As my very first post, I thought I would keep it simple and easy. I am still getting the hang of the blogging world. The writing part is easy, but learning the ins and outs of WordPress and hosting and all the other tasks that go along with it is sometimes harder than it appears. I probably need a lot of grace for a little while as I get my feet wet with blogging. Here I am, though, so let’s do this!
I thought for a long time about what my first post should be. Where is a good place to start? I realized that I was overthinking it because I had lots of ideas to share! If I kept thinking about it, I would never get going. It is Monday, February 8. What better way to start a blog than on Monday? What do Mondays look like for me?
I have set every Monday, if possible, to meal prep for the week, so I will start there. In order to meal prep, I usually have to plan a menu. Menu planning is a process that I will share with you at a later date, but I will share the menu that I have prepared for the week below. My 19-year old son likes to follow a Keto diet, so I try to keep our meals as keto friendly as possible. We enjoy having a cheat day every two weeks because let’s face it…..Keto is hard! In any event, Keto recipes are just as delicious as non-Keto recipes.
Monday – Beef Kebobs, Cauliflower Rice, Roasted Vegetables
Tuesday – Thai Curry Tilapia, Butternut Squash Hash, Salad
Wednesday – Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy in the Instant Pot, Mashed Cauliflower, Asparagus
Thursday – My Husband’s Birthday: Steak, Baked Potatoes, Salad
Friday – Leftovers or something from the freezer
Saturday – Going out for dinner to celebrate husband’s birthday
Sunday – Coconut and Chicken Curry Soup, Cauliflower Rice
Breakfasts – Berry Blast Smoothies, Mexican Scrambled Eggs, Strawberry Banana Cottage Cheese
Lunches – Jerk Chicken Rice Bowls, Chicken Tortilla Soup,, Meatloaf Sandwiches
Snacks – Pimento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers, Parmesan Crisps, Copycat Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, Fresh Cherry Mini Cobblers
That is the planned menu for the week. Now, all I have to do is meal prep it. How do I do that? Meal prepping to me means gathering, thawing, chopping, slicing, marinating, etc. It is kind of like being a sous chef. I only prepare those menu items that I know will maintain their freshness and food integrity if prepared ahead of time.
The first thing to do is to gather and thaw. By gathering the recipes I will use, I can prepare a list of tasks for my meal prep day. I usually complete this step ahead of time so that I will be ready on meal prep day.
Looking at my recipes for the week, I know that I will need to thaw some chicken thighs, tilapia filets, several chuck roasts, and steak. One of the chuck roats I will cube for the beef kebobs and the other two will be used for the Pot Roast in the Instant Pot. One of the roasts is quite small, so I will use two. The steak I will not thaw, but will place in an easily accessible place in the freezer, so it will be easy to find. The chicken thighs will be used in the Jerk Chicken Rice bowls, Coconut Curry Chicken Soup and the Chicken Tortilla soup. I will divide those up between the two recipes
After all the meats I need are out of the freezer, I can begin prepping for the week. It helps to make a list of tasks according to the recipes before I begin. I have a TV in my kitchen, so I can turn on the TV and watch Netflix or YouTube while I work.
This particular week is not a week that needs a lot of prep work. Sometimes, prepping will take all day, and sometimes it only takes a few hours. Below is my list of tasks to complete for this week’s meal prep:
Thaw
Chicken Thighs – Jerk Chicken and Rice Bowls, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Coconut Curry Chicken Soup
Tilapia Filets – Thai Curry Chicken
Steak
Chuck Roasts – Beef Kebobs, Pot Roas with Mushroom Gravy in the Instant Pot
Cube
1 chuck roast – Beef kebobs
Slice
Green pepper – Coconut Curry and Chicken Soup
Red onion – Roasted Vegetables
Yellow Squash – Roasted Vegetables
Chop
Onions – Mexican Scrambled Eggs, Coconut Curry and Chicken Soup, Turkey Tortilla Soup, Butternut Squash Hash
Jalapeno – Coconut Curry and Chicken Soup
Marinate
Cubed Chuck Roast – Beef Kebobs
Chicken Thighs – Jerk Chicken and Rice Bowls
Tilapia – Thai Curry Tilapia
Prepare
Smoothie Packs – Mixed Berry Smoothies
Make
Copycat Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Parmesan Crisps
Fresh Cherry Mini Cobblers
I think that will keep me busy for today! See you tomorrow for more shenanigans!…..And look! I successfully uploaded some images and inserted a link! I am off to a good start!
