of your old stand-by meals?

And share some of your plans! I always love to get some fresh ideas!

9 comments:

  1. We started doing the shopping planning a couple years ago and it works well....unless you forgot something (oops, organic chicken broth for stew). The stew: Organic broth (16oz?), 4-5 potatoes, a few chopped up baby carrots, 1lb organic, lean chicken. All goes in the crockpot until the chicken is cooked and falls apart :) Yummmmm...

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  2. I already do this... And each week I bring out a cookbook and pick one thing from it to try that week. Last week we had smothered pigs in a blanket... Make regular pigs in a blanket with low cal hot dogs and reduced fat crescent rolls. Once they bake, top with turkey chili and low fat cheese... Yummy! It's a Hungry Girl recipe so it's low calorie and fast!

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    1. I love this idea. So easy!!

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    2. I let the kids look through my cookbooks every once in a while and pick out something new. It helps them be involved in the process and gives me new ideas.

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  3. We do this too, but for 4 weeks at a time. Living 100 miles from a good grocery store makes this necessary. I have to be a little flexible because things come up and I have to switch the menu. But the beauty of having 4 weeks planned is that I am stocked up for plenty of substitutes. I'm also blessed to have lots of storage, so I try to keep at least 1 extra of everything. It has taken some time to get used to bulk shopping, but I love it now. In fact, I'm considering getting a breadmaker and buy flour in bulk to make my own bread instead of store-bought. This "month" I'm going to try a crockpot lasagna that I found online (http://creatingthroughlife.blogspot.com/2011/10/crock-pot-lasagna.html) and some easy valentine treats for the kids (http://www.salemcountywoman.com/Featured-In-This-Issue/archive/43.asp).

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    1. That is so funny that you're making a crockpot lasagna. I tried a recipe for crockpot lasagna last night!

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    2. How did it turn out? Anything you'd change next time?

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  4. I was just thinking today that I'm terrible at not using recipes over again. It's like I start over every time I meal plan. I need to come up with a good way to keep a record of the good meals to repeat.

    By the way - check out my blog: you've been tagged with an award. http://familyfitnessfood.com/the-versatile-blogger-7-random-things/

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    1. Carrie - here's a suggestion: I keep my shopping list in a spreadsheet. In the same spreadsheet, I make my monthly menu and keep a list of all my "go-to" meals along with how many meals each one is good for. For example, when I make lasagna, its normally good for 2-3 meals. That helps me plan. I can see a long list of my meals and just plug them into a calendar.

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