I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving with family and friends. I also hope you had plenty of leftovers to keep your tummies full and happy and that you found time to stick to your fitness goals. But hey, if you fell off the wagon I am here for you and can help get you back on track to your goals. Email me to learn more but that isn't what this post is about. This post is about finances.
This time of the year money ALWAYS seems to get tight and this year I am saying enough is enough and am taking charge. I am on a mission to stop the snowball of debt and to get in charge of our finances and own them versus them owning me and my family. Perhaps you understand.
As part of that challenge, I stated to my fam that I will be taking the next couple of weeks and tightening down the hatches on food expenses. I knew we were pretty well stocked and blessed with leftovers so this was the perfect time to activate my plan of no spending.
Was my family receptive? Yes and no. The idea may make sense but hey, we can all fall into the habit of eating the same foods and if that food is missing, we tend to run to replace it with it versus something else. Poor hubby got an earful when he bought not one but two bags of bagels in my no spending on day 3 when there were two beautiful loaves of french bread in the freezer...plus, he bought said bagels at the expensive price. In his defense, I do the grocery shopping and know the best prices for everything on island and unfortunately, they are not all at the same place. And the poor guy didn't know about the yummy bread in the freezer. Communication is key!
But I get it. I miss my go to's too and today had to scratch my head a minute to figure out what to whip up for lunch when my traditional lunch items are not here right now. But I am discovering this challenge is a blessing in disguise because lunch today...oh my goodness! I want more of that!!! New meal is in the books for this momma but I will be sourcing a better protein as the Lil' Smokies are only bought to go into the holiday stuffing and I took advantage of the few leftovers.
So since I love you, here are some of the meals I have been putting together this week that fit my eating plan in macros and are using what is in the house. I will share again next week and I know next week will be a greater challenge as my go to's are vanishing more and more each day.
A nice crispy salad. Mix all with the mustard and top with pumpkin seeds.
So good it could be a dessert! I used homemade Cran-Apple Sauce and homemade nut butter.
Seems simple enough but this momma usually foregoes carrots but has found, large carrots are yummier than baby carrots.
A nice twist to make leftover turkey taste completely different! My hubby didn't even realize he was eating leftovers.
My new hot salad love. Oh my goodness! This was so delicious and I am still craving more!
I hope some of this recipe ideas has stirred up creativity in your own mind. I am not presenting anything mind-blowing but really am trying to spark your desire to be creative in the kitchen and save a few dollars while doing so. I pray you find a new recipe that your family loves and cut back grocery expenses doing so. Good luck!
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the challenges in life.
Daily Bible Verse: In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. ~ Psalm 4:8