Whatever Happened To Meals for the Week

I remember clearly this scene in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane when  Jane brings Blanche her meal on a lovely silver serving tray with the domed dinner plate. While I did not resort to such horrid measures, I did manage to feed us several pretty bleak meals this week. Maybe they were not so bleak as much as ho-hum meals with  no thought put into them.

Such is life, but I dare anyone to complain.  We don't have a cellar at all. Our basement is finished living space and 2 garage bays, but__ we have a plethora of chipmunks in the yard, and I do have silver trays and domed serving dishes.

Monday: Monday was another day, like most of them. Mom called me early to tell me what she needed/wanted to happen. We got off to a rocky start because she had imagined/created in her mind a scenario that Monday was the day to conquer a situation that was not going to be resolved until Friday. As much as I would like to be able to make her life easier, I have no control over people who leave town and take Spring Break trips. If you won't be back in town until Friday, you won't be available until Friday. Friday is NOT what she wanted. She likes things taken care of NOW. Long story short, I failed her, yet again. When I got home from her house for the days necessities I could not have cared less about what was for dinner. I rambled through the fridge and freezer and decided all we needed was some food. It did not matter what. Thankfully I had some frozen biscuits lurking in the back of the freezer. It did pad TheHub's meal a little.

Creamed chicken over biscuits, green beans

Tuesday: Tuesday was another day, but much better than Monday. I did have some relief though. Tuesday was bookclub night and we were going to a local place to grab a quick bite to eat for some major gabbing and much needed socialization.  I don't live on an island and am not the only one having outside forces dictate my life. We never even mentioned the book and are carrying it over until next month. l'chiam!

OYO (On Your Own for TheHub, who worked late, grabbed sushi and came home) Gyro salad from Purple Onion

Wednesday: Wednesday started as most of my days do, with an early phone call from Mom. This time it was "I feel weird, I am going back to bed, come down here in a few minutes to check on me" followed by a click. So I jumped in the shower, dressed for the day (with no thought nor makeup) and went to her house to check on her. When I got there, I woke her up coming into her house and she wanted to know why I was there?!?!?!  She got up and I helped her with her breathing treatment, did a couple of things for her then took notes about what she needed from the store(s).

I had planned on grocery shopping anyway, so adding her stuff was not a big deal. But I had not planned on stopping at 3 different locations. I went to Aldi for the brunt of my personal shopping because her cereal in only found there so I would be going  anyway. (Might as well save some money while shopping for Mom, right?) My Beloved Sister had picked up an emergency box of cereal the day before but it was not Aldi's fruit and nut granola and was ,therefore,  deemed toxic. (Or at least inedible because Mom is flexible like that)

While at Aldi I picked up a few things that needed refrigeration and I always have an insulated bag in my car but I forgot to take an ice pack out of the freezer. (Probably because I did not plan on making 3 stops). Aldi had frozen salmon fillets on sale so I bought them thinking it would keep my heavy cream, eggs and the other things I needed to keep chilled cool though the stopping and shopping process. It worked, but when I got home a couple of them were nearly thawed, which dictated what we would be eating.

Salmon in dill cream sauce, mashed potatoes or keto toast, asparagus

Thursday:  I pulled a package of some unknown protein out of the freezer and had no idea what it was until it partially thawed. I had thought it looked porkish but could possibly have been ham. Turns out it was pork steaks. (I really must start labeling the contents of everything I freeze and not just dating it.)

Marinated Pork steaks, Spanish rice or cauli rice, green beans

Friday: Mom had to have a routine oral surgery procedure (done under a local rather than general anesthesia) but nothing is routine for Mom. I drove her there early in the morning and by the time she felt she could be by herself it was about 5 and a half hours later.  We are very different humans. When I feel a little less than stellar I want to be left alone. For others, well, there are no limits to the amount of babying they need. Of course, I have no clue why I am constantly surprised that she seems so needy. When it comes to her I suppose I am just a slow learner. 

I came home did a few chores caught up on some blog reading, did some laundry and routine household stuff, then went back to her house to do her breathing treatment.  Meanwhile TheHub called and wanted us to meet someone from his office for basketball game watching and dinner. I hurried home from Mom's and changed into sports bar attire.

We were lucky that Chris had gone to the bar straight from work. He had snagged a table right in front of the mega TV. Auburn was playing and Alabama is a college sports crazed state. A local team and a sports bar means crowds packed the space like sardines in a tin. We had a table with chairs (people were standing everywhere in the joint) and a very good waitress thankful for the crowd. Her pockets should have been bulging with tips, and with the Auburn win it surely repeated itself on Sunday. (Don't know for sure since Auburn is our rival team and this was the only time I can ever remember actually cheering for them, much less sitting in a bar filled to the brim with Auburn fans. It is not likely this will ever happen again) 

Seared tuna, chopped salad

Saturday: We were bums and watched basketball games and/or The Last Kingdom (Netflix)

Salad (me) Pizza, that kind you buy uncooked then pop in the oven  (TheHub)

Sunday: More basketball watching

BLT sandwiches or BLT salad, pickled okra, cheese puffs (TheHub)

And what is on deck for this week?

In no particular order here are some of the ideas, which may or may not happen. It depends on the time demands of any given day as well as my mood. Additionally the food ads come out here on Wednesday. Some seriously great sale on anything could totally alter this plan. 

1. Baked chicken, mashed potatoes or cauli mash, spinach salad, steamed cauliflower and broccoli

2. Corned beef and cabbage, new potatoes or cauli mash

3. Spaghetti or zoodles with meat or marinara sauce, tossed salad, garlic toast or keto roll

4. Pizza, tomato, onion and cucumber salad 

5. Grilled steak, tossed salad, baked potato or cauli mash, bread sticks or keto roll

6. Cheeseburger casserole, brussels sprouts, cauliflower "potato" salad

7. Chicken enchiladas, coleslaw, green beans 

Odds are 1 in a thousand that I will actually follow this exact meal plan, but if anyone wants to take those odds . . .  Perhaps if I saw a monetary gain in following it I might be tempted to make it really happen.