...when everything around you is not going to plan!! I'm having one of those weeks this week. I like to think of myself as fairly organised but sometimes you just cannot plan the unplannable. But y'know what, it's ok, its life especially when you have kids and a husband and a house to run etc etc etc. Even if you don't have all those things, life has this habit of throwing you curveballs and regular WTF moments (I have many WTF moments and usually before 8am 😁)
This weeks unplanned events have been my husband off work ill, more appointments than usual and crappy weather that just will not give in!! Ok, so the weather thing I shouldn't complain about as there's nothing I can do about that but it was so lovely on the weekend!! Mother's Day has also thrown me off because, as lovely as it was and I really did have a lovely day, having a "cheat day" for me is no good. I struggle to pull it back after one day and end up having three of four....not ideal.
Luckily for me I have a few things in place that means I can still have a good week even though I'm having a bad week....if you get me??!! So I've put together a few of the ways I use to try and stay on plan...
1. Do your shopping online
Now I know a few people hate online shopping...you get dodgy dates on fruit and veg, fatty bits of meat, 4kgs of bananas when you wanted 4 - haha! I've honestly never had any problems with online shopping but put it this way....wouldn't it be better if you had your weeks shopping brought to you than have to pop to the shops every day for dinner, end up spending way more than you need to on "bits" and get tempted by the hot cross buns that just smell so amazing! (do they pump that smell through the air conditioning??) I plan my meals for the week ahead and do my shopping online at the same time to be delivered on a Monday morning, that way if things start to go wrong from the minute I open my eyes on a Monday, I know I at least have food in the cupboards and I don't have to do endless trips to the supermarket, which can only add to my stress!
2. Have ready to go food in the freezer
Not necessarily unhealthy ready meals. I'm not a fan of ready meals in general but I am a fan of freezing leftovers and I'm also a fan of the defrost button on my microwave!! Slimming World do a range of ready meals that are great to have in the freezer for a meal emergency however, I've found by far the easiest thing to do is cook double of whatever I'm doing for dinner then freeze it (or even better, have it for lunch the following day). If I'm really stuck I defrost it in my microwave then cook it until its piping hot.
3. Buy "cook from frozen" food
For those days when you've forgotten to take meat out the freezer! Quorn is really good for this. My favourite go to meal if I have nothing prepared is Quorn Swiss Meatballs (not sure what makes them Swiss??) with tin tomatoes, lazy garlic, onions (from the freezer) and a bit of dry basil. Served with pasta or if you're having an SP day maybe courgetti or cauliflower rice and you have a meal from scratch, in 15 minutes. If you're not a fan of Quorn, there are frozen chicken breasts and fish portions you can cook from frozen in the same amount of time. Always handy to have in the freezer.
4. Meal Prep
I know I know, spending an hour on a Sunday prepping meals for the week is the last thing you want to be doing...but trust me, you are far more likely to stay on track if you have food ready to go than if you are starving and looking for something to make. Its all very well having food in the freezer ready to be cooked but when you just have to eat something RIGHT THIS MINUTE like when you walk in from work or you're in from the gym, its helpful to a) know what you are going to be eating and b) have it there ready to go in two pings of the microwave. Trust me, it will be the best hour you spend. Doesn't have to be complicated and you only have to prep one meal for the day. I tend to prep my lunches for the week as I have time to cook dinner from fresh and would rather have a different thing for dinner every day. Do I mind eating the same thing for lunch every day? Hell no! If its going to get me to my goals and means I don't have to think about food for that day, I am on board!
I'm going to do a whole series of posts on meal prep ideas so keep an eye out for those!
5. Put yourself in time-out!
Its not just for kids you know!! Ok so imagine you're having a row with your teenager, your youngest child is in a whinge bag mood, your dogs just thrown up on the rug and your husband is ringing asking whats for dinner (a typical day in my house 😀 ) Stress levels are rising and all you want to do is reach for the biscuits.....and understandably so!! Take a minute....go hide in your bedroom or on the toilet (if the door locks) think about why you want to eat, what it will achieve and if, in the long run, it will make you feel better. Give yourself five minutes to calm down (three if you really dont have time to have a breakdown). If after five minutes you still really want that biscuit, hell, go eat it! However, if you're just looking for comfort or to make yourself feel better, maybe you can talk yourself out of it because lets be honest, one biscuit is never one biscuit is it?? It also wont change the situation so maybe, just maybe, it would be better to give it a miss.
So there are my five best tips for helping you stay on plan and help achieve your goals if you're having a less than perfect week....which less face it, is most weeks in this wonderful thing we call life!
Until next time, thanks for reading xxx
