I’ll admit last week’s meal plan did not happen. Family life got in the way, and I was too ambitious in attempting to cook during the week, considering we had a few events on most evenings.

So, this week’s meal plan resembles last week’s dinners, but I have changed the kids’ lunches.

The food and grocery planning took place Saturday evening while I enjoyed a cheese platter and a glass (or two) of red wine while “From Dusk Till Dawn” ran on the iPad. What better way to prepare meals?

After a few glasses of wine, my creative thoughts also kicked in, and I realized that I had not shared details of our latest date night.

During the week, I also attended an exciting business event, virtual beer tasting. While the beer was okay, the event planning is something else nowadays. Companies learned how to engage customers virtually, making them feel special.

Virtual Oktober Fest

Attending corporate sales events is something that I dread. Still, it is an essential part of my job, ensuring that my company stays informed and can make better technical decisions on how to secure the organization (technically) and enhance patient care.

Through business contacts, I got invited to a virtual Oktober Fest hosted by the Palo Alto Prisma Cloud team. The events team went the extra mile and set up unique activities to get customers involved, and this time, it was a sample of three beers, mini beer steins, and a kit to bake pretzels.

We spent an hour and a half with a professional chef who walked the audience through the three beers, asked questions to attendees, and then the sales team weaved a few presentations into the evening. You did not feel the pressure to engage or purchase, and it was a valuable evening to learn more about cloud security. Great event and evening!

Fun Stuff

Throughout all the business we go through, it is essential to set aside time for other activities. It doesn’t always have to include food, but most of my hobbies are food-related.

I recently found a new supermarket and found Danish butter – the best butter in the World – and I had to buy a pack.

That same afternoon, while picking up a nice bottle of red wine for Saturday evening dinner, I “stumbled” across some cure small Ole Smokey moonshine jars. Not just any jars, but mini jars.

Lastly, I want to share the final stage of my apple mead experiment. It has been sitting in a dark area for a month fermenting, and I strained it Sunday morning and placed it in the fridge for several hours before tasting it. It is amazing!!

40th Anniversary Tour

My wife has been a big fan of The Smiths and Morrissey for a few decades, since the mid/late 80s. She (my wife) claims that she has followed The Smiths since 1983 when they released “Hand in Glove,” and transitioned to following Morrissey when they broke up The Smiths in 1988.

It was a no-brainer when I saw tickets for Morriessey’s 40th-anniversary tour – a perfect birthday present for my lovely wife. I can’t believe he has been going strong for 40 years, which may shed some light on the actual age of my wife.

We had the opportunity to see the concert at the United Palace, a beautiful old theater located in the Washington Heights neighborhood. At first, we were a little nervous about parking and walking around Washington Heights, around the George Washington Bridge, but we quickly realized it was a lovely neighborhood.

In the past, when going to concerts in the City (NYC), we often got caught in traffic and never had time to have a proper dinner. For our most recent shows, we have managed to leave earlier and found time to get some food.

We found a great little (local) eatery and had a fantastic burrito and a chicken bowl. It was an excellent break before walking a few blocks towards the theater.

The next few hours were spent in the presence of a seasoned entertainer. I only knew 2 out of the 21 songs he performed. The audience is an exciting mix of older people, new fans, and hardcore fans dressed up. They knew most songs, so it was, at times, a sing-along evening.

Dinnertime

As I mentioned, I kept the dinner options the same as the previous week but never made them. It is time to keep my promise and make these dinners.

I halved a bunch of tomatoes and placed them on a baking sheet with celery sticks, carrots, 2 inches of fresh ginger, and a handful of garlic cloves, and threw it on the Traeger smoker for almost two hours at 300F.

While I smoked the vegetables, I started the Mountain-styled cowboy meatballs. No, not Rocky Mountain Oysters, just regular meatballs stuffed with onions, herbs, and cheese. I make the sweet and spicy sauce while the meatballs roast in the oven.

For the lasagna, I got a lot of frozen shrimp (small and large) and some imitation crabmeat. I wilted a large amount of spinach with onions, made some bechamel sauce, and mixed in a can of unsalted chopped tomatoes. Then, I layered the lasagna and baked it for 45 minutes.

Once the vegetables were ready, I increased the heat of the Traeger and grilled six chicken thighs for the sandwich and the Caesar salad.

It was a busy Sunday morning and afternoon, but enjoyable.

Meal Plan

	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Homemade Tuna Salad on a Bun	Smoked Tomato Soup with Garlic Bread
Tuesday	Roastbeef Wrap with lettuce, tomato and pickled red onion	Family-sized Spinach and Shrimp Lasagne – part I
Wednesday	Caesar Salad Chicken Delight	Family-sized Spinach and Shrimp Lasagne – part II
Thursday	Roastbeef Wrap with lettuce, tomato, and pickled red onion	Stuffed Cowboy Meatballs with Pasta
Friday	Simple Pizza Day	Protein BBQ Cookout

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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