Menu: Sept 16-23
SUCH! An exciting week this week. Well, ok, not so much, but I try to be upbeat as much as I can.
Hours for Mr. Moon are still few and far between so there's a lot of work being done around the house. It feels like we're getting nowhere sometimes, because we keep getting behind on some of the chores. Still getting used to them, I guess. And I think we need a second "firebomb the kitchen" day. Or something. It just keeps getting out of hand and Mr. Moon and I feel like we're in there ALL THE TIME. The worst thing is, by having a scheduled list of chores that DO get done as often as they do, it's actually illustrated how they do need to get done as often as they're scheduled. Like sweeping the kitchen, which keeps getting missed and then done at completely inconvenient times because it NEEDS it--but never more often than scheduled. Or the bathrooms, which having been kept up on for three weeks in a row now still need cleaning when we get back to them. It's kind of a nice object lesson that having these things done on a schedule is really worth the time and effort it takes to think through a schedule and stick to it.
As I said, such an exciting week, and we're already discussing changing this list. I am really excited to make mozzarella tomorrow though! And for us to get back to working in the garage, which we'd hoped would be done by the end of next week. NOT HAPPENING.
Oh, I made a little cheat sheet to help make updating the white board a little easier.
Isn't she a cutie? I felt silly making it, but this week it reminded me to pick a date night that I'd forgotten to schedule, to make sure we got fish on the menu, and not to overload the menu with meat like we have for the last couple weeks.
Isn't she a cutie? I felt silly making it, but this week it reminded me to pick a date night that I'd forgotten to schedule, to make sure we got fish on the menu, and not to overload the menu with meat like we have for the last couple weeks.
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But what's for dinner?
Tuesday: Mr. Moon works so it's important to have something that I can do myself, and will be ready or near-ready when he gets home. Baked Potato Soup, and I'll make a rib for myself. I've found that the soups just aren't filling at the time OR keeping my blood sugar stable overnight, and I keep waking up hungry and headachy at 4-7am. This also uses up some mashed potato flakes that no one wants to eat as mashed potatoes. [backstock; batch; crockpot; vegetarian]
Wednesday: Pops will be out of town, so Mum offered to entertain herself reading or cleaning her room while we have a nice dinner and watch a movie on the big screen. With hours so minimal, spending money has been cut to nothing which means date nights are at-home deals for a while. Anyway, she's in charge of getting herself dinner, which will probably be a sandwich or a TV dinner or something. Mr. Moon and I are having steak and a bruschetta plate because we have a couple delicious-looking jars of topping (roasted red pepper, and an artichoke tapenade; I think this will need some mango ginger cheese that's been waiting for the right occasion, and I'd like to pick up some actual olive tapenade since the artichoke one is mostly artichoke and less olive). Still, except the tapenade and perhaps the bread, everything is already here. [backstock; freezer; meat]
Thursday: Mr. Moon works again, and Mum specifically requested soup, so we're doing a White bean, tomato, zucchini and basil soup that looked good somewhere. I'm going to add brats to mine, and we'll save the leftovers for pops when he comes home later in the week. And the best part is that every bit of it is stuff we have in the house, ready to go. [backstock; crockpot; vegetarian; pasta]
Friday: Fish night! Moroccan salmon with pesto pasta salad, which is most decidedly more "salad" than pasta. It's a creamy pesto sauce over gently-sauteed zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and green pepper, with a dash of penne pasta thrown in for kicks. A heaping spoonful is a good serving each of vegetable and starch. [backstock; freezer; fish; vegetarian*; pasta]
(* just for the record, the pasta salad is veg, I'm not implying the fish is)
(* just for the record, the pasta salad is veg, I'm not implying the fish is)
Saturday: Ravioli (or spaghetti for me because I haven't found a good, inexpensive whole wheat ravioli). Mum is using up the prego backstock for the ravioli for everyone else, I'll use up some of my stock of freezer tomato sauce. I do try to keep pasta night to one night and if it's a side dish then keeping them away from each other, but it just didn't work out well this week. And hopefully I will have fresh homemade mozzarella to eat with it! [backstock; freezer; vegetarian; pasta]
Sunday: The 'Rents are on their own, eating leftovers or freezer meals or salad or going out. Mr. Moon and I have a haggis in the freezer we've been dying to try, so we'll have that and maybe some colcannon (with kale because Mr. Moon doesn't like cabbage), and steamed mushy carrots. The idea with these "On Your Own" nights are to give the 'rents some flexibility with having friends over and wanting to go out sometimes that wasn't in the schedule on Sunday when we plan our meals. If nothing else it gives us a day to switch things TO if we need a break and can't do something one day. It also gives Mr. Moon and I a break from cooking for everyone, and the opportunity to cook some things that aren't appealing to the 'Rents. Some days I tell him to fend for himself, sometimes we cobble things together from his food and mine like a pot luck with a pre-set menu. [freezer; meat; OYO]
Sunday: The 'Rents are on their own, eating leftovers or freezer meals or salad or going out. Mr. Moon and I have a haggis in the freezer we've been dying to try, so we'll have that and maybe some colcannon (with kale because Mr. Moon doesn't like cabbage), and steamed mushy carrots. The idea with these "On Your Own" nights are to give the 'rents some flexibility with having friends over and wanting to go out sometimes that wasn't in the schedule on Sunday when we plan our meals. If nothing else it gives us a day to switch things TO if we need a break and can't do something one day. It also gives Mr. Moon and I a break from cooking for everyone, and the opportunity to cook some things that aren't appealing to the 'Rents. Some days I tell him to fend for himself, sometimes we cobble things together from his food and mine like a pot luck with a pre-set menu. [freezer; meat; OYO]
So how did we do this week? Keep in mind these are the goals for Pops' dietary restrictions, so it doesn't necessarily apply to me since I sometimes have different meals or add meat to vegetarian items to for myself (and Mr. Moon if he wants meat in/with it).
- 2 wholly-vegetarian days, though the potato soup will only have a dash of bacon so that counts as three for our purposes.
- 5 days pulling stuff OUT of the freezer
- 2 batch meals (the chicken is getting pulled up for lunches, the baked beans are going into the freezer; and the leftover baked potato soup will get frozen as well)
- 2 days where the 'Rents are on their own for dinners
- 1 Fish day
- 0 salad days!!
- 2 crockpot meals
- 1 meat-based dinner
I call that a success! There are leftover salad fixings that mum says she's going to serve Pops for lunch over the next couple days, so I consider that one taken care of. Despite the fact that they asked for there to be at least one if not two salad dinners on the menu each week, we discovered that most weeks, when those days came around they wouldn't want the salad. So I declared those "On Your Own" days as days they can have salad if they want it that often, and otherwise they can have salads for lunch. Seeing as the salad days were days that Mr. Moon and I just fixed something separate anyway, since I can no longer eat lettuce (I know, see my sad face. I lived off salad for years and I miss it dearly, but I do ok with sides of chopped veggies and dressing sometimes).
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Need more menu ideas? I'll be linking up to orgjunkie.com for Menu Plan Monday. Check it out!
What are you eating this week?
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