What to make Monday???

This is always a hard question for me to answer:  What's for dinner? 

I think I've gotten into a little trouble over the past couple of months because I wasn't planning ahead and I would give into my cravings a little too often.  So, here we go.  You all get to join me as I stop telling Mike "Let's grab a pizza!" and start saying "I'm making something healthy for dinner!" 

Step one: You have to have something at home to cook for dinner. 

Pesky little grocery list.  I always write one out, put it into my purse, and then I find it about a week later in shreds underneath my wallet.  I guess if you're going to make a grocery list, you need to go to the grocery store.  That's the trick. 

Last Sunday, I did it a little bit differently: I picked about 10 recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then I wrote out every single ingredient that was in them.  I went through my kitchen and checked off the items that I had already and then I headed off to WinCo.  After one hour and $75, I walked out of there feeling so accomplished and optomistic! 

Okay, then I got in my car and realized that I forgot two items.  I'll go back and get them after work this week.  I'm an idiot, just say it. 

I started off by baking 12 bran muffins with golden raisins and chopped walnuts and freezing 6 of them for the future.  Then I made a delicious turkey breast for dinner with crispy baked potatoes.  From there I have enough food in my house to make lasagna, Greek salads with feta and oregano dressing, spaghetti and meatballs, arroz con pollo, hummus, and the list goes on and on! 

Plus I have loads of snacks too!  Popcorn, celery, bell peppers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, canteloupe, blueberries, yogurt, cheese, etc.  I think I'm ready to face my demons.  But before I start sharing my recipes with you, I want to give you this thing to make:  a list. 

It sounds so simple, but it isn't.  Make a list of the foods you need in order to cook the things that you'll love.  Then you won't be so tempted (like me) to eat fast food and waste countless dollars on restaraunts. 

Here's a little tip from Weight Watchers about the 10 best items to keep in your house! 

1. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. Unsalted dry roasted nuts
3. Frozen vegetables
4. Fat free soup broth
5. Lean ground beef
6. Basil leaves
7. Extra virgin olive oil
8. Canned, crushed, or whole tomatoes
9. Chicken sausages
10. Dried whole wheat pasta

I can honestly say that this list would keep me busy for a very long time!  I can just imagine the possibilites!  However, here's a couple of safe bets for my house as well:

1. Popcorn for snacking
2. Flour tortillas for wrapping up lunch meat instead of using bread to make a sandwich
3. Fat free milk to sip in order to curb hunger
4. Apples and oranges (I'll teach you how to play the game "Am I apple hungry?")
5. Eggs because hard boiled eggs are a great snack for me
6. Vitamuffins for when I need a brownie or a cookie
7. Iced coffee (unsweetened) which I keep in my fridge because it lets me skip Starbucks and sip at home
8. Salsa because it's a great low-calorie way to make just about everything taste better

So head out this week and make a list!  Then stick to it.  I'm really interested to see if my little experiment works in order to lose weight and save money at the same time!

Eat happy,

Kipp