This Week With Dee – where I share our menu, my planned home tasks for the week, what I’m reading, self care plans and more. I hope it will give you some ideas for planning your own week or at least a glimpse of one homemaker’s life.
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THIS WEEK WITH DEE
My last “This Week” post mentioned our upcoming trip to New Orleans and I suggested following me on Instagram if you wanted to see photos. Well, you may have figured out we didn’t end up going.
David needed to visit one of his locations in Texas first so we were to spend Thursday and Friday nights there, then drive on to New Orleans on Saturday. However, our son tested positive for Covid Thursday evening. He had eaten dinner with us Wednesday and came over Thursday morning before he went to work. He asked if my allergies were acting up which should have tipped us off. But we were rushing to get out of town because we had a Zoom meeting at 5:15 p.m. and needed to be in our hotel by then. So we were definitely exposed. In addition, David’s gout started acting up on our drive.
We discussed it and just couldn’t take a chance that we would come down with it while in New Orleans. We didn’t want to expose anyone else or get ill so far from home. Plus, I didn’t want to be so far away if Chris became very ill. David made a quick visit to the shop there Friday morning. He wore his N95 mask and had the shop guys keep their distance (the big shop doors were all open) while he showed them how to do…something? I have no idea. He came back to the hotel, did a Zoom meeting for work and then we packed up and headed home.
Fortunately Chris had the very mildest of symptoms and we didn’t get it. David’s gout, however, was pretty bad for several days so we definitely made the right decision. He wouldn’t have been able to walk all over New Orleans and the rich food wouldn’t have been helpful. The other good news was that our timeshare refunded all of our vacation points after he told them why we were cancelling. I’m guessing they wouldn’t have wanted us spreading it throughout the condo. 😉
David canceled his vacation and worked from home as usual. Otherwise we just isolated at home, tried to get some extra rest and dosed up on “The Potion”. I had also bought Enovid nasal spray for the trip which is in Phase III trials as a Covid prevention/treatment. It feels like snorting pool water but we didn’t get Covid so I think it was worth it. (I linked to it on Amazon above but it is way more expensive there. If you are interested let me know and I’ll send you a link to the place I bought it, along with a coupon code.)
You may be wondering why I didn’t post a “This Week” post the past two Mondays since I wasn’t in New Orleans. Well, as soon as we got home I discovered that my newly repaired MacBook was doing the exact. Same. Thing. So I drove it back to the city on the 3rd and then drove up again the 10th to pick it up. So far it is working so let’s hope that will be end of that!
So, enough of all that. Let’s take a look at THIS week!
I may have missed going to New Orleans but we can enjoy the sounds!
You may notice a bit of a change in our menus. We are gradually working toward a mostly plant-based diet for health reasons. I’ll probably share more about that in a future post. I do, however, still have some meat in the freezer which I don’t want to waste. And we will likely include meat occasionally even after we’ve used up our current stores. I also plan to have fish or seafood perhaps once a week so that will be reflected in our menus.
If you have any favorite vegetarian/vegan recipes to share please send them my way! That is, as long as they don’t include mushrooms, peanuts or tree nuts as I’m allergic to those.
MENU:
Monday…
I’ve made a few different types of black bean burgers in the past. I plan to keep experimenting until I find the perfect recipe.
- black bean burgers
- french fries
- homemade cole slaw
*Update: I ended up just cooking some vegan burgers I had in the freezer instead of making my own. The day got away from me and this was just easier.
Tuesday…
One of the things we have in the freezer is a small package of chicken tender strips. I’ll season with my homemade Taco Seasoning and serve in fried corn tortillas topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese and green onions. I may set aside a bit before seasoning and use that to make chicken salad sandwiches for lunch the next day. I have croissants which are perfect with chicken salad. I make mine with chopped celery, red grapes cut in half, mayo, red wine vinegar and Creole seasoning.
- chicken tacos
- leftover coleslaw
- chips & salsa
Wednesday…
Stuffed bell peppers are a very tasty dish which can easily be made vegetarian.
- Stuffed Bell Peppers (with black beans instead of ground beef)
- corn on the cob
- carrots
Thursday…
I like to fix cauliflower by steaming until almost tender then spreading a layer of mayonnaise/beaten egg/seasoning all over the head. I then sprinkle with cheese, put it back in the oven and bake until tender. The coating puffs up and browns lightly. Very tasty.
- roasted whole cauliflower
- asparagus
- crusty French rolls
Friday…
David doesn’t care for fish so he’ll have chicken. Chris and I love fish, though.
- tilapia
- roasted potatoes
- steamed broccoli
- sautéed spinach
Saturday…
- dinner with friends at “The Lot” (outdoor venue with food trucks)
Sunday…
- homemade vegetable soup
- grilled cheese sandwiches
- fresh fruit
IN MY HOME:
REVIEW OF LAST WEEK
This past weekend David installed shelves in our huge storage closet for me. The closet is 4 feet wide and 16 feet long. There were already shelves along one wall and across the back. However, when I started using the space for an extra pantry at the beginning of the pandemic, it got to be a a crowded mess.
He put in narrow shelves along the other length of the closet and I’ve now got all of the pantry items neatly arranged. I’ve jokingly referred to the closet as our “general store” the past few years. There have been so many items that were hard to find locally or very expensive so I started buying cases of several items from Amazon. But it was so difficult to find what I wanted out of the stacked boxes! I’ve got a bit more fine-tuning to do and then I’ll try to remember to share some photos on Instagram.
THIS WEEK
I want to do some decluttering and organizing of the pre-existing shelves in our storage closet. David and I worked on it in 2020 and got rid of a lot. I’m ready to make another pass and get rid of more. I’m feeling that decluttering bug again and want to take advantage of it as long as it lasts. As I told David, if/when we downsize we likely won’t have a gigantic storage closet so we really need to keep paring it down.
I’d like to spend some time sprucing up the front porch. I washed the chair cushions a couple of weeks ago and wiped off the table well enough for us to have our Easter dinner on it. (Chris was on Day 10 of Covid but hadn’t tested negative yet so we ate outdoors.) I swept down some cobwebs Saturday and gave it a quick going over with the leaf blower. But it needs some more detailed attention before I start sitting out there for my afternoon teatime.
WORK
I have at least one more blog post I’d like to get done this week and I need to start working on the first of the month posts. David and I have another business/pleasure trip coming up and I want to get some posts ready before we go. This time we’ll be going to the East coast. This will finish up his visits to the rest of the company locations. We’ll take vacation time, too, and will visit some places we’ve wanted to see since we’ll be nearby.
READING
We listened to John Grisham’s “The Innocent Man” on our drive to Texas and back. We then finished it up on our trip to the city to pick up my laptop. Have you read this one or watched the Netflix documentary? I’m not sure if I should admit this but this is a non-fiction book about a crime that took place in the town where I live. It’s pretty weird to listen to a book which includes many people we actually know.
I’ve got just a few minutes left on another audiobook – “Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness” by Ilana Jacqueline.
I’m still reading my “morning books” but still haven’t picked up “The Custom of the Country” again. I’m just in a reading slump when it comes to fiction right now.
SELF CARE
More sleep, less time online…you know the drill.
HEALTH & FITNESS
I’m focusing on dietary changes right now. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, less dairy and very little meat or poultry. I bought myself a juicer several months ago and want to make fresh juice at least a couple of times a week.
FUN ACTIVITIES
We have decided to no longer host music events as we’ve done the past decade via our nonprofit. That’s what the Zoom meeting was about when we were in Texas. We all agreed that it’s time to say goodbye to that season of life.
However, our board members are great people and we’ve all become really good friends. We plan to keep the nonprofit active at least through next year as we have one final event for 2024. Even though we don’t need to start planning it yet we do want to get together once in awhile just because we enjoy one another’s company. So we are getting together Saturday evening at a local outdoor venue for dinner and a “meeting”. It’s been awhile since we’ve met in person. It was too cold throughout the winter so did our meetings via Zoom.
HABIT OF THE MONTH (April)
April is more than half over and I never did choose a habit of the month! I’ll start thinking about what I want to choose for May…
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What’s on your plan for the week ahead? Home tasks? Menu? Fun? What are you reading?
You may also enjoy…
Celebrate Spring! ~ 15 Ways to Enjoy the Season
5 Vegetarian Meals Even Meat-Lovers Will Enjoy
Sorry your trip got cancelled for health-related issues, though glad things didn’t turn out worse and you didn’t all end up with Covid. Also, that’s great they refunded the time you didn’t get to make use of.
I’ve got loads of recipes. Some do contain mushrooms, but you could either leave them out or substitute them for something else, and others don’t. Many list dairy and eggs among the ingredients, though I make substitutes as needed whenever I make those. How are you on the idea of trying tofu and jackfruit as meat substitutes? Because I have several that use those, plus tofu or jackfruit are often excellent options to put in to a recipe in place of mushrooms if it asks for mushrooms. Also, a good tip is to look at sides, and put a couple of those together to make a meal, which can be just as filling as having a meal with meat involved, especially if one of those dishes involves potatoes or pasta, or if paired with bread.
Speaking of food, here’s my menu for this week…
Monday: baked potato with cheese and beans, plus fruit.
Tuesday: green bean casserole and potatoes.
Wednesday: leftovers from Tuesday.
Thursday: macaroni cheese, plus veggies.
Friday: breakfast for dinner.
Saturday: jackfruit burgers and fries.
Sunday: sweet & sour tofu with stir fried vegetables and jasmine rice.
As for my plans…
I stepped down from the morning crew, so no longer have to be on the ACB Presents call most days like I did need to be. I know you understand when I say I needed to cut back to keep my energy for the things I want and need to do more. But I do still have a Zoom call every day Monday through Thursday: hosting duties on Monday and Wednesday, the cooking call on Tuesday, and needle knitting on Thursday.
Plus, the dogs’ groomer is coming on Wednesday morning.
Also, we’re trying to get some more decluttering done too. I just got done going through a couple of boxes I’d been storing for my Dad of his craft supplies, which he said I could go through and treat as my own. So I put things with my own supplies, and then went through all the fabric – mine and his – and donated a lot of it to my aunt for a charity thing she’s involved with that needs fabric. We’ve still got a lot of stuff to go through yet, but every time we manage to clear a little space by getting rid of something we don’t want or need, it feels good – especially since we’re donating a lot of things, like giving the fabric to that charity, giving books we don’t want to the library, etc.
As for reading…
I’m currently working on “Ivanhoe” by Walter Scott for the 18th century book club, have recently finished “The Amish Widower” (the fourth book in the Amish series we were working our way through for the crafter book club) and am on “The Borrowers Aloft” (the fourth book in the borrowers series). I’m also technically still reading Harry Potter in braille, though haven’t made any progress with that due to reading other things, am quite a way through “King Of The Wastes” (the 8th Helldivers book by Nicholas someone – I forget his last name) and just read a collection of poems called “More Poetic Meanderings” by a poet friend named Kevin Morris.
I bought some tofu but haven’t decided on a recipe yet. I don’t have a tofu press and don’t want to purchase one until I’m sure we will be eating it enough to warrant one. As for jackfruit, I do want to try it but I haven’t found it locally. I need to see about ordering it or look for it the next time we are in the city.
I definitely understand the need to consider your energy levels! I always *want* to do more than I am able to maintain.
It really does feel good to declutter. And especially when you can donate things to someone who will enjoy them. One of the things I found in our storage closet was a case of baby wipes. I think I ordered them when I found out that Joy (our bonus daughter) was pregnant. Baby wipes were one of those things that were sometimes in short supply. And then I forgot all about them. I asked her if she’d like them so I’ll drop them off this week.
Have a great week!
Not getting a tofu press until you’re sure you’ll make use of it is a good plan. For now you can just do it by hand. Remember: season it well, because if it’s too bland it doesn’t taste good. Want me to send you over some recipes?
Fresh jackfruit is difficult to get hold of; the easiest way to get hold of jackfruit is to get it in a can. You want to get the one that specifically says it’s in water, since the syrup version is meant to be used for sweet dishes. You might be able to find it in the canned fruit section of your grocery store, but if not then I know Amazon sells it (though if you have it from Amazon I think you have to get a couple of cans at once).
Yeah, I always want to do more than I really can too. It’s frustrating. But I’m getting better at listening to my body and remembering there’s a difference between wanting and being able to do something. Still got a way to go with accepting that, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop finding it frustrating, but I’m evaluating what I do and making some tough decisions about what I can realistically manage.
Glad you were able to rehome the wipes. Yes, it does feel good when you get rid of some stuff, especially if you can give it to others who can make use of it, and potentially help them out at the same time.
Yes, I’d definitely be interested in some recipes. Thanks!
Sent you an email with lots of tofu recipes, and another with a couple of other meat-free recipes.
Thank you so much!
https://www.publix.com/recipe/kale-and-farro-stew This is a really delicious soup that we eat often. I usually sub in spinach for the kale which John prefers and use only half the lemon as he doesn’t like the sharp lemon taste when I use the full amount. This thickens as it sits so it becomes a true stew with the leftovers.
Thank you! I happen to have some farro which I’ve never tried. I also have all the other ingredients (subbing spinach for kale) so I’m putting this on my menu next week.
It can be so difficult to change diet. It sounds like you have a good attitude about it! Do you have a good recipe for coleslaw? I keep making it and not liking it, ha!
I remember my mom having an excellent black bean burger recipe in the 80’s, but she and the recipe have been gone for many years now. I’ll have to keep trying until I find a decent one.
I do have a recipe for Curried Coleslaw here on the blog but I usually just make a very simple version. I slice cabbage very thinly and mix with a dressing of mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and Creole seasoning. Sometimes I add some shredded carrot.