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Monday, January 14, 2019

The Best Laid Plans And All That

This was my almost well thought out plan of what we could eat for the week that would also use some of my food storage, particularly things from the freezer.

1. Stuffed baked potatoes with bbq chicken, cheese, peppers, and onions with a side of coleslaw
2. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, broccoli, cucumber tomato salad
3. Pork tenderloin, assorted green salad, rice(TheHub) cauli rice (me) carrots, keto bread or roll
4.  Weiners  kraut, cooked carrots, cornbread, unknown veggie
5. Fettuccine alfredo , noodles (TheHub) zucchini (me), huge tossed salad, rolls or keto bread
6. Mexicanish chicken casserole, coleslaw, tortilla chips (TheHub)
7. Ham and cheese frittata, tossed salad, keto french toast


And this is the story of what really happened

Monday: (see meal #1) I had planned the ball game meal because I bought a 10 pound bag of potatoes at Aldi during the holidays and still had a boat load of them left. I was being a good Girl Scout and planning on zero food waste. I got the cooked chicken out of the freezer Sunday night and stuck it in the meat drawer of the fridge so it would be thawed, and ready for me to sauce and heat right before game time.  Right before TheHub left work he heard his second favorite grocery store was cooking ribs for game day. (In addition to his recreational Publix shopping, he can smell ribs smoking from 50 miles out and WILL follow the scent.) Anyway, he called me from the car to tell me he had bought not one but 2 slabs of ribs. What?  Put on the brakes and change the meal!

BBQ Ribs, baked potatoes (they were already cooking), coleslaw, veggies and dip

Tuesday: (see meal 5)  About a week ago I saw a post on our community FB site. Someone was asking about our local theater's price increases. (They became one of those recliners, table, drink and eat theaters) when someone replied that another theater (still a traditional theater experience) had 5 dollar Tuesdays. Being the tragically unhip couple that we are, neither of us had ever heard of it, but decided Tuesday afternoon we would go catch a cheap flick.  Since I knew TheHub would buy a bucket of popcorn and a gallon cup of diet coke there was no need to make a huge meal. (Plus we only had a 20 minute window to eat before we left for the movie) But I also knew keto me would not eat from the popcorn trough so I needed something. (Turns out we should have waited until after the movie we never saw. We thought we would just breeze in the theater until we got there and saw the line was wrapped around the building, so we just drove on past it and went to Starbucks before going to Publix. I swear, when I look at TheHubs face when he enters that store, I honestly think he hears angels singing. Then he starts greeting the employees by name?!?)  Lesson learned, next Tuesday I am going to purchase the tickets in the morning, because as clueless as we are pretty quick studies.

Spaghetti noodles w/alfredo (TheHub), over spaghetti squash (me) hunk of lettuce

Wednesday:  (No clue what I intended to cook) Every Wednesday morning from fall through the end of spring I have a class I attend. I really do enjoy it, but honestly, I am a very nerdy gal at heart and still like studying. As far as doing things with Mom, we have had an understanding for years to please plan nothing on Wednesday from 9:30 - noon. This morning I was about to walk out the door when the phone rang, and rats__it was Mom. I could have kept walking but that little voice inside wouldn't let me so I answered. She had a non-emergency, emergency so I stopped by to fix the problem, but found her frazzled and very upset. There was nothing to do but stay with her and calm her down. After she showered and dressed we had about 2 hours of difficult conversation, then she remembered she needed eggs, toilet paper, and grapes. (Too bad she could not remember what she needed when I went to the grocery store for her the previous day) I had to run out for a bit anyway so I gathered her needs then went back to her house to help her with a breathing treatment, make sure she was warm and eating, talk to her about some future arrangements (If looks could kill I would not be able to type this right now) and yada, yada, yada. Long story short , it was not a fun day and I got home well after 4, seriously frustrated because my mother has a problem for every solution. I tore into my armoire and began folding clothes the Marie Kondo way then turned around and it was nearly 5 and I had not even begun to think about dinner, so I sat at my computer and watched another episode of Tidying Up instead of cooking. Sounds reasonable, right? 

Take out from our favorite Thai place. Shrimp pad Thai (TheHub) Laap with pork (me)

Thursday: (see meal 4) This was not particularly planned for Thursday. It was on the menu for a night when I needed a meal in a hurry. I easily could have used it for dinner on Wednesday, but I was in a pissy mood and used that as an excuse to do nothing. It worked out well because after a few things I had planned for today plus doing my regular routine with Mom, it was about 5 when I got back to the house. TheHub actually came home relatively early, but I could not get into eating Hebrew Nationals for dinner.  As fortune ( or my over buying tendencies) would have it, I had 6 pounds of Conecuh sausage in the freezer in handy little one pound packages. Great substitute for the wieners!

One pan sausage, cabbage and kraut meal. (Neither good nor bad, but a quick meal so that works)

Friday: (see meal 3)  I did not have to do a ton with Mom on Friday, so she actually did not consume my day. I did take her to get her hair done. (Evidently when one ages the world can go to Hell in a hand basket, but nothing and I mean nothing, can interfere with a hair appointment) Then  it was back to her house for a breathing treatment and bill paying event. My Beloved Sister stopped by and we both managed to leave without wanting to scream. It was a good day.

Pork tenderloin, potato wedges with butter, (TheHub) mashed cauliflower fake potatoes, (me) salad

Saturday: (choose whatever meals are left, didn't happen anyway) We had a slab of ribs remaining from Monday night, and I had pushed them to the limit so they had to be eaten . Son2 and DIL2 were here also so I kind of cobbled a meal together using whatever was on hand.

Leftover ribs, tater tots, and coleslaw (them) Leftover sausage pieces, leftover tossed salad, leftover mashed cauliflower (me)

Sunday: DIL2 had a partial bag of past its prime coleslaw, I had one too and neither of us wanted to toss perfectly decent food out. I had a small bag of cooked chicken (or possibly turkey, not sure) and some pulled pork (meant for the ball game meal) and a slightly wrinkled red pepper so I went totally off the menu plan (imagine that) but it was a great way to gather and use bit and pieces .

Deconstructed egg roll in a bowl. Dinner rolls (Them)


Used from the freezer:
1 pack frozen spaghetti squash
1 pound pack conecuh sausage
1 pork tenderloin
rest of the bag of tater tots (I still think there is another unopened bag hiding in the freezer)
small bag cooked chicken (or turkey
small bag pulled pork
cauliflower rice

Used from the pantry and fridge
jar Alfredo sauce
Spaghetti noodles
jar of bamboo shoots
jar of kraut
butter and heavy cream
assorted spices
condiments
olive oil
vinegar

Produce
lettuce
cukes
tomatoes
cabbage
coleslaw mix
cauliflower
carrots
peppers (red and green)
celery

And here is this weeks tentative plan, subject to change as always

1. Ham and cauliflower au gratin, green beans
2. Chili, coleslaw
3. Mexicanish casserole, broccoli. cucumber tomato and onion salad
4. Meat loaf, green beans, cauli mash (me) mashed potatoes (TheHub)
5. Spaghetti, noodles (TheHub) zucchini spirals (me) tossed salad, rolls (TheHub) keto bread (me)
6. Keto fried rice, green beans, marinated radishes
7. Tater tot casserole (TheHub)  random leftovers (me)


I have a good bit of produce going into next week, so I should need very little, though I am going to ThePig for the super sale cauliflower price. I will pick up two heads, maybe a carton of strawberries and I should be good for the week.




25 comments:

  1. Sometimes life gets in the way doesn't it?
    Himself had a birthday last week. He put in a request for Indian food from a new (to us) restaurant. Goodness the portions were huge. Three big meals worth for him. Four for me. So the fridge/freezer are both full of the things purchased for a more normal week.
    It is vilely hot again so cooking will be minimal.

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    1. I understand about the heat and cooking. During the summer if it can't be chopped and put in a bowl, or thrown on the grill it just does not happen. (Unless it is take out or we dine out)

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  2. Okay I found myself laughing out loud at your mom pain. Sorry, I could not help myself it was so in the moment.

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    1. Laughing is a good thing. I often laugh__later, but not so much in the moment.

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  3. Ribs do the same thing to my husband. We're lucky if we every get out of Costco without some freshly cooked ribs and some for us to cook later.

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    1. TheHub has a rib radar. Up wind, down wind, doesn't matter. He is like Pavlov's dog.

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  4. Heheee I was chuckling as I read this.

    Though you didn't follow the meal plan, what you made instead also sounds delicious.

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    1. The meals were fine, some good and some just fodder but we definitely didn't starve.

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  5. Love your meal planning and your humor, Anne. It might not have worked out exactly as planned, but you still had some yummy sounding meals. :)

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    1. I find humor in the planning, since the plans never really work. But it is fine. We never go unfed.

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  6. I enjoy reading other's menus... it gives me ideas for something different for us. I need to step up my vegetable game, for sure!

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    1. I need to step mine up too, though I do eat a ton of veggies at lunch.

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  7. Well, ribs! How can you turn those down? Fun read -- thanks.

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    1. I think it is against the law to turn ribs down, especially if you live in Alabama.

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  8. Just wanted you to know that I couldn't access your blog, yesterday! I received a message that this blog no longer exists! And I wondered if something had happened. But, I am able to do so, today. Glad to see that your blog is still here! I'd miss it if you stopped blogging.

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    1. No idea what happened cause I did nothing on my end.

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  9. Hi Anne, When you started commenting on my blog I came over to visit you. It appeared that you were only posting once a week (?), but I kept coming back every day to see if you had written something new. Like Bless, I also could not access your blog for THREE days this week. So something was happening. I did get on yesterday *blush* but I was too tired at the end of the day to comment then. So here I am finally.

    I also love your sense of humour. I do not meal plan. But I can see from your blog that although you do, it is more along the line of suggestions or alternatives. I guess I do that to, but I would never commit to paper.

    I used to have that contentious relationship with my mother, so I can relate to your angst. These days my mother doesn't know her up from down, so she is really no longer here. I have already grieved her passing. I loved your expression "she has a problem for every solution". Ha. I had never heard that expression before. Love it.

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    1. I don't intentionally post just once a week, I just have very little to post about
      I do love my mother very much and we have always been close, but Mom is very opinionated and demanding and always has been. Now that she has aged things are magnified and she has issues with her short term memory and sometimes thinks my sis and I are pulling a Baby Jane on her.

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  10. Anne, you have such a great writing style. Your post was fun to read, even if you did have some rough moments this week. Your meals sound delicious even if some of the were cobbled together. Sometimes those are the best meals. I hope you have a great weekend. :)

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    1. Some of our meals are delicious and a lot of them are just fine. It's food and we eat so it's all good.

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  11. Hi Anne, just getting round to catching up on my blog reading here. Sorry to hear your mom is "trying" (to put it politely) but I don't think anything improves with age does it. And like you I never get tired of learning. I'm just thinking about what I would like to "learn" next once I get my feet back on the ground over here. I have to admit though that I do tend to have to read your blog with a thesaurus open - I had no idea what "Hebrew nationals" were - so another learning opportunity for me!

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    1. Sorry about the Hebrew National's thing. It was a very geocentric reference to hot dogs, but they are the only brand I will buy. I figure since they are Kosher I am only getting the beef from very specific cuts and not eating ground gross parts. I never fully recovered after reading Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"

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    2. Oh gosh, now I feel obliged to read The Jungle!

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  12. I'm about to spend the afternoon cooking for the rest of the week. I have a turkey roll to roast, and am going to use up potatoes and a head of cauliflower to make a mash and then Greek Lentil soup as I didn't get it made last week. Since there's just the two of us I prefer to make food that will last more than one meal rather then make something new each day.

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    1. TheHub is a leftover revoltist and I have to reformat them, so I try to cook just enough for the meal with only a few leftovers which I eat for lunch. I often will cook something like a turkey or roast then slice and freeze it for later meals, or even make 2 small casseroles (eat one freeze one). Exceptions are usually one pot meals like soup or chili and he will eat those just reheated.

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