Day 1: Whole roasted chicken, Roasted sweet potatoes, Sauteed asparagus
Day 2: Bean and cheese enchiladas, Guacamole
Day 3: Homemade pizza, Tossed salad
Day 4: Spaghetti bolognese, Leftover tossed salad
Day 5: Hot dogs with sauerkraut, Sauteed kale, Fruit smoothie
Day 6: Baked potato bar with steamed broccoli, cheddar, sour cream, and salsa
Day 7: Chopped salad with quinoa, sweet potato, and apples
Notes: Soccer is in full swing, baseball is gearing up, and there are lots of end of school activities and recitals, in addition to the usual grind of work. That means there are a lot of repeats of easy meals or things I can grab from the freezer. This is definitely not my most creative week! But, I still firmly believe that homemade is best. Even these easy meals (mostly) from scratch are much healthier than takeout. Less sugar, less salt, less preservatives and less unrecognizable ingredients and bad oils. If possible, I will make meals at lunchtime or the night before and reheat it for quick consumption after a practice or game. I will also be digging in my freezer over the next few weeks for previously frozen batches of soup, pizza dough, pie crust, and other meals.
Green Tip of the Week: It is garage sale time! Nearly every community in my area holds a city-wide garage sale about this time of year. Honestly, it is one of my favorite times. It is like a whole other holiday season for me and totally worth taking a day off of work, if you can. I have found that this is one of the best ways that I can cut back on my waste and save boatloads of money at the same time. I am a practical person and just cannot fathom spending $20, $10, or even $5 on a piece of clothing for my children that will inevitably have a hole in it within a week (I spend $1-2 max per piece of clothing). Sporting goods are another category of things that are so worth buying secondhand. You also can find a ton of baby gear and even some nice toys for Christmas or birthday gifts. With a little bit of research and effort you can often find almost new items for 10-20% of the original cost. Additionally, the items you purchase used will NOT be packaged in plastic or have tags with stickers, plastic fasteners, or bags included. And you likely will be rescuing an item from its eventual destination – the landfill. As the old saying goes, “one person’s trash is another’s treasure”. Here are some tips to make your garage sale shopping more enjoyable:
- Check the weather forecast and dress appropriately
- If offered by the city, pick up a garage sale guide so you can find the areas with the most clusters of houses to make shopping more efficient and walkable. You can also find out what size clothes or other items are being offered so you don’t have to waste time running to every house.
- If the sale tends to be popular in an area, it is best to go the first day to have the most selection.
- Write down the sizes of clothing, shoes, or sporting goods for each child and adult in your family. You may want to purchase up a size if you know your child can use it in the near future.
- Plan out what you need and for the most part try to stick to it. You don’t want to end up with a bunch of clutter that you will be stuck trying to sell in your own garage sale the next year.
- Be picky about items that you purchase. Check clothes over thoroughly for stains or weak spots in the knees that may quickly lead to holes.
- Don’t be afraid to barter. You’d be surprised how willing people are to come down on prices.
- Bring your reusable bags, especially if you plan on walking from house to house.
- If you are in the market for a specialty item in a certain size (e.g. skis, a certain purse, or designer clothing) you may be better off searching craigslist, Facebook marketplace, or a resale website like Thredup or Poshmark. There are also stores like Play It Again Sports or Game Stop that sell used items.
