Category Archives: meal planning

Menu Plan

Posted in budgets, California, cancer, cooking, meal planning by

So this week, we’re starting chemo, so I’ll probably keep dinners even more simple.

Last night we had a Costco mushroom and truffle pizza. It was as good as a restaurant. If you see them at your Costco and if you like a thin pizza with mushrooms this is for you.

Tonight I’m grilling some chicken and then there will be leftovers for either soup or something. I am also going to bake one of our delicata squash with butter and brown sugar.

Tomorrow, I think I will plan a ramen soup so B has something easy to digest. I’ll probably add an egg to it too for some protein.

I’m going to cook some rice in the Zojuruishi and make rice bowls. I’m out of tofu so I’ll need to pick some up at our Holiday Market. I won’t be able to get to Costco till next week with everything going on. I have some spinach to use and mushrooms.

A freezer meal of some sort, probably lasagna that I made a while ago and froze.

Something with eggs since I have a lot in the fridge. Either a frittata or scrambled eggs with potatoes.

I will do one fish dish this week. I have some salmon in the freezer so I’ll do that with a rice pilaf.

Here’s the Pullman Pan. or Pain de Mie.

and the loaf of sourdough.

I just had some toasted and it was excellent.

Menu Monday

Posted in California, cooking, meal planning, simple foods by

Meal planning has been going well. We had a fun ‘ Tim Walz tator tot hot dish’ last week. I didn’t use ground turkey but a sprinkle of sausage on the meat eaters’ side. Then there was cheese, eggs, and a can of fire-roasted diced chilies. It was a fun meal.

Last night we had the brown rice bowls with black beans( my home canned ones), salad toppings, cheese, sour cream, avocado, and some steak tips.( for the meat eaters)

The rest of the week will include;

  1. grilled mushrooms over egg noodles and salad
  2. tofu burgers
  3. egg salad sandwiches( I think) this may be optional
  4. pizza of some sort, either homemade or takeout
  5. grilled chicken with baked potatoes( I have in the freezer)
  6. a soup of some sort.

I want to go through my pantry boxes and pull out anything that might be close to expiration. Most of my pantry boxes( those are the Far Niente wine crates) are half empty since I’m not really doing any stockpiling. I think keeping the basics like pasta etc, is good but I don’t need to go over board. If there is another pandemic, then we’ll live with what have or live without it. That about sums it up.

Exciting, the debate tomorrow. Let’s hope tRump makes an ass of himself!!!!

Menu Monday

Posted in California, cooking, decluttering, meal planning by

I thought if I felt up to it, I’d do a menu list on Mondays. It’s really more for me to plan the week out. Barclay is really working on gaining back some of the enormous amount of weight he has lost. He’s doing pretty good so far and has gained a pound. He has a long way to go but it’s a start. He’s taking something called Mass Builder which is super high in calories and you add it to milk. If he can even gain 5 pounds before Stanford I think it would help.

Today being Monday, we don’t walk. I try and do a home reset morning and tidy the house, dust and overall do whatever resetting needs to happen. So far, I’ve dusted baseboards and one ceiling fan. I also started another sourdough and this time will remember to put it in the fridge. I’m also making some sourdough rolls for burgers.

Menu for the week, not necessarily in this order:

  1. burgers( Boca) on homemade rolls, salad of some sort, or just sliced tomatoes from the garden.
  2. eggplant parmesan from Costco, it’s Rao’s new product, salad
  3. cheese enchiladas as I have a lot of corn tortillas to use, beans, rice
  4. perogies, salad, maybe some grilled chicken
  5. pizza night
  6. spaghetti with homemade sauce
  7. unknown???

I also want to declutter some things and then plan my trip to Hospice Thrift and Goodwill. If you watch YouTube, my newest addition is Calm Nordic who is a minimalist living in Helsinki. She does a very nice vlog with no talking but subtitles. She is very clear about her intentions and living a minimalist life. Check her out. There’s so few really fresh new vlogs that haven’t gotten caught up in making money off you tube. So many I used to watch and was subscribed to I don’t bother anymore.

Menu Monday

Posted in budgets, California, cooking, meal planning, swimming by

Now that this week is going to be cooler, I’ll try and plan a regular menu.

When I do menu planning, I don’t always do them in order or as listed for a day. I might switch Taco Tuesday to Wednesday but the dinner is still the same.

Monday- I’m going to make a pie crust and do a quiche. I have spinach to use and gruyere cheese to add.

Tuesday- I have beans, RG, in the freezer so I’m going to pull them and do nachos. I still have 2 avocados from Costco in the fridge. Did you know that as soon as they are almost ripe( slightly press on them) if you put them in the fridge they will literally last for weeks. The ones I have in there are close to 3 weeks from when I bought them.

Wednesday- I have a piece of steak to use for the meat eaters and I’ll do tofu for B. A big salad too and maybe something else on the side. Corn on the cob would be good.

Thursday- I think I’ll try an IP recipe of some sort. I saw a lasagna that looked interesting. I’d have to go buy the cheese but have noodles and the sauce.

Friday- pizza of some sort. I’ll either make one or we’ll do takeout.

Saturday- If the weather stays coolish, I’ll use Weber for a BBQ night. I’d probably do chicken and more tofu. Plus salad of some sort.

Sunday- Unknown at this point. I’d like to go through the chest freezer and use something that’s been in there a while. I know I have a piece of pork roast lingering in there so maybe that. Pulled pork sandwiches would work.

Today is a pool day and then home. I don’t think I’ll go over to the library today but probably soon.

Another Heat Wave

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, California, camping, home improvement, home stuff, meal planning, travel by

We had a few days of milder temperatures, but tomorrow and the next day we’re back under the heat dome. It doesn’t look like it make it to 100 but close. After that, it actually looks like nice weather in the 80’s. We’ll be in Tahoe so the temperatures won’t be too hot. Generally, it’s 20 degrees cooler. I’m sure the beaches will be packed though. Nevada Beach is very popular as is Sand Harbor.

This time I’ve packed quite a bit of food so I don’t think we’ll need to go to the store unless it’s some random item. I’m planning a few BBQ nights with Webi and then some regular rotations of mac and cheese, a rice dish, veggies, and maybe a ramen bowl night. Plus, burritos of some sort.

Our son came up yesterday and put up the shower rod thing. It seems to work nicely. He’s going to come back this weekend to help move the electrical outlet so the cabinet fits better. So it’s moving along but still, I think we’re 2 weeks out from it being done. That includes painting and flooring. My daughter mopped the floor in there and it was very grimy from the grout stuff. She also is working on washing the tiles as the grout leaves a film. I’m sure glad they’re doing it and not me.

On our way up to Tahoe, we’ll stop at Zephyr Cove to use the dump station. Since we’ve had to use Rubi’s bathroom all week we need to be sure it’s empty for camping. It costs $10 to use. B has had Rubi parked by the sunroom and it’s been VERY convenient to use. Plus there’s water right there and electricity from the studio. It’s worked out well.

Almost back to normal

Posted in California, cancer, home stuff, meal planning, swimming, travel by

I am feeling much better and actually plan to go swimming today. The cold was mostly in my sinuses and didn’t go into a chest thing. I’m grateful for that. My eyes bothered me because they were watering so much but that’s been happening anyway and I think it’s a dex side effect. Still, I’m glad it was all relatively short-lived.

Tomorrow I have my Velcade but won’t be taking dex. I figure if I do 2 rounds of Velcade and my numbers are increasing I’ll need to add dex back in but at least for 2 months I’ll get a break. I guess it’s the luck of the draw.

Yesterday, I picked up my yarn at Joannes and then went to Trader Joe’s. I wanted some new cotton yarn for my millionth washcloth.:) Really, I just like knitting as it is meditative.

Meals have just been whatever is easiest to put together. I do plan on a BBQ tonight because I have a tri-tip from TJ’s to use. It’s one of the ones that comes all seasoned. I have a veggie burger for B and I’ll make a salad to go with it all. At TJ’s I picked up a few ready frozen meals for camping. One is the gnocchi cacio de pepe. That should be tasty. I might do a soup night and maybe a spaghetti night. We do keep it pretty simple when we’re camping. We plan on leaving later on Monday as we’re not sure if all the campgrounds are cracking down on early arrivals. We usually get there at 12:30 and we’ve always been allowed access but after New Brighton, we figure if we get there @ 1:30 then we’ll know. Either they’ll let us in or say no it’s 2pm. I’m guessing that the early arrivals were abused by people and now it’s something they have to deal with. Who knows?

In other news, we’ve had zero luck finding a plumber. I think because it’s such a small job it’s not worth their time. We’re still checking and I guess maybe B will have to watch some YouTube plumbing videos. 🙂

Menu for the week and other misc.

Posted in Blood test, books, California, cooking, Gardening, home improvement, home stuff, meal planning, reading by

Last night neither of us felt like much dinner so I made a ramen bowl with tofu and a hardboiled egg. We like the spicy chili ramen.

I’m planning a few freezer meals to use things up.

lasagna is going to be first with some salad

scrambled tofu with zucchini I bought at Costco( probably won’t do that again since it is a lot of squash:( )

homemade mac and cheese and use more of the fish sticks up. (Costco has the big bags and they are good for a quick dinner). Salad stuff.

I have some naan bread in the freezer from Costco too, so I’ll make a curry for that. either tofu or chickpea. I like the Trader Joe’s red curry sauce. I have some frozen veggies I can throw in and use them up.

I made a recipe from Steve Sando’s Rancho Gordo cookbook. It was a chili using black beans and zucchini. It was a big hit and we all really loved the depth of flavor.

I have some goat cheese to use up so I might do a frittata.

I have a bag of broccoli( from Costco) and I’ll make a broccoli cheddar soup.

Yesterday, after my labs, I went to the gym and then the library. I didn’t have any holds but I dropped off 3 of the books I finished with and picked up a few books off the new shelf. Currently, I reading the very first Longmire book which is The Cold Dish. He writes so well and I love the history he brings into the books.

I had planned on swimming today and then Costco to pick up a tent that’s on sale but then just didn’t feel like it so it’ll be a home day. My daughter is planning to come up to Tahoe and spend a night( her birthday) and the trailer is too small so we thought we’d get a tent. We happened to see one when we were leaving last week so we thought we should get while it’s on sale. Plus, there were a few more sale things I didn’t get like the Kerry Gold butter. I think we’ll try tomorrow.

Today B is going to go to the plumbing place and order the shower pan and drain. The good news is he reached out on our local chit chat and asked about a plumber and got a few responses. So one guy showed up yesterday and gave us an estimate on the plumbing and even doing the tile. It was a reasonable estimate so we’re going to go with that. B still needs to take down the dry wall and open it up where the pipes will go. With the claw foot tub, the pipes are outside the wall so that needs to get changed. We might go into Home Depot tomorrow to buy the subway tile for the walls. We’re just planning white with a light grey mortar. Simple yet elegant( I hope). I’m hoping to do the floor in black and white tiles like you would see in a Parisian bathroom. Our bathroom is so small but I think the small octagon tiles will look good. I saw where you buy them as a sheet so that’ll make it easier to put down.

California poppies!!

more, flowers.

Wisteria. It’s almost done blooming.

Red clover. That tree in the background is a liquid amber that must have started as a seed from the park. It’s gotten quite big.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, books, California, camping, cooking, Flylady, library, meal planning, Myeloma, simple foods, travel, Uncategorized by

Our drive home yesterday was rainy part of the way. Traffic was not too bad and we made it home by 2pm. Everything was good at home and the house was tidy. Of course, it was mostly only my daughter home because my son was off camping with his partner. He got home Wednesday.

We woke at ‘camp time’. Err, later than normal. I woke at 6am which is normally our walk time. I just figured,’ Oh well’, tomorrow is another day. I planned on doing the kitchen zone, bathroom zone, and bedroom zone. They are all done now.

I also did not plan to go to the Auburn gym as I wanted to do the zone cleaning.

I planned some meals for the week. Spaghetti with sauce, turkey chili with home canned beans, a soup night, a pizza night, a fish night, and a taco/burrito night. I’m keeping my menu plans that I write out and will write a monthly one soon. The monthly one is really for reference only as I pretty much plan many of the same meals over and over. Occasionally, I like to do a new recipe but most of them don’t make the cut for regular rotations.

This week is a mellow week with no appts. I plan on the gym, library, and swimming. Next week I have Velcade/Dex, so not looking forward to the Dex again. BUT, GREAT NEWS!!! My numbers came back in the normal range even with a tiny drop. Kappa light chains at 18.6. I’m over the moon and will continue to persevere. If my numbers stay in range by fall, I might ask about going completely off Velcade, but for now, it is what it is.

Right now it’s still cloudy but the rest of the week looks sunny and beautiful. All the trees are leafed out and I’m sure more will be out this week with 70-degree weather. the wisteria is ready to burst into bloom. All the daffodils are done. But other things are starting to bloom, rosemary, apple trees, redbuds, and the cherry tree.

I’m off to make some banana bread and then look at what books I have left from the library to read.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cash envelopes, cooking, Flylady, meal planning, simplicity, Uncategorized, Walking by

We started to go walk in the park when the rain came in so we turned around and came home. I actually like walking in the rain but not pouring rain and we didn’t have on any rain gear. We still have our Frogg Toggs but haven’t used them in ages. Oh well, I’m planning on the Auburn gym this morning so I’ll add some treadmill if my knee is up to it.

Today, I need to do my PT exercises, go to the gym and make a menu for the week. Yesterday I pressured canned chicken broth and got 6 pint jars. I had soaked some Rancho Gordo cranberry beans and then put them in the crock pot. I used the recipe from his book( “Vegetarian Cooking)for Pasta Fagioli, and it came out very good. There’s plenty left over for lunch today.

Tenative menu:

cheesy potatoes and chicken or Quorn Chicken and salad

quiche with Bourison cheese with salad

Soup night of some sort maybe french onion

freezer meal, I have a rice and turkey one that needs to be used

Pasta of some sort with my canned tomato sauce

chicken pot pie( that’s what I’m planning for tonight)

Mex night, either bean tacos or ?

Flylady zone is the Living Room and all I need to do is dust some and vacuum. I’ll probably also tidy my office some too.

We just got a notice from UHC, which is our supplemental health plan, and it will increase 11.7 %. That’s quite the increase, but honestly, what choice do you have? That’s almost a $400 increase for the year. Geez, everything is crazy expensive and living on a fixed income with no other sources of income, does make it tough. I guess all we can do is see where else we can cut some budget items. April will be expensive with Allstate due and property taxes. We also have the Santa Fe to smog and do registration. Although I didn’t get my envelopes fully funded, there’s some in each one and that will help. My goal is by next year to have these fully funded. Even if I only get half that will be a good amount so I’ll keep going. I really like the envelope system and it definitely is working for us.

Some spring flowers and a sleeping kitty. That’s Cherry!

We all decided we need to order lots more daffodils and different varieties for this fall. I especially like the ones that are ruffled. The yard looks very pretty with them in different places.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in bread, budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, cooking, Gratitude, library, meal planning, swimming, Uncategorized by

I was grateful to the nurses at Oncology for being so nice, friendly, and efficient. My nurse noticed the uptick in my kappa numbers and mentioned it. I said I was quite disappointed but maybe the dosing just needs to be adjusted( which is what I think will happen). I also asked about Darlazex Fastpro and she said that is a once-a-month shot so maybe that’s what I’ll need to go to after trying the other options.

The huge storm is moving in and although we seem to be forecast not to have terrible wind it still will be gusting and lots of rain. I’m grateful that I got whatever I needed to get done yesterday. The Sierras and Tahoe are bracing for blizzard conditions and Cal Trans is warning people to stay home.

We continue to enjoy the free DVDs of Longmire from the library. A great series. I’m very excited about the new Shogun coming out. Shogun, the book, was a huge influence on me and Japanese culture. I loved the first miniseries with Richard Chamberlain. The Japanese did have some pretty horrific tortures and deaths ( heads rolling) but the beauty of the honor is somehow still infused, well, unless you were an enemy and then that wasn’t pleasant.

Today I’m grateful to feel good enough to make sourdough again, and I’m prepping lasagna to go in the freezer and I plan on making a soup for dinner. I took my dex at 5 pm last night and I think I like that better than taking it when I get home from infusion. It gives me time in the afternoon to do some stuff.

I’m grateful I got the March budget done. We have 2 cars to pay registration for and smog. I’ve saved enough in envelopes for one and the other I’ll need to figure out. My goal of course is that for next year these are fully funded.

I’m thankful I went to the pool Tuesday because I won’t be able to get back till next week with the storm and dex days. The Coast Guard kids were using 3 lanes which I was not thrilled about but otherwise, it was mellow.

This is about half in bloom. It’s cloudy so it doesn’t show how pretty it is in the sun.

Some happy daffodils from the yard. The pink tree is almost full out so with our weather turning for the worst, I’m not sure the flowers will make it. Next year I plan to buy 2 more bags of assorted daffodils to start filling in a few more places.