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Monday, May 22, 2023

Din Din

This past week I managed to do the minimal amount of cooking without going out to eat multi times. I am giving myself an A+ on cooking avoidance. This was one of those "If I can't make it in 15 minutes or less (minus time the crockpot cooking time for the crack chicken) I am not making it at all"weeks. I seem to be pretty good at doing what I say I am going to do and managed to keep my kitchen time as brief as possible. The upside? There were few pots and pans to wash!



What was planned:
1. Salad dinner TBD √ 
2. Grilled tuna steaks, steamed artichokes, salad, some side dish for TheHub
3. Sandwiches TBD, coleslaw √
4. Crack chicken (crock pot item) caulirice, tomato cucumber onion salad √
5. P.F. Chang'sish lettuce wraps, sliced cukes √
6. Veggie meal TBD based on what is available
7. Out to eat or leftovers √

What we ate:
Monday: I forgot to take anything out of the freezer for dinner, but had been to The Pig earlier in the day and thankfully bought some ground chuck. (I needed to spend 10 bucks to get the 2 free items of the week. It was not stock up price, but it was at least a decent price.) I used about 1/3 pound of it then froze the rest for future meals

Tuesday: I did not feel like cooking, so I went back in time to one of our early marriage, poor student meals.
Toasted cheese, tomato and onion sandwiches, (essentially cheese toast ), coleslaw

Wednesday: Gotta love a crockpot meal to contain the mess and keep the kitchen cool.
Crack chicken,  * over mashed potatoes or caulirice, tomato cucumber onion salad

Thursday: I had planned on grilling tuna steaks, but when the morning weather looked treacherous I found something else to thaw. Then the afternoon was sunny and I thought about taking the tuna steaks out of the freezer. I am glad I didn't for right as I would have been using the grill the bottom fell out.
Smoked pork, coleslaw, collard greens, bun or no bun

Friday: We had another television softball game to watch and wanted to have an early, quick, easy to eat meal
Keto lettuce wraps (PF Chang's knockoff)

Saturday: We go out to eat just about every week, but this week we just did the take out thing from Blue Pacific.
Shrimp pad Thai or green curry chicken

Sunday: We watched a softball game while dinner basically cooked itself
Roasted chicken, tossed salad

Suggestions for this week:
1. Grilled tuna, hot spinach salad, artichokes, rice or potatoes for TheHub
2. Veggie dinner TBD later
3. Leftovers
4. Chicken enchilada casserole, coleslaw or salad
5. Sandwiches and salad
6. Beef stew, coleslaw
7. Out to eat

I did absolutely none of the keto baking for the freezer last week and there is a really good chance I will not get it done this week either. I am going to list it on the off chance I actually get around to some of it.
1. keto dinner rolls
2. keto sponge cake in the shortcake pan
3. keto cornbread
4. keto peanut butter cookies
5. keto chocolate chip** cookies
6. keto French coconut pie

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all.







* I make a scaled down versions of this recipe. Instead of a Hidden Valley envelope I use my ranch dressing spice mix. The flavors are just about the same as using the packaged mix, and because I keep it on hand all the time, it just makes sense to use what I have. I could probably add some buttermilk powder to the crockpot to make it even more like HV, but honestly we don't need it. The flavor profile is there and that is enough for us.
We also eliminate the cheddar cheese and bacon, but the sliced scallions are essential.


24 comments:

  1. Every thing sounds good to me! I've been in a "don't feel like cooking" mood, myself. Fortunately, there's just myself to please!

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    1. TheHub goes out for lunch every day at work so he is not overly hungry at night and is generally pretty easy to please. "Not feeling it" nights are fine with him.

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  2. Thanks. I will be making that Ranch Dressing Mix. I hate having some of the ingredients in the little packets and the bottles of Ranch.

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    1. It does not taste just like bottled or packet mixed ranch. It is much thinner but has a very good taste.

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  3. Well done you. I definitely don't feel like cooking. Or eating.

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    1. Excluding medical issues, I wish my appetite would lessen. I see, smell, touch, taste and even hear sizzling and want it or want more.

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  4. I enjoy reading your keto ideas, Anne. I’m going to check out your ranch mix. I used to keep buttermilk powder on hand, but think I am out right now. We bought a big box of power salad greens this week, so we’ve been eating salad everyday, which we really enjoy.

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    1. I keep small jars of various mixes and spice blends. I would like to say I am worried about the ingredients in processed mixes, but it really comes down to dollars and cents.

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  5. Quick and tasty. That's my kind of cooking.

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    1. I love to cook but sometimes I am just not feeling it. I think it might continue through this week, because I am still unenthused about the process.

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  6. All of your meals sound delicious. I have no clue what the husband/teens ate last week, but I'm slowly getting back on track. Once again, just the two of us for dinner last night, although I did manage to get one of the teens to eat some of the planned food before we started studying, upon his return from tennis. We'll see who shows up around the table the rest of the week.

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    1. Once our kids were older and their activities more frequent, out meals together became spottier and spottier. We did all sit at the table with each other nearly every night, though sometimes TheHub and I had eaten beforehand and they were eating warmed food or takeout from McDonalds or such.

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  7. Your meals all sound delicious. As veggies start growing here I get excited for lighter, fresher meals. There's nothing better than going in to the back yard for dinner ingredients. Have a great week!

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    Replies
    1. I do agree about the thrill of harvesting from the backyard.

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  8. Thanks for the crack chicken's "REST of the story." (*) The only time I tried making it, the finished product was too thick for words. I love cheese, but this was ridiculous.

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes I even add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth if needed to thin it a little.

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  9. Yum I had a fish sandwich from MCd's ;ast night.

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    1. Fish sandwiches can be good. I assume a diet cok went along with your meal.

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  10. Sounds good.
    I have green onions, spinach, berries, little tomatoes, bananas, squash I am shredding and making into a squash, cheese and egg dish, mushrooms, asparagus, radishes, eggs, Asian salad in bag from Target, bagels and cream cheese…..Also sourdough bread. Most of the ingredients are from Aldi, Target, or Tuscaloosa Farmer’s Market. I also made hamburgers but probably the dog will get to consume most of those bc I am being careful with meat because of cholesterol. Cindy in the South

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    1. River Market. It is on Jack Warner Parkway across from the library. Saturday morning from 7 am until noon. Has a beautiful walking trail beside the River also. Cindy in the South

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    2. Thanks, we have been to a couple of events there but I did not know it was where the farmer's market was.

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    3. Yes, it is pretty popular for wedding receptions I think.
      The view is great! Cindy in the South

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  11. Love these kind of weeks. Regine

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