Meal Planning, Part 4

Posted on October 29, 2020 by prairiemoonquilts in Quotes, Recipes

I’m getting tired of cooking.

Running out of ideas . . .

Getting in a rut of the same ol’ same ol’ . . .

Does that happen to you?

I keep having to adjust what we’re doing. We’ve been eating a lot of Keto meals, and we’ve each lost some weight, which made My Cowboy’s heart doctor really happy. I’d like to keep going that direction, but My Cowboy has been having more serious kidney stone episodes of late, and we think being too strict with Keto may not be helping with that part.

So he’s added orange juice and bananas back into his diet, to see if he can stave off future kidney stones, while still keeping his potassium under control, and keeping with our plan to simply avoid sugar and white flour (and potatoes and rice). And still, I’ll allow him to have a potato about once a month, too. And he loves bread (which I’m OK doing without), so sometimes I allow him a hamburger bun, or a flour tortilla, and I even made a batch of homemade biscuits a few weeks ago.

We switched to eating our biggest meal of the day at noon instead of in the evening. I think that has helped a lot. Nowadays, I generally fast until lunch (with my coffee), eat the big meal at noon, and then snack for supper. My Cowboy has to eat a real breakfast in order to take his medications, but he eats oatmeal or yogurt or an energy bar and gets by (mainly because I’ve been too rebellious to make us smoothies).

It’s CrockPot weather, and since I hate cooking, I’ve been keen on using my crockpot, since I can just throw things in right after morning chores and forget about it till lunch time. I’ve been using this site for a lot of good ideas:

The Crock-Pot Ladies

I also follow them on Instagram so that it reminds me to try their recipes for convenience’s sake!

Oh, and those biscuits I mentioned? Here’s the recipe for them:

Butter Swim Biscuits

You’ll never want to make biscuits any other way ever again. So easy, and so good. I mean, the name says it all, right? Sometimes, you just need comfort food, and this seriously qualifies!

I am missing making some of my favorite comfort foods now that the weather is turning cold, but I’m trying to keep my mind off of it.

Some of my other favorites, I’ve been able to turn into Keto versions, like these:

Cheese Bites

I just use half and half and almond flour instead of milk and flour.

I made BBQ boneless beef ribs in the crockpot Monday, and Keto Cole Slaw to go with it.

Tomorrow, I’m making this (sans potatoes):

Jalapeno Steak and Mushrooms

I hope it turns out OK. I’m sure My Cowboy hopes so, too!

And with that, I’ll leave you with his latest comments regarding our new diet plan. It’s good for some laughs!

“If I’s at someone else’s house as company, I’d really be in trouble.”

“So do we got any crackers or ketchup in the other room?”

(To the dog): “One of us is gonna hafta take one for the team.”

“I may now regret my decision to ask for 3 instead of 2.”

“I wish all this blog fodder was edible, cos I’d trade ya.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait for dessert — said no man eating this meal.”

“The only thing good about this meal is that I didn’t have to cook it myself!”

“Now I know how my dad felt whenever he saw my mom reading a magazine or cookbook!”

12 responses to “Meal Planning, Part 4”

  1. Kate Barbieri says:

    Mind those stones. I lost a kidney due to repeat stones. I was told to avoid Spinach, cabbage, grapefruit, rhubarb, beets, okra, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, nuts, tea, chocolate and soy products.

  2. Marilyn Holder says:

    You have great strength to maintain this diet, but it will keep him alive and that is the goal! For 5 years or more I have been not wanting to cook! It began with knee replacement when I could not cook and David had to find ready-to-heat food which I found good and he did too. Guess I am out of the habit of cooking; I had rather spend the day sewing and quilting. We are eating less including desserts, not starving!

  3. Kerry says:

    HRH had to replace carbs and is allowed to eat lentils (not a fan of those, but he likes them) and bulgur wheat – which is a healthier option to rice and other grains. I’m still eating potatoes, but will join him with the bulgur wheat. Basically it is the Mediterranean diet minus the olive oil! The weight fell off him to a point where the doctor told him to stop! He’s allowed potatoes sometimes. Not easy when you’ve been enjoying yummy stuff.
    I do love your Cowboy quotes.

  4. Debbi says:

    Thanks for the new ideas. I struggle with cooking for just myself but like to avoid processed foods. I also am trying to cut sugar and lean towards a keto diet to loose some weight. Love the idea of cheese bites…never can get enough cheese! Yum! I’m craving bread so might try the biscuits too.

  5. Paula M says:

    Meal planning and cooking is key- I am struggling with getting us back on keto; who am I kidding, I’m struggling with everything! We started 8Greens and since starting we have no problem with bowl movements-some medication my husband takes can back him up, not any more!! Looking forward to soup and stew season!!

  6. Angela Neese says:

    I’ve been using a book called “Always Hungry” which is a sort of semi-keto plan. No processed anything. Basically, if it’s white (unless it’s cauliflower) you probably shouldn’t eat it. It’s a more balanced and do-able plan. 50% healthy fats, 25% protein, 25% good,, complex carbs. The science is there to support it, and it’s a slow method. No crashing lbs off just to put them back on again. It’s by Dr. David Ludwig, highly recommend it. Best part is no meticulous calorie counting. It helps that I actually love to cook! There’s a FB support group which is a real positive source of recipes and help.

  7. Candice says:

    Oh, no! Your blog and the comments of these people make me feel like a fat, undisciplined slob😒. I better go find that hidden candy bar to make me feel better.

  8. Amanda M. says:

    I stepped on the scale yesterday and I swear it yelped. My worst problem is cooking for just myself and I HATE leftovers so I either eat too much or run to town for fast food. I try to live by the rule of if my great grandma couldn’t identify it then I don’t eat it; that rule gets broken though. I just got a Dutch oven and love it since I can brown my roast in it and then put it in the oven all afternoon. Now I’m hungry!!

  9. Wendy says:

    One of my favorite meals are sheet pan dinners. They are so quick and easy. I mainly use skinless chicken breasts that have been marinated. I add veggies tossed in olive oil (or whatever works for you) with seasoning. I spread it all on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. It’s quick and easy.

  10. Marlene Clausen says:

    Have been vegan going on three years. I thought I would miss some things and don’t. I have never been big on desserts; but, there are those times I really want SWEET! About a year ago I discovered vegan popsicles. I’m on a mango/coconut milk/lime juice flavor of the month! One in the evening is really all I need.I ordered a popsicle mold from Amazon and it’s getting a workout.

  11. Elle says:

    I’m not a good meal planner. We either decide after dinner what tomorrow’s dinner will be, or I decide in the morning. We always have fresh veggies around: CSA share which goes until Christmas and our garden-although it got put to bed 2 weeks ago.

    In the freezer I always have proteins: ground turkey, ground beef, shrimp, salmon, a whitefish, a bag of already cooked Taco meat and a bag of already cooked Italian meat (It sausage and ground beef/turkey), a bag of chopped ham and breakfast sausage. I will buy 8# of pork shoulder and we’ll smoke and shred it all and we freeze that. Same with chuck roast-cook a bunch and shred. These ready-to-eat proteins help a LOT!

    We don’t really do casseroles so our crockpot is rarely used. When I make chili, I make a BIG pot (I have an 11 quart pot). Then I freeze portions for a single meal for the 2 of us.

    Happy eating everyone!

  12. Randy Menninghaus says:

    yes I am on a low salt low carb diet… Good thing I still have fabric.

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