I hope you had an amazing weekend! It's officially getting closer to springtime. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things with my spring/summer routines. I'm such a spring and summer girl. Thank you for all the birthday wishes on my sons 16th birthday. Boy does time fly when you're having fun. I created a video sharing this weeks menu plan. I have so much fun creating these videos and they also keep me to continue to be consistent with my menu planning. Last week our meals were just all over the place, due to my anniversary and my sons birthday. Things were a little off track which I anticipated. Anywho...

What's on the menu this today?

This year one of my goals for my family is to eat better while on the go. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to share with you guys what's currently working for my family. With my daughter finishing up her first year in college and me trying to ensure that she doesn't stray away from her healthy eating habits. Also, with Michael being active with sports and appointments, meetings and everyday life. It's so easy to get off task while on the go.

4 Tips to Eat Better This Year While On The Go

Menu Plan

If you've been following my blog for a while. You know that I menu plan for my family on a weekly basis. I typically will menu plan the Thursday before and also review my grocery shopping needs while reviewing my schedule for any appointments, meetings and/or games. I create my grocery shopping list based on my menu plan and schedule. For example, If I know that I'm not going to be able to make breakfast Saturday morning due to a game or during the week when Michael is off to school. I can easily warm up a Jimmy Dean Delights® for him while he's heading out the door. When I'm shopping at Sam's Club. I always make sure that I pick up a box of Jimmy Dean Delights®. Menu planning is essential if you want a better lifestyle for your family. It makes it so much easier as a mom when you walk in the house from a busy day and dinner is in the crockpot or when you're running late and you can easily grab a Jimmy Dean Delights® which is a “better-for-you” protein solution which is the perfect way to start a busy morning.

Shopping List

As prior mentioned, I don't go to the store without a shopping list. Having a shopping list is essential. It's so easy to get distracted by all of the cute displays at the store or even sale items that you get off task and walk out with items that you didn't even need. I'm a lister so I love writing lists with pen and paper. Yes, I'm old school. I am not perfect by no means and often will forget my shopping list in my purse or even leave the list in the car, oh and let's not mention leaving the list on the pad at home. Yes, I'm guilty of that too. One of the tips that I have for you is taking a picture of your list once it's complete. If you forget your list at home or leave it in the car. You'll have a picture on your phone to remind you of the items needed. Nothing is more rewarding than going to the store and coming out with the items you actually needed. Especially when it's items for your menu plan. You've saving time by not having to run to the store because you have all the items needed. As a busy Mom, time is like gold.

Shop in Bulk

It's so easy for me to stay on task with better choices by shopping in bulk. I typically shop at Sam's Club. I love having their membership Sam's Club. They make it super easy to live a healthy lifestyle and meal prep for my family for the week. The Sam's Club membership has especially come in handy with a kid in college. A lot of times I'll have my daughter order the items that she needs prior to our drive to visit her and all I have to do is a Club pickup. Sam's Club has a huge selection of healthy foods. One of her favorites is the Tyson Grilled & Ready® Chicken which is a better alternative for her. She always raves about how fresh the grilled chicken taste and how juicy and tender it is. She loves that it's so easy for her to warm up and add to a salad or quinoa bowl. Also, most Sam's Club locations have a gas station next to them which makes doing grocery shopping and filling my tank a breeze. Plus, I save both time and money by being a Sam’s Club member.

Meal Prep

I'm one of those people who love the convenience of items being prepped so that's one less thing that I have to worry about doing. I'm a huge fan of freezer meals. If possible, I try to set aside a couple of hours to prep for the items that when will need for that week/month. I love purchasing bulk veggies like mushrooms, cleaning, slicing freezing and bagging them. It makes it so convenient when making a meal that requires mushrooms. One less item that I have to worry about slicing. The mushroom is proportioned out and all I have to do is just add them to my meal when cooking. This also works well for making individual smoothie packs too. Buy the bananas, berries, spinach, and bags at Sams Club and all I have to do is add the portion I want to a freezer safe bag. Freeze the bags until I'm ready to make a smoothie. Which is perfect for on the go. I also use this method for snacks. I have a snack basket in the kitchen. While we're leaving out. I'll typically grab a couple of snacks for myself and if the kiddos are coming too. I'll grab some for them as well. This makes accomplishing your goals for easy, on-the-go solutions for every meal occasion obtainable.

Eating better while on-the-go doesn't have to be a stressful task. It can actually be guilt free with a membership from Sam's Club and great quality groceries like Tyson® Foods.

What are some of the ways you eat better while on the go?

Sticky Herb Chicken 

Tortellini Bake

Garlic Ranch Chicken 

Prior to visiting London, I was researching various stores and how much food cost in the UK. I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon a couple of YouTube videos with people doing a $20 a week food budget. As many of you know, I mostly eat a plant-based diet. However, I consider myself a pescatarian because I occasionally eat seafood.

Even though I have a monthly grocery budget for my family. I tend to go off track when it comes to shopping for myself. Also, since I’ve started to eat a lot healthier. My family and I typically eat different meals each night. Prior to my healthy eating journey. I would make one of two meals a week that we all could enjoy.

Since October is right around the corner. I started the challenge in September. I want to challenge myself to only spend $20 a week on groceries or a total of $80 for the month. I’m hoping that this challenge for myself will turn into a lifestyle change. Below are some of the things that I plan to do to be successful with this challenge. Also, I haven’t decided if I will roll over the money each month that I don’t spend. Still deciding on that aspect. I will say that my goal is to create more meals based off of what I already have at home.

I plane to create a grocery list weekly and stick to it. I’ve learned that when I have a list I spend less time in the grocery stores.

I’ve learned that my eating habits and grocery bill are a lot better when I meal plan. My ultimate goal is to plan for myself and family for the entire month. I will start off continuing to do weekly meal plans though.

I’m horrible at this. I’m a bulk shopper by heart which means that Costco and Bj’s will not see a lot of me. I plan to only buy what I need and use what I have prior to running to the grocery store. This also means that I have to start and be a little bit more creative of what I eat in a day and plan for the week.

Half of the time I forget what I have in my deep freezer and refrigerator. I plane to keep a list of the items that I have and check the items off the list once they're used. From this list, I hope to accomplish gaining a sense of what we actually buy, eat and use. I have a really picky palate but also like to try new foods. I’m hoping to keep at a list of foods to not buy again to avoid wasting money.