Christmas is slowly approaching. Santa’s sleigh was recently seen crossing the horizon unless it was just another of Elon Musk’s rockets being launched. That man is working hard to establish a Skynet of satellites around the globe. Navigating through the cluster of orbiting equipment is an impressive accomplishment.

Our year is winding down, too, with fewer social activities, allowing me to focus on more house chores. My fitness regime has left my daily routine, which I must improve. I’ve found too many excuses and home projects to distract me from doing exercises.

Changing my trusted cardiologist in late 2023 made me less interested in improving my blood counts (the not-so-good ones, like blood sugar and cholesterol) and less focused on maintaining a healthy body. My new cardiologist basically told me that I would never get off the medication and that reducing it would be futile, which was a slap in my face and dented my motivation. My original cardiologist was actively working with and encouraging me to reduce medication and had a very optimistic and positive approach to recovery.

Regarding recovery, I’ve invested in the family’s rock education by buying tickets for an awesome band, AC/DC. We can all need a little joy in our lives, and seeing AC/DC live is a massive experience.

I last saw AC/DC at Monster’s of Rock in Copenhagen (well, outside Copenhagen) 1992. Back then, they headlined the event with Metallica warming up the crowds. It was a blast!

When I heard and saw that AC/DC was back on the road after a long period of medical rest, I had to get tickets and bring my family. I was lucky to get tickets for the entire family, including my daughter in Florida, so we can all appreciate and enjoy the absolute rock legends.

I was in the Ticketmaster queue for almost an hour for each location, but I was successful!

However, Ticketmaster is ripping off people with excessive fees. I paid close to $35 per ticket for “service charges and fees” and an additional $16 per ticket for insurance. Insurance would be good if the aging rock dudes called in sick.

2nd Sunday of Advent

We enter the week of Peace and Faith to celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Advent.

Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace. In Hebrew, the word peace translates to Shalom, which means completeness.

While some people believe Jesus came to end wars and suffering, he came to save us from our sinfulness. We need to have faith in the Gospel.

The second cable represents faith. Joseph and Mary had strong faith in their journey and became inadvertently heroes in the most incredible story as they ushered in the coming of the Messiah. Their journey to Bethlehem was a monumental achievement and required a lot of strength and faith.

Week Forty-Nine Meals

The cover picture for this post is from my first sausage-making adventure. I made sausage filling from the deer I harvested in my garden, added 2-1 pork ground, and several excellent spices.

We only have a few weeks left in 2024, and we’ve had a feast of meals throughout the year.

It can be challenging to continue finding and creating new meals, but the internet is a fantastic source of inspiration, and I still seek ideas from my time in Denmark and Ireland.

We must keep food traditions and make a traditional Danish Christmas dinner yearly, the same way we celebrate Thanksgiving with the traditional turkey dinner (and sides).

School Lunches

I’m trying to combine some school lunches with dinner, meaning I would serve a smaller dinner version and label it lunch.

I sliced a few chicken breasts, wrapped them with bacon, and grilled them until done. I serve the chicken/bacon fingers with tomato, cucumber, and a dipping sauce.

You may remember that I prepared a large portion of pulled pork some weeks ago. This week, we will enjoy pulled pork sliders for lunch and dinner.

I made a large batch of shrimp and bacon mac n cheese, which I used for lunch and dinner.

While searching for lunch ideas, I stumbled across a strange creation: a sausage and spaghetti hotdog. Well, why not? I made a few by inserting uncooked spaghetti into the sausage and then boiling it together. When the pasta was done, I rolled it around the sausage.

Dinner Time

We start the week with an excellent grilled chicken skillet, using leek and carrots. I will serve it with garlic spaghetti.

As mentioned, I made a large batch of mac n cheese but added large shrimp and bacon bits. For dinner, I’m serving it with deer steaks that I harvested myself.

We will enjoy pulled pork sliders, but I will add a fried egg to the dinner option.

I must return to the gym after enjoying a cheesy mac and cheese!

Meal Plan

	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Chicken tenders wrapped with back served with tiny cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices	Skilled chicken with seasonal vegetables and pasta
Tuesday	Chicken tenders wrapped with back served with tiny cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices	Mac n cheese with grilled venison steaks
Wednesday	Pulled pork sliders with pickled red onions, melted cheese, lettuce, and tomato.	Pulled pork sliders with pickled red onions, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg.
Thursday	Mac n cheese with shrimp and bacon	Scrumptious leftovers
Friday	TikTok Spaghetti Hotdog	Concert night and dinner

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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