Oof. After a GREAT month of reading in April (I read six books, which is a lot for me!) May has practically ground to a halt. I’m about halfway through A Gentleman in Moscow, which I’m LOVING, but I’m longing for big chunks of reading time, and they’re just not there.
At least I know why I had so much extra time to read in April- every single end-of-the-year event was apparently scheduled for the first two weeks of May. Oh well- things will calm down soon.
But there is news on the eating front! On Sunday, my daughter had a jazz band concert, but she ended up getting a ride there and back. It was the same pieces they played at the concert last Tuesday, so I didn’t feel bad about missing it. As a matter of fact I was HAPPY to miss it, as it would have taken up my entire afternoon.
Instead, I did a little meal prep!
Now, after writing about meal prep last week, Lisa forwarded me the latest issue of the Lazy Genius Newsletter, where- gasp- even the Lazy Genius herself admits she struggles with meal prep sometimes:
“I don’t need to prep exactly the way the reels tell me to. It doesn’t fit in my life. It doesn’t even make sense. And for what it’s worth, I still go through meal prep crises every few weeks. I so quickly forget that it’s not all or nothing. It can be in part. It can be once. It can be literally anything I need it to be.”
So, no- I did not prep every dinner for the upcoming week. I spent about two hours in the kitchen, and made dinner for Sunday night, plus the Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil, and Vegetable Soup that Elisabeth posted about and has been going around all the cool blogs. And I made a batch of “breakfast tofu” (recipe from No Meat Athlete Cookbook) for breakfasts during the week.
Since Sunday was Cinco de Mayo, we had tacos! I made guacamole, mango salsa, tempeh taco “meat,” rice, and opened a can of refried beans. My daughter and husband made theirs into burritos, but I used these taco shells:
As I was taking a photo of my dinner I had to laugh. I really made a fun occasion as un-fun looking as possible:
I guess some lettuce, black olives, and cilantro would have brightened things up a little! But it did taste delicious. Even the Hop Tea- which I had in place of a beer- tasted good.
The soup was also delicious! All this food provided meals for Monday and Tuesday, which made me very happy. Now I just have to get through two more nights (Friday is always takeout.)
And now- I’m writing this on Tuesday night- I’m off to a band concert (of course I am!)
Did you do any meal prep this weekend?
Have you read A Gentleman in Moscow?
32 Responses
I listened to Gentleman in Moscow, and I loved it so much I listened to it again. If you ever want to listen to it, the actor who reads it has a wonderful voice. It’s one of the first books I ever listened to. I read Rules of Civility years ago, and liked it OK, but I liked Gentleman much more.
I do zero meal prep. I cook 3 nights a week, and I start my chopping and so on when I start dinner. I know people find meal prep to make things a lot easier, but I haven’t really tried it.
Okay, that’s good to know- I’ve been thinking aobut reading another book by the same author (when I’m finally done with this one!) so maybe I’ll go for the newer one.
Oh, Lincoln Highway? Is that it? I enjoyed that one quite a bit. VERY different from Gentleman.
That first half of May sounds really crazy! And you have that race coming up, too!
I used to read a book a week. It now takes me about 2 weeks to get through one.
Right now I’m reading a really funny British crime story. It’s about 4 retired MI5 agents (all in their late 70s) who are still solving crimes. It’s hilarious!
Oh, I like British crime stories! I want more details!
Yay for doing a bit a meal prep. You are right that you don’t need to do everything, even a little bit can make things easier during the week. I don’t do meal prep, but we do have leftovers for dinner tonight which is great. I have not read a Gentleman in Moscow but am putting it on my TBR.
Yes, I think this is what’s going to work for me, for now- do a little meal prep on Sunday to have at least monday and Tuesday dinners made.
I LOVED A Gentleman in Moscow. Loved it. Probably my favourite modern book of fiction. That said, I’ve only read it once and I’m a bit worried if I read it again I wouldn’t love it as much? So I’m sticking with the memory of loving it profusely.
I’m so glad you liked the soup; I find it very versatile. I kinda just throw in whatever veggies I have in the fridge that need to be used up!
Elisabeth, I definitely think you should ONLY read books once from now on!
And yes- I did make some substitutions, used broccoli instead of green beans… it’s definitely a versatile soup.
I’m taking note of A Gentleman in Moscow. It’s one of those books that of course I’ve heard of, but just never had a reason to pick up. Now that I see all of the “real people” endorsements, I’m on board!
Lazy Genius has it right: “it doesn’t fit in my life”. I feel like I did a decent job with family meals when the kids were younger, and in this phase of life the pieces don’t fit. I don’t have the answer but at least I know I’m not alone;-)
I’ve been meaning to read Gentleman for years- then James Altucher did an entire podcast episode on the book and interviewed the author, which is what spurred me on to pick it up now. I haven’t listened to that podcast yet- I’m waiting until I finish the book.
Why is May so hectic?! Everything happens in May and it is very stressful! Can’t we spread things out a little bit?
I love love love when Past Me has gone to the trouble of doing meal prep. But… I hate doing meal prep, so I don’t do it that often.
Yes, literally everything was scheduled for the first two weeks of May, eve things that definitely could have been at a different time (band parent meeting, band picnic…) WHY.
Yes, there’s always that conflict between what Future Me will like and what Present Me wants to do. I hope I can convince Present Me to do food prep, at least a little, on Sundays on a regular basis.
I did not do any meal prep last weekend because our meals for this week were basic enough that no chopping was required in advance! We had tacos on Sunday for cinco de Mayo. Paul was adamant about not eating them w/ meat so he basically had a cheese quesadilla made on a corn tortilla. But then on Monday at school he had a beef taco and said it was so good, so he had a taco with meat on it on Monday night. I’m glad school finally convinced him to try it with meat (the kid needs the calories, he’s so thin…). So now we have another meal that everyone will eat as it was prepared (Taco has been on board w/ meat on his taco for awhile now). Yesterday we had burgers and asparagus on the grill and corn on the cob made in the instant pot. Tomorrow night I will make chili for the adults and the kids will eat who knows what. But most weeks our meal plans include something that can be done a bit in advance to make the meal assembly process faster. We have such a time crunch since we get home around 5-5:15 and the boys want to eat immediately so if I am making something different for Phil and me (50% of the time that is the case) I don’t have much time to focus on that since we are working together to get the hungry children fed. So I am very pro doing what you can on the weekend – but ONLY IF it makes sense to you. I wouldn’t need to do this if I worked from home more, for example.
I have read A Gentleman in Moscow. I liked it but did not love it! It is a book that elicits very diverging views it seems! My reading has been pretty good so far this month. Right now I’m reading “Fat Talk” for book club which will make for an interesting discussion!
Ugh, now see I hate that schedule of trying to get dinner ready in a hurry while everyone is hungry!!! Especially when you have kids, which means frequently everyone is not eating the same thing…. that’s tough. Well, you’re making it work.
I think tomorrow is your shouldless day, right??? ENJOY!
Yes it is tomorrow!! I can’t wait!!
Lisa I hear you on celebrating a skinny kid eating meat! My daughter is 6 and super skinny and doesn’t eat meat (except for fish fingers). Her tacos are always cheese and salad. The other night she tried roast chicken and liked it and ate her whole portion, I was so excited!
It’s a huge win when you can get more calories in a child that is just so thin! Paul weighs 37 lbs – I know toddlers that weigh more than him! He has stayed on his growth curve but I am always nervous he will fall off since he’s already at 5th percentile so there’s no cushion!
I don’t have kids but working for a school district, May can be pretty busy with lots of end of the year activities to cover. Fortunately things slow down a bit in June but then are crazy again in July getting things ready for the new school year!
I love Siete tortillas and their chips but I’ve never tried those taco shells — they look good and your taco fillings sound delicious!
Yes, I’ve been loving the Siete chips- I can definitely recommend the taco shells. On the other hand… I don’t think regular corn taco shells are that bad for you… and these are more expensive. They’re good if you’re avoiding corn!
May is so busy always. And I don’t have children. But it’s the end of the semester at the university, lots of family birthdays and anniversaries, and dealing with other family issues and I don’t know if I have a moment to sit down and do any reflection! It’s exhausting. But at least the weather is turning around here. It’s easier to think about doing something after work now that it’s not dark when I get home.
I’m trying to remember… did you once say May was your favorite month? Something about Dr. BB being done with school and having a break, plus the family birthdays? Or maybe that was June. Anyway- I know you have a lot of extra, non-fun things going on this month. So I’m sure this particular May is not your favorite. But if the weather is nicer that’s a huge plus!
Good memory! May has traditionally been my favorite month. Because Dr. BB has moved into a pseudo-administrative role (he’s department chair), he doesn’t get his usual break this year, so I won’t get Chill Husband this year. So this year it may not be as awesome as it has been in the past, but there are still the birthdays and our anniversary!
I’ve always done minimal meal prep, though as the kids get older and my Sunday afternoons free up I’m looking forward to doing a bit more. We have my husband’s parents staying with us this week so my MIL is doing all the cooking, so good!
Normally I like to do a big cook up on Sunday that will give us leftovers for Monday, and then my husband and I juggle the mid-week meals with easy options that don’t take long to pull together (eg fish and salad, tray bake chicken etc). However, now out weather is warming up I’m looking forward to doing some slow cooker meals during the week, as I often have more time for meal prep in the morning than after work (I’m an early riser).
Maybe I should consider getting a slow cooker? I also have more time in the morning. And, in the summer my husband can do some of the cooking- he has a nice vacation because he’s a teacher.
I abandoned the book a while ago, maybe I should give it a try again.
I did zero prep last weekend as I was out for kids activities both days and this week has been crazy at work. today’s holidays, so maybe I’ll do some baking. the girls ran out of breakfast items.
we had the soup two weeks in a row, for next week I’ll be traveling starting wed, so probably will not meal prep but let daddy figure out day by day for the kids.
your taco looks delish, I wish we have good avocados here to make them. taco without guacamole is not perfect 😉
Oh no, you don’t have avocados??? Yes, it’s hard to make a good taco without them. And, I guess I can see that your life doesn’t always accommodate meal prep- so you do it when you can.
No meal prep. We just ate what what we had in the freezer/refrigerator. T is away this week so I’m making it work with what we have. I am wondering if I can make it to Friday without going to the store. I think I can 😉 The soup looks so yummy!!
When my husband isn’t eating dinner at home, it’s way easier! I feel like I can usually throw something together for my daughter and me. And, the soup is really yummy! I recommend it.
I made myself a pasta sauce on Monday (it was a bank holiday but I only took the morning off to recover from my half-marathon) and made four portions so that’s three more for the freezer and I’m sorted for this week (I have those three, a quorn curry and two bean sauces).
I DNF-ed A Gentleman in Moscow! I really expected to love it, but it was just moving so slowly that I gave up on it. Maybe one day I will try the audiobook, but it’s 18 hours and that feels soooo long, lol.
I don’t really do meal prep! I try to keep my recipes as easy as possible and want to spend a little time as possible in the kitchen.
I read A Gentleman in Moscow years ago and really, really disliked it! I can’t remember anything else about it except my feeling of dislike!