Meal Planning

Hey there! Are you feeling as busy as I am right now?

Getting back into the school swing can be tricky.  I can't imagine being a momma who works outside of the home as well.  I watch my friends and sisters do it, and I just don't even know how they get it all done!

Our schedule is very different this year than previous years.  Two days per week I am gone all day.  One day I am gone half.  That leaves me three days at home, unless I have to throw in an appointment of some kind.

So I thought I would write about what's helping me get food on the table for my guys each night.

I make meal plans.  

I've done this for the past three years I think.  This can seem overwhelming, I know, especially if you aren't the naturally organized type.  Don't fret though!  You could even start by jotting down on a calendar what you have each night for the next month.  This doesn't have to be complicated okay!

When I started, I just thought about what all we liked to eat and rotated it each month.  Later, I thought about ways I could make it healthier.  This school year, I came up with two months worth of meals!

I basically like to have a lean protein, low-carb starch, and a veggie or two at each dinner.  It doesn't always work out like that and there are times when I just don't feel like cooking so we grab something or do a frozen pizza.  Yep, it happens, and I'm fine with that.  

I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to let mealtime stress me out!  This is real life so let's just be practical.  Some things come easier to others.  Sometimes life's circumstances change our days and we need to do something different.  What I know is that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!

I refuse to beat myself up over food! I am committed to making the wisest choicest possible with whatever a day presents.

But, there are some ways to make having a home-cooked meal with decent ingredients happen on a fairly regular basis.

Planning ahead with a meal plan helps take the frustration out of figuring out what to have!  It also helps keep your grocery bill down because you go with a list and stick to it.

When I get home from the grocery, I like to brown all the ground beef or turkey up at once with a little seasoning that works for every dish.  Then, I let it cool down and store it.  When I need it, I simply defrost in the fridge the night before I will use it.  

This has helped my sons learn how to cook things, as well as made my meal prep so fast.  You can also do this with chicken if you want or seal your steak in marinade and feeze it!  Yummo!

I have built in two crockpot meals for the two days we are gone so long.  It's so nice to come into the house and smell dinner ready for us to eat!  On the other nights, I try to use the stuff I have pre-cooked so that a meal doesn't take much work and is usually ready in minutes.

I have watched how planning ahead of time pays off tremendously! Oh, and many times, I will double a recipe while I cook it in the crock and freeze part of it for another meal.

I also have a list of snack foods, breakfasts and lunches that we cycle through each week.  It helps the kids not ask what they can have or are having over and over again!

So be encouraged that a little work to make a plan now can save you oodles of time and energy later.  It's worth the effort!  You can search for other people's meal plans online and get tons of ideas.

Happy planning!

On My Way!

Hi Friends :)

How's everybody doing out there?  

I hope you are continuing to pursue your own ways of living practically in a busy world!

I was hoping to have some more pictures of projects up to show you by now, but getting over the surgery I had in July has really kept me tired.  And getting my kiddos back into the school grind is taking much of my time!

I'm doing great otherwise.  Thank you for the messages and prayers.  I just find myself feeling so anxious to accomplish more things and my body isn't ready quite yet.

So, as always, I don't set my eyes on what I can't do, but what I can!  That's pursuing practical living!

I had to think through with a couple friends what I can do.  

I can stretch daily.  I can walk short distances.  I can use small hand weights.  I can continue to learn about nutrition and exercise.  I can watch what is going into my mouth (and I don't mean as I shove it in there)!

I can read, watch documentaries, teach my children, and encourage friends.

I know well what negative thoughts can do...how they can lead you into discouragement and depression.  I don't want to go back there by thinking on things I can't do or don't have...or people who aren't around or places I can't go.

No.  I have learned that right living begins with right thinking!  So when I can't walk out the steps or do the things I want to do to move in practical living, I make sure I am thinking about it, planning it, and preparing for it for when I can!

I'd like to shout out a thanks especially to my friends Amanda and Andrea who have been such an encouragement to me lately!  You continue to give me hope that things will level out again and this is just a season.

Be blessed today blogger friends!  Rest.  Set your eyes on what you have and what you can do and rejoice with me.

I love what Joyce Meyer says, "I'm not where I want to be, but thank God, I'm not where I use to be!"  Amen sister!