I want to do this for both health and financial reasons.
We spent way too much money visiting our son in Texas, ( I LOVE Texas), for his basic training graduation from the Air Force. The plane ride, hotel, eating out and the attractions we went to was a small fortune. Sea World in San Antonio is very supportive of their military men and families and actually allowed Bobby , my son, and 3 people to go for free. That was really a blessing because it's very expensive. The only one we had to pay for was my youngest daughter, who is 4 years old. We got a discounted rate for her of $40.00. It was a great deal. We also went to a local TGIFriday's and was pleasantly surprised that the manager gave us a $20.00 discount because he saw Bobby in his "Blues". Texas is really supportive of military men and families. Did I mention that I LOVE Texas?
This is my son, Robert Jr, 20 years old with his younger brother, David, 22 months.
Health reasons are pretty obvious. You really have no idea what they serve you and the MSG, sodium and preservatives are extremely high in restaurant food. Chinese food, which is one of my favorites, is the worst.
I would of liked to of been better prepared for this but right after New Year's day, we left for Texas, ( I really loved that state..did I mention that?) The only thing I had prepared was some meals, which is really half the battle.
We got home on Sunday night, so bright and early Monday morning, I started getting the house back in order and laundry. Lots of laundry...Piles of laundry. This would've been a great night to order in but I went to my freezer and took out an air-sealed bag of delicious, home-made chili that I had made. I like to cook these types of meals in bulk and put them in the bags. They lay flat when frozen , which makes them much easier to defrost. I just soak the whole bag in hot water in my sink. I use the Food Saver and their bags.
I love having meals made for these types of nights. Another thing that I love is making large crock pot meals and freezing those left overs for busy days. I use Crockin Girls for most of my crock pot recipes.
Monday was here and I made tuna for lunch with some fresh bread that I had made that morning...and chili for dinner. I had enough left over for lunch for the kids on Tues. and for my husband to bring some lunch to work too.
Today is Tuesday and I made pork chops , cauliflower and corn for dinner. I have enough left over for my husband to bring a big lunch to work tomorrow. Not bad.
I really want to eat more whole foods,and doing this will ensure that. I do think I need to be reasonable and I do have some fast foods like frozen pizza, fish sticks and chicken nuggest for those lunches and dinners that I just don't have time for but over the whole month, we will be eating more whole foods and less pre-packaged foods.
It's better to be realistic than to go crazy and put too much on myself, fail and stop trying. I'm hoping that after the 3 months we consider this a way of life and not eat out too much.
Another way I am planning on saving money is making our snacks. I love The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drumand and I get alot of my dessert and snack recipes from her. I can't believe the prices of snacks these days and it's healthier to make your own...even if you're using white flour and white sugar.
Tomorrow is Wednesday:
I've got some friends coming over for lunch. So i'm planning on making frozen pizza and home made strawberry bars. It's a fun snack that the kids will love to help make.
God Bless,
Laura
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