Habits and Routines

I never used to be much of a planner, always kind of flew by the seat of my pants - much to Russ's horror.  He was the planner, the organizer, the one who kept us all in line.  He's known as the shoe fairy in our house. No matter where we took off our shoes in the house, they'd always end up back in the "shoe spot", and they'd all be lined up perfectly.  Nothing wrong with being like that - I just wasn't.  Somehow over the past few years that has changed.

I need my routines. I need the habits I have developed.  They keep me grounded and focused.  They also keep my anxiety at a manageable distance.  I know that if I don't plan our meals and keep food and meals prepped in the fridge, we will end up going out and making unhealthy choices.  I made a habit out of planning our menus for the coming week on Saturday, and then shopping and prepping on Sunday.  That habit has just become my routine now.  I made a habit out of keeping my gym bag packed and ready to go every morning, and bringing it with me when I leave the house.  This way I can change at work if I want to go to the trail, or I can just head to the gym.  I do this because I know if I come home first to change I will most likely end up not going back out.  That habit has just become my routine now.

When Russ's schedule changed at work it totally screwed up my routine.  If I go to the gym right after work I will only see him for maybe 2 hours a day.  That 2 hours would be spent making our dinner and packing his lunch while he showered.  So basically I won't see him much at all.  I'm not ok with that so I come home after work so I can see my husband.  We tried a few things, like him meeting me at the gym, or me picking him up and we go to the trail - but time wise it just wasn't working out.  I am currently trying to develop a new habit of going to the gym when he leaves for work at 5:30.  I'm not thrilled with this, but I need to get my exercise in and there's really no other option.  I'm sure after a week or two it will just be a part of my routine.

Last week the kids were all here and my routines went right out the window. I am not complaining, I'd give them all up to have our family here with us all the time!  I was sad to see them go, but the next day when I got up and made my shake, and packed my lunch, and did all the other things I do in the morning I realized something.  I'd missed my routines.  And while I miss the kids, I was happy to have our "normal" back.

I am sure Russ wishes some of these new habits of mine included things like not making piles of stuff all over the place, and folding the laundry when its done instead of letting it sit in the basket to get all wrinkled.  Maybe someday. Baby steps, right?!

Ready, set, DONE!

This morning I spent about 2 hours in the kitchen prepping some of our snacks for the week.  I love being able to just grab & go in the mornings, no hassles no stress.  Sure makes life easier.  Here's some quick photos to share with you all.  When I get home this afternoon I will make the 2 items that I will be packing for our "main" lunch item, and prep stuff for the 2 dinners we're having.  Then I will basically be done for the week in the kitchen, other than cooking our actual dinners.  How awesome is that?!!  

Meal Plan, Shopping Trip, Recipes and ideas!

I shared the pictures of my grocery shopping trip this morning and had a couple of requests for my plan for the week. I spent $99, and this should last us 10 days.  I do have a few things on hand, like frozen chicken breasts and ground beef that I will be using as well.  

Here's what I bought!

Fruits: 

Bananas

3lbs Red Grapes

4 Apples

Blueberries

2lb bag of Lemons

1 Lime

1 Grapefruit

Veggies:

Grape Tomatoes

Romaine Hearts

Trio of colored peppers

Celery

Cucumbers

Jalapenos

Tomatillos

Green Leaf Lettuce

Zucchini

Cilantro

Refrigerated Section:

Sharp Cheese

Yogurt for Russ

Greek Yogurt for me

Sour Cream

Almond Milk

Boiled eggs

(Yes, I buy them already boiled and peeled.  Judge me if you must, but it's a huge time saver.  Not to mention I have not been able to easily peel eggs here in Florida, it's always a struggle and I end up with more wasted egg than anything.)

Baking:

Whole Wheat Flour

Pam Spray

Cream of Tartar

Condensed Milk x 2

Applesauce Cups (I use them for baking.  One is just shy of 1/2c)

Taco Seasoning (I need to make up another batch of my own!)

Misc:

1lb Turkey Breast

Hershey Kisses for Russ

Tostitos

Dried Cranberries

Frozen Chicken Strips

Alfredo Sauce

Fettuccine 

(These last 3 are because Zach came home unexpectedly for the day and I needed something quick to make him for dinner!)

This is my meal plan for the week.  Please ignore how messy it is, I didn't realize I'd be sharing it when I made it!  Russ's is on the back side, it's similar to mine with a few changes based on our personal likes.  We both always have a Complete Shake for breakfast, and the days Russ works at JSO we will also have a Shake for dinner.  He doesn't get home until almost 7pm and neither of us like eating that late.  I work from 6am-2pm so I have my shake while I'm getting the kids breakfast, then I always eat 2 boiled eggs around 9 and sometimes a yogurt.  After the kids are fed at 11:30 I eat my lunch.  Then I eat a snack around 3 and we have dinner when Russ gets home at either 5:30 or 7pm.  I am a creature of habit and can eat the same things everyday for weeks without getting tired of it!

I tend to make things on the weekend that I can take to work throughout the day for my lunch.  This weekend I am making Chicken-Sprouts Casserole but I am altering it quite a bit to bring the calories down.  I am also making the Broccoli, Bacon & Blueberry Salad* that we love.  I have 1 steak in the freezer that I will cook and slice up to put on top of our salad Monday night. Tuesday night we are having Verde Chicken Soup*.  Friday night will be leftovers, and Saturday we will be in Daytona visiting Zach at College for Family Weekend.  Wed & Thursday nights we'll have a Shake.

The things I planned for our snacks this week are:

Grapes

A variety of raw veggies w/ Hummus (homemade)

Pistachios

Almonds

Turkey/Lettuce Wraps

Cucumber/Tomato/Onion Salad

Apples

I also made these Chocolate Muffins for Russ for a treat, cause I'm nice like that :)

And I made these M&M Chocolate Oat Bars for Zach to take back to school with him.  I know, I know... you're all wondering what's up with me today because I hate to bake!  

 Here are the recipes for the above mentioned meals:

Broccoli, Bacon and Blueberry Salad
10 slices of bacon cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces (I use turkey bacon)
2lbs fresh broccoli (2-3 large crowns) rinsed well and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2c fresh blueberries
1c mayo (I use 1/2c mayo and 1/2c Greek yogurt)
4 Tbsp sunflower seeds
half of a red onion, diced (too much for me, I use 1/4 c)

Mix all together and let sit for a few hours before eating.


And the soup...

I hope this helps those of you that asked me for ideas, or how I plan our menu's and my shopping trip!