On any given Sunday I walk into what may be the closest thing to hell on earth...
The grocery store!
I see a lot of you there, so at least I'm not alone :)
We love the saying...
"If I don't have it in front of me, I won't eat it."
Well that starts with stocking your house with the right foods, because if you have it in the house, you're going to eat it.
Here's my grocerty checklist system that we follow in the Spurling household.
1. Map Out The Week
It starts before you even walk into the store. Usually over coffee on Sunday morning, Megan and I sit down and map out what both of our weeks look like.
We take into account nights that I'm traveling or home late, or nights that she has a late surgery in OR or a networking dinner.
We know on those nights that we either need something quick and easy planned, or have leftovers from the nightbefore available that we can just throw in the microwave.
2. Create A Menu
Once we know what the week looks like we'll creat a menu for the week.
Each day is listed vertically and the meals we're having go alongside it.
We plan bigger meals like crockpot meals on Mondays because we can usually prep them Sunday night.
A crockpot meal usually also makes us two meals and we'll use the other one for one of those late nights mentioned earlier.
We fit into the menu our weekly traditions like Taco Tuesdays and Homemade Pizza Fridays.
You have to make it fun, right?
3. Create the List
Based upon what the menu is we then create the list.
We put it in order so as we walk through the zoo, I mean the grocery store, we just work our way through the list.
We also add other things on the list that are not on the meu like what we're having for breakfast (usually just eggs and smoothie stuff), and if Megan needs any lunches for the week.
Typically for lunches, we make enough to have leftovers that she brings.
4. Shop...Around The Outside
Notice that 3 things had to happen before you actually showed up to the store.
Preparation is key.
Now, the shopping begins.
This should be the easiest part.
Stay disciplined, and stay on the list.
If you go off the list, that's where you get into trouble.
Notice the perimieter of the grocery store is where all the good stuff is?
Stay there.
Other than maybe some sauces, spices, or a couple random things the bulk of what should be on your list comes from the perimeter of the grocery store (dairy, meat, produce).
5. Spend Sunday Preparing
Just like you...our week nights are crazy.
Most nights we don't get home until 7 or 8pm.
The last thing we want to do is cook for 45-60 minutes.
The easy thing to do would be to call in take out.
We try to avoid that by spending Sunday night preparing as much as possible for the week.
We'll prep any crockpot meals, cut up vegetables, etc.
Ideally, if there is cooking involved during the week it's just heating things up.
The key is in the preparation
Just like anything else in life, preparation is key.
Were do things breakdown in nutriton?
When you're not prepared.
Prepare your list so you don't buy crap.
Prepae your meals so you don't eat on the go.
Prepare for your day so you stay on track.
Hopefully that gave you a couple good nuggets to use for the next time you go shopping.
Remember, none of this is rocket science, but are you actually doing it?
I'll be back tomorrow with an awesome guest post from Coach Kim.
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling