What a weekend!
We went from being offered front-row tickets to seeing the aurora borealis (aka Northern Light) over many parts of Northern Europe and Northern America. Due to a significant solar flare, which triggered some natural phenomena, the aurora borealis started to dance across the sky. The sky was displaying a variety of purple and some green flares. Spectacular! Or so I hear!
Unfortunately, we missed this rare occurrence while sitting inside watching Netflix and drinking a few adult beverages. I was completely oblivious until the following morning when I noticed my neighbors posting spectacular pictures from our neighborhood!
We are blessed with Facebook and other social media platforms that remind us about important things we missed. The punishment continues for a few days until the amazement becomes outdated. Instead, we go back to getting hate shown in our faces by the mainstream media: screaming people, violence on display, accusations of atrocities, and political clowns on display, both elected and not elected. Why do people have to be so bloody angry?
We should bring back the rule of the Vikings when shit got done – it might not have been right, but it got done, and disputes got settled.
The Saw is Family!
Talking about getting shit done. Saturday was dedicated to practicing my lumberjack skills with my awesome Stihl chainsaw. I was helping a friend cut down and, in my book, a large tree. I’m not an arborist, so I could not tell you the name or provide further details, but the tree was doomed. Mainly because it was dying and posed a risk to the house.
To be honest, I have never dropped a very large tree, but I have seen a few YouTube videos on how to place the surgical cuts and drop the tree. I graduated as a tree cutter from the YouTube academy! How hard could it be?
Upon arriving, I quickly unpacked my Stihl saw, swung it on my shoulder like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and paraded around the tree looking like a pro.
I attacked the tree with a few practice cuts, assessed the angle and direction I wanted to drop, and adjusted my cuts accordingly.
After 40 minutes of cutting, the tree started to move. It slowly tilted in the direction I wanted, and with an enormous crash, it fell on the lawn – exactly where I had planned. It was obviously beginner’s luck, but I pretended it was my intention.
Mission accomplished!
I was so pumped and proud of my achievement that I unpacked the saw again when I arrived home and went into the woods on our property to speak to the trees. A few of them were snapped or dying, so I dropped them calmly with the confidence of an experienced arborist.
As a reward, I started a fire, opened a cider, grilled some meat, and ate by the fire. It feels awesome to do manly shit, and I gave my woman a giant kiss.
The Day of Mothers
Sunday was dedicated to the fabulous mothers of this world. Not a birthing person, a person who bleeds, a feeder of babies, but a real woman who gave birth to us all.
Mothers should be worshipped as they are the reason we can bring kids into this world, and going through pregnancy is not an easy adventure.
My mother and sister in Denmark and my lovely wife are the center of my World. These three remarkable women mean the world to me, and I respect and love them for what they have accomplished.
Giving mothers one day of the year is nothing. We should celebrate them more often, which I try to do by including and appreciating them in my life.
We celebrated Mother’s Day by sending my wife out to sell Girl Scout cookies with our youngest offspring, but I made Spaghetti Vongele (her favorite dish) for dinner with an excellent chilled white wine.
Thank you, Mother – I love you!
Week Twenty Meals
While my wife and youngest daughter were out selling Girl Scout cookies, I started to make lunches and dinners for the week.
We had completed grocery shopping on Saturday, so I could start cooking early—around 8:30 a.m., shortly after the girls left.
This week, I made dinners using the stove, the oven, the deep fryer, and the Traeger grill. This requires multitasking, which can be a significant challenge for men.
One of my big challenges is taking lovely photos of the food I make. I’m not a photographer, and my pictures do not do the food justice. I want to show you my creations, but recognize that the images are made by an amateur, but so are the meals.
School Lunches
I’m making a mix of bread, chicken, and baked goods this week. Variety is essential but also a challenge, as I need to find lunches that the kids will like and eat without embarrassment while also being easy to make and store.
We start the week with a Greek-inspired salad consisting of cucumber, orzo (pasta), black beans, lettuce, grilled chicken, feta, and olive oil.
Next is a delicious BLT sandwich using turkey bacon. We have to be health conscious. I LOVE bacon, but it is less healthy. I’m not sure how large the turkey is, but it must be a small dinosaur if they can get large slaps of meat to make bacon.
Then, I’m making Mufaletta, a premade dough rolled with salami, ham, and cheese. I sprinkled some spices and baked it for 10-15 minutes.
I’m packing grilled chicken, celery, crackers, and hummus for another Greek-inspired light lunch.
Dinner Time
Dinner is a mix of chicken, beef, and kielbasa. I made dinner using the Traeger, a deep fryer, and the stove.
Because of the time it takes, I started with the brisket. I removed excessive fat, added spices, and browned the sides in my Dutch oven. Then I prepared the sauce, added the brisket, and baked/smoked it on the Traeger for three hours.
In parallel, I prepared the kielbasa tray with potatoes and apples and placed it on the Traeger.
While the Traeger was cooking two dishes, I started the coconut milk chicken and dished more chicken to prepare the fried chicken pieces. The aroma that filled the kitchen and back garden was titillating, and I’m sure a few neighborhood rodents and bears would have been tempted to visit our house if it wasn’t for our Great Pyrenees dog guarding our property.
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Greek Spring Bowl with chicken | Apple, Potato and Kielbasa Bake |
| Tuesday | Simple BLT Sandwich | Taco Tuesday with super tender brisket (birria) |
| Wednesday | Muffaletta | Coconut Chicken with rice |
| Thursday | Hummus with grilled chicken, celery and crackers | Thai Grilled Chicken with sweet chili sauce |
| Friday | TBD | Outdoor Cooking – fire-made food! |
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 