Just call me Suzy Homemaker!

What a great weekend so far and it's only Saturday!

Friday is the beginning of my week for counting points so for me it is very important to have a solid Friday and Saturday to set my eating tone for the week. For some reason if I use too many of my weekly points on Friday or Saturday I have a hard time staying on track the whole week. Yesterday early morning I went to the grocery store with my meal plan and list and got all my healthy must haves. 

We are in a trade show this weekend with Nutrie and I knew I was going to be there all day -- right across from a cotton candy machine and popcorn booth none the less. So, I planned ahead and packed some of my favorite foods for lunch. This was my food for the day:

We had a lot of fun at the show talking to people and I think the best part was seeing the look of surprise on all of their faces when they tried the protein shake because it actually tastes good! I also had a great time with our other distributors. Check out our booth:

Before I left this morning I put a roast in the crock pot with some veggies then when I got home all I had to do was mix up some gravy and we had a very yummy healthy dinner. So not only did I stay 100% on track yesterday but I also stayed 100% on track today. I think for a treat tonight I will have my fuel heated up like rich hot chocolate. So yummy. 

Tonight we were going to go to a service at our church but Sean's parents just got home from Florida so they are coming over for a visit. Then we are just going to relax before we do it all again tomorrow!

At the trade show we are in there are tables set up by moms selling their used stuff. I went right over there first thing and got Rylee 5 new sleepers for $10, a large story book for $1, and a DVD for $2. Then when we walked around the place I bought her two owl hats that are just too stinking cute to pass up! I will post a picture of them soon! 

Meal planning and grocery shopping

I am writing this post even though it may provoke some intense teasing from people, however, if you know me you really shouldn't be surprised.

When I first started doing meal planning it took me A LONG time to do each one. Honestly, over an hour. But each week it got quicker and quicker to the point where it now takes me just a few minutes. I do two week rotations because I find that groceries are cheaper than doing it once a week and I don't really want to be bothered to grocery shop every week. I do however get fruits and veggies once a week.

I like to be very organized and I like things simple. Especially now that I am grocery shopping with a baby in tow (most times) I like to be efficient. I don't like to go to more than two stores -- I go to a cheaper store like Wal-Mart, No Frills, or Food Basics for the regular stuff and then I go to Superstore or Remark to get my produce as the produce from the other stores doesn't last very long and is not high quality. I don't get everything from Superstore or Remark because it would double my grocery bill. 

So to start I skim the weekly flyers to see what is on sale. If there are items I like then I build them into my menu plan and I also go through my freezer to see what items I already have on hand. The great thing these days is most places ad match so if there is something that I like in one store I can still get it at other stores for the same price. For example, last week I bought a box of chicken burgers at Wal-mart for $4 something even though Wal-mart's price was $10 because they were on sale in the No Frills flyer. When I plan on ad matching something I note the price first and also which flyer it was in so at the store I can check the price there. Sometimes it is just cheaper to buy it without ad matching. I know this sounds like a lot of work but honestly it is very simple -- remember I don't like complicated things!

So once I note what is in the flyers I go through my calendar to check what is on the schedule for each day before I make my menu plan from a template that I have in Excel (I love that program and use it whenever possible). By adding events from the calendar I can plan the meal around what we are doing. If I don't have time to make a full meal I will make a quick one or make a crockpot meal. If I have more time I might make a more in depth dinner. Once I make my meal plan I print out two copies, one for the fridge and one to make my grocery list from. 

When I make my list I have it broken down into sections so that I don't get to the other side of the store and realize that I forgot a produce item that was hiding at the bottom of my list. I cross off each meal one at a time on my spare copy once I have added what I need to my list so I never miss anything. If I don't know if I already have something I put a ? next to it and check before I leave. 

Then when I am at the grocery store I can focus on getting my items and getting out of the store. I have tried using my phone for a grocery list to reduce carrying extra paper but honestly I really like the paper. I have had it happen more than a few times where I have accidentally erased half my list on my phone then have no idea what I needed. By having the paper there is no way to erase part of my list!

I also leave some wiggle room so that I can buy things that are on sale (not necessarily in the flyer) to put in the freezer for a later date. You can also see that on my menu plan Thursday nights are listed as Flex nights. Since I don't always feel like eating what is on the menu that night I can pick a different nights dinner and make it that night instead. Or if we end up eating out on a night that I had already bought the groceries for then they don't go to waste because I will have it Thursday night (hopefully that makes sense).

The other thing I keep (also in excel) is a meal data base. I have different categories of meals and I can mix and match especially when we are looking for some new ideas. I also use a board on Pinterest (can't get enough of that site) so that I can keep new recipe ideas handy. I try to add in one every two weeks. 

Maybe this all makes me a nerd, but hey, I'm okay with that. This makes my life much simpler and it helps me to save a lot of $ that is often wasted at the grocery store. What makes it even more simple is that my breakfast is delivered right to my door, no grocery store needed! If you are going to give it a try remember that it will take some time at the beginning. 

If you want a copy of my menu plans send me an e-mail or inbox message with your e-mail address so I can forward it on to you.  

Until next time!

Travel wrap up

We are finally home "for good" now. Meaning we don't have any more travel plans in the near future.

Our last few days in Florida were amazing. Friday Mel and Ryan went to Seaworld so Rylee and I did some more shopping. I bought her a few cute things/souvenirs. I was walking around the mall killing time waiting for it to open when I came across these:

They looked SO good and I was REALLY glad that they were closed so I wasn't even tempted to buy one. I think that I will plan on making these sometime in the near future perhaps at a holiday event.

I also saw this:

Paul Blart mall cop!

On Saturday we packed most of our stuff for Dave and Kathie to take with them and we then headed to Sean's cousins house for a visit and dinner. They made an amazing dinner of BBQ Chicken, asparagus, carrots, and potatoes complete with crescent rolls and baked apples. The chicken was huge and really juicy! I was in a food coma afterwards as it was all so good! Then we watched Despicable Me 2. It was a perfect way to end our time there and I was really sad to go.

Yesterday we got up bright and early and headed to the airport. The flight was uneventful and Rylee was really good. My parents and Sean picked us up and we went for dinner and got groceries before waiting the two hours in the border line up to get home. 




I got two new "treats" while in the states yesterday and they are actually REALLY yummy. Totally perfect for a little sweet something with a cup of tea. 

As soon as we got home we got Rylee ready for bed. I knew that we were going to have a bit of a struggle getting her back into her routine so I slept upstairs to avoid going up and down multiple times during the night. She did have one crying episode in the middle of the night that lasted about 30 minutes. I didn't give in to picking her up or giving her a bottle and she fell back asleep on her own and didn't wake until morning. 

So far today she has had two naps and seems to be doing quite well. I plan on sleeping upstairs for a few nights to make sure she gets back into her routine as smoothly as possible.

I have wanted to get Rylee a sock monkey for a while now and I finally found one I really liked in Florida. As you can see she has already taken a shine to it. Follow more adventures with Rylee and Socks here on my blog!

When I got home from BC and Chicago I was completely beat. I was exhausted and very frazzled. I was able to do some mental visualization in order to get back on track but I was still not feeling 100%. 

This trip to Florida was awesome. We had such a great time and other than one rough night Rylee was really good and went to everyone lots. I am excited that I came back rested and feeling GREAT. I am full of energy, have already done my meal planning of the next two weeks and am ready to go. Big difference from last trips. 

I had a really healthy lunch today too!

Tuna with lettuce on vegetable bread with apple slices, snap peas, and my energe!

Tonight the menu is Shake n bake chicken, asparagus, salad, and stuffing. I love this time of year as it is "crockpot season" and so many wonderfully yummy and healthy things come out of that! Of course I'll keep you all updated on anything that turns out stellar!