Wow, it has been two weeks since I last posted. I almost had withdrawal symptoms, but I enjoyed my time off work and writing meal plans. For several days, I felt guilty for not setting time aside to draft and publish a new meal plan. Did you miss me?
To fill you in, I decided to take the family on a bit of R&R. Due to the fecking financial economy being in a downward spiral; we could not afford something fancy like a trip to the Bahamas, Costa Rica, South Texas, Florida, Europe, or other fabulous destinations.
However, there are many excellent alternatives on the US East Coast. One can explore historical sites, quaint villages, exciting theme parks, or hundreds of national parks. You have many options, so start planning your next trip.
We enjoy road trips as we experience the counties and states up close, including sights and food. Of course, we have to involve food!
We wanted something relatively nearby, considering we would travel with four adults and two large dogs in the family pick-up truck. It’s like jumping in the caravan with everything we need and our livestock and heading southwest. We are modern settlers, except we are not settling anywhere, just visiting for some days.
An Amish Adventure
The Viking Family was heading to Pennsylvania (PA), where the Civil War was kicked off, a bunch of dudes wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence, where the United States Constitution was drafted, and the location of the Liberty Bell that chimed when we declared our independence.
However, we are not going to the historical side of PA; we will explore the traditional Amish country, Lancaster County, PA. The Amish area is located further inland, West of Philadelphia.
We visited the Amish area ten years ago and have vivid and happy memories of experiencing the Amish way of living. Granted, we did not live with an Amish family and used our cars and technologies, but we thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food and vegetables available.
Something is mesmerizing about driving through the countryside to see the Amish people manage the land as they’ve done since settling in Pennsylvania in 1714, using horses, wagons, and an array of manual tools.
The women tend to the kitchen gardens and house chores. The family drives around in the horse and buggy, parking it at the local supermarket and seeing the laundry hanging out to dry.
The Amish wear basic old-fashioned clothes. The men have interesting haircuts and bushy beards, and the women wear dresses and long hair but a light hair cover or hat.
Traveling through Lancaster County feels like traveling back in time, mixed with modern living. And the food is terrific, especially the soft pretzels. We highly recommend visiting the area.
However, since visiting Lancaster County 10 years ago, there has been a visible change to the Amish culture, particularly around Bird-in-Hand and the surrounding villages.
Most “Amish” goods you can buy in the main store are mass-produced and imported. It’s almost impossible to find anything authentically made by the Amish. A few outlets do sell Amish-made food, but everything else is sold by non-Amish people and is standard cheap stuff made from plastic or readymade processed food.
We had a wonderful and relaxing time in Lancaster, and we would highly recommend visiting the area so you, too, can experience the excellent fresh food made by the Amish people. But, go to the rural supermarkets and avoid the tourist traps like Bird-in-Hand.
Week Thirty-six Meals
I skipped sharing week 35 meals because we were away and not sure what we would eat. I’m not planning vacation meals because we live more adventurously when traveling.
We returned from PA Thursday afternoon, and I was not returning to work until after Labor Day weekend. Our furnace was scheduled to be serviced, so I had to take an extra day.
The extended week and weekend allowed me to plan and prepare several simple yet exciting dinners.
I enjoy shopping for fresh produce and making food from scratch – including baking bread.
School Lunches
School is back!
However, for some reason, our kids can eat school lunches for free. I’m against school cafeteria lunches as they are usually unhealthy, but I gave my daughter the choice of homemade or school lunch. She picked school lunches.
My pride was hurt, but I know it can be difficult for a freshman high school kid to take out a lunch box with homemade food. I reluctantly agreed that you do not want to be the laughingstock in the lunch area. We also decided to assess in a few weeks.
However, my son will enjoy homemade school lunches as usual. He’s my best food critic and eats everything we make.
I baked lunch buns and stuffed a few with grilled cheese, pesto, and mozzarella and another bun with salami, tomato, and mozzarella.
I made a large batch of my famous granola bars using Amish-made peanut butter. He gets a bar as a snack, and I bring some to work, too.
Dinner Time
We were gifted many clams for Labor Day, so I decided to make a simple Spaghetti alle Vongole. My wife and I first tried this dish in Hurghada by the Red Sea in Egypt. We had spent the day on a dive boat, taking the Padi Certificate, and the dish was perfect.
The weather is cooling down, but not by much. I want to boost the family’s immune system with a spicy (only a little more than ketchup) chicken noodle soup. I spiced it up with some extra ingredients and turned it into a Thai-inspired dish.
Staying with exciting dishes, I made a large pot of Creole Gumbo with shrimp, sausage, and chicken. It’s an excellent meal that fills you up, and we have enough for the freezer for the coming week.
Finally, I made my variation of Beef Wellington but changed the need out with a pork loin. I used parmesan, caramelized onions, homemade apple chutney, and spinach and wrapped it all with a sheet of puff pastry. I call it Pork Svendborg.
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Labor Day | Spaghetti alle Vongole |
| Tuesday | Getting ready for school | Thai Chicken Noodle Soup (immune system booster) |
| Wednesday | Homemade bun with pesto, grilled chicken and Mozzarella | One Pot Creole Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo |
| Thursday | Lettuce with chopped salami, tomato, red onion, grated cheese, and dressing | Parmesan and Onion Pork Tenderloin Svendborg (Wellington) |
| Friday | Homemade bun with salami, tomato, and Mozzarella. | Shitty storebought pizza for the kids while the adults attend Deep Purple concert |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Here’s a sneak preview of some of the dishes I made this week.
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 