Cook extra

It seems like such a simple concept, but deep down, it's not. Making extra of something only for it to go bad later isn't a good way to save money. In fact just the opposite.

That's another story though.

So how can you save money when you like to make meals by the seat of your pants?

Prep the bases.

Prep the things you can use all week. For example rice week.

One day you can have fried rice, another Mexican beans and rice burritos, and bake some chicken and toss it on top of rice. 3 meals right there, all with one thing in common.

Rice.

Rice and other grains are super easy to batch make. Like tonight, I was making dinner and made some quinoa. I trippled what I was making and tossed it all in my rice cooker.

A full pot later, I now have extra for the rest of the week. Maybe even seconds if I wanted.

I can't tell you how amazing it felt to scoop a serving put and have that all leftover. I have one less thing to worry about this week.

You can too.

Things I didn't toss.

Yesterday was a day of purge. While I really wanted to throw it all away, I knee that with my new meal planing I would be using a lot of it.

Some things I kept, and plan to keep on hand:

Oatmeal
Lentils
Quinoa
Barley
Pancake mix
Stuffing mix
Padta
2 cans of soup
Pasta salad mix
Instant potatoes
Peanut butter
Pancake syrup
Frozen waffles
Frozen turkey sausage
Chicken tenderloins
Frozen veggies
Frozen chicken patties
Bread (kept in the freezer)
Fruit bars
Half dozen eggs
Package of cheese that's unopened
Tubes of crecent roll dough
Spices, and condiments.

That's a big list, bigger than I'd prefer it to be, but it looks like I have an easy start on this. I'm lucky and have plenty of food to make over the next week or more.

My plans, use what I have, and only buy what I need to finish the meals until it's gone. Then I can go shopping and really challenge myself.

A fresh start.

With my life being what it has been, my diet has been the least of my worries. However, now that things are getting better, I too wish to get better.

My depression is still a lot to handle, I have no energy and my limitless sex drive has been detrailed. I miss being me. I miss feeling good.

That's why I threw out (almost) all of my food. Everything that isn't helping me feel better, went to the trash.

I hardly ever cook and I need to start again. The only way I know how, is to hit the reset button. Tonight I will go shopping and start my new diet and life. I will be forcing myself into meal prepping.

My goals.

$10 a week and still eating healthy.

Walk with me.