But I don't have time...

How many times have you used this excuse for anything? Yes I said excuse. "But I'm really busy!" you say. I dont doubt that you are but if there is something you really want to accomplish, you will MAKE the time. 

I started back to work a few weeks ago and have a baby that is madly teething right now. I can now understand why it is SO tempting to stop at a drive thru on the way home. But for me my health is worth more than that so I put in extra effort to buy healthy groceries and make healthy meal plans. 

Rylee is doing really well at daycare but hasn't been napping as much as she should. Pair that with waking up earlier than normal and we have one over tired, teething, baby with a nasty case of a teething cold. But I am still managing to get the things done that I need to get done. How you ask? 

For starters it helps that I am very organized. I plan my meals in advance and prep my grocery list too. This helps with that large "chore". Right now my meal plans are very simple with dinners that take less than 20 minutes to prepare and the crockpot has become my best friend. 

I pick out all of Rylee's clothes for the week on Sunday so every morning I just grab that days clothes and we head out the door. 

While Rylee is finishing her supper I pack my lunch for the next day + snacks. By doing this I never have to run to tim hortons or the caf and buy something unhealthy. 

I pick one cleaning item each day to do so that I'm not spending hours cleaning at a time. Because no one has time for that! Haha

I put my workouts in my calendar. I am much more likely to stick to them of I put them in there. For the weeks my hubby is on afternoon shift I workout at home. I also have started taking the stairs at work and looking for extra ways to get activity in! Going for walks at lunch are great mood lifters and help to keep me from wanting an afternoon "pick me up" treat like a donut or chocolate bar.

I use my calendar/schedule and make lists ALL the time. There is no way I could remember everything if I didnt do this step. I also frequently set alarms for myself too to remind me to do something. 

Go easy on yourself and give yourself breaks. When you need a minute to yourself take one!

Pick one thing you want to focus on and start small. Don't try to revamp everything and do too much at once! 

I'm not claiming to know everything and yes I am aware I only have one child who is not involved in activities yet but that doesnt mean I'm not busy too! If it is important to you, you will make the time. 

There are lots of things that I struggle with still and am working to find a balance. Like for example I have no problem getting motivated going to the gym but when the gym isn't an option I find lots of things to do or reasons why I "can't" workout at home. I'm getting better at that though! 

This winter has SUCKED for everyone. We've been cooped up far too long and we are all feeling it! BUT! The snow will soon be melting and then we can get outside and be active in a whole new way again! 

My challenge to you is pick one thing that you want to accomplish. Make a plan, write it down, and start putting it into action TODAY! Not tomorrow! 

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!