Stress is a Catch-22. The more stressed you are, the less time you have to do the things that help you alleviate your stress.
Case in point: exercise. Exercise makes me feel better. It honestly does. And yet when my to-do list stretches out the door, I have a hard time making time for it (I also have issues with prioritizing other things above exercise because they are more fun for me). We're half-way through the month and I've exercised a whopping five times (see stickers above). Oy vey.
Matt and I have also been too busy on Sundays to go grocery shopping. That means we're forced to go out (which can be fun, but it's terrible on the budget and it honestly does start to get old after awhile). In general, we try to cook together four times a week and eat out three.
We keep a binder of all of our favorite recipes, so we have several go-to options when we're making our shopping list for the week. We also like to try out at least one new recipe every week, if possible. However, I honestly can't remember the last time we've tried out a recipe.
Argh.
One of our all-time favorite recipes: Black Bean & Yam QuesadillasBut I'm not going to flagellate myself about it. Like Stephen Covey says, I need to be proactive.
So, I forced myself to go grocery shopping on Sunday (Matt was out of town), and I'm trying out three new recipes: sushi, rice pilaf with edamame, and sweet potato/pecan "burgers" with carmelized onions. I'm even using my bread machine to make the hamburger buns (Side note: Matt scoffed at me when I said I wanted to get a yogurt maker. He said we don't use half our appliances--like our ice-cream maker--so I'm resolving to use the good ones and sell/donate the ones we don't actually use.). The meals are surprisingly simple. I hate making complicated stuff. That's why my favorite recipe book is actually for college kids. Each recipe is super-quick and the ingredients list is always short!
I'm also going to recommit to running four times a week and doing five minutes of yoga at least three times a week (oh where have my New Year's goals gone?).
9 comments:
I've seen where other bloggers have made their own yogurt in a crockpot. I haven't done it myself, but if it works, you wouldn't need a yogurt maker. http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/2009/01/homemade-yogurt-in-your-crock-pot.html
I think a lot of goal-setting is being able to revisit your goals and find out how realistic they are, based on the things that have changed.
I'm sure when you planned your New Year's goal, you weren't thinking of various stresses (car theft being one) that were unplanned, and unplannable {I know, it's not a word, at least I don't think it is}.
Can I also give you a huge gold star for sharing with us some of your wonderful ideas? I'm hearby committing myself to using stickers in my agenda for accomplishing working out. I also like this whole one new recipe a week idea...furthermore, I want the Yam + Black Bean Quesadilla recipe. Yum! I love how many wonderful ideas I've found through your blog, and the community that 2000dollarwedding has evolved into.
@ andreaunplugged: Hooray! You saved me from buying yet another appliance. Matt will be very happy, as will my already-full-kitchen cabinets. I will definitely try making yogurt in my crock pot. Thank you!
@ carboniferous: I agree with everything you said about goal setting. Plus, I have to focus more on the "journey and not the destination." It sounds cheesy, but it really is true. We spend more time living in the process than we do reaping the product, so we better enjoy it.
P.S. If you click on the picture of the black bean & yam quesadillas, it should enlarge enough for you to read it! (Plus, you'll see our random food crumbs stuck to the page--we really use it a lot).
Please, please can I have the recipe for the sweet potato/pecan burgers?
I thought I posted a comment, but apparently not!
We use our breadmachien all the time-- it's a good way to incorporate whole wheat in your diet.
Also, I've made yogurt on the stove and then wrapping it in an electric blanket. You have to buy yogurt as a starter, but it works pretty well. Even easier, though, is making kefir, another fermented yogurt product. If you can get your hands on some of the "grains," (which you can get online) all you have to do it stick them in some milk, leave it out overnight, and you have kefir.
1) oy vey times a mil for me. i've exercised 5 times in the past year.
2) edamame in rice pilaf sounds brillz.
3) you said flagellate.
That is totally my favorite recipe book ever!
My fiance and I go through the same grocery issues, it throws us off all week if we don't force ourselves to go shopping on the weekend. We are also veg. and have that exact same cookbook and live for Cooking Light (I'm guessing that's where the sweet potato pecan burgers recipe is from because I know we've tried that one), anyway another way we stay motivated is this website:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/
She has tons of vegetarian recipes and you can sign up for her email list so her new ones get emailed directly to you. Some of the recipes are a little complicated with expensive ingredients, but she has great ideas and usually some substitution suggestions.
Ha! I know this is an old post, but I was just browsing through and had to comment that I have the SAME cookbook. Someone gave it to me before I went to college!
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