Man, we had an exciting week last week. But, unfortunately, mother Nature wanted to ensure we didn’t miss out on snow activities and dumped 6-8 inches of snow within 12 hours (overnight).
To make the snowmageddon more exciting, my little side-by-side (UTV) vehicle refused to start, resulting in me clearing the entire driveway using my reliable snowblower and a snow shovel. “Excellent” cardio on a cold Tuesday morning.
I spent the good part of two hours clearing the driveway by pushing the oversized snowblower up/down the driveway at least eight times (four up and four down) to remove the width and length of the road.
Sweat was pouring down my back, and my beard was covered with icy snow. The pain and horror I had to endure. Especially as I was working from home that day and when the kids were staying home because of a snow day. At least I enjoyed admiring my hard work for a few hours until Mother Nature decided to share more snow.
By the end of the week, the weather and temperatures changed, and the snow had fully melted again.
Boys and Girls Weekend
My wife started a Girl Scout troop over a year ago, and they had planned a super exciting camping weekend for the troop. Not the regular glue and glitter activity, but a proper 2-night camping in a semi-wild. Their weekend was full of outdoor and indoor adventures in a snowy landscape and the mandatory hot chocolate & marshmallows in the evening.
Spending time outdoors and sucking up gallons of fresh wintery air is excellent. They tested their skills on the climbing wall, zip line, cross-country skiing, tubing, etc. I’m pretty sure they were wrecked and went to bed early.
Meanwhile, back on the mountaintop, my son and I looked forward to a boys’ weekend. But, of course, you all know what that means; beer, meat, snacks, sodas, chocolate, and wings. And perhaps a few visits to Hooters.
On the contrary, it had been another busy week at work, and once you mature agewise, your body might not be as eager to party as you once were. While I was comfortably enjoying a large shot of 1792 bourbon with ice in my La-z-Boy recliner, my body, and mind started to wind down.
I must’ve nodded off as my body suddenly twitched as my mind realized I had fallen asleep while watching John Wick. It is sacrilegious to sleep during John Wick movies. It was only 8.22 PM and only 12 minutes into John Wick!
I splashed some cold water on my face to wake up. Falling asleep before 9 PM on a Friday night is unacceptable! We soldiered on, finished the movie, and went to bed around 10.38 PM.
For my sins, I woke up at 5.48 AM. Despite trying to sleep some more, my body and mind wanted to start to do something other than sleep, so I walked downstairs to prepare my meal plan. Within a few hours, I had cleaned and vacuumed the house, washed clothes, and made my way over to help a friend – all before 9 AM.
We spent the rest of the day working in the garage, grocery shopping, and watching movies. It was a very productive weekend, and I loved hanging out with my son. He does not talk much (at all), but we still laugh and have fun.
Did I mention that I learned to change the brakes on my truck? It was an incredible experience, and I’m very proud that I pulled it off and my truck can still stop. It completed the boys’ weekend perfectly.
Short and Easy Week!
A good friend of mine is from the Philippines, and they always talk about how delicious and healthy their food is. So, I wanted to test my culinary skills and found a few Filipino recipes.
Honestly, I’m not sure these are authentic recipes, and they seem a little weak on spices. On the other hand, the recipes might be as Danish as Danish pastry in the US and just some Western attempt at making Filipino dishes by adding the word Filipino to the recipe name.
Nevertheless, I tried to cook a couple of dishes, and the result looks ok, but it comes down to the flavors when you eat them.
I made two different lasagna options; a traditional meat lasagna and a more modern chicken cordon bleu lasagna. The latter is heavy on cheese with a nice chicken and ham filling, but NOT on the healthy side. The amount of Swiss cheese in the dish could feed a small Swiss family for two weeks. Perhaps not a good choice if you are on a diet or trying to reduce fat intake. However, we only live once!
Lunch & Dinner
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Caesar salad with peppers, corn, and grilled chicken | Chicken cordon bleu lasagna |
| Tuesday | Dumplings with soy dipping sauce | Filipino Picadillo |
| Wednesday | Pesto and mozzarella on a homemade baquette | MEAT lasagne |
| Thursday | Beef quesadilla | Creamy chicken sopa (Filipino) |
| Friday | Chicken Caprese pasta salad | Time and weather will tell |
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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