Did you see the new notepads in the shop update last Thursday?
Want the story behind these? Well first I'm exploring adding more stationery products to the Creative Thursday collection.
Second is my continued appreciation of an organized life. I'm a list keeper for sure.
Finally, third, and most importantly to fulfill my quest for the ideal grocery list.
We keep a weekly grocery list, like, I'm assuming most everyone does? The way it works in our household is that Sean and I trade off going to the store for our main grocery shopping once a week. The idea is that we try to plan ahead, limiting the time that gets eaten up by too many random trips to the store. There are always the exceptions of course, like when we want a special treat or buy something super fresh to be made the same day, or when I go to the Farmer's Market. What has taken me years to figure out is; why not only plan my grocery list ahead of time but from an actual menu for the week - and by menu I mean mostly dinners as breakfast and lunch in our family is pretty simple and consistent - instead of going solely off of what food supplies we we are out of, and what our favorite foods are for the season. Might seem obvious - yes? to plan your meals for the week, yet for a long time I was not able to make the time for that or find a grocery list that has place for you to write them down. Because! It's so helpful to have the menu in front of you when you're actually at the store so: a) you remember why you're buying the food on your list and: b) if you forgot to write down one of the ingredients for your meals, seeing the name of the dish might remind you?
So that's my big organization tip - or make your life easier tip - for this week. Simple, just a little pre-planning required. Taking the time to figure out what you're going to eat {at least dinners} on each day ahead of time, makes the shopping so much quicker, while answering the daily question 'what's for dinner?', while also eliminating the stress and frenzy that usually follows that question when you're fast and furiously throwing together a meal from what's in your fridge, freezer or pantry or all of the above.
If you don't already know this about me, I love food. While an awesome meal out on occassion is a favorite, we are happy eating at home most nights. In the past couple of years I've been having way more fun cooking and trying new recipes. I honestly think it has something to do with being more organized, leaving me feeling like I actually have the time to cook. It's become some sort of a meter as to how balanced my life is at any given moment. Time to make a meal = in balance. No time = flying by the seat of my pants. Neither one is right or wrong. I've just found that right now I like having more days in balance than out. Preparing thoughtful dinners {not necessarily laborious} has become a priority in our family, not just this thing we have to do to keep my our energy going and blood sugar up. {because you don't want to see the crankiness that ensues when Sean or my blood sugar is low}
We also take a lot of pride in trying to use all of the food we buy. It seriously bums me out to have to throw anything out at the end of the week or have a fridge filled with foods that are way past their expiration date. One simple 'menu' section fulfills all of this for me, so I decided to make my own customized grocery list. I also added a third section for 'household' items since we often buy our household supplies at different locations. Should this kind of a list also work for you? I've added a few to the shop.
All the years spent rebelling against a plan, I get it now. A little planning is good. Thank you Sean. It's his fault, I mean influence. He and I also trade out cooking on different nights of the week and if you want to see planning in action, this man has his meal preparations complete way ahead of time {I'm still working up to this}
Ease, more ease in my life. That's kind of been my word for the year. Personally and professionally I'm seeing if I can make more choices with ease.
