I have been trying to keep a meal plan going and I am pretty sure I am flunking planning. Either I forget to take something out of the freezer or I just don't want anything on the plan. As I have said before my plans are merely possibilities.
This is what I had planned:
1. Steak, tossed salad, rolls
2. Hot and Hot Fish Club's tomato salad and okra bowl (take out)
3. Leftover ziti, tossed salad
4. Huge chopped salad, or Chef's salad, rolls or keto rolls
5. Grilled scallops, caulimash or real mashed potatoes, tossed salad
6. Greek chicken salad over rice or caulirice
7. Grilled burger, tater tots (or none) coleslaw.:
And this is what we really ate:
Monday: This was Memorial Day, the day the rest of America enjoyed bbq, unlike us. After working in the yard I didn't feel like cooking.
Leftover ziti, tossed salad, toast
Tuesday:I fear this will be the last week for take out here. This is normally a tony place where the beautiful people hang out. Though it is not one of our regulars, we do go there occasionally and love the salad. We decided we had to get it at least one last time this summer because I am not going to restaurants yet.
Hot and Hot Fish Club's famous tomato salad, okra box with lemon herb aioli
Wednesday: I had a really blue day and cried off and on all day, plus I started back with keto on the exact day I needed to drown my sorrows with chocolate. I didn't and opted for something cheesy and gooey.
Buffalo Chicken and cauliflower casserole, shredded lettuce and red cabbage, keto toast
Thursday: I spent the day running around and gathering necessary paperwork to end Mom's benefits, cancel her car insurance, and a few other details we needed to take care of. Afterward, I met my sister at Mom's and we did more sorting and emptying and trashing. I did not get home until shortly before TheHub did and had forgotten to take anything out of the freezer. Punt meal!
Conecuah Sausage and mushrooms, steamed squash with onions, coleslaw
Friday: Today started off with a bang. Coffee and a Sluggy phone call! I was full of ambition which left about as quickly as it came. At least I got the backyard tidy and did laundry. I did remember to take something out of the freezer today which I am counting as an accomplishment.
Steak, roasted potatoes or radishes, tossed salad
Saturday: We worked out in the yard and we were hot and sweaty. I came in and pulled some leftovers out of the fridge, added some salad and called it done.
Leftover ziti or leftover buffalo chicken cauliflower stuff, tossed salad
Sunday: It was gorgeous here, but a tad hot. I really wanted to fire up the grill but couldn't find anything that sounded good. While digging in the freezer I did find 2 small lobster tails and 5 frozen scallops.
Scallops and lobster potatoes or none, tossed salad, dilled green beans, toast
Now on to this week's possibilities:
1. BLT sandwiches, caulitato salad
2. Greek chicken salad, pickled Brussels sprouts
3. Hamburgers, chips or not, coleslaw
4. Unknown package of chicken stuff take from the freezer over rice or caulifice, cucumber onion and tomato salad
5. Takeout from somewhere
6. Pork tenderloin, broccoli, something else (uninspired right now)
7. Keto meatless stuffed poblano peppers, salad
I have been working at Mom's house cleaning out closets and drawers. I have never seen so much stuff in my life and just dealing with it makes planning meals or anything else take a back seat. We will see how close I stay or how far I stray form this plan.
Meanwhile I have a question . Do any of you have air fryers and what is your opinion of them? Our okra is springing up and to be keto I will have to coat it in almond flour for frying. I want one that does a good job of getting things really crispy. Let me know your thoughts!
This is what I had planned:
1. Steak, tossed salad, rolls
2. Hot and Hot Fish Club's tomato salad and okra bowl (take out)
3. Leftover ziti, tossed salad
4. Huge chopped salad, or Chef's salad, rolls or keto rolls
5. Grilled scallops, caulimash or real mashed potatoes, tossed salad
6. Greek chicken salad over rice or caulirice
7. Grilled burger, tater tots (or none) coleslaw.:
And this is what we really ate:
Monday: This was Memorial Day, the day the rest of America enjoyed bbq, unlike us. After working in the yard I didn't feel like cooking.
Leftover ziti, tossed salad, toast
Tuesday:I fear this will be the last week for take out here. This is normally a tony place where the beautiful people hang out. Though it is not one of our regulars, we do go there occasionally and love the salad. We decided we had to get it at least one last time this summer because I am not going to restaurants yet.
Hot and Hot Fish Club's famous tomato salad, okra box with lemon herb aioli
Wednesday: I had a really blue day and cried off and on all day, plus I started back with keto on the exact day I needed to drown my sorrows with chocolate. I didn't and opted for something cheesy and gooey.
Buffalo Chicken and cauliflower casserole, shredded lettuce and red cabbage, keto toast
Thursday: I spent the day running around and gathering necessary paperwork to end Mom's benefits, cancel her car insurance, and a few other details we needed to take care of. Afterward, I met my sister at Mom's and we did more sorting and emptying and trashing. I did not get home until shortly before TheHub did and had forgotten to take anything out of the freezer. Punt meal!
Conecuah Sausage and mushrooms, steamed squash with onions, coleslaw
Friday: Today started off with a bang. Coffee and a Sluggy phone call! I was full of ambition which left about as quickly as it came. At least I got the backyard tidy and did laundry. I did remember to take something out of the freezer today which I am counting as an accomplishment.
Steak, roasted potatoes or radishes, tossed salad
Saturday: We worked out in the yard and we were hot and sweaty. I came in and pulled some leftovers out of the fridge, added some salad and called it done.
Leftover ziti or leftover buffalo chicken cauliflower stuff, tossed salad
Sunday: It was gorgeous here, but a tad hot. I really wanted to fire up the grill but couldn't find anything that sounded good. While digging in the freezer I did find 2 small lobster tails and 5 frozen scallops.
Scallops and lobster potatoes or none, tossed salad, dilled green beans, toast
Now on to this week's possibilities:
1. BLT sandwiches, caulitato salad
2. Greek chicken salad, pickled Brussels sprouts
3. Hamburgers, chips or not, coleslaw
4. Unknown package of chicken stuff take from the freezer over rice or caulifice, cucumber onion and tomato salad
5. Takeout from somewhere
6. Pork tenderloin, broccoli, something else (uninspired right now)
7. Keto meatless stuffed poblano peppers, salad
I have been working at Mom's house cleaning out closets and drawers. I have never seen so much stuff in my life and just dealing with it makes planning meals or anything else take a back seat. We will see how close I stay or how far I stray form this plan.
Meanwhile I have a question . Do any of you have air fryers and what is your opinion of them? Our okra is springing up and to be keto I will have to coat it in almond flour for frying. I want one that does a good job of getting things really crispy. Let me know your thoughts!
Look at you, remembering to defrost stuff to cook it(ok, maybe sometimes lolz)!
ReplyDeleteI am about at the point of just buying frozen individual veggie boxes for myself and telling the menfolk here to cook your own damned dinner!
No advise on air fryers from me tho, ask Lorraine(Clamco)....I believe she got one.
THeHub would be perfectly happy every evening to stop on his way home and pick dinner up, but then he would gripe about the cost. I have tons of food here but just no motivation to cook.
DeleteI gave himself an airfryer for Christmas a few years ago. He loves it. We need to explore the possibilities further but have never had a meal which wasn't crispy and lovely.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the keto AND the meal possibilites.
I am not delusional enough to think I will actually follow the plan, but possibly I might come close.
DeleteBesides no ambition, I'm literally sick of food. I make a meal and then it doesn't taste good to someone-myself often. We didn't even eat out that often-I just had such a schedule for so long that maybe 1-2 night a week we cooked, and then mostly reheated, but with being home 24/7 I'm just not enthused.
ReplyDeleteMe either and I truly do love to cook__usually. I think going to MOm's and cleaning out is sucking the desire/life out of me.
DeleteMy dear friend, who loves to cook as much as I (usually, not the past several days, though) has an air fryer, and absolutely swears by it. She and I both eschew the InstantPots as a big waste of money with not much, if any time savings, so I was shocked when she bought an air fryer. If memory serves, she used a Costco gift card given to her by her kids as a gift to get hers. She said it is a game changer for fried chicken and fried fish.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a couple of recipes for Keto fried chicken made in an air fryer that sound delicious. I mainly want it for fried okra. It is one of my favorite summer vegetables
DeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteDid you get a name for an air fryer? I sort of want one. I am not sick of cooking or eating. I just hurt when I stand, so standing is hard to do. Washing the dishes is hard to do, also.
I just want one for the okra I am hopeful will be forming soon. It is growing like crazy
DeleteMeal possibilities is a good way to go, I have found! Also, going through your mother's things and clearing her house is taking a toll on you. I know I found it to be an extremely emotional experience. Make it easy on yourself and allow yourself to get some take out more often, if needed.
ReplyDeleteThis is just the perfect storm. Clearing out, Covid, Riots and emotional toil of going through her things. I really just want to curl up in a ball and sleep
Deletegrief, a pandemic and a changed routine are enough to take the motivation for anything out of anyone! And clearing a houseful of possessions is mentally draining even if you aren't attached to the goods in any way.
ReplyDeletei know nothing about air fryers but I know they are very popular, nobody who has one seems to regret it
This has been one heck of a year, not in a good way. Maybe motivation will return in the morning.
DeleteI have an air fryer oven and really like it. I donated my toaster and use the AF for toasting bread/buns. heating up leftovers/etc. I made some zucchini chips the other day with cornmeal/flour and homemade bread crumbs they turned out beautifully. There are several air fryer groups on Facebook and lots of recipes. the AF has a basket- my AF oven has 2 trays and a drip tray so I can move them around instead of shaking the basket. I ordered mine from amazon- it's an off brand but got good reviews. My mom lived in an apartment when she died so it didn't take too long to go through things- I know my sisters looked in every pocket because they knew Mom often stashed money there. We only had a day to clean out her apartment before we flew back home. My local brother donated most of her 'stuff' which was fine with me.
ReplyDeleteWe are having to work at Mom's every other day to sort through all of her things. We have discovered many things we never even knew she had.
DeleteThe thought of my kids having to empty this house is just appalling to me but no matter how "good" my intentions I don't seem to be getting rid of an awful lot. I guess the trouble is I have lots of space so when someone needs to "store" something somewhere it gets dumped in my basement. And I agree with the others that you've gone through a lot lately so I wouldn't worry too much about sticking to plans. Time to cut yourself some slack.
ReplyDeleteI have learned a couple of things during this process. One is that nice things do no good sitting in a cabinet and collecting dust, so from now on I am either going to use things or get rid of them. I remember reading a story decades ago about a woman who had bought outrageously expensive gold candles for Christmas, but they were so expensive she forbade her family from lighting them. It continued for 2 more years, they looked pretty in the holders and her husband and kids always begged to light them but were never used as intended. Then the box of Christmas things they were packed in got moved up to the attic and they melted over the summer. She regretted that the beautiful candles were never used for any pleasure except hers.
DeleteThe second thing I have learned is that most stuff is just that___stuff. Mom had a beautiful mink, that no one wants, leaded crystal out the wazoo__ditto. We sort through gorgeous things and no one wants them.
I've run out of all the cooking energy, but slog on. The kid will be with my parents in a few weeks, and after that, I think I'll just plan for happy hours vs actual meals. that counts, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteI've never tried an AF, but we don't fry anything, so I'm not sure we'd get much use out of it.
From what I have been reading an air fryer is little more than a super fast convection oven. I think I am going to bite the bullet and buy one just for "unfried" okra.
DeleteI asked my son the other day, what he would want for dinner the next day - he said he didn't care. I told him I'm tired of deciding...but I'll keep on reaching into the freezer and grabbing something. One evening is generally leftovers so at least I get one break.
ReplyDeleteWe cleaned out mom and dad's house after Dad went into a nursing home; Mom had passed away three years earlier. It brought back lots of memories (which slowed us down) and interesting. We found Dad's income tax returns from the 1940's - why he kept them I have no idea because there weren't any more recent and this 2006, and a set of ledgers Mom kept when they first married in 1954.
Do what you need to do - right now you need to take care of yourself.
It is interesting to wade through all of the things. I knew Mom kept things, I just had no idea how many things.
DeleteI have never done much meal planning -- we'd just go to the grocery store several times a week, and we'd let whatever looked good make our dinner decision for us. These days we're getting our food delivered once a week, so I have to PLAN! And, like you, I'm often not in the mood for the dish I assumed I'd be making. So I improvise. :-)
ReplyDeleteI used to make a meal plan but rarely stuck to it because I would go to the store a few times a week too, and if I saw something that looked delicious, I changed my plan. Now I am staying out of the stores, shopping with a list, about once every two weeks, so I have to be more dedicated to my plan. It has gotten seriously hot here now, so I am not sure I am going to be shopping anymore. By the time I get all masked and suited up to go out, I am burning up.
Delete