My week got a little intense at times and plans for any and everything took a nosedive. Ahh, what can I say? This seems to be my new normal. Below is what I had planned as meals for last week. Being true to said new norm, I did not stick to my plan, but that's ok. No one starved and we ate every night, so I am calling it a success as long as success is not measured by staying on plan!
1. Meatloaf (made and in the fridge waiting for some oven time), broccoli, hash browns (TheHub)
totally fake cauliflower "potato" salad (me), cucumber. onion and tomato salad
2. Something from the freezer (I forgot to label it but it is either pork roast or chicken in an herb sauce It is still frozen so I can't tell which it is.) over noodles (TheHub) cauli rice or zoodles (me) with some yet unnamed green vegetable.
3. Spaghetti with meat sauce (TheHub) over zoodles (me), tossed salad
4. Chicken Korma, basmati rice (TheHub) cauli rice (me) green beans, marinated cucumbers
5. Hot chicken salad, brussels sprouts, tossed salad, rolls (TheHub) keto "roll" (me)
6. Seared Scallops, mashed potatoes (TheHub) cauli mash (me), spring greens, green beans
7. Depending on weather either soup or salad. rolls (TheHub), fake roll (me)
And this is what happened in real life, which never seems to play out according to what I think each day should be.
Monday: Meatloaf on the menu is now history and I don't have to add it to the menu every week!
Meatloaf, hash browns (TheHub), keto "potato" salad (me) broccoli, cucumber salad
Tuesday: The day was an intense Mother day, TheHub had a dinner meeting, and I was going to eat leftovers. (I had a slice of Keto meatloaf remaining) Son2 and DIL2 were here and had not eaten so we decided to do takeout.
Thai takeout
Wednesday: TheHub had made reservations for dinner for us for Valentine's, but I wanted to have some sort of celebration with our new DIL since it is her first "official" member of the family Valentine's Day. I bought a couple of things we don't usually have and enjoyed the spring like weather to cook outside.
Porterhouse steaks, new potatoes (Yeah, I ate them too. I figured if I was going to sabotage Keto on Thursday what difference did one more day off it make) tossed spring green salad, rolls, ice cream (DIL's favorite)
Thursday: We celebrate Valentine's Day every year. I generally cook something a little special and TheHub brings home some flowers (grocery store variety) and we exchange cards. This year he made reservations at a place we have talked about going to for a couple of years but have never taken the time to go there. I had planned on cooking some scallops and having a glass of wine. Instead I got gussied up (translation: I wore a skirt and sweater, fixed my hair and wore makeup) and went out to eat with my Valentine. I figured correctly that there would be a fixed price menu with minimal options and I was right. There was no way I was going to stay on the keto plan.
Dinner at Satterfields Yummmmm!
Friday: Had to take Mom to have a procedure done on her eyes. After spending a lot of time with her I headed home with no idea what we would eat. The mystery pork or chicken finally thawed (The meat drawer in my fridge is right at 33 degrees. It takes a while to thaw food in it)
Shredded chicken in a lemon butter sauce, rice (TheHub) leftover broccoli, sliced tomatoes
Saturday: TheHub worked all day at the office while I took Mom to a funeral, picked up her meds, then came home and tackled the living room (I loved doing Marie Kondo in that room. Other than sorting through music books and sheet music, there was very little excess in it) TheHub came home later than I wanted to cook so it was leftover time (AKA clean out the fridge)
(TheHub) Chili and slaw (me) Mystery chicken stuff and cauliflower
Sunday: I spent time doing a little housework and a lot of laundry before shopping for Mom and then going to her house to help her with her breathing treatment. Came home and looked through the freezer where I found a package of Italian seasoned cooked ground chuck. Hooray for an easy dinner/
Spaghetti with meat sauce (over zoodles for me) tossed salad, garlic knots (TheHub) keto bread (me)
Sunday: I spent time doing a little housework and a lot of laundry before shopping for Mom and then going to her house to help her with her breathing treatment. Came home and looked through the freezer where I found a package of Italian seasoned cooked ground chuck. Hooray for an easy dinner/
Spaghetti with meat sauce (over zoodles for me) tossed salad, garlic knots (TheHub) keto bread (me)
Used from the freezer:
broccoli
mystery chicken stuff
2 packs ground beef
large pack of Italian seasoned cooked ground chuck
pack marinara sauce
remaining garlic knots
large pack of Italian seasoned cooked ground chuck
pack marinara sauce
remaining garlic knots
Used from the pantry:
spaghetti noodles
rice
olive oil
seasonings
condiments
Used from the fridge;
lettuce
cabbage
bag of spring greens
tomatoes
cucumbers
avocado
Parmesan cheese
cauliflower
onions
spaghetti noodles
rice
olive oil
seasonings
condiments
Used from the fridge;
lettuce
cabbage
bag of spring greens
tomatoes
cucumbers
avocado
Parmesan cheese
cauliflower
onions
And suggestions or possibilities for the coming week
1. Stuffed bell peppers, rice, cauli rice, cucumber salad,
2. Chicken Korma, basmati rice (TheHub) cauli rice (me) green beans
3. Hot chicken salad, Brussels sprouts, tossed salad, rolls (TheHub) keto "roll" (me)
4. Seared Scallops, mashed potatoes (TheHub) cauli mash (me), spring greens, green beans or asparagus, rolls or keto rolls
5. Ham, leek, and cheese frittata, veggie chop salad, grilled keto bread or toast
6. Keto pizza, tossed salad
7. Leftover meal
3. Hot chicken salad, Brussels sprouts, tossed salad, rolls (TheHub) keto "roll" (me)
4. Seared Scallops, mashed potatoes (TheHub) cauli mash (me), spring greens, green beans or asparagus, rolls or keto rolls
5. Ham, leek, and cheese frittata, veggie chop salad, grilled keto bread or toast
6. Keto pizza, tossed salad
7. Leftover meal
Let me just come to your house every night for dinner. I basically eat anything(except peas, BEP and Limas)so I don't care if you go off plan or suggestion(as long as I don't have to cook). I am so over cooking lately....
ReplyDeleteYou would be in luck eating here. Peas and beans are not keto so I am not cooking them. I am tired of having things thwarted by outside forces and don't really care what is cooked or not cooked. It is not that I am even over it, but I think I am just a little over done in general. I think I need to fill my gas tank and just head to the beach for a few days.
DeleteIf you and Sluggy are going to the beach I want to come. I have my swim suit packed and I even mended the hole in the knee of it.
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha! I am so ready for a little vacation. Your suit with the mended knee would look fetching with my skirted one!
DeleteSounds like a busy week to me and you make good use of the food, whether frozen or leftovers. We're having meatloaf that I froze tomorrow night. I love it and am wondering why it's history and you're not adding it to the menu every week. We enjoy it 3 or 4 times during the winter but I could go for it weekly, esp. for leftover meatloaf sandwiches! Our lake is just a block from us but it will be a darn long time before I go to that beach. Still very cold and lots of snow here with more on the way, but it's sunny today! Take care and have a calming week!
ReplyDeleteThe Gulf is just a 4 hour drive from here and even though it is too cool yet to enjoy the water, I would love going just to enjoy looking at the water and eating fresh sea food of course.
DeleteIt's so nice to have frozen meals when we are busy. I need to stock my freezer again. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great week.
Thanks, Nil! I love having at least partially prepared foods in the freezer. I am still trying to get mine in a manageable state before I start reloading!
DeleteThe important thing, as you said, is no one starved and every one ate dinner, every night of the week, whether it was take out, going out, or something put together at the last moment! Well done! :)
ReplyDeleteWe are far from starving! I think I really like planning because it forces me to go through the freezer on a regular basis, even if I change the plan totally.
DeleteSounds as though you had a very intensive "mom week". You are a good daughter. My sister reported to me this week that she has taken my mom out probably for the last time. She and my BIL took her out for lunch on Valentine's Day, but it was just too stressful for her (both of them) Being outside the safety of her room, my mother was very confused and disoriented, and her mood took a nosedive in a very public place. Even taking her home to my sister's place on Christmas Day did not work out well and so this is no longer an option. On her birthday next week, they will just go into the home and celebrate with her there.
ReplyDeleteYour meals sound really yummy, especially considering that some of them are on the fly. Great job.
Mom is still living at home, but time is getting shorter that she will remain there. Our next step is some in home care then we can gradually do things that are necessary for her well being. I took her to a funeral and then to her pharmacist. She was completely disoriented and I had to drive to our church which was the first place she "knew". After that she was able to recognize where she was, but it was a scary 15 or so minutes.
DeleteI am planning meatloaf for us tonight. I rarely cook it, but we enjoy it when I do. You are doing great by staying on your low carb diet. I can only last a couple of days!
ReplyDeleteI rarely make meatloaf either and like y'all, we enjoy it when I actually make it.
DeleteI am doing ok with the low carb, but need to do even better! Right now I am really craving a piece of toast which is different than the usual chocolate cravings I have.
I'm always forgetting to label things in the freezer. Well, I actually don't forget -- I'm convinced that I'll remember. And sometimes I even do! You'd think I'd learn? :-)
ReplyDeleteYep, but I am a seriously slow learner!
DeleteI am so bad about meal planning. I coined the phrase, “We meal plan, and God laughs”.
ReplyDeleteSo true! Every plan I make is subject to change, except for plans I make with/for Mom.
Delete