Finding our Food Rhythm

I have used meal planning to save money and make life easier for a long time. However, I usually end up getting lazy and when it comes time to plan for the week I sit down with a sheet of paper and my mind goes blank. There are simply too many choices and so something that should have made life easier was suddenly overwhelming.

I was recently introduced to the concept of having a Food Rhythm from Simplicity Parenting and it makes meal planning a snap. It isn't really something new. In fact I'm pretty sure it is an old concept that my grandparents and great grandparents employed. I think my mom used it to some extent but I am trying to avoid thoughts of pork chops and noodle roni right now. Eating the same foods on a weekly basis may seem limiting in some respects- but you really are only limited by your own creativity. The other bonus is how it creates meal rituals for your family. Kids thrive on knowing what to expect. My daughter likes to know that she will have chicken on Monday and burgers on Saturday. It is comforting to her to know what it going on with our meals. I can definitely see how it will simplify our lives at what can certainly be the most stressful time of day.

So here is our food rhythm for now...we will see how it goes

Sunday- DIY Pizzas. I want to get the kids more involved with cooking and pizza is a no brainer with lots of possibilities. Although it isn't Paleo, we were usually eating non-paleo on weekends anyway.

Monday- Chicken

Tuesday- Taco Tuesday (Mexican)

Wednesday- Rice (white)

Thursday- Soup/Stew

Friday- Wild Card

Saturday- Fun Burgers

So now when I sit down to plan my week I no longer drawing a blank. Instead, it is like I am already half way done.

SIMPLE!

Screen Free Summer Recap

I am back from my screen free break and my mullet is better than ever. Growing out a pixie is NO FUN!

A lot of people have inquired about my time was away from the screen. Ironically, I thought it would be a really reflective time but it wasn't. What did I do? I read, and read and read some more. I played with my kids. I spent time with family. I talked, played board games and went swimming. I lived.

I still have no TV with no plans for its return. Pete watches a show on the Ipad now and again but I really don't miss TV at all. NOT AT ALL

I traded in my Droid for what I like to call the Zack Morris. The DROID was a financial burden and having Internet access 24/7 was a huge distraction for me. I did not make it the entire time without texting. So FAIL on giving that up- but I did make more of an effort to call people actually talk.

I did miss the computer time and ended up online a few times out of necessity. Darn the convenience of the Internet. The two things that brought me online were looking at real estate- i couldn't justify my husband printing out that information when i could look at it on the computer. The second was because I started getting sick in July and went online to see what the heck was wrong- which is a good and a bad thing. I am feeling better now but spent the latter part of the summer feeling crappy and trying to figure out what was wrong (which involved numerous trips to the doctor and the lab).

I have decided to set limits for myself with the computer. Although I enjoy it, I continue to feel it prevents me from giving my kids 100% of my attention. I need to be a model for the kids and I can't very well ask them do something constructive (play) while I vegetate on Facebook. I plan to minimize my usage and possibly will only be going online when the kids are asleep.

I continue to work towards minimalism and simplicity for our family. I strive to find balance that works for us. We are planning to move again and I will be closely examining our STUFF again. Less is really more and we are learning to Enjoy less a lil more each day.