Over the past several months, I've developed some habits -- some aren't awesome. For example:
- staying up way too late
- irrational addiction to cooking competitions (Can I get a shout-out, Cupcake Wars? Chopped, anyone?)
- re-adoption of my late-night snacking habits that I thought I'd finally conquered
... and somehow I only just realized a suspicious correlation between all of those. Interesting.
Anyway, some of my new habits have actually been really great for our family - and for my sanity throughout the week (which is, of course, also great for our family)! One of those habits is to set aside time each weekend to prepare some healthy snacks for the week. A common complaint is that it's just too expensive or inconvenient to eat healthy -- but if I take 20 minutes on Saturday or Sunday to do some really basic washing & chopping, we are set up for easy, healthy, inexpensive snacking for the week!
First, let me make a disclaimer -- when I say "healthy," I mean that I'm trying to make simple choices about eating as many fresh, unprocessed foods as possible. I do not mean to say that I buy lots of organic, free-range, etc. I would like to, but because of the cost, I'll buy organic when it's on sale or if the price is already comparable to non-organic. For the time being, I'm considering it a victory just to buy fresh produce, period (and everything else I try to stick to things that mainly contain ingredients that I recognize - and can pronounce!). Baby steps.
My go-to produce purchases are made each week at Aldi & our local produce stand -- I haven't been able to find better produce at a better price anywhere else. We love multi-colored bell peppers, carrots, and fresh broccoli for dipping in hummus! Just a few minutes to wash & chop, and we're all set! Add in the apples & berries, and there are some great options for all of us.
Oh and the lettuce! I almost forgot. I get heads of Romaine, then tear them up (don't chop with a knife -- it turns the edges brown faster!) & rinse in my salad spinner. Then I store it in the salad spinner in the fridge, and it keeps perfectly for over a week -- much cheaper & better than bagged salad!!
I also buy a rotisserie chicken from Costco almost every week. Removing the skin & shredding the chicken is much easier when I do it right after getting home, while it's still warm from the store -- but sticking it it in the fridge and taking care of it the next day isn't that bad. Actually, my favorite method is to let Matt do it -- have you looked at the underside of a rotisserie chicken lately!? Blech. But $4.99 for enough chicken to shred & use in at least one dinner recipe plus several lunches (salads, chicken & cheese quesadillas for the kids, etc.) - that's probably my favorite deal of the week!
The best part is knowing that this week when I get hungry - or when my kids say they're hungry (ie. every 5 minutes) I don't have to try hard to think of or prepare a wholesome option. And that is a habit I'd like to keep!
