I Went Grocery Shopping...With a List!

Those of you who know me, know that I don't love food. It's not that I hate it, I just don't love it as much as most other people. (I do enjoy good food on occasion, but I don't mind eating simply.) I struggle with my blood sugar. now and then, mainly because I don't eat regularly enough. I don't starve myself. I get hungry. I just don't like to think about food that much. I have said this many times and think I really mean it: If there were a pill I could take everyday and not have to eat, I'd be in. Imagine not having to think about, buy, cook, and be disappointed with sub-par food! I know this sounds blasphemous to many, but I am as I am.


Cooking is one of the things that I am not great at. I've known for a long time that change needs to happen, but it's so hard for me to feel inspired about food. You see, most of the things I enjoy doing have a lasting effect. Woodwork is pretty much forever. I don't have to do the same thing over and over. I can enjoy what I accomplish for a long time. Food, however, gets consumed and forgotten. And then you have to worry about it all over again. Oh bother.


BUT I KNOW, I really do, that their is more to this eating thing than I give it credit. That's why I'm making a change. I bought a cookbook for $25! It was expensive, but the author-lady was there with her soup and homemade bread in all its glory...so I made a pact with myself. I could buy the book if I promised to make at least 10 recipes from it. I also made another decision (that I haven't mentioned to Daniel yet) - if I make 10 recipes by Christmas I can buy myself new dishes.


So here's my clearly written goal: I will make 10 new recipes from the book by Christmas and show my family how much I care about them by making awesome dinners! (My clearly written goal is in honor of the assembly I went to this week at the middle school.)


Um, back to the book. I quite like it and it has some advice on how to manage cooking at least 5 nights a week. Taking this advice, we made a MENU for a week (they suggest two weeks, but we started small). From this MENU I made a SHOPPING LIST.


(I know some of you are gagging right now. Let me just say that, yes, it is possible to go to the grocery store without a list and, yes, you can still eat and survive. I am living proof.)


So, I went to the store with that SHOPPING LIST in hand today. I ran into Robyn (whose blog I was about to link to and then realized it was private) and little did she know how monumental this particular trip was for me. I had to ask THREE different workers where certain items were located, even though I've been to the store a hundred times. I don't believe I have ever bought half-and-half, white pepper, or dry mustard. Yep, I'm going to make those recipes like they say and NOT CUT CORNERS for the most part.


Wow. I just talked a lot, but you see, I'm all fired up. Wish me luck.