The kids enjoyed the whole week off last week, which allowed them to sleep in, watch movies, play with the dogs, play Xbox, read books, and walk around in their pajamas all day.
On the flip side, to safeguard my sanity and limit raising eyebrows with people at work while on virtual calls, I decided to work from the office to avoid getting disturbed by sudden loud noises from movies or games.
Working remotely is great, especially if you have a lot of administrative tasks to complete, but I thoroughly enjoy being in the office as I interact with staff and colleagues. As a department leader, it is also vital that I show that I’m accessible both to my staff and other departments.
We kicked off a massive project for our house during the winter break. Our roof is probably the original, and our home insurance company suddenly canceled our coverage until we replaced the roof. It was not ideal, although my wife and I had talked about it in the past year.
Roof Replacement
I applied the same project rules as I do at work for significant investments: to get at least three bids for the roof. We contacted three local roofing companies and invited them to provide a quote. Each vendor was given the same list of requirements, and I was stunned at how the bids varied for the same shingles. Bids ranged from $22-37K. One vendor even offered that if we signed within 4 hours, we would avail of a $1500 discount … on a $37K investment.
I kindly informed the vendor that we would not make a $37K investment decision within a 4-hour window and would evaluate the various bids before we select a vendor.
Ultimately, we selected a local, reputable roofer and added solar panels, intending to go off the grid. It would be a massive project, and I was impressed when they agreed to replace the roof and install the solar panels during the winter.
On Monday morning, during the winter break, the family was awoken by loud noises from the ceiling and feared the house was caving in. However, the roofer came to the house with an army of workers and started the project.
Given the importance of the project, I decided to work from home on the first day in case they had any questions. It wasn’t too loud, but much foot traffic around the house made the dogs frenzy.
While working at the kitchen dining table, I suddenly saw pieces falling from the sky. Uncertain as to what was happening, I quickly determined that this was part of the process, and thankfully, the team had put down a large tarp to catch all the debris.
They attacked the roof by ripping the old shingles and throwing them onto the ground. It looked much worse than it was, but I was getting nervous about the health of my roof as it was laid bare to the elements. Imagine if it started raining or snowing while the roof was completely vulnerable.
Within the first day, they had completely removed the old roof and underlayer, down to the boards, and before they left, they had covered the roof with the underlayer.
On day two, they installed all the shingles and finished around the pipes and chimneys.
On days three and four, they installed and connected the solar panels, and on Friday, they cleaned up, finished the cosmetics, and completed the walkthrough.
We are live on the new solar panels, but now what?
Week Nine Meals
Hello all – this week is straightforward with ready-made (homemade) freezer meals, back-to-school lunches, an excellent over-the-fire cooking adventure, and some wonderful potato bread.
Ox Tail Over the Fire and Traeger
We bought a quarter cow last fall, and I always pick the more interesting cuts and pieces, such as shank, tail, heart, liver, etc. You can make some fantastic recipes using these cuts.
Sunday, I started to make smoked ox tail and shank stew, but not inside. Despite being cold, I wanted to experiment with cooking outside, but the sky was blue and sunny. It was a fantastic day.
While the food was cooking, I could listen to music, start a fire, and clean the deck and back garden areas. It is a win-win scenario.
I rubbed the beef pieces with FragOut spices and smoked the meat for 2 hours on the Traeger.
While the meat was slowly smoking, I popped a can of Hoop Tea, the best-spiked tea around, and started a fire in my Breeo using the nifty Pull-Start-Fire gadget.
30 minutes before the meat was ready, I prepared the vegetables, drained the beans, and started to heat the Dutch oven.
Once the tallow melted, I added the onions, garlic, peppers, carrots, and jalapenos.
I slowly placed the meat on top of the vegetables inside the Dutch oven and then covered it all with the beans and chicken broth. I covered the Dutch oven with a lid and gently placed it on the Traeger where it would sit for 3-4 hours. All I had to do was ensure the Traeger had enough pellets in the hopper.
Next, I had another Hoop Tea, cranked up the music, sat by the fire, did some yard work, and returned to check the dish occasionally.
I served the dish Sunday evening with cheesy grits, which went perfectly with the stew.
School Lunches
We are back preparing lunches for the kids, and I eased the kids back into healthy lunches.
We start the week with some Caesar salad with grilled chicken.
Then we moved on to toasted bagels with pesto and mozzarella, and then I made a few stuffed croissants with chicken slices and cheese.
Lastly, I made one of my daughter’s favorite cucumber sandwiches. It is straightforward, with slices of cucumber mixed in Greek yogurt and fresh garlic and stacked on homemade buns.
Dinner Time
It’ll be a simple week in regards to dinner. I’m clearing out the freezer yet again.
As mentioned in the past, I attempt not to keep already-made food in the freezer for too long, and I also need some of the freezer storage containers for other things.
However, I did make a large pot of smoked ox tail and shank stew over the fire and on the Traeger, which we will enjoy both Sunday and Monday. It was a 7-8 hour process from start to finish.
In addition, since I didn’t have much food to prepare this weekend, I also made some lovely Irish potato flatbreads. I remember eating these when ordering a packed breakfast when we lived in Ireland. It was easier than I had anticipated and only had three ingredients. Delicious!
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Chicken Ceasar Salad | Braised Smoked Ox Tail Stew |
| Tuesday | Melted mozzarella and pesto bagel | Lasagna (freezer) with coleslaw |
| Wednesday | Stuff Croissants with chicken and cheese | Chicken with zucchini and corn |
| Thursday | Cucumber sandwich | Chicken Fajita with coleslaw |
| Friday | Friday Pizza | Friday night fire pit wonders |
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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The Viking Heart Within 