If you read my previous post you learned a little about OSMEAC - the mission strategy that the Marine Corps follows. It's a great way to structure your own personal mission and it feels kind of exciting to follow in the footsteps of my hubby and his fellow Marines in some small way (like a little girl wearing her mom's high heels, although I feel like I need a more manly analogy if I'm going to be talking about Marines). Anyway, all of the missions I will be pursuing from here on out will follow the OSMEAC format so here it goes.
Operation Cupboard Raid
O Here's where I am: I've been through about 6 kitchens since the time that I went off to college and living in each place I can remember longing for my own. I used to think, "Why on earth do people have so much food in their cupboards that just sits there month after month?" I assured myself that when I had my own kitchen I would only stock what I would use in the near future. Maybe I'd have some baking supplies that would last a long time but I wasn't going to end up with a cupboard full of food and nothing to eat. Imagine my surprise, then, when after almost a year of living in our own apartment, with our own kitchen that no one is responsible for but me, I open the cupboards to find all kinds of non-perishables and nothing of interest to eat.
S Here's what's happening: This whole kitchen blunder is taking its toll in many areas. A. My grocery shopping procedure is failing me miserably. Not only do I not go consistently, but when I do buy food I don't eat it! I may be a little weird but I get all inspired by grocery shopping and I'm usually pretty good about only buying healthy food. However, at home I don't always want to prepare or eat the healthy food so it just sits there. B. Our current practice is extremely financially irresponsible. Even if you don't include all the money that is wasted by food that goes bad before we eat it, the money that is spent on eating out because there seems to be nothing to eat or because I don't want to take the time to prepare my own food is really shocking and depressing. C. While I may be losing a lot of money, I'm gaining a lot of something else. I've watched my weight increase for the past several months knowing that the biggest culprit is an almost-refusal to commit to eating healthily. The food in my cupboards is healthy and wholesome and standing by. Keeping a diary of what you eat, like I plan to do during this mission, can also be a great tool in being mindful of what you're consuming. D. Living in an apartment, we simply do not have enough space to continue to buy things and store them indefinitely. E. Creative cooking is something I've been cultivating for a couple years now and seeing all of those odds and ends foods in the cupboard makes me want to get inventive.
M Here's what I'm going to do: My mission is to eat only what I currently have stocked in my apartment from now (I started yesterday) until Memorial Weekend when I go out to California to visit Stud. That's almost three weeks and the sad truth is, I'm almost positive that I actually have enough food at home to prepare healthy AND delicious meals that entire time. I'm setting aside $10 a week for fresh produce, milk and/or eating out if I'm with friends. I am not allowed to eat out by myself which includes my beloved Starbucks visits.
E Here's how I'm going to do it: The "Grab and Go" mentality has been terrorizing my budget and my health so this mission will take a lot of planning ahead. It's hard to have food to pack for lunch if nothing is made in advance. Luckily, I still have some food that is a little quicker to have ready but once that runs out I will spend time on the evenings or weekends preparing healthy meals that I can divide into lunch portions. I will get creative with different resources for recipes stay determined when I look for a quick fix.
A Here's what will help: Recipes, recipes, recipes. This part of the challenge will be pretty fun. I LOVE looking at recipes. Along with the food in my cupboards, another semi-untapped resource in my kitchen is the abundance of cookbooks shelved in a corner. I get recipes online, from magazines and, of course, from books but now is the time to see how creative I can get with the ingredients because the the majority of the recipes that I come across will probably call for things I do not have. Marine Corps motto to the rescue: Adapt and Overcome!
C Here's the accountability: With my husband gone, I have no one to report to but myself (and everyone who reads this blog). This mission is important to me because I see benefits for so many areas with its successful completion. I am committed to this operation and will be reporting my progress here on the blog.
That's it! My first mission. My first OSMEAC.
Here's a look at my fridge:
And my freezer...I already threw away two of those ice creams!
Finally, the cupboards
Let the raid begin!
That's awesome honey! I'm actually doing the same thing myself! The hubby was inspired by my weight loss and finally agreed to give my "healthy junk" a try and has discovered he loves it! I haven't been grocery shopping since the wedding (April 9th!). We're saving SO much money, and we've almost got the cupboards cleaned out. I might have to go shopping here next week some time- but that's a might. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck girlie!
-Kimi
P.S. A website I love for recipes (if you don't already know about it) is TastyKitchen.com