April 6: The Weekend Behind, The Week Ahead

 

I've become very aware of new patterns evolving over the past month or so.  It started with the intermittent fasting and it's been giving me reason to think harder than usual about my time in the kitchen and about how I eat.  I'm tossing more food than I have in years.  Why?  There are several reasons.

I'm not making the sort of food that freeze well as leftovers.  As I get more and more accustomed to what the app considers a 'good meal' and what it considers a 'low' meal, I'm cutting back on certain components that have seriously compromised flavor and texture.  Frankly if I feel a meal is 'Meh' when I'm done with it, I do not feel inclined to freeze the leftovers...and I'm totally going to avoid eating those leftovers!   The few recipes I've tried from the app have been super bland and not good.

Then the cat and dog went on strike.  No human food for them.  So, I have more waste.  And it's not the produce I'm wasting!  It's meat, cooked sides, etc.  

I think what I need to do is go back to my usual recipes but cut back on portions and try to make healthy switches in those recipes.  I'll eat better and have less waste.   I'm exploring other sites that deal with 'diet' type foods so perhaps I can find a few new recipes to toss into the mix for us.

I'm not as hungry.  I'm truly not hungry.  Eating within an 8-hour window means that I'm often not hungry when it's time for the next meal.  So even if I make a lesser portion of a recipe, I can't always eat all that I've made for us.  I find too, that John tends to follow my lead, and he doesn't go back for seconds.  He will eat something else later, but it's always something else, never leftovers.  

Of course, part of this has to do with my tendency to continue to have our bigger meal in the evening.  The truth is, I would be happier with the bigger meal at midday just now rather than in the early evening (about 5-5:45 pm).

I need a higher fiber, higher protein meal in the evening, but it's also turning into my smallest meal of the day.  If I eat too lightly (calorie and protein wise) then I end up being super hungry, sometimes to the point of lying awake hungry.  I haven't quite found the right balance of eating too little and eating too much.  So, this meal sometimes can turn into a source of leftovers as well.  

I'm still working out just exactly how this is going to work out for me, what I need to change, etc., but I do dislike waste, so I'll definitely be making some changes.

On the other hand, here I am in April with a decent portion of my March grocery budget leftover. And a freezer and pantry that is looking less and less 'stocked'!  I can't accept the kudos for the savings, nor accept blame for empty spaces.  The truth is that the dearth of loss leaders that we'd typically use are not going on sale and those things that are, aren't the sort of things I usually would stock.  No milk, eggs, butter, cheese, no canned goods, etc. going on sale.   And the only real seasonal foods at the moment for us are strawberries and asparagus.  We won't begin to hit the full blessing of fresh produce until mid-to-end of May.  

Let me move on now.  This week I have been called for Traverse Jury Duty.  I have no idea how long I will be gone on Monday or if I'll end up being on a jury.  So, the week is pretty much up in the air.  Therefore, the only real 'plan' I'm making is to try to figure out meals, get things thawed and prepped so I can have meals I can make quickly.  I have Strawberry Almond Flour and Oatmeal muffins in the freezer that I made on Friday.  We have eggs, grits, cheese, yogurt and of course we are eating Oatmeal at least two times a week, because it's so filling and quick to prepare.  So, breakfasts are sorted just that quickly.

This week is pay week for us.  I have to get my ledger sheet set up, pay bills, etc. for the month.  I've paid the things coming due immediately, but I may have missed one.  I want to make sure I'm on top of that.

Monday I'll have lunch before I report to court.  What will happen the rest of the week, I can't say, though I personally think the odds I'll be chosen for duty are slim for various reasons.  But if I am chosen then I'll definitely want to be prepped ahead for suppers.  Lunches...well I don't know if I can keep anything cold long enough to not have spoiled food but there are several restaurants on the square where the post office is located so I can get something if need be.  

Suppers:  

Pot Roast with vegetables.  I have two roasts in the freezer so I can easily put one of those in the slow cooker when I leave.  It's supposed to be a cooler day on Monday so this should work well.

Hash, Peas, Tossed Salad, Applesauce. Or make a Cottage Pie...You get the idea...Leftovers!

Taco Bowls Quesadillas.  Whether I use chicken that I've seasoned and cooked or a taco mix of ground beef and lentils, I can easily assemble these and heat in the oven after I come in.  I have low-carb tortillas and plenty of lettuce, tomato, individual cups of guacamole, etc.

Shredded Pork BBQ Sandwiches, Slaw, Chips.  I have two packets of shredded leftover pork in the freezer so one of those will work just fine.

Omelet, Asparagus, Salad, Greek Yogurt 'Biscuits'.  If all else fails eggs and asparagus will make a quick meal.  I should get enough biscuits from the dough to possibly serve some for as breakfast sandwiches one morning.

Amazon Associates Affiliate Link:  If you use the link to enter the Amazon site and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission on qualifying products.  Thank you!

April 4: Control What I Can

 

Hello all.  I'm sorry I missed posting yesterday.  I went to visit Mama and frankly it was not a happy visit.  I cut it as short as I reasonably could, but I lost my temper more than once and got unpleasantly snippy at the last point.  As you all know, my relationship with my mom has always been rocky at best.  I took the bait she offered and reacted in a way that I felt was less than I'd have liked.  It did not help in the least that she gave a sort of sly smile when I bit that dangled bait.  I knew she felt she'd 'won' something.  For the life of me I can't understand why she wants to be the way she is, nor why I'm not better at controlling my reaction to her actions.

Anyway, I was a bit blue coming home because my internal dialogue after that final upset ran along the lines of scrapping this whole eating plan, going to get something especially high calorie and heavily sweetened and over-indulging.  I'm telling you, as a former compulsive eater, I loathe the days when this habit rears its head, and I start planning a binge.  It's like failing twice in my eyes, to first fall for Mama's trick and then to want my familiar old comfort pattern of overeating.

However, I held firm, avoided all danger zones (stores, drive thru restaurants) and came home, settling for my acceptable portion of dark chocolate and a tall glass of iced water as my 'comfort'.  Then I distracted myself further by digging into genealogy research.  By the end of the day, knowing I'd remained in control of this one former habit was a booster shot for me, a much needed one.

John went out to have lunch with his former partner.  The contractor came by to drop off materials and John wasn't too far behind him coming in.  We talked for a few minutes before Travis left and then John and I had a long talk.  

I went off to bed early-ish but did I go to sleep?  No, I did not.  I dozed here and there and then finally at 4:30, I came to the living room, took up my journal and did a brain dump of all the thoughts that had been repeatedly racing in my head.  About 5am, I crawled into bed and went right to sleep and slept until 8am.  

I realized last night (aka early this morning) that one thing I could do something about was the congestion of things in the back entry.  Travis means to start the paintwork and such in the laundry area.  That is essentially an open closet off the back entry.  John had six pairs of shoes, a chainsaw, other things meant for his shed in that space and that is also where he put the three five-gallon buckets of paint.  There are also two five-gallon buckets we store pet foods in and shopping bags meant to go to the car, etc. etc.  The floor was gritty and sandy.  We'd already started emptying the laundry area into the kitchen sitting area, so the overall appearance was not organized, neat or clutter-free.  It really weighed heavily on me.  I know that essentially this was truly about controlling what I can, the one thing that is within my full ability to handle.  

Well, it's better.  Not quite all I'd have it be, but I've done what I could and now we can move and breathe in that space.  I did a Friday blessing of the house and when I got too warm, I'd sit down and work on copying the new notes into my notebook.  I am so very close to finishing the work on this particular family line and very ready to tackle something fresh on the other side of the family, but I have added a load of information, corrected some mistakes, avoided other mistakes and just generally been interested in what I was doing.  When I'm done, I'll have a far better organized set of notes than I'd had with legible pages to read.

We're supposed to go get gas for my car and the mower.  I tried to fill my own car yesterday and I'm perfectly capable of doing so.  What I cannot do is open the darn gas cap.  I'm a righty.  John's a lefty.  The way he puts that cap back on means that I cannot turn it more than half a turn and then I'm stopped from going any further due to the little tether on the lid that attaches to the door on the car.  In the past I've had to resort to asking random strangers (all men) to wrestle it off for me.  I find this very frustrating because I can open it just fine if I put it on, but I cannot do it when John is the last to put gas in the car.  

I have no clue what we'll have for dinner tonight.  I have sirloin thawed but I'm not sure I want anything that heavy for my last meal today.  I don't have any other reasonable options in mind either.  I know I also need to think now about what meals we'll eat this weekend because I know well, we're going to want something to eat.

Travis is supposed to begin the painting tomorrow.  Sunday we're taking Gramma's Fried Chicken to Katie's house as it's the only time this month we'll see Taylor until the last weekend of the month.  Simple plans overall.

Amazon Associate Affiliate Link:  If you use my link to enter the Amazon site, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.  Thank you!

April 2: Houseful

 

It's warm out there, 86F as I write.  And boy does it feel like spring sprang forward and grabbed a bit of summer to pull forward.  The bees are buzzing about, the roses are budded up and I think every tree has at the least tender leaflets if they haven't put out full leaves.  It is quickly getting into the season of doing things in the early part of the day and sheltering indoors for the latter part.

Today we thought perhaps the painter might be by, but we saw nor heard anything from him.  No worries.  We are a side job, not his main employer.  As it was, we had two of the children from The Manor here while Sam took Isaac to an appointment.  And about lunch time, Katie and Cody stopped in with Bella, Henry and Caleb.  They joined us for lunch.  Sam took his kids home because they were going to get haircuts and then had a planned afternoon at a sports center plus an evening out in addition to all that.  

Caleb and Bella ran around outdoors and played until Caleb got hot.  Then he told Bella she had to come indoors.  He's very protective of her and he wouldn't leave her outside alone.  Bella is just four and Caleb takes his role as big brother very seriously.  He knows that Bella is unaccustomed to the sort of freedom to come and go here that he has learned, and he worries that she will not stay near the house.

Henry didn't sleep a wink the whole time he was here.  He smiled at everyone, accepted the adoration of all the children with a calm and happy countenance, and watched the bigger kids with a look that seemed to say he was going to hurry to catch up.

Mostly I just sat back and watched the children and monitored the behavior that was unacceptable.  I don't hear well but somehow, I can hear the children when they open the guest room closet door, no matter how quietly they attempt to do so, lol.  At one point, Bella said to Caleb, "Gramma said!" and I called out "Thank you Bella."  "Oh, you're welcome."  Little Lady enjoyed that moment of being bossy back to Caleb.

After everyone left, I went ahead and started my supper prep.  I thought I'd take time to tell you what we ate this week, compared to what I'd planned.  

Monday, I decided to make Beef Fajitas rather than the Chow Mein I'd planned.  And that's all we ate, just the fajitas.

Tuesday, I prepared the pan-broiled burgers and served them with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Tonight, I decided to take my chicken breasts and cut them into halves and I've 'breaded' them with Parmesan cheese.  I'm going to make a Broccoli Cheese Orzo to go with them.   I've never made Orzo before. I'm following a Rachel Ray recipe, just tossing in the broccoli with it on my own.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring.  John has lunch with his friend/former partner.  I planned to go out to have lunch with Mama.  If the painter shows up to paint, we feel comfortable leaving him here alone in the house.  He's worked here on his own before.  

I feel as though I've frittered this whole week away.  And I have!  I didn't do anything Monday; we lolled about on Tuesday and when we came in it was almost time to start supper and here, we are on Wednesday with me having done nothing yet one more day.  I know that this week is unusual, but I'm beginning to feel a bit antsy.  I want to look back at my week and see I've accomplished something.  I'll have to work double time on Friday!

Amazon Associates Affiliate Link:  If you use my Amazon code to enter the site and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.  Thank you!

April 1: Blooming

There are days I don't even know what hit me...

Last week, out of the blue, John started talking about getting the kitchen painted.  I was "Oh okay..." and pretty much paid him no mind.  On Friday, he called one of the contractors who worked on the house in 2023, and he stopped by on Saturday to give us a quote.  

TODAY, we bought paint and supplies, and I think the painting will begin tomorrow!  My head is awhirl!  John is, by his own estimation, a proficient master of procrastination but golly gee, when he makes up his mind, there will be no blade of grass safe in his path.  

March 31: April Showers

 

It's just rained.  All the predictions said we were in for storms, but all we've had is a bit of rumbly thunder and brief, not heavy, showers.  The sky has finally lightened up, not as though it's clearing, but as though the sullen part of the day might be over.  The rain is appreciated as it will dampen the pollen and prevent it floating quite as freely through the air.

March 30: April's Coming!

 

I got a few things done last week and officially I won't be worried any further about what was on March's goals list or weekly to do lists.  Either it was done or left undone, and I can't be bothered to turn and look back.  I did my best.  I was so grateful to finally get my feet back under me and lose that malaise and fatigue that hit me after that bout of flu.  I'll take my wins and forget the losses.

And now it's time to begin a whole new month.  Someone on some short reel on Instagram was saying, "The year's one quarter gone!  Now's the time to get busy..."  Phooey.  There's still three quarters of the year remaining and unless you have a target date for a deadline, let's just plod on and do what we can.  I don't know if I've share it before, it's likely I have, but we have a family motto that is in plain site in our living room.  "It's better to do something and fail, than to do nothing and succeed."  

March 28: Spring Break

 

Spring Break officially begins next week for our children, but Caleb had an added day on this week and so his Mama brought him and Henry over to play at Gramma's house.  Henry fights to get down on the floor these days and spends most of his time either grabbing his feet or rolling over onto his stomach and trying to get his knees under him.  He'll be seven months old here in a little over 10 days.  

I watched as he and Caleb tumbled together on the floor on a blanket.  Later I asked Caleb if Henry had finished his botte and Caleb said, "I think so."  He tried to take him from Henry, who wrapped both hands tightly around it and wouldn't let go!  Henry is a strong little fellow.