New York’s foliage continues to “bloom.” Our local area is packed with New Jersey weekend tourists trying to take pictures of the landscape as it changes into autumn.
The roads are busy with all the weekend road warriors, both bicycle and motorized vehicles.
People dressed in tight spandex swish past our house as blurry neon green and bright yellow flashes. Bicycling is an obsession for specific age groups. They dress as part of the Tour de France or another important race. It’s admirable that they can bike for fun, for hours, while I stand with my Stihl chainsaw over my shoulder, embracing the mountain or Chainsaw Massacre image. Perhaps that’s why they drive so fast past my house!
On the flip side, we have weekend bikers rolling around the area in jeans and black leather (some with Wild Hog back patches), red bandanas, and Terminator sunglasses.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous during the weekend, so while doing yard work on Saturday, I started the firepit to burn small branches and debris. As supper time loomed, I threw a few steaks on the crate and finished them by searing them on the sear ring—I love my Breeo.
The Breeo firepit is an excellent, high-quality firepit made in Pennsylvania. It is a great addition to any outdoor area. I highly recommend Breeo.
I used my firepit throughout the year, and we often have knucklehead gatherings (friends stopping by) where we burn some shit, grill meat, listen to music, and talk shit.
The Hills have Apple Trees
Since we bought and moved into our house in 2014, we have visited the same apple orchard yearly. We support the local community and found a fantastic apple orchard where we can drive into the orchard in our truck, drive down the lanes of trees, pick a variety of apples, and the kids (and dogs) sit in the truck bed as we fill the bags.
Afterward, we go to the farmhouse to buy homemade apple cider donuts, apple pies, cider, hot dogs, and pumpkins, go on a hay ride, or pet the farm animals.
Granted, it is not cheap, but it is worth it when I spend many hours outdoors with the family, eat apples, and enjoy a relaxing weekend.
Week Forty-Three Meals
I’ll be traveling to Texas this week on business to attend a conference for a medical platform. I attend 1-2 meetings annually to stay connected with network contacts and learn more about the healthcare industry.
When I leave the family home, I must continue the meal planning and make extra large portions or meals for them to defrost and heat up.
I have witnessed firsthand that my wife is not the best cook. She admits it, but she could also be faking it. Either way, I must ensure they eat good food and not take-out dinners.
School Lunches
I continued my baking adventure and baked panini bread this past weekend. Baking is not tricky, but you must take time to make bread. You cannot rush the proving process.
Proving is a baking technique that allows yeast dough to rise and rest before baking. You will fail if you don’t let the yeast activate, or the bread prove.
Despite my efforts to reduce my son’s bread intake, I honestly believe that homemade bread is much healthier than storebought. Heck, it works wonders for Mediterranean countries, so why not a Viking family?
I grilled a few bone-in thin pork chops for a Cuban panini and bought salami and mozzarella for another panini variation.
Other lunches include pasta meat sauce and a few slices of quiche.
On the last day of the week and Monday next week, I’ve instructed my wife to make a few small personal pizzas—unfortunately, storebought, as I’m keeping it simple for her.
Dinner Time
I’m making a few family favorites for dinner: meat sauce and quiche.
The good thing about meat sauce is that you can make a huge batch, freeze it, and quickly defrost it, which suits the family well when I’m not home.
The quiche can be used for lunch for my wife and the kids’ school lunches.
Lastly, I prepared a large lasagna last weekend and froze it.
The family is well looked after, and I doubt they will go hungry to bed.
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Cuban Panini | Quiche fiesta – ricotta and spinach, and carbonara deluxe |
| Tuesday | Salami and Spinach Panini | Mediterranean chicken breast with pasta |
| Wednesday | Spaghetti with meat sauce | Spaghetti with meatsauce |
| Thursday | Quiche mini Fiesta | A Viking Lasagna |
| Friday | Pizza Delight | Friday night over-the-fire cooking |
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.
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Here are a few mood pictures from the previous week since I did not prepare dishes this week.
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The Viking Heart Within 