Holy crap – this year is starting to fly by a bit too fast. I’m already writing mid-August for my weekly meal plans, and booking business meetings well into September as well.
While we enjoy a lot of exciting activities, I also want to just sit on the back porch with my wife, enjoy some cold cocktails, watch the kids and dogs play on the grass, and grill some nice meat on the Traeger.
Our girls are wrapping up the girl scout camp this week. It has been a blast for our youngest adventurer, who has made a lot of new friends and caught up with friends from last year. Something tells me that Friday will be an emotional day for her.
Our oldest Viking offspring took on her first paid work as a counselor at the camp. She is a certified lifeguard and spent every day in the pool, training the younger kids how to swim and protect the pool from any accidents. She did really well and was over the moon to see her bank account increase as she got paid bi-weekly.
Live concerts are back on the agenda! Guns ‘n Roses and Zac Brown Band live!!
I had the awesome experience of taking my oldest Viking maiden to her first rock concert. We traveled to the MetLife stadium in New Jersey to see none other than Guns ‘n Roses. Both Axl and Slash were present, and they all seemed much more lively than when I saw them a few years ago at the Garden.
Axl could sing again, he moved around a lot, chatted with the audience, and looked fit – well, as fit as you can look after decades of rock life. Slash? Well, he wore the some t-shirt, jewelry and his famous hat. His air still curly and covering his face. They looked like they enjoyed it.
My daughter had a blast hearing some of her favorite tunes live, and experiencing a rock concert. Granted, the majority of the audience were older, some attempted to dress as they did in their twenties, and some women still insisted on going braless despite nipples reaching the belt buckles.
Friday night I took my wonderful wife to Zac brown Band concert, at the excellent Bethelwoods venue – the original Woodstokc location. bethelwoods is gorgeous, clean, and excellent setting in the fields. All concerts we’ve seen there have been special.
ZBB entertained the packed venue. People were in a super mood, and the atmosphere was vibrating. It was obvious that people craved socializing, and proud to support the Old Glory – the patriotism was heartwarming.
Midway through the concert, ZBB introduced a local marine officer, who walked on to the stage and saluted the audience. The crowd went in a clapping frenzy, cheering and shouting USA USA USA.
Proper State Fair
Before heading to Vegas Sunday, we decided to visit the Sussex County Fair in New Jersey. Ever since arriving at the shores of the East Coast, we have visited this fair. It is a fantastic fair with farm animals, monster trucks, tractor pulling, food truck nirvana, less than healthy food, all kinds of crafts to be bought, shows for the kids, and of course the massive carnival.
Hectic Fair Days 
Fueling up on the mandatory lemonades 
Tractor Power 
Funnel Cake Delight 
Pork Rinds freshly made 
Top of the World 
Spinning the kids
Leaving the family home alone
I’m traveling to my first tech conference in almost two years. It’ll be great to get out again, but also a little nervewrecking. While I’m fully vaccinated, and only vaccinated people can attend the conference, we still have to wear masks due to the damn Delta variant.
However, visiting Las Vegas will be a cool trip, and I’ve heard it’;; be 39-42 degrees Celcius. Damn hot for a pale Viking dude like me. Thanlfully all hotels have excellent AC, and the conference is indoor.
Simple Foods
It’s not that I do not trust my lovely family to provide for themselves, but something tells me that they will either eat pasta with ketchup all week, or order food daily.
I rather provide them some options, and made a few simple dishes for them, and baked some buns.
So, what better to make that a few pasta dishes; cajun chicken pasta dish, as well as a large tray of my family famous lasagna.
Perfect choices for the family. Easy to serve and heat up in the microwave.
There are also a few frozen meals in the freezer. No excuse for not eating somewhat healthy even when I’m not around.
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 | Sliders; roast beef, sauerkraut, mustard, tomato, and cheese | Cajun Chicken Pasta |
| Tuesday | Rice chips | Sliders; roast beef, sauerkraut, mustard, tomato, and cheese | Meat lasagna |
| Wednesday | Fruits | Sliders; chicken, BBQ, avocado, and cheese | Cajun Chicken Pasta |
| Thursday | Sliders; roast beef, sauerkraut, mustard, tomato, and cheese | Meat lasagna | |
| Friday | Sliders; roast beef, sauerkraut, mustard, tomato, and cheese | Take-out dinner |
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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