Patty Clink,

Hardi and I were chatting yesterday about why the bulk process is working so smoothly for us, and what's so mysterious about it for others. One thing we identified is that we never head off to the store thinking about what we're going to make with the stuff we'll buy-- it's not menu-driven at all. The shopping function, storage function, and cooking functions are all totally separate, or it would be overwhelming. This is one area where multi-tasking-type thinking doesn't work so well.

When I'm shopping, I am totally price and quality driven and I am going to make hard choices, like a supply sergeant. When I'm prepping items for the freezer, that also is a single-minded task and I am harvest-driven, wasting not an iota of chicken fat for example but also not wasting my time and energy on the prep or the cleanup. When I thaw an item to make something for a workout brekky or lunch, I am totally thinking training nutrition principles. When I'm putting a supper together, I'm thinking about pleasing my husband and myself (and any guests present).

Now, these separate thinking processes do eventually integrate over time. Thus, because training nutrition is a high priority which has brought rich rewards, that training nutrition drives the shopping choices, the portion sizes when I pack for the freezer, and the way I prepare the eventual meals. But at the time I am doing each function, that's the only function I am thinking about consciously.

It gets smarter over time.

~Susan