The Plan, Part Two
I have this great friend that apparently knows me very well, which is rare because my life is like a locked diary and I don't ever share it with anyone. Ever. No details; it's all classified, if you know what I'm saying. She called me about a week ago and after listening to me moan about my troubles for awhile, she said, "So what's the plan? I keep waiting for you to blog some new plan, and I'll know that you're OK." And that was all I really needed to hear, a reminder to live deliberately. Honestly, for the past few months I have been just trying to get by hoping something would change and the blues would clear up on their own. Well they're not. So I decided to devise a plan that would: a. save us money, b. help us to eat healthy foods again, and c. get me organized.
After some hunting, I found this awesome website that was just what I needed to kick myself into gear. This gal lives on $50 a week and tries to eat organic as much as possible and also buy local produce. She doesn't calculate her spending in the week, but only using supplies equal to that amount. For example, if she uses a tortilla, she charges herself two cents, etc. It was perfect. She has healthy recipes, ideas for minimal meals like lentils and rice, and because of her organic tendencies, she is very resourceful in her cooking.
Now, coming off of vacation, which I hope to write about someday, and a week of eating convenience and fast foods, lentils and rice doesn't look too good to the masses, so I have to improvise a little. And we're big meat eaters; everyone panics when there's no meat. But the idea was all I needed, with a little bit of instruction.
First, I wanted to try to use everything in the cabinets before creating a menu or going to the grocery store. I made flour tortillas, for pennies, and used up the leftover refried beans. I cut all the meat off the leftover pork chops and used the bones for the broth of my soup. We had quesadillas and canned soup with the leftover tortillas, cornbread from scratch with the soup, and tonight we're having pizza, if we don't go to Applebees, which is what Dale is pulling for. Also we made slushies last night for family movie night with KoolAid and ice and a little bit of extra sugar. They were yummy, just like Sonic!
It's exciting to see how far I can stretch what we have because I tell myself how much we're saving every meal that we don't have to buy from the grocery store. Yesterday I wanted to make sloppy joes and didn't have any onion or green pepper, but instead of going to the store, I used onion powder and put a few pepperoncinis in it and it was good.
If you know me at all, you know my dream is to make everything I possibly can from scratch eventually, even having a few chickens and a cow on the ranch someday. But for now, I'm picking up what I can here and there so that the kids are conditioned for life without pre-packaged foods.
After some hunting, I found this awesome website that was just what I needed to kick myself into gear. This gal lives on $50 a week and tries to eat organic as much as possible and also buy local produce. She doesn't calculate her spending in the week, but only using supplies equal to that amount. For example, if she uses a tortilla, she charges herself two cents, etc. It was perfect. She has healthy recipes, ideas for minimal meals like lentils and rice, and because of her organic tendencies, she is very resourceful in her cooking.
Now, coming off of vacation, which I hope to write about someday, and a week of eating convenience and fast foods, lentils and rice doesn't look too good to the masses, so I have to improvise a little. And we're big meat eaters; everyone panics when there's no meat. But the idea was all I needed, with a little bit of instruction.
First, I wanted to try to use everything in the cabinets before creating a menu or going to the grocery store. I made flour tortillas, for pennies, and used up the leftover refried beans. I cut all the meat off the leftover pork chops and used the bones for the broth of my soup. We had quesadillas and canned soup with the leftover tortillas, cornbread from scratch with the soup, and tonight we're having pizza, if we don't go to Applebees, which is what Dale is pulling for. Also we made slushies last night for family movie night with KoolAid and ice and a little bit of extra sugar. They were yummy, just like Sonic!
It's exciting to see how far I can stretch what we have because I tell myself how much we're saving every meal that we don't have to buy from the grocery store. Yesterday I wanted to make sloppy joes and didn't have any onion or green pepper, but instead of going to the store, I used onion powder and put a few pepperoncinis in it and it was good.
If you know me at all, you know my dream is to make everything I possibly can from scratch eventually, even having a few chickens and a cow on the ranch someday. But for now, I'm picking up what I can here and there so that the kids are conditioned for life without pre-packaged foods.
Plans are awesome - the first part about loving your kids and doing your best will last much longer than lentils and rice but more power to ya sister. What a great friend that was to point that out to you!
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