Sunday

Sunday is grocery store day. If I go from 10:30 to 12:30, I can miss the church-goers and the people who don't go out Sunday morning because they don't want to admit they don't go to church. It's a really quiet time around here.

In order to do that, I need to plan my food-week.

I go back and forth on the plan the food week thing. Sometimes I get the whole family together and we brainstorm meal plans and make a week-long list. We have a fridge full of food, a menu for the week, a work schedule.. all pretty and color coded on a calendar. (I do love a color coded calendar.) Then Monday will come and one of us will say, "I really don't feel like tacos today." And the whole menu falls apart. I end up with a refrigerator full of mushy veggies.

My other food plan theory is to decide what to make in the afternoon & run by the store & the produce stand on the way home. Sometimes I go to the produce stand for inspiration. But then there are the days I don't feel like pulling off the road on the way home from work. Those are usually Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And so the family sticks its collective head in the freezer and we eat frozen burritos, chicken nuggets, and mac & cheese.

The food plan that works best is in the middle. I buy Tyson grilled chicken strips, burritos, & hamburger for the freezer. I keep canned tuna and chicken on hand. I have frozen veggies and canned veggies. I have cheese, sour cream, yogurt & salad dressings. And of course, pasta, rice, couscous & bread.

Then I plan regular meal ideas & pick up the fresh stuff every other day or so. More fresh veggies, fewer mushed science projects.

An eating good stuff tip (although I don't know if it's a tip if it's this obvious): put the fresh fruit and veggies in an easily accessible place, even on the counter for the short term. I've had strawberries turn to science projects in the back of my fridge when if I'd put them on the top shelf or on the counter, they would have been gone in a day. What a waste.

Another: when the fruit is about to go and you can't convince anyone to eat it, throw it in a freezer bag & use it for smoothies later. I have enough bananas to make smoothies & banana bread for an army. Oh yeah, tip three: actually USE the frozen fruit.