There was some good that came out of the pandemic.
Wait, wait, wait!! Before you storm out, just stick with me for a minute.
For about three or four months, at the start of the pandemic, we were encouraged to go out as little as possible. Since HockeyDad was still responding to fire calls, the only time I would leave the house was to pick up the grocery order. I wasn’t going into stores, but I also wanted to try to avoid going in public as much as possible.
Introducing the Monday Meal Plan.
Because of this, I got into the habit of meal planning two weeks at a time. It meant fewer trips out into public. It was also one of the highlights every second week. I would place my grocery order, grab my book. I would pick up a tea on my way there. And then I would go sit in the parking lot and wait for them to bring my groceries.
This is my silver lining. See why I made you stick around? Because in terms of “good” this is kind of weak. But overall, it has been one of the best habits I was able to adopt. And it has stuck.
Even before the pandemic, I was ordering our groceries online for pick up. It was the only way I could find the time to keep the house stocked during hockey season.
Why Online Grocery Shopping?
I don’t enjoy grocery shopping. The whole process was irritating for me. It took forever, half the time I couldn’t find what I needed and people kept leaving their shopping carts in the middle of the aisle so no one else could get by. All those things are taken care of with the online grocery order.
It also forces me to plan our meals and manage my grocery budget a bit better. Otherwise I am just adding things to the cart without thought. That gets expensive fast.
In preparation for the next round of grocery order, I present our Meal Plan for the next two weeks.
On a somewhat related note, I recently had an eye doctor appointment and was given a prescription for “readers” to fill in the next couple of years as apparently I’m reaching “that age”. The eye doctor attempted to be delicate about it, but what he was saying is basically “you getting old, crazy woman” so for those of you who may be in a similar boat and are finding the text difficult to read in the image, the plan is:
Monday Meal Plan for February 13 to February 26
February 13- Balsamic chicken, rice, veggies
February 14- Sausage with broccoli-cauliflower casserole
February 15- Chicken tortellini soup & French bread
February 16- Grilled cheese & fruit
February 17- Fend for yourself
February 18- Dinner out
February 19- Pasta & garlic bread
February 20- French toast casserole & bacon
February 21- Hamburgers & fries
February 22- Tuna noodle casserole
February 23- Snack plate
February 24- Meatball subs, coleslaw, chips
February 25- Beef & Broccoli
February 26- Make your own pizza
While I have a date assigned to a specific meal, it’s worth noting that some days I don’t feel like cooking what’s on the menu. If inspiration strikes, I may sub in something else. Or if plans change, I won’t follow the meal plan. Essentially what this does is allows me to not have to spend brain power on what’s for dinner every day. Once every two weeks I sit down, look at the calendar and make a plan. I grocery shop accordingly.
I also tend to buy one freezer meal that I can just throw in the oven and bake if I really really do not want to cook.
So there you have it. The House of Hockey won’t starve. At least not at dinner time.
See you at the rink.
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