It was one of the most productive weekends in a long time. Not only did I make many great lunch and dinner options, but I also finished a project that I had been planning for at least two years. I have wanted to complete it since we bought and moved into the house almost ten years ago.

I also got to play with a jerky gun from MEAT!, which I bought over a year ago, but for some reason, I did not try it until this weekend.

Lastly, I rediscovered an excellent bakery in our village; their bread is fantastic. Serving lunch on locally sourced bread from an actual baker is healthier than buying store-bought bread.

It was rediscovered because I thought the bakery had closed, but instead, they had renovated. When driving by, I saw all the building vehicles in front and wrongly assumed they were the new owners rebuilding the facility.

Next Level of Outdoor Cooking Unlocked

I’ve long been fascinated by the prospect of having an outdoor kitchen. Having my grills, Traeger and Blackstone, easily accessible on the deck while still covered to protect them from the elements would allow me to prepare and cook meals all year round.

Secondly, I wanted to create an environment where we could hang out with friends and extend our house with an outdoor living area. We have not been able to host or use the outdoor space until recently.

The first challenge I had to overcome was the age of our existing deck, which was probably the same age as the house, which was gauged by the rot of the wood boards. The foundation and frame of the deck were solid, but the floor boards and railing needed some serious help.

Without boring you with a lengthy conversation about how I rebuild my deck, let me summarize the actions that I’ve taken in the past 18 months.

1. I ripped off the old floor boards and railing, rebuilt the main deck using Trex boards, and reinforced the frame where needed.
2. Because I’m a Viking, I need more space, so I extended (doubled the size) the deck, moving it closer to the hanging firepit that the knuckleheads designed and built.
3. Size matters, so I added another section to the deck on the side, which was reserved for the new outdoor kitchen area.
4. I built a new set of steps to the lower firepit area, where my Traeger was situated.

I made the full deck out of the same Trex boards and color, and pressure-treated wood, which will be a long-lasting solution.

Overall, the deck was a perfect size for entertaining family and friends, but it was bare, and my grills were located elsewhere, making it less practical to cook and eat outside.

I could buy a premade pergola that requires some assembly, but this is not a cheap option, and finding one the same size as my assigned deck area would prove challenging.

As such, I initiated an evil plan to design and build my outdoor kitchen pergola. It looked fantastic in my head, but since I had no idea how to draw or articulate it, I started by measuring the area and called a good friend to help calculate what would be needed.

We slowly built the pergola’s frame and skeleton over three weekends. This last weekend, we finished the main structure, so all that was left was the siding and roof.

After my friend left, I was buzzing and decided to try my DIY skills. I successfully installed the sides and am proud to share that I laid the roof myself. It was easier than anticipated and gave me confidence in my DIY abilities.

Lastly, I moved the two grills onto the deck, hung the light chains, and brought out the second-hand Craftsman toolbox, which I am using for my outdoor kitchen utensils.

I’m proud of the result and the fact that it is custom-made to fit my deck. It earned me a giant hug from my proud wife, too.

Week Twentyone Meals

Now, on to a more food-related conversation! This blog is primarily created to share ideas about cooking and healthier eating.

Someone recently asked me what the usual meals we eat are, to which I replied that I attempt to experience new dishes every week.

Granted, we have some go-to meals like spaghetti and meatballs, Danish meatballs, and steaks on the grill. Still, we enjoy a variety of international kitchens, and we want to expand our tastebuds and experiences.

I started my meal planning Friday evening, using my usual inspiration sources (books and magazines) and social media platforms. I selected several dishes with chicken, beef, and pork. I also bought locally baked bread to create school lunches.

When planning meals and lunches, I always look at if we have any leftover vegetables, dairy, or other ingredients that we can use for the coming week. I want to avoid waste.

Talking about waste – since I started our meal plan, our weekly kitchen waste has decreased from three large bin bags to about one bag. I’m not insinuating that we threw out a lot of food before, but we discarded a lot more plastic, leftover food, cardboard, etc.

I’m getting much better at sorting our trash into three large groups: cardboard, glass/cans, and regular waste. It does not take much effort, and once our kitchen garden is built, I will attempt to start composting again.

School Lunches

Finding lunch options is the most challenging part of my meal planning. The easy option is to sign them up for school lunches, but I cannot support the food they get at school. There are too many unhealthy options, and I’m growing concerned about all the additives in premade and fast food.

Nevertheless, I still use premade dough and bread products for school lunches. I attempt only to use tortilla and croissant dough, but I may sometimes buy whole wheat bread in the store.

The kids have one day off school this week, so I only have to make four lunch options.

• I made a fresh batch of pigs in blankets using croissant dough and frozen (defrosted) cocktail sausages.
• I experimented with making a chicken/ham cordon bleu using a tortilla, a quesadilla version of a French dish.
• Kent Rollins inspired me to make a grilled bologna sandwich. I’m unsure if the kids will like it, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
• Lastly, I chopped some leftover sliced chicken and salami and mixed it with pickled red peppers, olives, and grated cheese to create an Italian combo sandwich.

Dinner Time

This week’s dinners consist of chicken (as always), beef (leftover shredded brisket), and pork supplied by a local farmer. I’m using shrimp, likely from a large farm, and sausages from our local supermarket butcher.

Most dishes have recently been one-pan dishes. I don’t mind using more pots and pans, but one-pan dishes make preparing meals much faster.

I chopped the pork into bite-size pieces, placed it in a ziplock, put it back in the marinade, and let it marinate overnight. The marinade penetrated the meat and infused it with more flavor.

I mainly focused on two dishes: Cajun shrimp and sausage and chicken and rice skillet.

Most of the time was spent cutting the vegetables and cooking the food.

Our local farmer’s market starts back up during Memorial Day weekend, so this will hopefully be the last week we use store-bought vegetables and will instead buy fresh vegetables from the farmers. The fresh vegetables might not look perfect, but the flavors are excellent.

While the two skillet dishes were simmering, I started to play with the “new” toy from MEAT! I bought it last year to make jerky. It’s most common to make beef jerky using ground beef, but I will also try to make jerky using chicken or ground pork in the future.

The gun resembles your DIY tool for silicone or other building pastes. You fill the tube with the meat and squeeze it out.

I made two different batches of jerky this week. One batch uses a flank steak I marinated for 3-5 hours in the fridge, and the other uses ground beef.

Using ground beef in the jerky gun was much easier than I had anticipated. Mix the meat with the spices you want to use, stuff (load) the jerky gun, and then squeeze it out on the dehydrated plates.

However, I need to use more spices in the ground beef and let it sit longer in the dehydrator. I also need to sprinkle spices on the beef jerky, giving it an extra kick. Then I think it’ll be much better.

Trial and error. It’s all about learning!

Meal Prep Party Pictures

Meal Plan

	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Grilled Bologna Sandwich	Chicken and Rice Taco Skillet
Tuesday	No School	Korean Spicy Pork with Rice
Wednesday	Chicken and Ham Cordon Bleu	Grillades and Grits
Thursday	Pigs in Blankets	Cajun Shrimp Sausage Pasta
Friday	Chipped Italian Sandwich	Outdoor Cooking – fire-made food!

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.

Stay in touch with me through social media!

• Have you tried this recipe? Snap a picture and tag #vikingheartwithin on Instagram.
• Like my page on Facebook.