Let's Make Plans

As y'all probably know by now - I'm a list maker.  I love a list and I make them for, well... pretty much everything!

One of those lists happens to be a weekly meal plan. It's a handy little tool which I highly recommend!  It assists me with everything from making my grocery list to staying on track when I'm trying to eat healthier.  I also try to post the meal plan on the fridge to help reduce the endless question "Mom, what's for dinner?"

Every week, I sit down on the day before grocery shopping day and make my plan.  Here's a sample (this week's actual plan)

Sunday:

Breakfast: 2 whole grain waffles, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 sliced nectarine
Lunch: 

Dinner:  Eat out

Monday:

Breakfast:  2 eggs, whole grain toast

Lunch: Deli style tuna sandwich

Dinner: Spinach Lasagna

Snack: 2 graham crackers w/ 1 tbsp nut butter

Tuesday:

Breakfast:  Whole grain English muffin w/ 2 tbsp nut butter, banana, 1 cup almond milk

Lunch:  Turkey taco salad

Dinner: Sirloin Tacos

Snack:  1/4 cup homemade trail mix

Wednesday:

Breakfast:  Chia seed pumpkin muffin, 1 cup grapefruit, 1 cup almond milk
Lunch:  Chinese chicken salad
Dinner: seared tuna, steamed broccoli, brown rice

Thursday:

Breakfast:  breakfast burrito

Lunch: Minestrone soup, 1 whole grain pita

Dinner: Spaghetti squash w/ tomato sauce and ground turkey

Snack: 2 oatmeal raisin cookies, 1 cup almond milk

Friday:

Breakfast:  Strawberry, banana, cocoa smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner:  Veggie burger with whole grain bun, sweet potato "fries"

Snack: 1 orange, 1 oz dark chocolate

I then make my shopping list based on the meals I have planned.  It certainly helps keep me focused when I'm shopping so I don't fill up the cart with junk food! 

 Until recently my meal plans only included dinners.  But I have found that by including lunches and dinners I do a much better job of  making good choices about lunches and snacks instead of just grabbing what's quick or whatever junk I'm craving.

Do you make a meal plan?

Searching For My Gold

Like much of the world population (or at least the U.S. population), I have spent hours and hours viewing the various Olympic events over the past week.  I'm starting to get a little bleary eyed and delirious from staying up far past my bedtime to see our gymnasts, swimmers, and runners.  And in that muddled brain state I begin having dreams of my own Olympic gold.

I'm not completely delusional yet.  I don't imagine myself biking cross country, or swimming a 400m IM, or doing a stunning balance beam routine and nailing the dismount in a way that sends the crowd to their feet.  Although that chick sitting in the front of the boat telling the rowers to "stroke"?  Yeh - I think I could master that.  Maybe.  I'm good at telling people what to do.  Just ask my kids.

But after careful consideration of my general lack of athleticism, I have come up with my own  "Olympics - Home Edition".

That's right.  Olympics for the home maker.  Events in cooking, cleaning, general home and family management.  Medals for the every day heroes of family life.

I may be a medal contender in dishes.  Empty dishwasher, rinse dishes, load dishwasher.  I've got that routine down cold.  Gold might be a stretch, but silver is certainly within my reach.  Not today.  If the event were held today - I'd be lucky to squeeze by with a bronze.

I probably wouldn't even get past the quarter finals in laundry.  I'd take a terrible tumble off the pile of Mt. WashingToDo causing huge deductions.  An epic fail of  Feck proportions.  No coming back from that sort of disaster. 

And I am refusing to contend in Ironing at all.  I just can't see any good reason to do that to myself.  That would be like a runner trying to race in the pool.  Completely out of my element.

I would , of course, dominate in Clothesline Drying.  Watch me folks.  I would dazzle the judges and the crowds with my hanging skills and the speed with which I can remove the dry clothing from the line!

I'm already dreaming up other events and imagining myself up on the podium waving and smiling at my cheering, adoring family.  

Bathroom cleaning - GOLD!


Meal planning and cooking dinner - GOLD!

Grocery shopping and couponing - GOLD!

Vacuuming. Dusting. Sweeping and Mopping. GOLD, GOLD, GOLD!  Oh, who am I kidding... probably Silver at best.

What event in the Olympics: Home Edition would win you a medal?