Firstly, this post is a few days delayed. Shit happens and we lose track of time. It happens to us all, but I’m still releasing the post to keep up with my New Year’s resolution of sharing a meal plan every week.
We celebrated our son’s birthday this weekend. I lost track of time during the festivities, laughter, and eating, and forgot to post my weekly meal plan. Fear not my friends, here’s this week’s culinary experiences.
During the last week, I have been carless, driving around in a small rented vehicle, while trying to find a suitable replacement for my beloved red truck. It’s funny when are used to riding a pickup truck, and then suddenly sit in a regular sedan, you feel so vulnerable. When trucks pass you, it’s like getting overtaken by a T-Rex. A huge shadow consumes the smaller vehicle like a threatening storm. And, it is hard to reach the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru window!
The stress of losing your vehicle is one thing, but finding a replacement truck can be a traumatic ans stressful experience.
We suddenly realize how dependent we are on our cars. We need it for everything, The luxury of multiple cars gives us the freedom to do multiple things and coordinate well visits, vet appointments, work, shopping, bringing kids to activities, etc.
Since the accident, I have been glued to various car sites such as Car Gurus, and dealer websites, hoping to find a replacement truck. It is not easy to discover the next big truck when prices are inflated due to the chip shortage.
Car dealers have low inventory and prices from some trucks are up 25-30%. Thankfully my insurance company paid top dollar for my truck, allowing me to put more money down.
Thanks to Steven Rinella over at MeatEater, I tested the Chevy Silverado. Most people might stay with the truck model they had, in my case Dodge Ram, but we need to explore other options to make a better decision.
I did test drive an awesome black Dodge Ram 1500, but compared to the Silverado I eventually selected, it was not matching up mileage and price.
Saturday morning I test drove a super cool Silverado with my wife. She was very excited about the truck, and we decided to move forward with it. The paperwork and financing take a long time. We came back in the afternoon to drive it home.
Time to talk about food
The meal plan this week contains dinners that my son loves. He’s a sucker for Italian-inspired foods, so I’ll be making lasagne, pizza, and pasta alfredo with shrimps. I might even explore the Spaghetti Alle Vongole.
He turns 16 years old! It is crazy how time flies. We still remember when he could barely walk as a baby, starting school, scout activities, and apparently a girlfriend at school.
My wife is the cake master of the house. She makes all the birthday cakes from scratch and has made some wonderful creations throughout the years.
When a family member has a birthday, then we celebrate for a week. Well, not big parties every day, but the person gets to chose movies, meals, and activities. Our celebrations have intensified during the COVID lockdowns, and we might have gained a few COVID love handles.
If made right, and from scratch, Italian food is amazing. I am not an Italian chef, but I do most dishes fresh, except for the pasta. Fresh clams, fresh tomatoes, fresh shrimps, and pizza made on the Traeger of course.
Another week of preparing meals for the week while listening to cool music from @theavettbrothers @thelumineers@thenativehowl @tbtduluth@taylormccallmusic @whiskeymyers@kitchendwellers @kongosmusic@edkowalczyk @theblackkeys on the awesome @demerbox and rocking my @kitchenaidusa … who said cooking couldn’t be fun!
Fire up the Traeger. Ready your Dutch oven. Go shopping, and let’s start cooking—another Sunday in the Kitchen with music on the magical Demerbox and wonderful aromas filling the room.
| Weekday | Snacks n’ Breakfasts | Lunch | Dinner |
| Monday | Fruit Cups | Sandwiches; egg, hummus, ham, cheese and lettuce | Lasagne – on the Traeger |
| Tuesday | Rice chips | Dumplings | Taco Tuesday with pork loin, cabbage and carrots. |
| Wednesday | Fruits | Sandwich with shrimp salad | Lasagne – leftovers |
| Thursday | Cesar Salad with grilled chicken | Pizza – on the Traeger | |
| Friday | Left-over pizza | Pasta Alfredo with shrimps |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Have a fantastic week, my friends. I hope you enjoy these meal plans. It is so much easier to make food in advance, although you need to invest several hours during the weekend to prepare the meals.
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