"Man proposes, God disposes" or "man plans, God laughs." The universe is probably laughing at me right now. Actually, I believe I am a great source of amusement for it because I doggedly make my lists and try to establish habits and patterns (yes, I am probably a little OCD). Albert Einstein said the definition of stupidity is to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Yet the urge to make plans will not go away.
I had my grocery shopping list all set but, as usual, I procrastinated until the very last minute because I hate to shop. It was 2pm and I was trying to psych myself up to go out when the power went out and, although the electric company promised it would be back on in a couple of hours, it didn't come back on until 7pm. By this time I was frantically trying to figure out how I was going to get my son's dress shirts clean and wrinkle free for his BPA thing that he was leaving for the next day. I couldn't cook dinner, either, so I braved the streets with no working lights to grab some pizza (the outage was fairly wide spread but we were near an outer edge so it didn't take long to get to "civilization"). Ironically, I have been looking into "Prepping" but that's as about as far as I've gotten - I am not prepared for a power outage of more than a couple of hours, max (and that's only if my laptop and Kindle are all charged up).
I did manage to get those shirts done and was busy patting myself on the back when, suddenly, one of my teeth decided it no longer liked liquids anywhere near it. So I had to make a visit to the dreaded dentist. I treated myself to the gas while they were grinding away in my mouth but it still stung when I saw the bill - almost $500 to fill the crater in my tooth. And once the novocaine wore off... well, let's just say my plans to munch this weekend are now kaput. I should buy stock in ibuprofen *sigh*
My husband is a union plumber/welder and is sent where ever there is work available. Last year we lucked out and he got to stay home so I sorta got used to having him around. Right now he is working in Lime, Ohio, which is about a 6 hour drive away. He was home this past weekend and had to visit all of his family members because his birthday is coming up which was an exhausting proposition for this introvert!
This coming weekend my son will be attending the State regionals for his high school BPA (Business Professionals of America) so I will be all by my lonesome. If my house was all clean and tidy I'd be very excited to just do nothing for the next 4 days (he leaves tomorrow from school) but since my house is never clean and tidy it will pretty much be business as usual except that I won't have to cook unless I really want to :) I can also monopolize our only bathroom which would be great if we had a real bathtub :p Still, I may squeeze my oversized body into our minute tub for a bath, we'll see.
First, I will have to make sure my son has everything he needs for his trip so I must do some laundry so his dress shirts are all fresh and clean. Since I did lots of laundry this past weekend (because my husband saved all of his dirty clothes just for me) I don't have much else that needs washed except for any of my comfy clothes because you can bet I will be in pajamas while I am alone. Oh, who am I kidding, I pretty much live in my PJs, lol.
Next I might actually get ALL of my dishes washed since I won't have to cook :o The idea of that makes me somewhat giddy! I can clean the counters and they will pretty much stay that way until Sunday night - oh joy!
I also need to go to the grocery store, which I had to do anyway, to get myself lots of snacks (mostly healthy). As I think I've said before, I hate shopping, but if I get it done today by the time my son gets home from school he will unload the car for me - bonus!
I am a big one for using shortcuts in the kitchen but am highly aware that some may not be very healthy. While I'd love to have an all organic, whole grain diet that just isn't feasible all the time. I also believe that the eatability of food is very important so I am not about to do without certain comfort foods.
Anybody that has looked into organic fruits and vegetables is probably aware of the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15." Half the time the organic produce at my local grocery stores are just sad, though. Luckily we usually have a garden every summer so I can be sure to have organic produce for part of the year, anyway. We also have a farmers market near by but I don't make it there nearly as often as I should. However, as I've recently read, it's better to attempt to ingest more fresh produce regardless of whether it's organic or not than to simply avoid them. I try to buy apples that don't have that shiny wax on them (because the look crappy once you wash them) and frozen organic strawberries and blueberries. Luckily, there are a whole lot more organic options today than there were even five years ago.
I also love the nutty textures of things like brown rice and whole grain bread. I can get away with feeding my son the bread but both he and his father prefer white to brown rice. I have found some quinoa and rice blends (yes, they are prepared foods but I've tried regular quinoa and it just doesn't do it for me) that I want to try. I also lean toward ground turkey, turkey sausage and canned chicken for many meals (and Aldi's Fit and Lean Turkey Meatballs) so I am not very worried about the small amount of pork and beef products I eat.
I love a good multigrain cracker (Wheat Thins multigrain Toasted Chips are my current favorite) with cheddar cheese and a sliced apple on the side. Unfortunately, I love the crackers a little too much. Still, as long as I'm getting some protein and a fruit, I'm not going to beat myself up too much about it.
Finally, I almost always use a good olive oil to cook with so I have plenty of healthy fat in my diet. I also want to try incorporating organic coconut oil into my diet - I hear it's good to use for rice.
