2020 Week 45 Menu Plan
The 2020 Week 45 Menu Plan includes only one “stay at home” meal. The rest of the menu is loosely planned around our trip to St Thomas. We will spend 9 days at the Marriott Frenchman’s Cove timeshare which provides a full kitchen. Although we love to take advantage of highly rated local restaurants, we also enjoy provisioning and eating in. Sometimes finding specific ingredients can be difficult or simply too expensive. I always plan breakfasts and most lunches to be eaten at “home” along with several dinners. By planning in advance, I can pack some seasonings, spices and nonperishables, avoiding the need to buy excessive ingredients.
Breakfast
The breakfasts planned for the week are proven, easily made and will serve the two of us several mornings. By preplanning, I will pack the dry ingredients and purchase only the fresh.
Lunch
Lunches are super easy. Brats served with sautéed peppers and onions can be grilled or cooked stovetop. The quesadillas will require few ingredients and I am packing low carb tortillas.
Dinner
We are eating at several highly rated restaurants during the week. It has taken a lot of time to research. Even though we have traveled to St Thomas frequently over the past 20 plus years this trip has required more careful planning. Obviously we are dealing with the rules of the pandemic. Additionally many of our favorite restaurants no longer exist after the devastation of Hurricane Irma in 2017. In fact we have not visited the island since the hurricane hit. This visit will be extremely revealing showing the devastation even this many years later.
Roasted Sausages and Peppers
Hits and Misses
This keto soup recipe was chosen because I had an excess of frozen dark meat from the rotisserie chickens I have used. In addition I had several quarts of chicken both from those same chickens, all of which needed to be used. As it turns our, this soup was a huge hit with the ‘Ole Buckeye. It is very rich and quite filling.
I adapted this recipe for acorn squash making it more compliant with the THM eating plan. I filled each half with 1/2 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of sugar free maple syrup and followed the rest of the recipe. This is a great way to enjoy acorn squash and a breeze to prepare.
I prepared this carbonara as a stand alone entree. It is quite tasty, but will become a “side” in the future. Not quite the sustaining dinner I had hoped.
Baked Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
Halloween and OSU football turned into a family and friends gathering at my son’s home complete with fire pit and outdoor TV. I took my white chicken chili and sour dough bread. They provided a vegetarian chili, so it became a “chili fest”. As usual, the white chicken chili received rave reviews. It is one of our all time favorites.
Food for Thought
Kale contains lutein and zeaxanthin which protects the eyes from macular degeneration.
Recap
This 2020 week 45 menu plan has taken much more time than usual. Not only do I plan to pack a lot of the dry ingredients, but I am also attempting to determine availability at the grocery stores in St Thomas. Everything is more expensive in the islands, so careful planning is a necessity. It is also important to reduce waste, conserve prep time, and still enjoy our meals. The goal is to relax in the sunshine and enjoy the islands. Travel has been no existent over these past months and I am very ready for a break. Bon Appetit!
