We kicked off last week with my wife suffering from a severe case of the man flu. She can generally handle most viruses thrown at her, but this one did kick her ass.

The strain of the man flu that I shared with her caused her to be down for the count for several days. Of course, she managed to study for her MBA classes and do some gym but still felt terrible.

It meant I had to pull double duty on several duties around the house to allow her to rest and improve. It is also part of being married or living in a relationship. We help each other when we are down.

By Saturday, she was almost back to normal, so I made a protein booster dinner consisting of a large quantity of sirloin steak bites smothered in garlic butter and some roasted baby potatoes, with a side of garlic bites.

I found this fun, ready-to-go (almost) kit from Pillsbury. All you need to add is a couple of tablespoons of melted butter and then back. Probably not the most healthy option, but such is life. We have to enjoy our meals.

As long as you have the ingredients, making BBQ sauce is not difficult. I attempted to make BBQ sauce from scratch, and the result was pretty good. It was not tangy, but that’ll be updated next time. From start to finish, it is a 15-minute effort, and then more time to let the sauce cool down.

I’m unsure if it is old age or just me being pathetic, but I was exhausted over the weekend. I blame the extra duties I had to do around the house, the busy work schedule, and the aftermath of my man flu. Either way, I did very little physical work over the weekend.

Week Six Meals

Welcome to an exciting week of meals where I will make every dish from scratch and not use the microwave to defrost dinner. I do not mind freezer meals but prefer cooking and consuming freshly made dinners.

School Lunches

We start the week with a simple Caesar Salad with a few added ingredients.  Besides the usual grilled chicken, which I marinaded in pickle juice for 3 hours before adding the spices, I added a little corn, black beans, red onions, and croutons.

As I attempt to plan, one of the school lunches will be chicken meatballs with hummus and pita bread. It is an excellent, simple option. And we are eating chicken meatballs for dinner. See what I did there?

I then made taco sticks using ground beef with spices and some grated cheese wrapped in ready-made pizza dough. Each stick was brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with oregano and garlic powder.

The last school lunch is a delicious egg omelet wrap with Canadian bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese. I made another variation with ground beef.

Dinner Time

Yes, you guessed it, we are having a Greek feast with pita, feta sauce, chicken meatballs, and hummus—a light dinner.

I created two different bean soups or stews. One Louisianna Red Bean and Creamy White Bean Soup. Both contain a lot of beans, vegetables, and meat. The red bean dish uses a spicy sausage, and the white bean is a simple pork ground.

Lastly, I made a nice portion of spaghetti and meatballs. I’m using a “healthier” pasta option to reduce my carb intake because it has been proven that store-bought pasta is less healthy for you. I would make my pasta, but I’m not that organized.

PS: I made an extra tray of spaghetti and mealballs for a local family in need. It feels nice to help others in need.

I’ll make some delicious honey garlic slow-cooked pork chops with creamed spinach and roasted cauliflower for Friday dinner. It’s a beautiful way to finish the week.

Meal Prep Party Pictures

Meal Plan

	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Chicken Caesar Salad	Chicken meatballs with hummus and pita bread
Tuesday	Chicken meatballs with hummus and pita bread	Louisianna Red Bean and Rice
Wednesday	Taco Sticks with homemade BBQ sauce	Creamy White Bean Soup
Thursday	Breakfast wrap: Canadian bacon and organic beef	Pasta and Meatballs
Friday	Pizza Friday	Honey Garlic Slow Cooked Pork Chop with creamed spinach and roasted cauliflower

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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