Meals That Mostly Did Not Happen

This was the meal plan I had come up with for the past week, but we had some major changes in our plan so it pretty much got tossed out the window. For the most part the changes were surprising and good, but as usual there was one Mom snafu.

 Anyhow, this was the plan:

1. Keto chicken and dumplings, coleslaw, keto cornbread (TheHub actually likes this)
2. Reuben chaffles with pickles and coleslaw
3. Hamburger patties with keto gravy and mushrooms, baked potato or no,t  broccoli, roll or keto roll
4. Spaghetti sauce over pasta or zoodles, tossed salad
5. Orange ginger chicken, rice or caulirice, stir fried veggies, coconut pie
6. Keto chicken enchilada casserole, tossed salad, niblet corn or not, keto flan
7. Out to eat

And this is what really happened:

Monday:  I spent a good bit of the day messing around in the kitchen. After cooking 10 pounds  of chicken quarters, then cooking the bones into a super thick rich broth, I was chickened out. I had seen a recipe for Rye Chaffles and thought it might be quite good on a reuben sandwich which would use up some leftover corned beef. So Monday turned into a sandwich night before going to see about Mom. She fell __again__ and might have cracked a rib. My Beloved Sister and I decided the risk of her contracting some other illness  in the ER late at night was greater than the risk of leaving her un X-rayed. I hated it for her and I hated that I had not ordered a bed alarm. It was ordered along with a gait belt.
Reuben Chaffles with a side of pickles and regret!

Tuesday: We are part of the Super Tuesday voters, and TheHub and I decided to go vote together and then go out for an inexpensive meal. Instead we drove to a local food truck and brought a sack of deliciousness home. We both had chicken arepas, but both fillings were different. I really did want to eat the bread, but I left it in the bag. Bummer!
Chicken Arepas, tossed salad (because I had some already tossed in the fridge)

Wednesday: Tuesday Mom was unwilling to leave her bed Tuesday so we gave her another day before having her back looked at. By Wednesday it was evident I would not be able to get her into my car to take her to the dr. Instead I arranged for an ambulance and we just went to the emergency room. The ER doc was a lovely man and after examining Mom for about 6 hours and determining she had fractured 2 vertebrae, she was released to go home. I had nothing ready for dinner so TheHub and I tried (unsuccessfully) to dodge the deluge and went to a local BBQ joint.
Pulled pork with coleslaw and collards. 

Thursday:  Son3 and DIL3 came into town in the late afternoon.  After a post flight snack of cheese and crackers, or just cheese for the ketonian (sounds like a civic club member doesn't it) we waited around a bit talking. About an hour and a half later Son2 and DIL 2 came to join up for dinner and a lot of laughter.
Spaghetti or zoodles with meat sauce, tossed salad and  dinner rolls (or no rolls)

Friday: Son3 and DIL 3 were able to take my car and do some running around during the day.Because I was unable to run down to Mom's, I got some chores I normally don't have time for done, plus I read a bit. Yea! 
They decided to eat dinner here but were meeting some friends for drinks after. Since drinks were planned we acted as chauffeurs and dropped them off. TheHub and I ran a couple of errands then went to a coffee shop for a little caffeine and conversation until they called us to be picked up.
 Chicken and dumplings or keto chicken and dumplings

Saturday: Son2 and DIL2 invited us all over to their house for dinner. I had not been there since shortly after they moved in. I love what they have done to the place. DIL2 has great taste and Son2 is a really nice weekend carpenter! They made dinner from scratch and it was delicious!
Chicken in mushroom sauce, risotto (or not) asparagus, tossed salad and focaccia

Sunday: While 2 of 3 sons and their spouses were available we went to Moms in the late afternoon for a little birthday celebration. Her actual birthday is not until Thursday, but she was able to have a little festivities a few days early. 
We decided since Son3 and DIL3 were in town we wanted to take them out to eat, but we also wanted to be somewhat mindful of a budget so we went to Red Pearl, our favorite Chinese restaurant. (If you are ever there ask for the basil chicken. It is not on the menu but it is delicious) Son2 and DIL2 also love Red Pearl so we asked them also. 
While we were there we learned how to play a new game called "What are the Odds". I am not going to go into the rules of the game right now, but every time our server came to the table I had to do a jazz hands motion and say "Jingle Jangle". The game was fun but a tad embarrassing. 
Assorted Chinese dishes shared with the table

The wrap up:

After finding Son3 and DIL3 were coming to town, and Mom had her issue I punted my meal plans for the most part. Our main objective when they are here is to make sure they can do whatever they want to, while we stay available for visiting with them during the gaps. I can always cook on a plan, but I can't create more time with them, so I will gladly sacrifice the plan, for time with  people I love every single time. 
I created this new plan for the week and will either follow it or not. It just depends on the week

1. Chinese leftovers
2. Spaghetti or noodles with leftover meat sauce, tossed salad
3. Leftover chili  (TheHub) or chicken soup (me)
4. Leftover chicken and dumplings (TheHub), huge tossed salad, asparagus
5. Soup and grilled cheese sandwich (TheHub) or grilled chaffle sandwich (me)
6.Hamburger patties, mashed potatoes or caulimash, broccoli
7. Dinner out (We have a fundraiser to attend)


p.s. This. should have been posted yesterday, but DIL3 and Son3 did not leave until later in the day and I wanted to spend time with them and not spend time on the computer.