It’s been awhile since my last post so I thought I’ll jump in with this past week recap (quite eventful and not completely in a good way), and share my meal plan for the upcoming week.
Texas was hit with an ice storm last week. The schools were closed for four days, as well as many offices and stores. We fared the storm OK, with a couple of hours of power and internet outage but, luckily, no burst pipes. The yard is another story – we lost a few big limbs on our trees, and I am anxious to see how the trees will look in the long run. This is a second destructive winter storm in the last three years in Texas.
Frigid weather calls for hot soup and biscuits – a classic combination. One night I made Minestrone and 3-ingredient drop biscuits. I’ll write a separate post with the recipe so it was easier to find.
While on the subject of meals, Friday night dinner was spinach-artichoke pasta with grilled chicken. This meal came together very quickly, but it’s incredibly delicious and company-worthy. It will be great served with salmon or shrimp as well.
Here are quick instructions I posted on my Instagram page if you wanted to make it now, but it deserves a separate future post:
– Sauté one shallot and 2 minced cloves of garlic in butter. Onion is fine if you don’t have shallots.
– Add a drained can of artichoke hearts (run a knife through them) and a defrosted/ drained bag of spinach (9 oz)
– Mix in 2 heaping tbsp cream cheese and about 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
– Add salt, garlic powder, onion powder to taste.
– Mix everything thoroughly until melted and gooey and delicious
Yesterday Phoebe surprised us by venturing out and baking cupcakes all by herself.
She insisted on not needing any help. She is normally not that enthusiastic about cooking and baking, but maybe after watching Sonia’s weekly baking sessions she got sufficiently inspired to give it a try. These mini chocolate cupcakes turned out amazing.
After the ice storm and a few days of hibernation it felt like the house needed to be put together and deep cleaned. This included scrubbing the bathrooms, washing the bedsheets, and generally cleaning and mopping. If you struggle to put the bed sheets on the right way, look for the corner with the tag. It always goes on the bottom right corner of the mattress – a little tip I picked up a couples years ago that saved me so much frustration.
This little cordless lamp from Amazon is a recent addition to our bathroom. I loathe bright light in the bathroom, especially at night. The lamp is very solid and functional. It has three settings that are activated by touch.
While the girls and I divided the work inside, Brian was clearing the debri in the yard. He still has a ton of branches to cut and get rid of, the storm left quite a mess.
This morning was beautiful and sunny and in the 70s F (that’s Texas weather for you). We went on a geocaching adventure not too far from the house.
We stopped by three different spots but didn’t find the caches. Phoebe brought a pen in case there was none in the cache to write with in a log:
That’s a creative way to carry a pen if your outfit has no pockets.
This afternoon included a stop by the Bricks and Minifigs store – almost like stopping at a candy store, and a quick run to a thrift store.
I was looking for a button-down and a skirt for myself. This shirt is brand new and fits perfectly, and a no-iron type (I hate ironing). Do you like thrifting? I usually have zero luck, but I don’t go often.
I am about to assemble calzones for dinner (I’d made the dough earlier this afternoon), do a quick meal prep for the upcoming week and call it a day.
This Week’s Meal Plan
- Chicken quesadillas served with guacamole, salsa, and a salad.
- Beef pot roast (crock pot) with mashed potatoes or grits. Mixed sauteed veggies on the side.
- Leftover calzones/ Soup from the freezer
- Teriyaki chicken with steamed green beans and rice: I got a pre-marinated chicken in my grocery order this week, will use frozen green beans.
- Stuffed shells, salad.
I hope your weekend was a combination of relaxing and efficient, or just relaxing – whatever you need most at the moment.
Leave a Reply