Dinner's in the mail

The bad timing of our first Hello Fresh delivery was not their fault. Who would have known almost a month ago when I scheduled it that there would be seven people in the house, instead of the two that I ordered meals for, and that five of them would be throwing up?

There are currently a number of companies offering delivery of ingredients and instructions for meals. They offer a variety of options for number and type of meal.  I thought that this might be helpful in my quest to learn to cook for two. After looking at several and comparing menus, cost, delivery options, and reviews, I decided to try Hello Fresh.

Each week I have a choice of six possible entrees. I have opted for Thursday delivery, since my husband is out of town during the week. I need to decide what I want in the next week's box, or pause delivery, by Saturday night.

I spite of the bad timing, I was excited to see what was in my box.

The box was nicely organized, with the ingredients for each meal in a separate smaller box, and the meat alone in the bottom of the box. Everything looked very attractive.

I'll report back after we get to try the food. Everything looked very nice, and the produce was in good shape. Although my report may not come until I get my next box. I don't think that the tummies here are ready for these recipes, so we'll just use up the ingredients elsewhere, for the most part. (It's all pretty normal stuff, which makes that easier.)

By the way, if you use the link above, and decide to try Hello Fresh, you will get $40 off your first box, and I will get $20 off of my next one. Everyone wins!

Joining the bullet (journal) train

Several months ago my daughter started talking abut her bullet journal. I did some cursory  investigating and decided it was not for me.

Since then, I've seen more people talking about it. I've read blogs beyond the bullet journal basics that I originally saw. I've come to the conclusion that the flexibility of it may be exactly what I need, and what is always lacking in the planners I buy.

So I ordered this.

It's a Leuchtturm 1917. I chose it because of the dot grid inside. I have always liked to use graph paper, and this is like the best combination of graph paper and a blank page.

As you can see here, I went off track on the first line I drew. I had to get over the fear of making mistakes quickly!

I like the concept of a future log. I think this should be a good amount of room. If not, part of the appeal for me was how elastic this concept is. The later months are all on one page, with a blank page next to them for notes or things that need to be noted for 2018.

I decided to do my month on the page sideways. I don't think I need the two pages, but if I decide I do, that can change next month. I have space for notes about the month, plus room for a tracker for habits that I want to develop. Birthdays are going to go in the space below the calendar.

I am planning a page for each day. Again, this can be adjusted, depending on how much space I need. Right now I don't have a page for each week. That, too, can always change, if I decide I need it. The washi tape is also serving as a tab on my page for recommendations.

The recommendations page will also help me with another goal of mine, which is to look at my phone less.

So, this is what I'm trying. I think it will last longer than most of my planners do. I look forward to using it, and I'll be sure to report back.