Eating at home is cheaper, healthier, and to my surprise, is connecting me to my body like I never even considered.

Mission: Impossible?

Can you do it? No eating out. Not even once.

The beginning of the plan takes place here at my local H-E-B. This comes after days of trying to lay out the right meals for the right days. It depends on what the week has in store. Previously, I had been planning roughly three to four meals a week, with some extra add ons for snacks and a lunch or two.

Since I decided to try to eat at home the majority of the time and do it consistently, I upped that number to four to five meals a week, with either a fresh lunch altogether or reconstituting a meal into something else. An example of that this week included a Chicken Cordon Bleu meal I made a la Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Table. On Sunday, I made the Cordon Bleu according to the recipe, and on Thursday I used the finished chicken that had been stored in an airtight container in the fridge to make a "Cordon Bleu bake" using Alfredo sauce, rotini pasta, chicken broth, more cheese and panko breadcrumbs, and the Béarnaise sauce. It turned out so incredibly rich and satisfying, just like the first iteration of the Cordon Bleu we enjoyed earlier in the week!

Sometimes, planning takes me days upon days, so I would like to simplify that process, and continue to think of ways to be efficient in both the time it takes me to plan the week and the execution of the plan. It seemed to always work out in such a way that making this amazing plan was really the only thing that  turned out the way I wanted. When it came to actually doing it, I failed miserably.

I'm trying to really focus on the whole process so I can set myself up for success rather than just planning for success. Plus, when I didn't make the meals I planned, it just cost me more money in the end. I then tried to move that uncooked meal to the next week with the hope that whatever it was didn't involve perishable items.

When it comes to lunch, there's just no real easy way to do it. Over the last few weeks, I've found a pretty cool trick that I've been implementing, and it seems to be working! When I get home from the grocery store on Sunday, I'll put everything away and then cook a really easy meal that I put away for lunch the next day. After that's done, I clean everything up and then start on dinner. It's about a 30 minute process and really helps kickstart the week.

Throughout the week, we plan on lunches based on my work from home (WFH) schedule. So if I get to WFH on Tuesday, I can just make lunch on that day. If I'm pre-planning a lunch, I'll get up a little earlier than usual to pack our bentos. Or, perhaps there's a little leftover from that Monday lunch that I already kickstarted the week with!

Over the weeks of thinking about how to simplify this midday meal when our schedules are busy, I've found several recipes that really work well.

• Caesar Salad
• Greek Quinoa Salad
• Lobster Roll (or Chicken Salad)
• Sandwiches
• Egg Roll in a Bowl

The links for these recipes are in the slider below.

Caesar salad is incredibly tasty, really quick and gets it done. I buy packaged romaine hearts that I cut up. Toss in the shaved Parmesan cheese, some real bacon pieces (because they're really good), store-bought croutons, and whip up the dressing. This recipe does not use anchovy paste as a lot of other Caesar salad recipes call for. I like to pile on the toppings, too, because why not? The calorie count for this dish is on the lighter side of lunchtime fare at around 500-600 cals, but again, making it at home can help cut way down on the dish when you know how much of each ingredient (like mayonnaise) is being added in.

Greek quinoa salad is Mediterranean food at its best and quickest! I love just how bright and fresh this dish is, with tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and cucumbers (if using). I always have to set aside my cucumbers and add in to my personal serving due to a cucumber allergy in the house. The mixture of flavors is outstanding, but then comes the Greek vinaigrette and your mind is blown. Bonus: quinoa is a super food because of its high nutritional content!

I literally just made a lobster roll last week. I have never had one, so I'm not sure how my home lobster roll compares to the real ones of the East Coast. But it was great, and reminded me of chicken or tuna salad. I made this lobster roll cold, the way those in Maine like to delight in their rolls. I'm sure it would be great hot, as well. But since this was lunch and it's the middle of summer in Texas, I opted for a cool dish. The lobster paired nicely with the mayo and other ingredients to produce a creamy and fresh taste. I used chopped lettuce and tomatoes on the roll before topping it with the lobster roll "salad."

Like Matt Bonner, I am also a fan of sandwiches. I love me some homemade sandwiches, but I'm also a fan of the pro sandwich places like Jimmy John's, Firehouse Subs, Quiznos, Potbelly and more! I went down a rabbit hole trying to find Bonner's The Sandwich Hunter blog, but couldn't locate it. I got some broken NBA links that apparently linked to it at one point, and this, The Turkey Sandwich Report, fellow who wrote about it. Anyway, since I've been going to Jimmy John's quite a bit lately since they have a location close to my office (and an employee there calls me by name) I decided I'd try to make a copy cat of my favorite item, the spicy Italian East Coast sandwich. The secret is in the Italian dressing. I recently tried Jersey Mike's again and forgot how the really splash that "juice" mixture of oil and vinegar, so it helps make my point that it's an important component of these sandwiches. But for the Italian, the mix of cold cuts and cheeses are also a priority. I don't think that I match the cold cuts exactly, it's based on what's available at the deli or what looks appetizing (and also what's affordable!)

Egg roll in a bowl is one example of many recipes that can be made quickly and cheaply while maintaining the flavor profile. And what I mean by that is - it's something I want to eat versus something I have to eat because I made it for lunch. This dish is so simple it's ridiculous and it can be eaten at room temp (or warmed up). No frills, no thrills. Basic food that fills you up and gets you through the day.

Really, it's all about making that plan and sticking to it. For me, there are always thing that come my way to help me veer from the plan. A friend asking for a lunch get-together. A work outing. But hopefully, the majority of the plan can be followed. When it's not, switching around the days can help get it back on track.

This eat-at-home challenge may not be so practical in our day and age. A strict eating at home policy may not always work. I don't know if I can complete a full week eating all my meals from home. I was almost there! But things come up. Things will happen. The best laid plans can often go awry. I think making that plan and sticking to it can be so satisfying. But there are other ways to be "good" too: splitting a meal out, making a meal before going out so that maybe the only thing you order is an appetizer, a drink or dessert.

For me, cutting down on the going out and making the effort to eat at home is helping me connect to myself and helping us carefully monitor the budget. I physically feel better when I've eaten my homemade meals, and it helps me feel confident about my ability to be the grown up who can make a plan and stick to it.

It is a work in progress.