As we arrive at the second Sunday in Advent, we must focus and reflect on the second coming of Christ. We faithfully anticipate his long-awaited return by setting aside time to pray during the busy weeks when we only pay attention to the stuff we need to do. The message of the second candle is FAITH. We have faith and need to stay positive on what is coming.
Talking about faith – I spent a lot of quality time with my family this past weekend. We have our typical teenage arguments at times when they try to do something stupid, but this past weekend was excellent.
We even played board games; our teenage girls sometimes looked at their parents more than the phone screens. So, I have faith that our kids are maturing.
And, while discussing games, I rekindled a lost relationship with an old C&C game called Red Alert. It was released in the mid-90s, and I battled for many hours on solo and multiplayer missions.
While my dear wife was studying for the MBA program with her group, I used that opportunity to enjoy a small glass of bourbon while fighting the Russian advancements in Red Alert.
It’s Starting to Smell a lot Like Christmas.
As per tradition, we spend a few weekends baking Christmas cookies and bread. Unfortunately, it also means we eat stuff we shouldn’t be, but it is damn nice and tasty.
The beauty of this tradition is that we get to spend quality time with the kids, away from the phones, while we listen to Christmas music and hang out in the kitchen.
The phones are only used to change the music at times or take pictures of our creations.
Our favorites are cinnamon buns, Swedish bread, ginger cookies, and almond cookies, and we might splash out with marzipan bread.
Our kids enjoy this time, too, as they smile ear to ear, laugh, and chat, and you can tell they are having a great time.
Ginger Power House
Ginger is an Asian root that has magical powers. It is often used in Oriental dishes and a lot of baking around the house, such as our traditional ginger cookies for Christmas.
Origin:
Native to parts of Asia, such as China, Japan, and India
Description:
Ginger has a leafy stem and yellowish-green flowers. The spice comes from the rhizome (underground stem) of the plant.
Purpose:
Ginger has been used for medicinal purposes in China for more than 2,500 years, and it has had a prominent role in Chinese, Indian, and Japanese medicine since the 1500s.
I went grocery shopping at our local BJ outlet a few weeks ago. And as many of these outlets stores, you buy in bulk. I needed some ginger for the meal plan and walked away with two pounds of ginger root. A lot more than what I needed!
I dehydrated it to make ginger ground to avoid throwing it all out. The process is time-consuming as you have to peel each root, and it is not easy, given the shape of the root.
Once peeled and washed, slice it into thin pieces and place the slices on a grate. Put the slices into your dehydrator or oven, and let it dehydrate for 2-3 hours at 130F. Check it occasionally, and when it is no longer soft or moist, then you are done.
Let the root slices cool off, and then you grind them in a coffee grinder.
Healthy Side of Ginger
There are a lot of benefits to eating ginger, and here are a few options borrowed from the web:
- Lower blood pressure – It will not lower blood pressure instantly, but adding it to food can assist in reducing it. You can also eat ginger tablets.
- Improve circulation – if used in lotions, it can help blood flow in sore muscles. And, it is perfect for the heartbeat the best possible.
- Speed up metabolism – it might help if you are trying to lose weight, as it can help you burn fat.
- Increase libido – this goes for both men and women 🙂
- Improve arthritis – it will not cure it but can relieve swelling and pain.
The list goes on, so it is time we start eating more ginger. After reading about ginger, I need to find some ginger tablets.
Cooking with Ginger
Because we had so much ginger, I dedicated the entire meal plan to dishes that contained ginger. And I encouraged my wife to find healthier recipes for her ginger cookies so we could eat them as a snack with a good conscience.
I start with a simple carrot soup by glazing the carrots with garlic and onions before adding the chicken broth. Once the carrots were soft, I added a can of coconut milk and blended the soup. It’ll be served with some toasted bagel pieces and caramelized onions.
While the carrots were cooking, I marinated chicken and pork for two other dishes.
I made bourbon chicken, which, to my dismay, does not contain bourbon. The dish was named after the person who “invented” as he lived on Bourbon Street. A simple dish with a ginger-infused sauce.
I then roasted garlic and ginger in a large pot and made an oriental mushroom soup we could enjoy with dumplings.
Lastly, I made a ginger and garlic-flavored pork dish, adding red peppers and onions.
Overall, many excellent dishes will give us a healthy dosage of ginger.
I made a fun tater-tot-casserole for kid’s lunches, grilled some chicken on the Traeger for a burrito, and bought some ingredients to make a killer melted cheese sandwich.
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Smoked Mozarella on a Pesto smothered bagel | Dumplings in a roasted ginger and garlic broth |
| Tuesday | Soy Ginger Sweet Chili Chicken Burrito | Bourbon Ginger Chicken with rice |
| Wednesday | Tater Tots Breakfast Caserole Finger-licking square | Carrot and ginger soup with caramalized onions |
| Thursday | Monster Cheese Melt | Ginger marinated pork chops with onions and red peppers |
| Friday | Fantastic Friday Pizza | Simple Friday Family 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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