It has been 13 years since I last celebrated Christmas with my family in Denmark.
We are excited to greet my sister and her family, welcome them to our house, and spend the next ten days hanging out.
Christmas is going to be special this year. It is a proper Viking family reunion without the battle cries and burning of villages. We have to be more civil these days.
We will focus on the importance of life: family, food, and faith
Saturday, I spent a few hours with my son as we went to my friend’s barber joint and had our hair done. My son was smiling ear-to-ear as the talented barber at Dapperways. He even trimmed his goatee. It is such a pleasure hanging out with my son.
We have to look sharp for when the Viking clan from Denmark arrives.
A Change in Meals
When my food journey started some years ago, I aimed to make healthier options to support my heart recovery and fitness goals. I succeeded with my heart recovery and made good progress on my fitness – unfortunately, I have relaxed too much and need to adjust my fitness.
Over the past few months, I also noticed that some meals are fattier, indicating that I’m drifting away from my health goals. I will adjust my meals further in 2024.
For now, let’s indulge and get ready for our New Year resolutions.
Easy Dinners
Christmas is only a week away, so we are lightening this week’s meals. Or at least straightforward, but perhaps not as healthy as they should be.
The week starts with a creamy butternut squash “stew” with gnocchi and chorizo sausage meat. I’m using quotation marks because I’m unsure if this is a stew or soup. It’s chunkier, which is why I’m leaning towards stew.
I could’ve used butternut squash puree from a can, but I made my puree by baking a large (two halves) butternut squash and then adding the mashed insides to the stew. You never know what is in the cans!
While making the butternut squash dish, I started the Sloppy Joe process. It is ground beef with carbon, and then you add some sauces like ketchup, mustard, and tomato salsa.
Per tradition, I always spice up my dishes to what I like, so instead of regular beer, I use black gold, aka Guinness. It gives it a rich flavor.
I made a few quiche options for when my sister arrives—nothing fancy but a light dish we can eat when we return to the house. One has ham and pineapple. The other has mushrooms and spinach. And, of course, plenty of cheese, eggs, and milk.
Thursday, I’ll make my “famous” fried chicken sandwiches as another simple yet bloody delicious meal. I might make homemade french fries while using the deep fryer anyway.
For the kids, I made a nifty little pizza wheel, and then my daughter ordered her favorite lunches for the last week of school in 2023: grilled cheese, pesto with mozzarella sandwich, chicken Caesar salad, and a breakfast sandwich.
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Pizza Wheels | Butternut Squash with Gnocchi and Sausage |
| Tuesday | Chicken Caesar Salad | Beer Cheese Sloppy Joe |
| Wednesday | Grilled Cheese – revisited | Quiche Fiesta; ham and pineapple – mushroom and spinach |
| Thursday | Breakfast Sandwich | Fried Chicken Burger |
| Friday | Tomato, Pest, and Mozzarella Sandwich | Viking 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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