A Reoccurring Idea

Something that has been going around and around in my head for some time is to simplify our diet. This functions on the same idea as simplifying your wardrobe

(http://theproject333.com/
http://homeschoolwwh.blogspot.com/2015/04/uniforms-and-peace.html
http://homeschoolwwh.blogspot.com/2015/04/why-i-wear-exact-same-thing-to-work.html)

It simply reduces the stress of decision making.

Now, I'm a pretty boring person when it comes to food. I like the comfort of the same thing all the time. Hubby, not so much, and most the kids take after him.

But today, on this lazy-I-should-be-working-but-don't-feel-like-it day I have been researching the idea.

Seems a lot of others have the same idea and have discovered that they save money as well as time, lose weight (if it's needed), and actually often have a more balanced diet.

Hmmmmm

Hmmmmm

Hmmmmm

So here is what I am toying with;

Breakfast

• Eggs (maybe cooked in the crockpot the night before if I can develop a recipe that doesn't taste weird. The key might be cooking on warm instead of low...)
• Hash browns (not frozen. We shred them at home from real potatoes using my kitchen aid mixer and attachment).
• Various veggies added to either (whatever is in season).
• Cheese; optional according to mood
• Juice (oj?) or milk

Morning Snack 

(I have some blood-sugar issues and do much better having something small ever couple hours instead of three big meals). 

• Hunk of cheese
• Piece of fruit

Lunch

• Salad (made with whatever veggies are available at the store)
• Nuts
• Grilled meat or tuna
• Veggie Juice (Ok, I don't like veggie juice. I'm dreaming here...)

 Afternoon snack

• Hunk of cheese 
• Piece of fruit (OK, this much fruit would make me sick from the sugar honestly. Should substitute celery or carrots)

Supper

• Soup (made with homemade bone broth and veggies)
• Veggies in season lightly stir fried.
• Meat or fish
• Whole grain sourdough Rolls, biscuits or muffins or taters (I'm tempted to limit this to just taters cooked in a variety of ways. Hubby likes them and they are kinder to my blood-sugar than grains tend to be)
• Milk or Keifr

Desert

• Yogurt
• Nuts 
• and/or popcorn (whole grain you know)

  What this Eliminates

Bacon, sausage, Polska Keilbasa, pancakes, biscuits, waffles, breakfast bread, or popcorn for breakfast.

Biscuits, homemade pizza, mac and cheese (from scratch), baked taters with chili, cornbread, "hash" (diced taters cooked with leftover meat and/or eggs and cheese and/or sausage, plus veggies of some sort.) for lunch.

Supper, well, ours is pretty  much already like this about half the time and our meals are pretty dependable (chicken with some sort of bread or pasta on Monday, roast with mashed potatoes and gravy on Tuesday, Indian Tacos on Wednesday, Spaghetti on Thursday, Hubby takes me out for date night on Friday and the kids fend for themselves.) Each of these includes a salad and side veggie plus, most of the time a fruit. Saturday and Sunday are when I switch it up.

Wieners, Lil' Smokies, Chicken nuggets, cheese, yogurt, leftovers, milk for snacks. My biggest objections to these is the cost, with a bit of a cringe when I think of the ingredients lists on the processed meats. 

And desert? Hubby already eats popcorn about half the time but getting him to give up his ice cream the rest of the time isn't going to happen. But I might could convince myself to exchange the ice cream for pre-made, pre-sweetened yogurt (not the stuff I make, though its tasty. It's just not the same thing. Baby steps here.)

At the moment, it just sounds so much easier to limit the choice even further.