Full Disclosure: I had pizza rolls for dinner.
This week is ordinary but started with meeting some extraordinary milestones. Example 1: I went running on Sunday! Yay! This was the first 20 minute run I’ve done without pain in, well, in a very long time. I got new shoes and finally got to wear them on a (my version) long distance run. I was super excited for this and have re-committed myself to running again and getting back into a daily exercise routine again.
Example 2: I’m blogging! Yay! Like literally right now. I’ve been thinking about it for several weeks now. What recipe to post as my “come back,” or “try not to be so gloomy like last time, Amy!” But when it finally gets down to it, here I am blogging about a meal plan. Seems like I like writing about those and that’s just fine with me. I hope you’ll all enjoy it too.
During my run on Sunday, I really thought about what my husband and I have been eating lately and wanting to train my body again to be healthy and really had, and still have, a desire to commit to a healthier lifestyle like we lead 2 years ago. In the last two years I took a job working outside of the house for a minimum of 12 hours a day and it’s really been a struggle to cook at night. Previously, I didn’t like to eat after 6pm, now I don’t get home until 6:15-6:30pm to start dinner. Or, if I workout after work, I’m not getting home until 7:45pm. It’s a little tough, and yet I’m really grateful because I feel like I have a whole new understanding for people who work far from where they live and extreme sympathy for working moms and dads. I commend all you parents who do it and still cook healthy meals for you kids.
As for me and my husband, we sort of fell out of clean and into crum eating out 4+ nights a week and not making healthy, and hard, choices. We’ve recently returned from a vacation to Belize and the best food we had there was by a chef we got to speak to personally as he made our food. We asked for a recommendation of where to go for other meals and let him know we were asking everyone. His response, “And I bet they’ve all been lying to you,” with a big belly laugh to accentuate the point. When I further prodded where he goes, again he surprised me with his response when he stated, “I don’t really go out.”
I’m not sure why this surprised me so much other than I’m used to the idea of chefs going out to try each others food, or working such crazy hours they don’t get to go out often, but speaking with other new friends we made there it turns out this was their response too. Now the food wasn’t bad, it wasn’t really amazing either (with some exceptions), but it really got my husband and I thinking about what we make at home and how we really do like it–and generally save a good bit by eating in too.
Needless to say, my wheels continued to turn these thoughts over and that’s when I made the decision to quit being lazy and taking easy, and incredible unhealthy, answers and start putting working back into taking care of my family. Now, as mentioned, my schedule is tough. Previously, I worked from home and was able to let something simmer or bake while I worked and had the good fortune of enjoy many good meals around 5:15 pm every day. Planning meals for my days in the office is more challenging, but it’s time to adapt and get back to being intentional good stewards of what God gave us–and yes, I include my physical, mental, and spiritual health in that.
So what’s for dinner, you ask? Well, let me tell you.
Meal Plan (Week of June 12th)
Monday – Pizza rolls for me and clam chowder soup from a can for my husband. Super healthy, I know.
Tuesday – Biscuits and gravy casserole for breakfast and lemon and mixed herb spaghetti squash with crawfish tails for dinner
Wednesday – Crustless mini quiches for breakfast. Dinner will be leftovers for my husband and whatever I packed extra for lunch since we have a night Bible study we’re attending this summer and I can’t make it home from work prior to the class.
Thursday – Cucumber, avacado, bean sprouts, and cream cheese nori rolls with steamed jasmine rice and vietnamese style marinated pork with pickled carrots and cabbage. *This is a work from home day so my drive time is not an issue for meals.
Friday – For breakfast, a bacon and potato hash with a fried egg. For dinner, oven roasted butternut squash stuffed with couscous, ground beef, chopped peppers, onions, and cranberries.
Saturday – Going to Hong Kong market in NOLA for a girls day of shopping where I’ll likely get exotic fruits and vegetables that’ll totally change my plans for next week. 🙂
Blessings!
Cajun Cravings 