Translate

Monday, July 8, 2019

And Again What happened

Below is what I had intended for us to have as our meals for the week. It has been seriously hot and muggy here, plus I may or may not have gone off the keto wagon for the long 4th weekend (OK the entire week) and may have deviated a great deal from what was planned in accord with a ketogenic way of eating. 

1. Smoked brisket, corn on the cob, watermelon, sliced tomatoes, coleslaw, strawberry pie 
2. Smoked sausage and cabbage, grilled keto bread or French bread
3. Veggie meal: Okra, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, peach cobbler
4. Hot dogs (special request by TheHub), coleslaw chips
5. Grilled chicken, rice or not, tossed salad, grilled veggies
6. Pulled pork (leftover from Son2's bbq) baked beans, potato salad or caulitato salad
7. Big salad dinner. No clue what it might be yet. French bread or keto roll, coconut pie


Monday: I decided to take a trip off the keto train for exactly one reason__lady peas and fried okra. I was having a severe craving for a traditional southern veggie meal. When I first decided to have this I was going to have a keto version, but the lure of fresh shelled peas and okra with that evil corn meal coating lured me into submission. And yes, it was delicious and worth it.
Lady peas, fried okra, squash, sliced tomatoes, cornbread (I forgot to make the cobble I had planned)

 Tuesday: I decided to fast Tuesday mainly because I had gone off the wagon Monday. It was an easy day to go without eating. Since we have help with Mom now, I have gotten a bit of time to do some things that I find important. One of them is volunteering at The Independence Place. I have been unable to commit to regular volunteer time for over a year and I have missed it greatly. Tuesday I walked back in and was greeted by hugs and smiles. I have said before and it is worth repeating: there is no where else I go where every single person there is glad to see me. It is pretty easy to go without food when really busy and happy so I did not even think of eating or what I was going to make for dinner. I knew I had leftover  brisket and a few sides. Yep, dinner decided itself. 
Leftovers: brisket, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies

Wednesday: Not exactly sure what happened this day. I know I spent a decent portion of it getting ready for my SIL's overnight visit, but I think I also read a lot also, then TheHub and I had a little shopping trip for some parts to repair a couple of things that had gone on the fritz. Our grill needed a replacement grate to hold briquettes and the lawnmower had a part that had melted (wth). Additionally Home Depot had a sale on some outdoor furniture so we bought a couple of sling type love seats for the upper patio in the backyard.  Dinner needed to be quick and there is not a lot quicker than the meal we made when we got back. I use the word we as the royal we, since the only thing TheHub does to help with a meal is to eat it.
Sausage and cabbage

Thursday: Happy 4th of July! Prior to my SIL arriving I invited the neighbors over for a swim. They have 2 sets of twins, all  darling girls. I loved watching them play in the water and have told them they need to come swim at least once a week. Most days I am the only one who swims and even I have gotten lax. Changing that immediately!
For dinner, SIL, Mom, Son2 and DIL2 ate with us. It was a nice relaxed 4th with lots of conversation, along with pretty darn good food.
Smoked pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, watermelon, black forest cake

Friday: My Sil left pretty early in the morning headed to Tuscaloosa to see her granddaughter who is attending a 3 week dance camp on the University of Alabama campus. After she was gone I baked some cookies (I spat in the eye of the keto diet evidently all week) to take to the lake, packed some foods and got ready for a weekend there. It was the hottest week of the year so far, 100 plus  with insane humidity so we rethought what we wanted to eat.  We stopped by Publix nearest the lake and grabbed some hot dogs and a pan of Stouffers lasagne. The heat demanded things needed to be able to either be cooked on the stove top or microwave. We arrived, unloaded, did a few chores, watched the sun set and finally got around to eating about 9. 
Hot dogs with hot dog fixings and nothing else

Saturday: I did not think it could be hotter and muggier than Friday but I was wrong. It was so hot and humid we did not even want to get the boat out, so we stayed either in the a/c or out on the screened porch with fans on their highest speed. Again we stayed out watching the sun set and on    into complete darkness. By the time I got the lasagne zapped, it was a little after nine.
Nuked frozen lasagne, salad from a bag

Sunday: We left the lake place at 9 a.m. so we would be home in time to take Mom to our church's July 4th service. For the past 17 years a local group Three on a String has performed with a mix of spirituals and patriotic music. It is always a very nice service and during the summer our church takes on a more relaxed attitude. All services are held in the auditorium rather than the sanctuary and the dress is much more casual. Sunday there was a lot of red, white and blue clothes in every imaginable style. 
I am sharing two of the songs (see below) that they have sung for the past 2 or 3 years. They are my favorites each year.
We left church in the middle of a monsoon type rain only to find  after the rains stopped that the rest of the day was steamy and hot or hot and steamy. Muggy days require either no cooking or cooking outside. We both were sloths, just hanging out and reading the rest of the day, until it was well past dark. I grabbed a couple of leftovers and we called it dinner.
Potato salad and watermelon



                                                                               GoD and DoG






                                                  Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho


And this is what sounds good to me for next week right now. As with every menu I plan, this is subject to  the whims and cravings of the cook.
   
1. Salad Supper, French bread
2. Leftover brisket, sauteed mushrooms, caulitato salad, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers
3. Grilled pork chops,  corn on the cob (or not) coleslaw, sliced tomatoes
4, Remaining bbq pork, mashed potatoes or cauli mashers, Greek style green beans
5, Chicken salad, pimento cheese, combo plate
6, Steak, salad, rolls
7. Out to eat at a fundraising event

This might or might now work, but I am feeling it right now. Will see I guess!

24 comments:

  1. Your meals this past week sounds just perfect! This week's menu options are good too. I enjoyed the songs, but that first song brought tears to my eyes, especially that bit about the dog wagging his tail. So true, those words!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good luck.
    I loathe heat, and humidity adds to the horrors and turns me into a sad, soggy and grumpy mess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is summer, I am in Alabama. Heat and humidity are a thing and you would think as old as I am and as many summers as I have experienced, I would be used to it by now. Instead I complain, moan and groan about it.

      Delete
  3. I learned about your hot and humid south. I think I would shrivel up-well, I'd still find cake and cookies and chips, but I would not want to cook a thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You learn to wear all cotton, flip flops, and your hair pulled back, but it is still hot and slightly miserable. The upside? Pool water never feels too cold

      Delete
  4. I had never heard the dog-God song. It was quite touching. And it's been a long time since I've heard the Jeri co song and I had a fun time singing along. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love jazz so Jericho just fits my listening preferences. I think God/dog is very touching especially when I think how glad Shelby is to see me every single time I return, even if I have just been in the shower!

      Delete
  5. I have never heard the first song. I loved the performance of the Joshua fit the battle song. It has been exceptionally hot. Even though I live only a few miles...50..north of you, it has rained only about ten minutes all week. We had mistiness and drizzle all week. It is keep herbs alive with supplemental watering. Supplemental,




    as in every day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have had rain nearly every day. It has been just enough to wet the ground so you can see the steam rising about 10 minutes after the rain

      Delete
  6. The heat and humidity is really on in Alabama. Hoping that storm headed our way this weekend isn't too bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, every year about this time I remember how sucky the humidity can be.

      Delete
  7. We don't get nearly the amount of heat and humidity you do, but there are days when it is too much for me to feel like cooking. Those days I tell my son to forage in the fridge.

    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has been so hot and so humid lately. Dinners are either leftovers or grilled outside now!

      Delete
  8. It is hot and dry here. We rarely get humidity and when we do people are really cranky.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It can make you kinda sorta cranky, but then so can really cold weather.

      Delete
  9. Fried okra is so seductive, isn't it? Love the stuff! Haven't made it for ages, though. Time to again, don't you think? :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Okra is at its prime so I say get busy. I usually coat it in olive oil and toss it on the grill. Love it that way too!

      Delete
  10. Oh my. 100 degree heat AND humidity! Someone would have to put me out of my misery!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are in the hardest kind of summer weather. It will break and be just hot soon but it is not fun to be outside right now.

      Delete
  11. I've never been able to bring myself to try okra. The word "okra" does not sound appealing. Maybe okra needs to change its name.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think I ever made a decision to try it. Okra was just part of our summer while growing up

      Delete
  12. Oh the food this time of year!! Time to get out all of my salad recipes and time to NOT have the oven on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand the no oven policy in the summer. I need a rainy day to do some serious oven cooking for the freezer.

      Delete

Hey y'all thanks for leaving a comment. They are much appreciated. I read them all and do my best to respond to them, except for trolls, spam, and AI. I delete those suckers forever.