Another Challenge Ends!

I know I'm really kind of weird with all of these challenges.

We have successfully completed our annual February "No Eating Out!" Challenge.  For the month, this meant no restaurant eating of any type (fast food, dine-in, carry-out), no vending machines, no coffee stops, no purchased school lunches.  Everything we ate had to come from what we bought while grocery shopping, and could be consumed at home or anywhere else.

The challenge was both easier AND more difficult for us this year.

It was easier in that we had practically given up fast food prior to this.  It's become so rare, that no one really missed it or wanted it.  In the past, that was the hard part for the kids - wanting fast food after soccer or basketball practice.  We often would stop for an ice cream cone or smoothie from McDonalds, or  some fries and pop at Wendy's. And I would *love* getting a fast food fountain drink when they would get their snack.

The challenge was difficult - a lot more difficult - because we don't really eat processed food at home.  Andy and I don't eat it at all, and the kids are limited. Basically, I cooked a ton this month, and I'm really kind of tired of it.

When we've done this challenge in the past, a lot of time our meals would consist of processed food - the frozen food options at Trader Joe's being a favorite.  Or frozen pizzas with a bag of steamed veggies. 

We don't eat that way any more, and I had no idea how extra difficult that would make the challenge for me as the family cook.  I made a lot of dinners, and a lot of snacks this month.

Mama needs a break, yo! Or these people I live with need to stop eating!

Here are a couple things that helped:

1.  Prep fruits and veggies as you buy them.  We do all of our grocery shopping on the weekend.  By Sunday evening, I have all of the week's fruits and veggies washed, prepared and chopped, if necessary. Dinner time is easier when the carrots, celery and onions are ready to go.   The family is more likely to choose fruit or veggies for a healthy snack when the melon and pineapple is cut or when the cucumbers are sliced and salted. S. is the world's best helper with this task!

2. Make more elaborate meals on the weekend - and make more.  Not that I really have a ton of time on the weekends to do this, but my time is really limited during the week.  I am very lucky to get home from work at 4pm, but we are usually running back out the door by 5:30-6:00pm.  I have a great slow roasted sticky chicken recipe that takes 5 hours to make.  If I make that on a Sunday, I then have a good 1-2cup portion of cooked chicken left over for another meal during the week - either a soup or fried rice usually.   Or I make a lot of slow cooked pasta sauce for dinner on Saturday and on the same night assemble a lasagna to put it in the freezer for us to eat later in the week.

3. Use the crockpot.  There are so many good, healthy crock pot recipes out there.  It doesn't have to be the tasteless mushy meat of your youth, or things made with cans of cream of sodium.   There are a lot of great crock pot recipes available at skinnytaste.com.  We love the chicken enchilada soup and the cuban picadillo!

4. Keep it simple.  You work hard, and you don't have a lot of time.  It is ok to feed your family simple meals.  One night we had fried eggs, whole wheat toast and strawberries for dinner.  Another night was a quick salad with a couple of chicken breasts cooked on the Foreman grill.   We had a night of grilled cheese on whole wheat with raw veggies with dip.   Quesadilla night happened weekly - cheese, avocado and tomato plus leftover chicken/beans/veggies/eggs- on whole wheat tortillas. None of these meals took more than 15 minutes to put together, and while not fancy they are so much healthier and cheaper than eating out.

We saved close to $400 this month by not eating out.  That is two weeks worth of groceries!  Or the new pair of soccer cleats, running shoes and spikes my son needs for spring sports.  Or  6 months of club soccer fees. Or 8 months of hip hop classes. That's a lot of money!

We are going out to eat today to a  fabulous pizza place to celebrate my Dad's birthday.     The whole family is excited - but I'm thinking no one is more excited than I am!  First meal "off" in a month!!