It’s so true that venting can help relieve tension and help you move on in better spirits. After my post earlier today, I immediately felt better and truthfully found humor in it all. Then, things picked up quite nicely.

I got to enjoy my missing cup of coffee during M’s afternoon nap, while relaxing on the couch.

I managed to do all the dishes and finish laundry. Then, fit in a good sweat session with some TurboKick. And with my little fitness mascot. 

All in all, the day ended up pretty good. Even with the dreaded grocery shopping involved. You know what I realized though? I don’t think its the act of grocery shopping that bothers me. The whole act of trying to remember the reusable bags, driving to the store, and lugging a kid in and out is not what turns me off from this errand. I dread the preparation the most. The list making and meal planning.

You know how people experience the Sunday blues when faced with going back to work the next day? I do not exaggerate when I say I face those blues  thanks to having to come up with a grocery list. Every Sunday night the same drama ensues.

Me: What do you want for dinners this week?
Peter: I don’t know. Whatever.
Me: How about this?
Peter: No…I don’t like that much. How about this?
Me: We just had that this week.
Peter: Oh, yea.
Me: *rack my brain and scramble to come up with something*

This process usually leaves me with meals that, while tasty, lack creativity and rotate out fairly regularly. This week’s meals look like this:

Tonight we had brown rice, assorted roasted veggies, and Great Northern beans.

Tue: tacos with beans, local/organic/grassfed beef, corn, & other fixings
Wed: dinner at church with our small groups
Thur: chicken + veggie eggrolls (like Trader Joes but different brand…aka ingredients I know), broccoli
Fri: at home pizza night
Sat: dinner out after corn maze/pumpkin patch
Sun: Gina’s Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

When making a meal plan, I always keep in mind our schedule for the week, meals that have an easier preparation, and what types of things we usually feel like on certain nights. For example, I tutor on Thursday night this week, so I need something Peter can get together easily. On Fridays we never feel like cooking a full meal, so pizza tends to show up. Sundays tend to leave us craving something simple and lighter after a dinner out on Saturday. I know how to make a meal plan that suits us. However, I wish our meal plans had more variety in them from week to week. 

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I do find meal planning beneficial for many reasons. It helps us stick to a food budget. It motivates us to prepare healthier meals. If I waited until dinner time each day to decide what I felt like preparing, I would likely end up eating pizza or cereal every night because I would not want to cook. Meal planning also fits my schedule better because I don’t have to run to the store numerous times each week. I love what meal planning does for us, but I hate not ever knowing what to make and facing that dilemma each and every week.

So, how do you manage it? Do you plan out your meals and do one big shop each week? Or do you go day by day? How do you incorporate variety in the dinners you make?  Any great, easy dinners you want to share? And any other meal planning tips you have? Spill your list making and meal planning habits in the comments section. I want to hear them!

Bloggers of the Day! (randomly chosen from yesterday’s comments)

• Your Food Smiles – Emily shares many great recipes and food creations
• Health, Happiness, & Skinny Jeans – Samantha blogs about her race training, including a recent half marathon which she rocked
• Second City Randomness – Amy gives the best sarcastic wit out there in sharing her balanced, fun loving life

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Good morning! I’m about to head into another busy day, although at least this one is all fun-filled. Yesterday I had so many things to get done that I didn’t even eat dinner until 8:45 pm!  I had to tutor last night and then stop at the store on the way home. It never fails that I forget something when grocery shopping. Without question, I inhaled my food immediately upon butt contact with the kitchen chair.

I dined on a turkey burger with my usual toppings – ketchup, mustard, pickles, onions, and tomato. I like the basics. Sides, however, can spice it up. We noshed on our first roasted butternut squash of the season. Delicious!

While eating my late dinner, I began thinking about those old food rules I used to follow. One of which touted that eating after 7 pm would cause my body to store every drop I ate as fat. No matter if my overall calorie consumption balanced out. Eating past the golden hour automatically equated to pudge in my book. In that same situation, years ago I might have convinced myself I was no longer hungry or had nothing more than a few veggies. How twisted! Like my body switches off its mitochondrial metabolism support at 7 pm. Riiiggghhhttt.

Then I remembered other “food rules” I used to live by. Laughable now really. Besides not eating after 7, I also could not have complex carbohydrates except around my workouts. So, in other words 2 meals a day and only on training days. Now, does a meal without complex carbs even exist? Not in my stomach!

Another rule in line with that? I could not could not could not consume a starch (complex carbohydrate) with a fat source. Oats and nut butter? Not possible. My body wouldn’t be able to process the nut butter after processing the carbs so I would get fat. Where did this logic even come from? Oh yea. I know. I won’t name names though. Let’s just say I no longer need to send out an “SOS” with my breakfasts. Like my morning’s glorious bowl with oats, 1/2 banana, sprinkle of raisins, and glob of Nutella. 😀

And I cannot forget the golden protein rule! I would keel over and die if I did not eat at least 1 gram of protein per my weight each and every day. Usually I consumed even more than that, getting upwards of 150g each day. That would be 100g OVER the recommended amount for healthy living. I don’t imply its bad to eat more protein, but forcing yourself to eat more because you fear muscle loss and not allowing yourself other foods you love to fit in protein…that’s not too smart. I wasn’t too smart. How did I force myself to eat so much of this…which I don’t even like?

I think my favorite food rule of all, however, was the need to rate my fruits and veggies. Berries and apples? Good. I can have one per day. After a workout, but of course. Bananas, peaches, and grapes? A bit too much sugar…better avoid. Green beans, spinach, and broccoli? Good! Zucchini, squashes, potatoes, corn, carrots, and peas? Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 “grade B/C” veggie calories.

I am not kidding. I used to view food that way. No wonder I binged! Carrots were “bad”! Letting go of food rules was one of the best things I have ever done. It freed me from fearing food and giving it power over me. I now eat how satisfies me and in the process learned that quality foods satisfy me more than anything else. Although that doesn’t stop me from having one food rule. Make room for a bit of dessert every day. 😉 Why, hello there special treat to share for tonight’s special Sister Night courtesy of BlogHer!

• Have you ever succumbed to any of these food rules? Or what others have you placed on yourself?
• What are your favorite burger (be it beef/turkey/bean) toppings?

[All photos not my own from photoxpress.com]