Out of The Groove

It has been a busy few weeks. With multiple events going on the last few weekends, I have not made time for my usual amount of bulk food preparation.

Yes, I said made time. I had time. I always have time. I just have not made food preparation a priority.

Getting home last night was frustrating. It was 10pm, I was hungry and I had no meat cooked in my fridge. This is such a rare occurrence. I was shocked.

I should not have been. Groceries are not going to cook themselves. But my mind was offended as to how this could have happened. I am usually so good at keeping emergency meat and vegetable supplies stocked and ready to go in my fridge.

It made me realize just how easy it is to get out of the groove. Even when you have good habits and feel like you have the hang of this Eat By Design thing. A few days of letting things slide and all of a sudden, its like you are standing in your kitchen looking into the empty fridge of a stranger.

It is interesting how down you can feel just from getting out of your routine. I have not eaten off track. I managed to stay on track with quick meals thrown together on the fly and a few restaurant meals that I By Design’d. Still, that sinking feeling of “this is not what I am supposed to be doing” creeps in.

So now what?

Back to the basics.

Last week is done. Over. Buh-Bye.

What am I going to do this weekend? How am I going to set myself up for success and get my I-am-on-top-of-the-world feeling back?

In the wise words of Dr. Jenna “You know what you are supposed to be doing. You just have to do it.” Thank you. I needed that.

It is good to have people around you who tell you what you need to hear and hold you accountable. I am often a talk-things-to-death kind of person. Jenna is a shut-up-and-do-it person. It really helps having her influence around when I just want to keep talking and not doing.

So here is what I KNOW I need to do.

Step 1 – Plan.

My meals for next week:

o   Cabbage & sausage (An old faithful that I make ALL THE TIME.)

o   Bone broth -- Or as I have recently come to view it ‘Meat Tea’

o   Slow Cooker bean-less chili

o   Bacon & Eggs

o   Tacos  (Meat. Cheese. Avocado. Cilantro. Onions. Lettuce. Tomato. Jalapeño.)

Since I have been eating By Design for years, I have a good idea of how much food I will need for the week. If you are new to eating By Design, it might take a few weeks to figure out how much you need to buy and prepare for you and your family. Keep at it. There is nothing wrong with a little trail and error.

Step 2 – Go to the Market.

Make my list from the ingredients I need for my meals and then get going to the market and stock up my fridge.

Step 3 – Cook!

Crank up the John Mayer tunes and get busy!

Chop-chop! Getting down to work!

It should take less than 2 hours to get everything prepared for my coming week of on-the-go By Design meals.

Again, have a good idea of how long this takes because I have done it before. At first, it took longer and I left myself more time.

Step 4 – Repeat next week.

And the week after. And the week after that.

The hardest part of all of this is shaking off the feeling of failure and launching yourself back on the success train. But man, it feels GOOD when you get going, get productive and settle back in that groove.

Are you feeling this way? Did the summer give you all the excuses you needed to get out of your routine and stop eating By Design?

Here is the good news. It’s September. Summer is gone my friend. Time to get back into your routine. Make your list and take action. Now.