I have been debating with myself about the need to publish a meal plan this week or not. What’s the point if I do not have a real meal plan to share?
Well, I want to share the reality of life and that we cannot always prepare meal plans and rely heavily on what’s left in the cupboards or freezers to feed the family with simple meals.
It was a busy week and weekend. Too busy to do grocery shopping and any meal planning.
Some weeks are doomed to be complete with activities or, in my case, a business trip to Florida.
During COVID, all business trips were canceled, and the events were virtual even as the country started to “open” up again. Attending virtual conferences does not give you the same experience, and the takeaways are limited.
Participating fully in virtual conferences is impossible when sitting at your office desk or at home. People and technologies around you will distract you, and suddenly you are talking on the phone, a person drops in for a “quick” question, or your family is looking for some help.
Virtual conferences are often free, which may result in more participants attending, but the value and takeaways as a participant are lower – in my humble opinion.
In-person conferences allow you to interact with other participants, ask questions to speakers, meet with vendors, and have casual conversations at the bar. At the same time, they are fully emerging in the discussed topics.
On the flip side, you are away from your family for several days, which can seem like a lovely little holiday to them. However, you are not helping with house chores, school activities, prepping lunches, waking up the kids, and cleaning up after dinner.
Meeting the Viking daughter.
The beauty of flying to Florida on business is that I can meet up with our wonderful daughter. She’s attending university in Florida, which gives us an excellent opportunity for a small family reunion.
She made the trip to Orlando Friday afternoon and stayed at the hotel until Sunday. We had some fun hours chatting, eating, cooling off at the pool, and attending a dinner + show.
Not just any dinner + show. It was an Al Capone-themed show set up as a speakeasy event. You had to knock on a secret door, then say the password before you were allowed into the restaurant.
I had splashed out on VIP tickets, $40 per person, which included excellent seats, a 4-course dinner, and unlimited drinks … including alcohol. So, with my 18-year-old daughter in attendance, I had access to a designated driver.
After the show, we went back to the hotel to join the conference evening event, which had live music, more food, and more alcohol, and we witnessed a silent dance party.
I have realized that I’m too old when I’m suddenly surrounded by people dancing to music only they hear can hear. People are wearing headphones, and each person can listen to different tunes. So, you have a random moving group of people, where each person dances to the music they hear. Very odd!
The lack of meal planning
I have no words of wisdom regarding meal planning this week. Honestly, I have no meal plan except random suggestions based on what we have in the cupboards.
Thankfully we have a few left-over meals in the freezer that we can whip up, and grateful that we live in NY when it comes to buying authentic bagels for school lunches.
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Columbus Day – no school | Kick ass family-sized meat lasagna – part III |
| Tuesday | Toasted bagel with hummus, salami, and mozzarella. | Kick ass family-sized meat lasagna – part IV |
| Wednesday | Toasted bagel with egg and cheese | Boiled rice with left-over sauce |
| Thursday | Caesar salad with grilled chicken | Stir-fried noodles with chicken |
| Friday | Noodles with grilled chicken in a light soy sauce | Time for a fabulous BBQ |
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 much easier to make food in advance, although you must invest several hours preparing meals during the weekend.
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