Routines

Ruth and I have attempted to start a new Saturday morning routine. We started a couple of months ago, and we haven't been totally consistent about it, but we both really like it when it does happen.

What is the routine, you ask? We make up our week's menus, then bright and early Saturday morning, when the grocery store is pretty much empty, we go and get the week's groceries. Then we head back one home or the other, and make up as much of the menus as we can in advance. We generally make up several marinated salads or salads that will keep for several days, and maybe part of a main course or two.

For example, this week we're making up a broccoli salad (really very nice, with broccoli, sunflower seeds and grapes); a marinated vegetable salad, coleslaw forever, and home made chicken strips (chicken breasts cut into strips, dipped in egg white and turned in a mixture of cornflake crumbs and bran flake crumbs, then baked - none of the fat, all of the flavour).

As both of us work full time, we love the opportunity to get some of the needed chores done together - sharing the effort makes it a pleasure instead of a chore. In addition, we get to visit with each other and share what's going on in our lives and in our families' lives - as well as news about the extended family. We also love having our week's menus planned, so when we get home from work we know what's for supper - and that part of it is already prepared in advance. We love that we save money doing this, because we only purchase what's needed on the menus, and it also forces us to keep our fridges cleaned out. Even better, lunches are much healthier and cost less as well. Ruth usually uses some of the premade salads as part of her lunches. All in all it's a win/win situation.