We are closing out Lent and March by celebrating His resurrection. Some might roll their eyes at this statement because they do not follow the faith or have a skeptical view of religion.

I’m not afraid or ashamed to share that I believe and have experienced personal miracles due to my faith. My heart has fully healed largely because my prayers were answered.

We celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead to sit next to his Father and will welcome us home when it is our turn. It is a magical and joyous moment in Christianity.

For our Easter family dinner, we indulged in a perfectly smoked ham shank with collard greens and gratin potatoes. Very delicious!

Woodworking Therapy

For the past few years, I have enjoyed learning to build and work with wood. I’m not drawing comparisons to a famous carpenter, but I use the time to create stuff.

Perhaps it is my Danish roots and that my dad was a furniture upholsterer—it’s in my DNA—who knows? Either way, spending time designing and creating wood furniture is peaceful and allows me to switch off from the stress at work. I can also escape a few hours from the domestic chores.

A great friend recently gave me a nice slap of walnut that I’m attempting to turn into a hanging lamp over our dining table. It’s taking much longer than anticipated; life gets in the way of creativity, but it is getting closer to completion.

I’ll insert brass spotlights into the board, hang it with wire or chain, and then connect it to a dimmer switch. It’ll be awesome!

Week Fourteen Meals

The kids were off last week. They call it spring break, but it equals Easter break in Europe. Either way, the kids spent most of the time in their pajamas and doing as little as possible.

I have gained a few lbs since Christmas, so it is time we focus on healthier eating. I admit that I have used too many cream products and cheese and been generous with portions, which all add to the belly and hip areas.

It also pissed me off that my cardiologist suggested that I increase my cholesterol medication!

I’m not too fond of medication, so I want to do as much as possible to lower my cholesterol naturally by eating healthier and starting exercises again.

My kryptonite is made of gummy bears and yellow M&M bags. I have to enforce self-discipline to not stop by the aisles that tempt me.

I do not drink sodas or beers, and avoid chips, cakes, and other temptations.

School Lunches

Monday is Easter Monday. The kids are off school and must provide for themselves.

I’ll make a few simple and healthier school lunches. I might as well encourage and support healthier eating for our kids.

I will use dark wheat bread instead and create two sandwich options.

1. Avocado, tomato and egg
2. Mozzarella, pesto, and tomato

I will also serve a nice eggroll in a bowl with chicken and make a breakfast burrito with egg, cheese, spinach, and ground turkey.

Dinner Time

I’ve found that a Mediterranean-inspired diet helps reduce cholesterol. It is a healthy combination of leaner meat, such as chicken and seafood, served with roasted vegetables or a simple salad.

• We start the week with a salmon dish with roasted potatoes and peppers.
• We then enjoy chicken served with a quinoa salad.
• We then make a pasta dish with fresh spinach, tomato, and ground turkey.
• Later in the week, we will eat shrimp with roasted vegetables.

It is all in the portion sizes and what we eat. Smaller portions are a quick way to lose weight, especially if you can avoid snacking on sweets.

Meal Prep Party Pictures

Meal Plan

	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Easter Monday – no school	Chili-lemon salmon with roasted peppers and spuds
Tuesday	Avocado and egg sandwich on wheat bread	Spiced grilled chicken with quinoa and salad
Wednesday	Eggroll in a bowl with chicken	Spaghetti with turkey, spinach, peppers, and tomatoes
Thursday	Breakfast burrito (egg and cheese)	BBQ glazed shrimp with celery, peppers, and tomatoes
Friday	Mozzarella, pesto and tomato sandwich on wheat bread	Friday Night BBQ

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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