February Challenge: $100 Budget

February, new month, new challenge!

Meal planning is coming along, with a big hand from batch cooking. We have gotten better about identifying what soups, stews or other prepare-ahead-of-time dishes that we want to enjoy throughout the week. Some favorites are venison chili, chicken soup and corn chowder. Also, one large batch of shredded chicken for build-your-own tacos keeps great in the fridge and tastes even better on day two or three.

In a similar vein to last month's culinary motif this month we will be focusing in on the amount of money that we are spending each week on food and drink.

Yup, we're capping the grocery bill at $100 a week. 

Again, by getting into gear now we hope to make the transition to Intern Year smoother. By having good cooking/planning/prepping habits we will be able to keep eating clean/healthy and by tracking and paying closer attention to spending we should be able to maintain our goal budget of $100 a week.

WHY? You ask... because we love to travel, to dance, to live. By no means will we be starving ourselves, but we will cut out impulse buys, late night pizza ordering and other financial/health potholes. 

Heres to another month, and a new challenge!

January Challenge: Meal Planning

It's January, its cold and windy here in Missouri and I'm not a fan of heading to the grocery store when I  want something to eat.

Cold Missouri Morning on Rt 63

Friends of ours are trying out Paleo Meal Planning, they are both busy medical students, with a baby and very healthy conscious. They have been going strong for the last six months, and love the once a week grocery trip, as they get more time at home with each other and their little one. Not to mention less time in the freezing wind on icy roads.

Paleo you say? Sounds interesting.... but I love beans, corn and other restricted foods too much to go strictly Paleo.

Once a week grocery shopping? Count me in!

Having a plan for dinners, and not using precious mental power to think about what to make? Sweet!

But, lets talk about other options. Earlier this month Tom and I went through the Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef app, identifying new recipes that looked tasty, fresh and relatively simple. We are both good cooks, with lots of practice (there are no good restaurants in Kirksville) and discerning pallets (East Coast and Texas raised). Using the app we built a grocery list, checked off the items we had at home already and hit the ground running.

One week of cooking together, new flavor combinations and a flop or two got us hooked on the idea of meal planning. Why not layout what you want to eat, with flexibility of course, and buy everything for the week in one go?

This week we are trying a slightly different take on the idea: Batch Cooking. Check out this post on Batch Cooking 101 on Nutrition Stripped for an over view of the idea.

This morning I had some free time (how weird) so we put together a batch of venison chile and a pot of chicken soup. Since we only ever eat dinner at home having two homemade and oh so tasty options for dinner doesn't seem like a bad idea. We spent quality time preparing the food while we had a moment, and now can simply re-heat the better-the-next-day dishes while we are busy during the week.

Soups, chili and stews lend themselves perfectly to our plan, as they tend to taste better the next day anyway. Also, at the end of the week what ever left will go nicely into the freezer and become an emergency dinner down the road.

Benefits:

• One trip to the store
• Cooking when there is time, not when you're tired
• Fresh, healthy food on hand
• Freeze leftovers for emergency meals
• Less time in the kitchen, more time with family

I recommend making a batch of my favorite Balsamic Venison Stew to start out, or a body warming Hickory Smoke Chili. 

Monthly Challenges: Build Better Life Habits

New Year, same me, same house, same boyfriend and same cat. New Year, new adventures, new milestones, new challenges.

Medical school is rough, you work harder than you ever thought you could and you change. you change in ways that are subtle at first, but become more apparent the farther through the crucible you go. Yes, the road to becoming a doctor is a crucible: a place or occasion of severe test or trial.

My time is precious, and expensive now. Therefore I am taking it upon myself to try out new money/time/brain saving ideas each month to nail down good habits and break expensive ones before entering Intern Year.

I want to know that what precious "free time" I have, and what little "disposable income" I'll enjoy are put to the optimal use. I want to spend my down time enjoying my boyfriend's company, and playing with my Ninja, not cleaning, or working at home. I want to use what little money doesn't go to loans and cost of living to gather experiences, not things.

Join me, take on a few challenges along with me and find out how I'm doing in my hunt for good, healthy and relationship friendly life habits.

January: Meal Planning

February: $100 Budget