Kinda Like A Plan

Every Monday I try to come up with a meal plan for the week. Sometimes I mostly stick to the plan and sometimes the plan might as well not exist. This week I was fairly consistent with what we had vs. what was planned. Minor tweaks and a major head and body ache on Sunday was the difference.

What was planned for last weeks meals:

1. Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

2. Chicken tamale casserole, broccoli

3. Steamed shrimp, new potatoes, tossed salad

4. Mac and cheese, broccoli, Waldorf salad

5. Leftover lentil soup, cheese biscuits

6. Take-out

7. Conecuh sausage one pan meal (onions, peppers, potatoes and cabbage), corn bread

What we really ate:

Monday: Shrimp, new potatoes, tossed salad

Tuesday: Chicken tamale casserole, tossed salad

Wednesday: Mac and cheese, green beans, Waldorf salad

Thursday : Chili, coleslaw, pilot crackers

Friday: Takeout Taziki's Friday Special

Saturday: Leftover lentil soup and crackers

Sunday:  Mushroom soup for TheHub, hot tea for me (felt bad)

This weeks plan is virtually nonexistent. I hopped off the keto trail before Christmas and need to get back on it, so I am doing a severe plan to kick off keto, beginning Tuesday. It is a five day mainly soup plan with daily breakfasts. It does not sound particularly enticing, but it is only 5 days and is doable. I did tell TheHub he is on his own for dinner. There are  leftovers, things in the freezer, or he can stop on his way home and get whatever he wants. Since I will be on this beginning the 1st, it only leaves me with 2 meals to plan, Monday and Sunday night.

1. Spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad

2. Something grilled (weather permitting), tossed salad, baked potato (or none) and if the weather is bad we will cook a burger inside.

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with non plan at all!

Week 4

This  4th week of the year has been a difficult week to find joys, other than the few joyful things that have happened around the house. I was busy feeling sorry for myself part of the week and forgot to keep a log of the daily things that made me happy,  so instead of doing a daily joy recount I am just going to talk about a few of the things that have given me joy this week.

When the new couch was delivered, I had the delivery guys move the existing couch to the downstairs den. As you know if you have been reading for a while, I had been covered up with furniture from the sale of the lake house and from Mom's. Though I was able to get rid of most of  it, when something happens like shuffling sofas, I wind up with excess pieces once again. The shift left me with 2 virtually new upholstered chairs  and no room to use them. (They were in a ground level room at the lake house which we rarely used) My initial thought was to try and sell them, but I honestly did not want strangers in the house looking at them. (Covid rates are still pretty high here) I got in touch with a woman we had given some of the lake furnishings to, who outfits apartments for homeless vets. She wants them, it gets them out of my hair, someone will really appreciate them, and it makes me happy they will find a needed home.

I had phone calls from all three sons this week and of course that makes me very happy, as well as my daily phone call(s) with my beloved sister. 

The business of finalizing Mom and Dad's estate has been a difficult process, but is not without some chuckles along the way. It seems that my folks had several small accounts that we did not know about and tiny sums appear out of nowhere. 

One of the most irritating (yet oddly funny) bits, was wasting about an hour of my time on the phone to legally find a way to have 107 dollars mailed to one of  us rather than to my parents address, which was the address on file. (Even though according to all the documents they have, it clearly states that MBS and I are to split everything.  I would be fine if they would just mail it to her and she can have the whole thing. I tried telling them that! It was akin to some sort of blasphemy that I would be willing  forgo a claim to 53.50) 

I cleaned out the coat closet this week. Some of you might be neat and tidy with your storage, but this closet is my catch-all and if someone is coming over and I have to stash something quickly it goes into the coat closet. I know it has been well over a year since I cleaned it out, and oh the things I found! I have been looking for my upholstery tack hammer for well over a year. Found it! I also could not find the box I keep Christmas gift bags in when I was wrapping gifts this year. Found that too. 

Now the closet is neat and clean and jam packed with coats. (Most are not mine) Just exactly how many coats are required for an Alabama winter?

Other than TheHub and my sister I did not see a single person this past week. (I am not counting drive through encounters at the bank or Starbucks) I have kept my tail at home and left the house only to go out in my own yard, or do a couple of errands I could do without leaving my car.  I understand the covid case numbers are on their way down, so I am ready to venture out a little (very little).

I suppose  the biggest joys this week are having a home I can hole up in, having enough food stored so I did not have to go to the grocery store, being able to be warm, having digital library books available, streaming video and FaceTime!  We finished Billions finally, just in time for Ozark's release so our nightly entertainment is set for the next week!

I hope everyone had a good week and I hope yours was filled with joys. They are there if you look for them, and I promise this next week I will keep a sharper eye out for them.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Music, Music, Music

Today's Tuesday 4 is all about music. Thanks to Annie @Tuesday 4 for the questions this week.

My parents would go dancing often and every time my Dad would request this song for Mom. He also would play it at home and they would dance in the kitchen. This song is one of my earliest childhood musical memories.

What kid of music do you like best?

I like just about all music except for contemporary country, rap, and ska.

2. Does the radio play in your car and if so what station or kind of music plays?  

I keep Sirius  instead of a radio station going all the time. It stays tuned to the Broadway station.

Does music play in your home often? 

All the time!

3. What do you think of the music played in restaurants or stores?     

 In a restaurant it should be background so you can have conversations. There is a grocery store near me and they blast rap all the time. I refuse to go there.

Do you find it relaxing or annoying?

It depends on the music, volume and type of music.

4. What part has music played in your life? 

Music is critical to my life. I listen to it all the time, TheHub and I listen to it at dinner, I play and all my sons play various instruments. We had a rule when they were kids that if they wanted to play sports they had to take piano. As adults they no longer play team sports, but they all still play music.

What kind of music played at your wedding?

We had only classical music played at both our wedding and reception

 or at parties you have been to?

Every kind of music under the sun! We have been to events where bluegrass bands play,  jazz bands,  classical groups, rock, oldies, and even some country music parties.

What's For Dinner

This was the plan for the week. It was not a particularly wonderful food week here, but I had everything on hand and knew I would not have to go to the store for anything unless I just decided I wanted to shop. This week 46% of the covid tests given in Alabama were positive, so I decided rather quickly, other than going to ThePig for free stuff, I did not need to go shopping. Most likely I am going to do the same thing this week though "they", whoever they are, predict that the positive numbers will track down. I am tired of staying in and really do need to be around people!

This was planned:

1. White chicken chili, coleslaw, cornbread (This is your fault, Kim)

2. Chicken roll ups, Brussels sprouts, Waldorf salad

3. Sloppy Joe's, caulitato salad, "fried" pickles

4. Lentil soup, tossed salad, crescent rolls

5. Takeout

6 Tacos with fixings,  guacamole, 

7. Eggroll in a bowl

 This was real life:

Monday: I had already made the sloppy Joes on Sunday, o I pretty much knew we would have them on Monday. I had everything on hand.

Sloppy Joe's, caulitato salad, plain pickles (I do still intend to air fry some one day)

Tuesday: I had a little less than half a bag of Pepperidge Farm corn bread stuffing left from our Christmas brunch casserole. I just wanted to use it and have one less things crowding my overstuffed pantry. Once again, I had I needed for meal prep (including one apple that had to be used right that minute)

Chicken roll ups, Brussels sprouts, Waldorf salad

Wednesday: This was a day I got to play a little mad scientist game. A couple of years ago I had soaked, cooked, then dehydrated some navy beans. I stuck the dehydrated beans in a ziplock bag in the freezer and forgot about them. I decided I would get them out and rehydrate them, just to see how they worked. I did put them in a pyrex bowl and covered them with boiling water. About 2 hours later I started the chili so I tossed them in the soup pot with the broth and chicken. Success!

White Chicken Chili, cornbread

Thursday: I had cooked some extra ground beef when I made the sloppy joe's and stuck it in the freezer. Since I had a head of cabbage and carrots in the fridge, along with onions, garlic, and ginger root, I had the makings of another meals.

 Eggroll in a bowl 

Friday: How glad are we that dried beans and lentils have an insanely long shelf life. I buy them, stick them in the freezer for a couple of weeks, then put them in jars. They will stay perfectly fine for a long, long time. I did have to buy kale when I went to The Pig on Monday. Other than that I had everything I needed.

Lentil soup, crescent rolls

Saturday: We ate a late breakfast, then a late lunch. When dinner time came I deferred to Campbells.

Tomato soup, oyster crackers

Sunday: I was cleaning the fridge Saturday and found a pack of sausage in the meat drawer that I had forgotten about. Since I was in a clean out mood, I also looked through the crisper for any odds and ends that needed to be cooked. Dinner planned itself.

Chicken sausage*, with cabbage, onions, carrots, corn

And now on to this week's plan: (Using as much as possible from food storage)

1. Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

2. Chicken tamale casserole, broccoli

3. Steamed shrimp, new potatoes, tossed salad

4. Mac and cheese, broccoli, Waldorf salad

5. Leftover lentil soup, cheese biscuits

6. Take-out

7. Conecuh sausage one pan meal (onions, peppers, potatoes and cabbage), corn bread

This week I need a head of lettuce and cabbage, bananas and mandarins and that should do it. I am trying to decide if I want to go to ThePig today for the two free items (with a 10 dollar purchase) but I already have extra dishwashing liquid and several bottles of salad dressing in the pantry. I guess it will just depend on how my day shakes out.

*Product review: This is strictly my own personal review of Trader Joe's Spicy Jalapeño Chicken Sausage. I have tried and enjoyed a lot of products from TJ'S. This is not one of them.

I have mentioned before that I am a tactile eater and if things do not feel good in my mouth I do not like them. To me this sausage had the "feel" of Vienna sausages which is like eating something akin to baby food in a casing. The minute I took a bite I knew I was not going to like it, no matter what it tasted like__and I didn't. TheHub is not texturally averse to foods like I am, but even he asked that I not buy it again. Don't get me wrong, it was not inedible. We ate it, but did not enjoy it at all. I have enough left over for lunches a couple of days and I am not looking forward to it. 

2022 Week 3

Week 3 is in the books, and around here the joys were pretty small. Honestly they felt non-existent at least one day, but on reflection I found several things that gave me joy. Maybe it was not the big whopping excitement I would have preferred, but still there were joyful things.  I hope sometime soon we can all look back at this pandemic and be glad it is over.

Saturday: We were out and about before the bad weather hit.  We had a couple of quick errands to run and stopped to pick up some lunch on the way home. As the rains started and the temperatures began to drop we both curled up in the den with books and blankets. It was joyful to be out of the weather with no where we had to be. 

After a quick dinner, we settled in to watch a couple of episodes of Billions/

Sunday; The day was another glusome (Mom's word) and cold day.  I woke prepared to watch our church service, but my internet had other ideas. We had no cable, internet or landline during the morning, As the storms rolled in  in the wee hours of Sunday morning I kept hearing transformers blowing in our neighborhood. Do I even have to mention the joy in having underground utilities, while the street right above ours does not. When I opened the door I could hear the sound of generators going. Thankfully we never did lose power, and none of the rest really mattered. We wound up reading unit things were working and then we watched another episode of Billions. It was a great day to stay inside!

Monday  Very thankful for the small joys a day with no rain and slightly warmer temps provides. It was MLK day so I could not get my banking done. Instead I went to The Pig where I scored free Maxwell House coffee and a can of Manwich, I don't use canned Sloppy Joe sauce, but I will stick it in with the things I have set aside for the food pantry the next time I am by it. (Scored free is a relative term, I had to buy 10 dollars worth or merchandise to get it, so I bought fresh produce, tea bags, and a pack of breakfast pork chops Wound up being just a few pennies over 10 plus tax of course)

Tuesday The day was drop dead gorgeous with blue skies and temps in the 5o's. I got all dressed up and realized I had no where to go.  I guess I could have gone shopping but I needed nothing and Covid is really rampant here, so I stayed at home. Instead I did minor housework and worked on my finances for the year. 

I did not want or need slippers but TheHub gave me some for Christmas anyway  Until the last week or so I had not worn them because it had mostly wearing been flip flops in the house. By Tuesday, they had shaped to my foot perfectly. They are the best ever, I just did not know how much I needed them!

A few days ago TheHub and I had been talking about having one of our college friends for dinner., I had not talked to him in years, so I gave him a call, We caught up with each other 's lives and I invited him over to eat once this current covid mess is over. (Or lessens considerably)

Wednesday: It was a gorgeous day again, and I should have made plans to meet C. for lunch, but our state infection rates are seriously high and neither of us want to be out in the middle of it. She is still seeing her 92 year old mother regularly and the last thing she wants to do is carry Covid to her. Instead I stayed home, did some chores, and cooked a bit of food in advance. When I am bored I tend to cook___a lot!

What can I say? TheHub came home, we ate, then watched Billions!

Thursday: And the drop dead gorgeous days ended. The day started out on the coolish side and got colder and colder as the day progressed. I stayed home instead of going anywhere, because I did not need anything and going out would strictly be just to go out. Instead I attacked Mount Laundry and tamed it, then started organizing a couple of cabinets in the kitchen. I have done quite a bit of decluttering this week and that does bring me joy.

After eating we watched Billions. We are almost caught up just in time for the new season to begin. You have no idea how much we look forward to watching just one episode a week!

Late at night the storms came and the temps plummeted. I don't do cold well!

Friday: The day was bitter cold and damp but not rainy. I had scheduled the delivery fro my couch so I spent the morning moving the den furniture out fo the way for the delivery. Two extremely nice guys delivered it and also took the old couch to the downstairs den. I think it will work really well down there__eventually!

My beloved sister came by for a few minutes and said a couple of things that were so funny I literally fell off the loveseat laughing. I can not think of a better joy than possibly having the best sister in the world.

TheHub came home and we decided we did not want to get out in the cold, so I made soup, we stayed home, ate and then watched Billions.  (I am tired of Axe and Chuck). 

The upside of the night was the cold requiring an additional blanket, a flannel gown and a good book in bed! Nothing beats socking in to read when it is really cold!

Have a great week finding you joys, no matter how small. Thery are always there if we just look for them.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

Tuesday 4

Annie @Tuesday 4 asks four thematic questions each Tuesday. When I actually remember it is Tuesday, I try and answer them. This week's theme is :Where would you go? Where do you want to go?

1. Is the farm for you? How about a ranch, a village or a city? Which is your choice and why?

Right now I live in the suburbs, though I could easily live in a very urban setting. If we had the money I would keep my home here, and have apartments in New York and in Portland, Oregon. I have 3 sons, one lives in town, one in NYC and the other in Portland.  I would love to have housing in all three places so I could visit whenever the mood struck me. Unfortunately I am not a gozillionaire!

2. A short auto trip for the weekend with friends or a long vacation? Where would you go?

See the above answer. We no longer go on vacations, but we go see our kids

3. The quiet life at home with a cuppa and TV or  a good book or a night out with friends? Which sounds good today?

Today our state's covid numbers are sky high so I had much rather stay home, watch Billions with TheHub and then read. In normal times I had rather go out with friends.

4. You have a choice of  dinner and a movie or a game of cards and snacks at the neighbors. Where are you going tonight?

I am not sure if my neighbors play cards or not, but I have some wonderful neighbors and would much rather spend time with them than go to a movie.

So come on and join in the fun! Let us know what your choices are!

A Less Than Stellar Plan

Each week I make a tentative meal plan, or let what is left in the refrigerator makes the plan for me. This past week featured a lot of leftovers and honestly we are tired of eating them. Fortunately they were all consumed and this week I can start on some new meals. 

This was what the universe decided I needed to eat last week:

Leftover Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

Leftover beef stew over noodles, tossed salad

Leftover collard green soup, cornbread or rolls or Orange ginger chicken, rice, broccoli

Chicken roll-ups, broccoli, something else but undecided right now (leftover dry stuffing) Chicken parm over spaghetti, tossed salad (using leftover marinara)

Ball game meal: heavy apps (Have tons frozen) 

Egg-roll in a bowl (everything is on hand but al least it's not leftovers)

And this is what we actually ate:

Monday: It was a ball game night so I hauled out several frozen apps and we had a game night meal.

Greek spiral, artichoke feta strudel, stuffed olives, raw veggies

Tuesday: I had some frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs, and a half a jar of Rao's.

Chicken parm (kinda, baked instead of fried chicken) tossed salad

Wednesday: This was one of those, ladle it out of the container into bowls and zap it kind of meals.

Leftover collard green soup

Tuesday: TheHub was home early, we had some work going on at the house so we did what we do best.

Takeout from Zaxby's I really do like the grilled chicken salad

Friday: Covid date nights leave a little to be desired, but there is nothing I can do about it.

Leftover beef stew over orzo, tossed salad

Saturday: The day was pretty cool then the night was cold. Perfect for this leftover!

Leftover Chili, coleslaw, corn chips (TheHub did not want cornbread)

Sunday: We had some chicken leftover from our lunch Saturday, so it was only a natural that is became dinner.

Leftover Chicken, tossed salad

Which brings us to this weeks possibilities:

1. White chicken chili, coleslaw, cornbread (This is your fault, Kim)

2. Chicken roll ups, Brussels sprouts, Waldorf salad

3. Sloppy Joe's, caulitato salad, "fried" pickles

4. Lentil soup, tossed salad, crescent rolls

5. Takeout

6 Tacos with fixings,  guacamole, 

7. Eggroll in a bowl

I do not need a single thing for the week, though I might run to Aldi because they are supposed to have a 10 pound bag of leg quarters for .49 a pound, and I do need to add to my frozen chicken stock. Other than that and a 10 dollar run to ThePig to get 12 ounces of free Maxwell House coffee, I plan on being conspicuously absent from the grocery stores this week.

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