We have been fooling around with Carla’s after-school schedule a bit. I am a little apprehensive about it, because I worry it might be Too Much. But we survived the fall, when she had soccer two days a week in addition to three other weekly activities, so I hope we can get through it.
She has now has an after school activity on Monday, back-to-back activities on Wednesday (apprehensive moan…), an activity on Thursday, and an activity one Saturday a month. I have been trying to get Carla to take an active role in not just choosing her activities, but in thinking through whether she will have enough bandwidth to see them through. For instance, we have been talking at Great Length about the back-to-back Wednesday things. The first activity is year-round. The second is intermittent, for I think six weeks at a time. We did them both for a while in the fall, and it was SUPER HARD. But it may have been harder on me, because I am the one who has to actually get us to each activity on time. And because the Wednesday activities require driving on the freeway, which I hate. Towards the end of the six-week activity, I think I was finally getting the hang of it, so I am hopeful that I can apply those lessons to this next session. Carla was at first worried she would be too tired to undertake the second activity, but we did a “test run” this week, after her first activity resumed, and she decided that she still had enough energy to go through with the second activity. And it’s something she loves and it’s only for six weeks, which I think we can handle. (I hope.)
But this is all to say that I now need TWO nights of Very Easy meals. I am thinking that I need to have one crockpot meal each week, for Wednesday or Thursday (which is the night we have a late-ish activity) and then the other night we will eat leftovers or microwave meals. Yes, I said microwave meals. I have been buying the occasional Lean Cuisine and it is the epitome of convenience. (My favorite Lean Cuisine is the Santa Fe-Style Rice and Beans. Yes, eating it is often an exercise in Bean Hide and Seek, but it is still quite tasty when covered with enough Cholula.)
This week’s meal plan feels odd to me because there’s only ONE new recipe on the list (and no tacos!!!!!). But I am trying to remember that I have LOTS of old favorites and that new doesn’t necessarily equal better or even good.
Dinners for the Week of January 14-20
- Crockpot Mulligatawny Soup
- Leftover Soup or Microwave Meals
- Date Night
- Chicken Shawarma with Steamed Broccoli
- Broccoli Beef (with plenty of bell peppers for me, because I don’t eat the beef)
What are you eating this week, Internet?
Take out
Microwave Meals
Cereal nights
SpaghettiOhs
Leftovers
Crockpot
…are how I handle those 2-activity nights. You’ve got this! No shame.
I introduced spaghettios too late in my kids’ lives. They had developed snobby taste buds and they were like ‘Gross!’
Coach and I leave Fri morning for Dallas. I am making 2 giant vats of my very delicious chili to share with the 3 families who have agreed to watch our 4 youngest kids while we are gone.
Last night I made a new pork chop recipe and loved it. We had leftovers on Monday night and a costco rotisserie chicken on Sunday. Tonight more leftovers. Tomorrow Italian beef in crock pot. So easy- maybe you don’t eat beef, but dump in crockpot on warm in the am. Buy buns, moz cheese, and gardinaire (sp?) And done!
Eeeeeek that sounds like a very busy schedule! It’s high school open house tomorrow night so pita pizza night is moved to TOMORROW. We are having wraps tonight! IT IS WILD AND CRAZY IN THE BOYHOUSE. I was at Costco today and bought some szechuan beans I’ve always wanted to try…but when do I make them? I might make them Friday to go with Greek salad and pitas. It seems like a Saturday thing but the boys are going to a sleepover and WE ARE GOING ON A DATE OMG. I wonder if I have to put out? Ha! Just kidding. Well, not really.
That does sound like a lot of ferrying. Tonight is my fast dinner night because we have a trans kids support group at 5 and we won’t get home until after 7. We’re having huevos rancheros. I’ll try to grate cheese, slice avocado, and chop cilantro before we leave and do the rest when we get home
We’re having beef and broccoli this week, too! But with fake beef. Other dinners: Sunday Beth made ravioli. Last night we had baked mac-n-cheese, fake chicken patties, and collard greens because I often cook an approximation of Southern food on MLK day. North’s cooking Thursday– they haven’t planned what yet. Friday is pizza and Saturday will be a winter vegetable soup (to use up the rest of the collards and some cabbage that’s been in the fridge a while).