The Benefits of Meal Planning

I've been so proud of myself this week! <br /><br />Actually, for the last two weeks I completely stuck to my menu plans.  "Menu plan" to me means that every weekend I pick out 3 dinner dishes and 1 breakfast dish to make for the upcoming week.  The breakfasts are the only meal I make ahead.  The rest gets made the same day.  For the past two weeks, I have selected meals that I have stuck to and actually made.  The norm had been that I'd make 2 out of the 3 dinners or 1of the 3.   Sometimes I wouldn't make any. <br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mesotheliomaz.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/todaysmenu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://mesotheliomaz.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/todaysmenu.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I found this happening more times that I care to admit while living at Joel's 'ex-house' (not his ex's house, his EX-house!).  I also found this happening a lot just last year whenever my commute was an hour and 40 minutes at night - we ate out A LOT during that time.  I know that the eating out was the reason for this huge weight gain.  I had been easily maintaining at 220 pounds until I moved to that apartment and endured that lengthy commute.  And during that year plus the 8 months living at Joel's ex-house, I put on an additional 40+ pounds.  </div><div><br /></div><div>The meals I've been making over the past two weeks have been so delicious too!  Some I've shared on here already, and I have upcoming posts to share even more of them.  This week's breakfast was <a href="http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/566">Hungry Girl's Apple Pie Pockets</a> for a whopping 3 Points+ (calculated using the recipe builder and my own ingredients)!  Do you realize that this Apple Pie Pocket is very similar in taste to that of the McDonald's apple pie (7 Points+), but with far better stats?  It's been so delicious this week, and a great way for me to get in some fruits.  </div><div><br /></div><div>I also made fish covered in dill and a lemon butter sauce (sounds scary but was, again, only 3 Points+!).  I <3 fish!  </div><div><br /></div><div>Last night we had this sausage rigatoni soup dish with spinach and cannellini beans - again - amazing!</div><div><br /></div><div>When enough time passes where I've stayed on plan really well and I haven't been eating out, or indulging in fast food, I start to crave french fries and Chick Fil A and all those things that are only good in moderation.  However, over that entire year and 8 months of mainly eating out, etc... there comes a point where you're just sick of it.  <i>No<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>fast food sounds appealing,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>no<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>chain restaurant sounds appetizing.   </div><div></div><div>The foods I've made over the last two weeks are not high in calories and have proven very filling and delicious - but I've found that preparing those foods takes work and organization and time, and that's not always something I care to do or want to do.  </div><div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.christophercleary.com/images/boredom_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://www.christophercleary.com/images/boredom_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sometimes I'm bored and/or lazy and don't want to go to all the effort.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div>Yet if I want to maintain a healthier lifestyle, and believe me - <u>I do</u>, then cooking and meal planning needs to remain a priority in my life!    </div>

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I've been so proud of myself this week! Actually, for the last two weeks I completely stuck to my menu plans.  "Menu plan" to ...

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