Scattered Sundays and Meal Plan

You’ll never freaking believe what happened last Sunday.

Guess.

I, the person who once considered renaming her blog “The Swearing Lutheran”, was elected to the church council.

I shit you not. It should be a fun two years. At least they know the communion bread will keep flowing every other week.

It was bit of a low-key week here in the Cook house. I finally got the garden mostly figured out, but as with every year, I am panicking about not having enough room. When I say aloud “I need one more raised bed”, what I’m saying on the inside is “two acres would be lovely, please and thank you”.

We have one of our raised bed gardens completely full of garlic and that won’t be harvested until July/August.

But I really need that space for cucumbers because um, cucumbers are the freaking best. They are a plant that creeps everywhere if you’re not careful. Creeps as in grows up and over anything. Not creeps in like drives a white van and wears a Member’s Only jacket.

So basically I need another one of our homemade trellises (trelli?), but I don’t have anywhere to put it. Which leads me to need a two-acre hobby farm another raised bed.

Last week I was telling Troy we needed to just bite the bullet and buy some wood chips for the garden and chicken coop. I’ve been trying to get them for free from the tree service companies around here but I’m low priority for them.

At church last week the head of our community garden (our church donates about 2,000 pounds of food to a local food pantry every year) made an announcement during the service that there were free woodchips and to take as much as we’d like.

And then when we were driving home from church I told Troy we needed a chicken tractor for our isolated chicken. She still can’t be with the flock because chickens are assholes and she has an injured wing. And she is too pretty and they hate her.

Anyhoo, about 30 seconds after I said that we drove by a wooden pen on the side of the road with a little roof. Troy went back that evening and talked to the homeowner about it. It used to be for his dog and he was giving it away.

“look, I laid an egg”

Troy added some plexiglass to the sides (which we got from Freecycle), and some wooden wheels (caveman style) from scrap lumber, extended the roof with leftover roofing from our actual chicken coop, and boom, a freaking palace.

But seriously. I need two acres.

I’ll settle for one-and-a-half.

One acre?

Check out all the pollen against the blue sky. It makes me sneeze just looking at it.

In last week’s post, I mentioned about trying two new recipes this week! This Cabbage Roll in a Bowl and a Creamy Brussels thingy. Cabbage Roll was a hit (I used half the meat it called for), but both Troy and I thought it was missing something. Like a giant hunk of garlic bread. I chopped the cabbage into fairly big pieces which were fine but will do more of a julienne style next time. Jack thought they were weird noodles.

I didn’t end up making the Brussels dish because I felt like a hot bag of shit all day. The idea of creamy vegetables was not appealing to me at the time. I pulled out a last minute dinner and served Crispy Oven-Fried Gnocchi and Veggies (I left out the gnocchi).

A lovely delivery arrived this week in the form of stainless steel spice containers. I have had one of these for years that I picked up in a World Market clearance bin and I’ve always wanted more. I found them online and my organization porn fantasies have been fulfilled. And yes, they come with labels. Gah! Hold me.

On Sustainable Cooks This Week

This was the week of meat on the blog. If you saw my Instagram stories on Thursday, you’ll know I am so.sick.of.meat right now. TWSS.

How to Make a Perfect Roasted Chicken Every Time – Learn the secrets to making the perfect roasted chicken each and every time. This dry-brined chicken is hands down the best chicken you will ever make. Perfect for a Sunday meal or as part of a weekly meal prep, you’ll love this juicy and flavorful easy to make chicken.

Thought you would enjoy the backstory to this chicken photo. Just a reminder that everyone puts the best versions of themselves and things online. Stay true to you and don’t ever let perceived perfection eff with your head.

Whole30 Homemade Breakfast Sausage – (great even if you aren’t doing the Whole30) This homemade breakfast sausage is Whole30 compliant and delicious! You can’t beat the flavor or quality of making breakfast sausage yourself. Make ahead and freezing tips are included in the recipe.

My production assistant works for strawberries. And snuggles.

The Five Most Popular Posts This Week

1. How to Make a Perfect Roasted Chicken Every Time (this was also featured on Wise Bread this week)
2. Real Food Healthy Sweet Tea
3. The Cleaning Schedule of a Working Mom
4. Peanut Butter Frosting
5. The Oil Cleansing Method

Meal Plan

This week a few things are up in the air. Jack’s team starts a sudden death (sounds so violent) baseball tournament on Tuesday and we really have no idea what the week will bring. I’m laying things out as a basic plan with the idea that things may need to get switched around a bit. Thank the good lord for meal prep. And the Instant Pot. Amen.

Monday:: A pork and (cauliflower) rice dish that I need to make and photograph for you all.

Tuesday:: Instant Pot Orange Chicken, leftover cauliflower rice, and stir fry veggies.

Wednesday:: Shredded pork (I’ll make tacos for the boys and Bahn Mi bowls for Troy and me), salad, and grilled veg.

Thursday:: Out? First non-Whole30 dinner and we’ll celebrate with something, somewhere. Assuming of course baseball doesn’t eff it up.

Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night. Popcorn, oh how I have missed your delicious taste.

Saturday:: TBD

Sunday:: Family Dinner

What We Bought This Week

Fred Meyer: $41.95

Costco: $60.32 (but apparently I forgot to take a picture. We got lots of produce and some almonds.

What are you having this week?

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