We do a lot of eating in this house of mine. Some more than others, wink wink. But seriously, there are 5 hungry mouths to feed on a daily basis...make that thrice daily!! And that's where the work comes in.
I bet you thought this was going to be a whiny post about weight loss...Nay!! Although a blog-worthy topic, I don't really feel like going there today. Rather, I wish to speak on the subject of my Motherly-housewifery duty of procuring and preparing the chow for my ravenous brood.
If I had to describe it in one word, it would be: blah! Can I get an amen?!?
We (okay I) made a goal to eat out less in 2011, and to stay home and cook more. Not only is is better for the budget, but it is better for the health. You just eat better when you cook things yourself. It's not rocket science. However, cooking home more means more planning, shopping, and organizing. Not to mention, the cooking part of cooking. I don't mind cooking, I actually like it. Baking is another story. Love the baked goods, hate the baking unfortunately. :-)
Of particular disdain at the present moment is the process of grocery shopping. I really, really hate it. It's just not that fun of a job. And when you throw a budget into the mix, I would describe it with a word that starts with an H and ends with double hockey sticks.
I think part of the reason I hate grocery shopping is the fact that it requires so much time, effort, and thought. You have to first come up with a menu for the week, this can be a chore in and of itself. I find that I end up cooking the same 5 things week after boring, monotonous week; trying to dazzle and impress a family which ranges from picky to pickier. Then after you decide on a menu you have to write out the ingredients for the menu, and then search the store for the items. Then you have to load the items into the grocery cart, making multiple returns to the same aisle for a forgotten item, take the items through the check-out, bag them (which you have to do at Aldi yo-self), take them out to the car, unload them into the car, drive home, unload the bags into the house, then unload the items into the cupboards, fridge, freezer, food storage, etc. BLAH!!!!!! It is an extraordinary amount of work!! Even writing about it makes me dread it more.
I have to go grocery shopping for the week. I should have gone today, but I put it off cuz I dislike it so much. We are down to the nubbins in our fridge and pantry. We are resorting to eating corn as a side dish. Not that this is bad per se, but you know the pickins are slim when all you have on hand is canned corn.
I know the pay off is a good one. I enjoy cooking (most of the time). I like planning meals (most of the time). I like having a yummy finished product at the end of all the effort that goes into the preparation, but seriously is there anything worse than grocery shopping? Wait...don't answer that.
What you can tell me is this: how can I hate this less? Any tricks up your sleeve to make it less miserable?
5 comments:
I went through this a while back. I figured out the problem for me was organization. I would get really frustrated when it came dinner time and I didn't have that one crucial ingredient to make the meal. To solve it, I bought a nifty little blank calendar with an attached shopping list pad. I researched my favorite cookbooks/blogs and decided to try 2-3 new meals a month. I make menus by the month and make 2 shopping lists. We only grocery shop 2 times a month. We are saving SO much $$, and even though the menu-making day is not as fun, not having to worry about it for a month is great :) GOOD LUCK!! (sorry for the novel)
I hear ya cluckin' sista! We shop twice a month, and every time that day rolls around I feel like I JUST went!! Plus I add in the extra hassle of ad-matching, and it's torturous. A necessary self-inflicted torture. Bleh!
I like to do what Shalee said-- I peruse my favorite foodie blogs and pick at least 1 new meal a week. My fav-fav-fav website right now is www.ourbestbites.com
Go there right now, and add their chicken taquitoes to this shopping trip. I guarantee your girls will all love it-- you can dip them in some raaanch, add a little salad, and call it a day!!
Isn't it funny how time changes things ? I now love going to the store. It is one of my independent outings. Close enough to drive, has a cart for managing the aisles, lots of new stuff to consider, and folks out of my usual circle.
Gosh, that sounds pathetic !
I used to hate it when I was feeding the 5000, though !
(PS. I am posting a recipe for the Elevation of Canned Corn on Plenty to Eat.)
I have 3 words for you: Everyone´s. gonna. eat.!!
I can´t help ya here sister because I love grocery shopping. Really, I do.
I go to the grocery store more now that my kids are older. We run out of staples sooner and it seems that I am menu-planning in 3-day increments.
I definitely like it more now that I don't feel like I have to get everything for the next 2 weeks - that's just too overwhelming for me. Maybe that's what you should change - go every week and then you won't have to get so much at once (less bags, less trips from the car to the kitchen, less trips to the pantry to load it up).
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