Oh the horror...

I am a little of a planner when it comes to menus and grocery shopping. I have always tried to plan my menu and shop for a couple of weeks at a time. But lately, to minimize trips to the grocery store, I have been planning our meals and doing the shopping for an entire month. It is a whole process for me. One day I sit down with my previous menus, new recipes, cookbooks, list of dishes I know, etc. and plan the menu. It looks something like this.

It is a process that takes a little time. But I enjoy it and it always seems to pay off on the evenings when I am too tired or too busy to think about what is for dinner. It is already decided and as you will see (if you continue reading) half way prepared. In case you are wondering, the highlighted items show what meals I am cooking in the crockpot. And this month is a little different because I will be gone the whole month of June (Woo-hoo!) so I am doubling a bunch of meals to put in the freezer so Bryan will have food while I am gone. (The little blue dots are actually D's to show me what I am doubling.) I know he can take care of himself, but it makes me feel like I am not totally abandoning him, if I have food for him. My next step is to make "the List." I used to have a pre-made list on the computer that I would print off and put little tick marks next to each thing to show how many I needed. I don't know what happen to that file, so now I just write it out. Again, it takes a little while, but it is worth it. It keeps me from buying things that I don't need because they aren't on the list. This may seem a little boring but all of this information is very important to my story. My next step is to hit the stores and shop the sales. First it was Brunos for ground beef, pork chops, roast, and cereal. Then home to unload and pick ur the freezer bag. Next on to Winn-Dixie for Chicken and cheese. All of that goes into the freezer bag as I head out to Wal-mart for the rest. I don't have anything else planned so that I can take the time I need to get everything on my list. I go to the health and beauty products first, then to kitchen storage stuff for a few more containers, then to automotive for motor oil, then on to groceries. And that is when it happened. . . I couldn't find my list. Of course, I am in a total panic. This isn't a list I jotted down on the back of an envelope. This is a whole sheet of notebook paper, front and back, that took me over an hour to make. So Hayden suggests we go look for it. It is a good thing I had a clear headed four year old with me because I was on the verge of sitting down in the middle of the aisle and crying. We both were pretty sure I had it when I came in the store so we start to retrace our steps. Back to automotive. I must have had a frantic look in my eye, because the guy working back there asked if I was okay. Did I need help finding something? Did I lose something? I am like yes, yes as we continue to walk up and down the aisles. "I lost my grocery list and I HAVE to find it." He stops dead in his tracks, turns around and looks at me like I have lost my mind. I'm like "I know it sounds retarded that I am even looking for it, but that list is my brain." Then he asked me what it looks like. I am totally describing it to him like it is going to help. "It is a piece of notebook paper and has groceries listed all over it." Well, we didn't find it, so we went back to the kitchen storage area. I must still have the frantic look, because someone else quickly asks if I need help. (Just as a side note, as anyone that has shopped at Schillinger Wal-mart knows, they aren't usually offering help around there.) I asked him what employees had been on that aisle on the last 20-30 minutes because I was wondering if they might have seen my grocery list. He kind of does this double-take thing as if to say "A grocery list?" By this time, Hayden and I are on our hands and knees looking under shelves so I think he took me seriously. Well long story made not quite as long - we didn't find the list. I even checked a few trash cans. So, I had to shop without it. Well, three hours after setting foot in the store, I left pulling two full carts of groceries and a holding a receipt as tall as Hayden. And guess what I found when we got to the car:
Of course I checked it to see what I had forgotten. Luckily it was only about 5 or 6 things. At the suggestion of Lynne, I will be making a duplicate copy next time. I think I might safety pin it to Hayden because (knock on wood) I have never forgotten her in the car or lost her at Walmart.

Well, the next day was cooking day. After cooking and dividing up all my meat and chicken, my freezer looks like this.

All my effort has paid off. Despite the work involved it is all worth it. And I even ended the night with a clean kitchen. I know it all seems a little neurotic, but it really keeps me sane.
And because I am a nice mommy, there was pie before bed.