Menu: May 13-19
Mr. Moon showed up to work early last week to discover his job had closed down the night before and no one had told him not to show up for work. Fortunately we'd been able to get a jump on job hunting, and so we scrapped the to-do list for the week and focused on that. Of course, especially with restaurant work, there are only certain hours of the day you can do any in-person job hunting, so Mr. Moon worked on edging the garden beds. More about that later.
This week marks the beginning of three trips the Parental Units are taking over the next two months, leaving us behind to mind the homestead. I discovered once again the hard way that I have let slip my red meat consumption to a negligible level, and have started suffering the beginning stages of anemia. I have been surviving on a lot of the 'Rents' leftovers and easy foods, junk food even, because I have been too depressed to cook for myself. Not feeling welcome to use my own kitchen because of the tension and awkward conversations, my food being blocked off from me accessing it, and having both of the 'Rents sleeping in the living room/kitchen area most of the time really puts a damper on eating healthy foods. So while they are gone, I'm going to focus on getting back to the healthy foods I prefer. We have set some new behavioral boundaries about blocking off my food, and I'm researching make-ahead plans for such things as being able to have smoothies in the morning that don't require the blender.
Mr. Moon and I are also considering doing a Big Monthly Prep (cook) once we've cleaned out some of the older meat products that need to be used. By this point we know what casseroles and soups the 'Rents will eat, so even if we don't say, make a giant batch of split pea AND clam chowder AND tomato AND mushroom barley soups, we COULD chop/sauté/portion enough mirepoix for a few soups, roast and shred some chicken and pork, and chop some beef into chunks for any number of meals. It means that when I DO make split pea soup it's super easy, and I can make those in batches still to save only a few extra servings at a time. We are also going to make some lasagnas, broccoli macs, and other such casseroles for easy, make-ahead meals. And some meatloaf, as soon as we get through the batch I made for Christmas vacation that Pops didn't like. That's on the menu next week, in fact. But right now, we're more interested in this week!
What's on the menu?
Breakfasts: Mr. Moon has waffles, cottage cheese, and eggs & sausage on his list. I'm all about the leftover steak hash, smoothies and muffins.
Lunches: Pasta salad (whole wheat penne, hot brats, creamy "alfredo" sauce, green onions and peas); Roast beef sandwiches on pretzel rolls; buffalo chicken wraps.
Snacks: Lots of job hunting this week, so go-snacks are really necessary: Jerky, cheese, almonds, as well as some chopped watermelon, hardboiled eggs, and applesauce for home-snacks.
Dinners:
Monday: Bathrooms. Swim class or Yoga (depending on mood) at 11am. Mondays are a big job-hunt surge, so no other plans that day besides helping the 'Rents get ready for their trip. It's job hunting and yard work every day this week!
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup which got bumped from last week. [vegetarian; light; soup; freezer (soup)]
Tuesday: Bedroom vacuuming. The 'Rents leave for a week!
Lasagna with lots of back-ups for the freezer. [vegetarian; pasta; casserole; batch; freezer (marinara, ricotta)]
Wednesday: Kitchen. Swim/Yoga, 11am.
Teriyaki Chicken legs with Fried Rice; roast off extra legs for shredded buffalo chicken wraps. [chicken; brown rice; freezer (chicken, veggies)]
Thursday: Trash, Dining room, Laundry room, Lounge. Oh, will the job hunting ever end?
Sicilian (large) meatballs, wrapped in onion, and served with marinara over sautéed mushrooms. [beef; low-carb; Italian; crockpot; freezer (meat)]
Friday: Swim/Yoga 11am. Fridays are bad for job hunting, but always worth a look at the boards.
Broccoli Mac, plus extras for the freezer [vegetarian; pasta; casserole; batch]
Saturday: All the yard work! All the time! Also a project to fix a shelving unit so we can unpack our gaming cabinet.
Leftovers if we have them. Fish as a backup. [leftovers]
Sunday: All the yard work! All the time!
Leftovers is we have them. Fish as a backup. [leftovers]
PREP:
Today (Sunday) is going to have to be prep day, due to the nature of the week's schedule. Here's what's on our list.
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What's on your menu this week? Need planning ideas? I'll be linking up at orgjunkie.com, if you need other ideas!
This week marks the beginning of three trips the Parental Units are taking over the next two months, leaving us behind to mind the homestead. I discovered once again the hard way that I have let slip my red meat consumption to a negligible level, and have started suffering the beginning stages of anemia. I have been surviving on a lot of the 'Rents' leftovers and easy foods, junk food even, because I have been too depressed to cook for myself. Not feeling welcome to use my own kitchen because of the tension and awkward conversations, my food being blocked off from me accessing it, and having both of the 'Rents sleeping in the living room/kitchen area most of the time really puts a damper on eating healthy foods. So while they are gone, I'm going to focus on getting back to the healthy foods I prefer. We have set some new behavioral boundaries about blocking off my food, and I'm researching make-ahead plans for such things as being able to have smoothies in the morning that don't require the blender.
Mr. Moon and I are also considering doing a Big Monthly Prep (cook) once we've cleaned out some of the older meat products that need to be used. By this point we know what casseroles and soups the 'Rents will eat, so even if we don't say, make a giant batch of split pea AND clam chowder AND tomato AND mushroom barley soups, we COULD chop/sauté/portion enough mirepoix for a few soups, roast and shred some chicken and pork, and chop some beef into chunks for any number of meals. It means that when I DO make split pea soup it's super easy, and I can make those in batches still to save only a few extra servings at a time. We are also going to make some lasagnas, broccoli macs, and other such casseroles for easy, make-ahead meals. And some meatloaf, as soon as we get through the batch I made for Christmas vacation that Pops didn't like. That's on the menu next week, in fact. But right now, we're more interested in this week!
What's on the menu?
Breakfasts: Mr. Moon has waffles, cottage cheese, and eggs & sausage on his list. I'm all about the leftover steak hash, smoothies and muffins.
Lunches: Pasta salad (whole wheat penne, hot brats, creamy "alfredo" sauce, green onions and peas); Roast beef sandwiches on pretzel rolls; buffalo chicken wraps.
Snacks: Lots of job hunting this week, so go-snacks are really necessary: Jerky, cheese, almonds, as well as some chopped watermelon, hardboiled eggs, and applesauce for home-snacks.
Dinners:
Monday: Bathrooms. Swim class or Yoga (depending on mood) at 11am. Mondays are a big job-hunt surge, so no other plans that day besides helping the 'Rents get ready for their trip. It's job hunting and yard work every day this week!
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup which got bumped from last week. [vegetarian; light; soup; freezer (soup)]
Tuesday: Bedroom vacuuming. The 'Rents leave for a week!
Lasagna with lots of back-ups for the freezer. [vegetarian; pasta; casserole; batch; freezer (marinara, ricotta)]
Wednesday: Kitchen. Swim/Yoga, 11am.
Teriyaki Chicken legs with Fried Rice; roast off extra legs for shredded buffalo chicken wraps. [chicken; brown rice; freezer (chicken, veggies)]
Thursday: Trash, Dining room, Laundry room, Lounge. Oh, will the job hunting ever end?
Sicilian (large) meatballs, wrapped in onion, and served with marinara over sautéed mushrooms. [beef; low-carb; Italian; crockpot; freezer (meat)]
Friday: Swim/Yoga 11am. Fridays are bad for job hunting, but always worth a look at the boards.
Broccoli Mac, plus extras for the freezer [vegetarian; pasta; casserole; batch]
Saturday: All the yard work! All the time! Also a project to fix a shelving unit so we can unpack our gaming cabinet.
Leftovers if we have them. Fish as a backup. [leftovers]
Sunday: All the yard work! All the time!
Leftovers is we have them. Fish as a backup. [leftovers]
PREP:
Today (Sunday) is going to have to be prep day, due to the nature of the week's schedule. Here's what's on our list.
- Pasta salad: Cook off brats and pasta, chop onions, mix together.
- Citrusade (AKA homemade sport drink): Juice whatever citrus we have in the house into the gallon server pitcher (limes, lemon, orange and grapefruit), melt some honey in warm water, add a little salt, and fill the pitcher with water. Store in fridge and drink throughout the week. Great potassium content and a little natural sugar. Great for hot days and working out.
- Watermelon: Just peel and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Sausage: Bake off breakfast links for easy breakfasts--they can be reheated in the toaster oven, the microwave in a pinch (blech) or eaten cold if it comes down to it.
- Thaw: Marinara & ricotta.
- Grate cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella.
- Slice cheese: Cheddar, for sandwiches and cheese snacks.
- Hard boil eggs.
- Chicken stock: Wednesday night/Thursday.
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What's on your menu this week? Need planning ideas? I'll be linking up at orgjunkie.com, if you need other ideas!
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