I Can Make It

I just returned from the grocery store. I really try to avoid the grocery store on Saturdays, but sometimes I must suck it up and do it. There is a bonus to Saturday shopping... I can leave the kids with Mike! Woot!

I was asked a few questions about what I actually eat and buy each week. This is a brief list of how I prepare and make quick meals for the week. Mike has to pack his lunches in the morning, too, so we do a lot to get make it as easy as possible. We  chop everything in bulk so we can assemble quickly.

Breakfast (during week 1 & 2):
 We buy about 5 dozen eggs. YIKES! We love our eggs and that lasts about 2 weeks. Mike usually boils 1/2 of them so he can take them for breakfast at work. I usually eat one egg and one egg white. I fry it up in a little oil. I like to add deli lunch meat (if you eat lunch meat just check the label to make sure it is mostly meat and not mechanically separated turkey drowned in high fructose corn syrup) to the pile. I never thought I would eat grilled veggies for breakfast, but I actually love it. I like to saute about 2 cups of fresh kale with lemon juice and garlic. Spinach is also good this way. Other commonly used breakfast items are mushrooms, chicken or turkey sausage (again - read the label), bell peppers, salsa for the eggs, and onions.

Lunches 
I have a salad almost every day. I buy two heads of lettuce at a time. I'm a bit picky about my lettuce (I figure I can be because I sure eat a lot of it) so I'm willing to run to the store more often for it. I chop one head of lettuce at a time. I use a lettuce knife (it is hard plastic) because supposedly that makes the lettuce less wilty. I don't know if it is true, but I have one so I use it. When all of the lettuce is chopped, I put it in a gallon Ziploc bag with a damp paper towel. It stays good for a week. I also buy a bunch of spinach and do the same thing. I include carrots, celery, banana peppers, beets, pickles, cucumbers, almonds, tomatoes, avocado, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and anything else that is on sale that week. (side note: I noticed this afternoon at the store that the produce is getting more affordable. YAY for summer. Take advantage of Farmers Markets & road side stands and just the general joy of fresh produce!) If I have grilled chicken or fish left over from the night before, I'll add that. Usually I add tuna fish or canned chicken (a little gross) or chopped up lunch meat. Sometimes my salads are so big that I don't need the meat. I dress my salads with red wine or balsamic vinegar, juice from the pepperoncini jar, salt and pepper. I've got a recipe for chimichuri and I like to add a dollop of that for dressing.

Dinner
I HATE making dinner! After hanging out with Piper all day and trying to squeeze exercise, work and church stuff in, I'm spent. At lunch I will I will put the meat in the fridge to thaw. Now that the weather is nice, I've started using the grill more often. I like to put mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, and onions on the grill with a little olive oil and garlic salt. My kids are even willing to eat it. We eat a lot of broccoli and cauliflower because they like that, too. Cooked carrots are a favorite, too. Besides grilled chicken, fish and turkey burgers, we also eat other stuff because you'll find out really quick that meat and veggies can get really boring really fast. I make marinara sauce from scratch and put it over roasted spaghetti squash instead of noodles (I usually boil some noodles for the kids). Season ground turkey and have taco salad (minus chips and cheese). We've made tacos and used lettuce as our 'shells' (corn shells can be eaten in week 5!). I bake the chicken in left over marinara sauce in the oven and it is good. Shred a few lbs of chicken in the crock-pot and have leftovers during the week. The good thing about chicken is you can make it taste like whatever you want. If you get desperate for something different, marinate your chicken breasts in lime juice, chili powder, and a dab of honey. I like to make meatballs, too. Jenni-O has some turkey Italian sausage that is quite tasty.

So, hopefully this gives you a little more hope that there is a lot of ways to eat the same thing. So, tonight have your "last drunk" (family reference of one last crazy night) or eat 10 dinner rolls on Sunday at your in-laws. Then say a little prayer that you'll make it through until Thursday. If you make it to Thursday, you will be totally golden.