“It’s just so hard to eat well! I’ve got 4 kids and managing their activities makes it impossible!” Marcia is my client and this was her reply to the question, “What did you have to eat today?”
I can’t relate. My wife and I have no kids. (Yet… I know. Please don’t email me about the joy that kids bring. We’ll get there on our own time and it’s not the point of this post, thank you.) But countless people in Marcia’s situation have done it before so “impossible” is simply not true. And I know that if I can help Marcia figure out how to get better fueling through out her day, EVERYTHING will get better for her. Energy levels, strength…hell, she’ll even get better QT with her kids and more production at work from the cognitive benefits that come from eating clean.
EVERYTHING. But I can’t tell her that. So what do I say?
“Crockpots save lives!” I don’t know where it came from but it stopped her (and me) dead in our tracks.
The look on her face told me that she got it before she said anything. “I could put it together in the morning and have dinner ready when I get home… Complete with leftovers for lunch the next day!”
But what else can a crockpot save?
Time? Stress? If you’ve got your lunch already packed, you can use the travel time to the restaurant to make your lunch break more enjoyable. More time sitting out side, reading, whatever it is that you are trying to find time for, there it is.
Money? Do you really need me to explain this one? Maybe you don’t but let’s run through it anyway; The average meal out is $12.75/person. Let’s play devils advocate and make it $10. The average in home meal ranges from $2 to $4/ person. Let’s be aggressive here and call it $4/person. You’re saving $6/person/meal. Do this for 4 meals a week and that’s $24. $1248/year. Per person. A family of 4? That’s $4992/year.
And remember that we were conservative on the estimates. Go to the other extreme (comparing $12.75/meal out to $2/ meal at home) it becomes $8944.00 a year. Compare that to the equivalent bump in pay (after factoring in taxes) it’s getting a $12,000-$15,000/ year raise!
And remember the original point here, you’re eating better, which means you’re feeling better.
So what now? Spend $40-$50 and get a decent crockpot if you don’t have one. At least 2 times a week, throw some meat, veggies and the spices of your choice in. Look up new recipe and find a new favorite each month. Print them and keep the collection. I give it 3 months until you’re known a wizard with your magic cauldron.
