Pantry Overhaul

Okay, so it sounds more dramatic than it really is.

Today, I decided to clean out and organize my pantry, because I’m going to start following a new way to organize our meals.

Let’s backtrack: My shift was cancelled today. So I decided to knock out my to-do list from the beginning of the week. I still have yet to study. I spent the day getting coffee, getting my nails done, more coffee and grocery shopping. I picked up some bulk grains and veggies from Sprouts. By the way, I love buying grains in the “self-serve” way, it has always proven to be more cost-effective and you can buy as much or as little as you want (which is awesome for our family of two). The only problem I have with Sprouts, are the customers. They always seem a little snooty, which in turn tends to make the employees a little snooty. Or maybe it’s that part of town. (Who knows?)

I wanted to post about my organization overhaul here, because I thought it would be pretty expensive. Tupperware-style containers tend to run a little pricey, so I made it my mission to poke around. Turns out they had a whole wall of it at the 99 cents store! I was stoked!  

They also had labels/post-its and a glow-in-the dark spider for Kurt.

So after my cleaning spree, I washed it all and transferred my bulk grains into my new system.

Okay, so it’s a simple set-up, but I’m quite proud of it!

Also, I gave Chobani another try. I didn’t like their plain yogurt, but I really enjoyed the black cherry (with a little granola on top.) Might become my new snack/breakfast option.

Tonight, I’m going to try to make “Overnight Oats” and see how that turns out.

New Meal Planning
So in light of me trying to budget again, I thought it would be a good idea to start coming up with meal plans, and start meal planning. I’m an extremely busy person, but I love to cook, so I’m always trying to find a balance of what to eat, how to eat healthy and how to budget effectively.

My new meal plan goes as such:
Each night:
1 Protein + 1 Seasonal Vegetable +1 Grain (from pantry)
6 nights a week

If budget allows, spend one night going out to (a nice) dinner.

This means once a week going grocery shopping, and finding a way to keep a close inventory of what we have in our kitchen. It also means once a week, sitting down and writing a menu for the week.

I’m really hoping this works out, and I’ll post along the way my progress!

What I’m reading:
I’m in the middle of Insurgent right now. It’s a fantasy book in the style of Hunger Games, and I have to admit, it’s really addicting! I love the post-apocalyptic style of the book, and for ONCE in a good book, there isn’t a dumb love triangle.

I really enjoy novels with strong female leads, as I have had difficulties with some of the more popular novels having dumbed-down submissive women. (You know what I’m talking about!) I feel that the majority of modern literature portrays women as either meek or superficial.

 

So that’s my post for today. I’m ready to just relax and enjoy my day off.

Tomorrow…DISNEYLAND!!!

-Hojo <3